Martin Luther College

This article deals with the WELS-affiliated tertiary institution in Minnesota. See Luther College for the ELCA institution in Iowa.

Martin Luther College

Established	1995
Affiliation	Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
President	Rev. Mark Zarling
Academic staff	75
Students	775
Undergraduates	715
Postgraduates	60
Location	New Ulm, Minnesota, USA 44°18′19″N 94°28′20″W / 44.30528°N 94.47222°W / 44.30528; -94.47222Coordinates: 44°18′19″N 94°28′20″W / 44.30528°N 94.47222°W / 44.30528; -94.47222
Campus	Rural 50 acres (20 ha)
Colors	Red, Black & white
Mascot	Knight
Website	www.mlc-wels.edu

Martin Luther College (MLC) is the college of ministry operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Located on a 50-acre (20 ha) campus in New Ulm, Minnesota, United States, the college prepares men for pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and men and women for service as early childhood teachers, elementary, and secondary teachers and staff ministers in WELS churches, schools and missions. A faculty of 82 educators serves approximately 800 students during the school year. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and its teaching program has been approved by the Minnesota Board of Teaching.


Old Main, Dr. Martin Luther College
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Old Main from the northeast
Show map of Minnesota Show map of the US
Location	College Heights, New Ulm, Minnesota
Coordinates	44°18′20.7″N 94°28′16.2″W / 44.305750°N 94.471167°W / 44.305750; -94.471167
Area	Less than one acre
Built	1884
Architect	Unknown
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
MPS	Brown County MRA
NRHP Reference #	79001208^[1]
Designated NRHP	December 31, 1979

Music Hall

History

Martin Luther College was established in 1995 when Northwestern College, located in Watertown, Wisconsin, and Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm amalgamated on the New Ulm campus.

Dr. Martin Luther College was established in 1884 by the Minnesota Synod to train Lutheran pastors and teachers working in Minnesota. Northwestern College was established in 1865 by the Wisconsin Synod to train Lutheran pastors in Wisconsin. In 1892, when the Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan Synods formed a federation called the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Wisconsin and Other States, it was agreed that Northwestern College would become the primary college for training men to serve as pastors in the new synod's churches. This purpose was carried out by Northwestern College on its campus in Watertown, Wisconsin, from 1865 to 1995.

It was also agreed that Dr. Martin Luther College would discontinue its pastor training course and would become a teacher training college. Graduates of Dr. Martin Luther College would also teach in any of the new synod's schools.

After several years of study and discussion, the WELS in convention voted to amalgamate its two training schools at the New Ulm, Minnesota campus. The new school, named Martin Luther College, opened its doors for the 1995–1996 school year.

The original building of Dr. Martin Luther College, the 1884 Old Main, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for having state-level significance in the themes of architecture, education, and religion.^[2] It was nominated as a leading example of Gothic Revival architecture in Minnesota and a distinctive symbol of local religious education.^[3]

About Martin Luther College

For the 2010–2011 school year, Martin Luther College (MLC) has approximately 710 students and 75 faculty members. The average class size is 17, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 11:1.

A high percentage of students come from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod's Ministerial Training schools, Luther Preparatory School and Michigan Lutheran Seminary. Of the remaining percentage, many students come from Area Lutheran High Schools that are affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. A smaller percentage comes from public schools and international programs.

The campus is composed of 12 buildings: Old Main (Administration, Computer Labs, Classrooms), the Link (ties together Old Main and the Wittenburg Collegiate Center - Administration, Science Laboratories)the Wittenburg Collegiate Center (classrooms, auditorium), the Luther Student Center (cafeteria, student union, gymnasium, power plant), a Library, a Music Center (piano, organ, voice instruction, band and choir rooms), a Music Hall (formerly known as the Aula, MLC's first chapel - organ and piano practice rooms, Music Technology Classrooms), and the Chapel of the Christ (dedicated in 2010) along with the four dormitories listed below.

Student life

Students at MLC live in one of four dormitories: Augustana (Primarily sophomore-senior women), Centennial (primarily freshman women), Summit (primarily junior and senior men), or Concord (primarily freshmen and sophomore men).

Students have the ability to participate in a variety of co-curricular and extra curricular events, such as Forum (Drama), Intramural sports, Student Senate, and other clubs and events. Students also produce several publications, including the Knight's Page (student magazine) and Studium Excitare, a journal of confessional language studies.

Any students who choose the teaching track are given the opportunity to gain valuable experience by participating in student teaching programs. Teachers in training will be placed in area schools, ranging from preschool to high school, and help to develop lesson plans for the school's students.

Many Students are involved with the music department. MLC boasts 20 pipe organs available to students for practice, including the 42-rank Backer Memorial Organ in the MLC Auditorium and the 57-rank Schantz Organ in the Chapel of the Christ. Also, piano and voice lessons are common, in addition to a Wind Symphony, four Choirs, and co-curricular Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Handbell Choirs.

