Gustavus Adolphus College

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Gustavus Adolphus College: Old Main

Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1862 by Eric Norelius and was originally named Minnesota Elementar Skola. In 1865 on the 1,000th year anniversary of the death of St. Ansgar, "the Apostle of the North," the college was renamed and incorporated as St. Ansgar's Academy. In May of 1873, the college was again renamed and reincorporated as Gustavus Adolphus Literary and Theological Institute in honor of the Swedish king, Gustav II Adolf. On October 16, 1876, opened as Gustavus Adolphus College in its new location in St. Peter, Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Core Values

The College's mission statement describes five core values:

1. Excellence
2. Community
3. Justice
4. Service
5. Faith

Hauntings

According to urban legend, the campus is the home to numerous ghosts. Allegedly haunted sites include:

1. Old Main (with 3 ghosts)
2. The Dive entertainment center in the Jackson Campus Center
3. The Anderson Theater
4. The Fine Arts Center Arts Wing
5. Bjorling Recital Hall
6. Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library
7. The Peterson House
8. Rundstrom Hall
9. Wahlstrom Hall

Nobel Conference

Gustavus has been host to the annual Nobel Conference since the first conference in 1963. The conference generally has a focus on science topics such as "The Science of Aging" (2004), "The Nurture of Nature" (2002), "Virus: The Human Connection" (1998), and "The New Shape of Matter: Materials Challenge Science" (1995).

Disasters

• On January 8, 1970, the Auditorium was completely gutted by a fire.
• In March 29, 1998, the College's campus was hit by a mile-wide F3 tornado that broke 80 percent of the windows, leveled nearly 2,000 trees, toppled the chapel's spire, and caused more than $50 million in damages.

Location

The College's campus is located in St. Peter, Minnesota.

External Links

• Gustavus Adolphus College official website
• "Songs of Thy Triumph" A Short History of Gustavus Adolphus College by Steve Waldhauser
• The Nobel Conference
• St. Peter, Minnesota official website
• St. Peter, Minnesota tourism website

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