Off campus life is popular, with students frequenting local business, restaurants, plus nearby Vogel Arena (swimming, field house, racquetball) and Flandrau State Park for swimming and hiking. Trips into Mankato (a 30-minute drive) are also popular for shopping at River Hills Mall and other big name stores. Day trips to the Twin Cities are also popular for concerts and other events.

Other events hosted by the Student Senate and the school provide popular entertainment, including Homecoming, Winter Carnival, Swine Sizzler (pig roast), band nights, an annual Ski Trip, an annual Art Museum trip, puzzle and card tournaments, Arbor Day, Evangelism Day, etc.

Graduates

Those students who complete the program offered by the Studies in Pastoral Ministry department continue their education at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin. Those students who complete the requirements of the Studies in Educational Ministry department (with an emphasis in elementary, secondary, or early childhood education or a preparation for a parish staff ministry position) become candidates for a call, or assignment, to serve in a Lutheran elementary or high school operated by a WELS congregation. Students who attend Martin Luther College in preparation for the Lord's Gospel Ministry "have made a choice to place their lives at the disposal of the church. They will accept assignment to any location and any slate of duties that meets the church's needs as opposed to their individual preferences. Put another way by Philip Leyrer: "where the church needs him is His preference"^[4]

Athletics

Martin Luther College competes in the NCAA Division III and the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference(UMAC). The school's nickname is the Knights and colors are black, red and white.

Dr. Martin Luther College's nickname was the Lancers and school colors were maroon and gray. Northwestern College's nickname was the Trojans and its school colors were black and red.

Currently, Martin Luther College offers the following sports: Men's Cross Country, Soccer, Football, Basketball, Tennis, Baseball, Track and Field, and Golf; Women's Cross Country, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis, Softball, Track and Field, and Golf.

Opportunities are also available to play hockey and baseball in annual matches with Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. The school also offers a variety of intramural sports for students who do not wish to compete in intercollegiate sporting events.

References

↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
↑ "Old Main, Dr. Martin Luther College". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
↑ Gimmestad, Dennis (January 1979). "Minnesota Historic Properties Inventory Form: Old Main, Dr. Martin Luther College" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
↑ Leyrer 2006, p.94

Leyrer, Philip (2006). "Two innocent questions about teacher training in the WELS". The Lutheran Educator 46 (3): 92-96.

External links

Colleges and universities in Minnesota

Public institutions	Bemidji State Metropolitan State Minnesota State, Mankato MSU Moorhead St. Cloud State Southwest Minnesota State UMC UMD UMM UMR University of Minnesota Winona State

Private institutions	Adler AFLBS Augsburg Bethany Lutheran Bethel Carleton Concordia (Moorhead) Concordia (St. Paul) Crossroads Crown Dunwoody Gustavus Adolphus Hamline Luther Seminary Macalester Minneapolis College of Art and Design Martin Luther North Central Northwestern Northwestern Health Sciences Oak Hills St. Benedict/St. John's St. Catherine Saint Mary's St. Olaf St. Scholastica St. Thomas

Community/technical colleges	Alexandria TC Anoka TC Anoka-Ramsey CC Central Lakes Century Dakota County TC Fond du Lac Tribal CC Hennepin TC Hibbing CC Inver Hills CC Itasca CC Lake Superior Leech Lake Tribal Mesabi Range CTC Minneapolis CTC MSC-Southeast Technical Minnesota State CTC Minnesota West CTC Normandale CC North Hennepin CC Northland CTC Pine TC Rainy River CC Red Lake Nation CC Riverland CC Rochester CTC St. Cloud TCC Saint Paul CTC South Central Vermilion CC White Earth Tribal CC

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota

Lists by county	Aitkin Anoka Becker Beltrami Benton Big Stone Blue Earth Brown Carlton Carver Cass Chippewa Chisago Clay Clearwater Cook Cottonwood Crow Wing Dakota Dodge Douglas Faribault Fillmore Freeborn Goodhue Grant Hennepin Houston Hubbard Isanti Itasca Jackson Kanabec Kandiyohi Kittson Koochiching Lac qui Parle Lake Lake of the Woods Le Sueur Lincoln Lyon Mahnomen Marshall Martin McLeod Meeker Mille Lacs Morrison Mower Murray Nicollet Nobles Norman Olmsted Otter Tail Pennington Pine Pipestone Polk Pope Ramsey Red Lake Redwood Renville Rice Rock Roseau Scott Sherburne Sibley St. Louis Stearns Steele Stevens Swift Todd Traverse Wabasha Wadena Waseca Washington Watonwan Wilkin Winona Wright Yellow Medicine

Other lists	Bridges National Historic Landmarks Voyageurs National Park

Keeper of the Register History of the National Register of Historic Places Property types Historic district Contributing property

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference

Full members	Bethany Lutheran Crown Martin Luther Minnesota Morris North Central Northland Northwestern-St. Paul St. Scholastica Wisconsin–Superior

Associate members	Eureka Greenville Iowa Wesleyan MacMurray Westminster

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