Reflections as a Christian College Prepares to Celebrate Its Sesquicentennial

Chris Gehrz offers interesting reflections on five key turning points in Bethel University's 150-year history, "Persevere: A Christian College Turns 150."

Bethel is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference with roots in Swedish Pietism. Bethel was founded as the Scandinavian Department of Baptist Union Theological Seminary of the University of Chicago. It later moved to St. Paul, MN, becoming Bethel Academy and Seminary in 1914. The name changed to Bethel Institute in 1920, to Bethel College and Seminary in 1945, to Bethel College in 1974, and finally, Bethel University in 2004.

Chris Gehrz is a thoughtful and prolific writer with a wide ranging interest in higher education and Christian colleges. Previous College History Garden posts featuring writing by Gehrz include: 

• March 29, 2013 Writing Institutional History
  
• November 14, 2014 Bethel & Adelphia: Two Institutions with a Common Foundation in Swedish Pietism
• November 13, 2015 Bethel at War...excellent example of a digital history and institutional stories
• February 26, 2020 Reflections on Challenges of Church Related Colleges and Universities

MSUM Celebrates Centennial

Minnesota State University Moorhead, founded in 1888, is celebrating the centennial of becoming a teachers college in 1921. The article by Danielle A. Teigen was post on the Fargo Forum's Inforum web site on May 1, 2021.

You can visit the MSUM website for a statement by Ok-Hee Lee, Dean, College of Education & Human Services Education.

Rasmussen College Changes Its Name

Angie Wieck reports on Inforum website that "Rasmussen College celebrates recent transition to Rasmussen University."

The for-profit institution initially opened in 1900 as Rasmussen Practical School of Business in Stillwater, MN. By 1902, the institution was using St. Paul, MN as its mailing address.

It has since expanded to offer programs on 23 sites in six states and online.

Individuals can also consult the Index of Colleges and Universities that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names to see more information on institutions that have closed or changed names. There are separate pages for each of the states and the District of Columbia.

Bemidji State University History Featured in New Exhibit

Bemidji State University in Minnesota has been celebrating its centennial and the institution's history is featured a new exhibit. 

Lakeland PBS posted "Beltrami County Historical Society Unveils New Bemidji State University Exhibit" that includes video coverage from the opening.  The exhibit features artifacts, vintage BSU apparel, old pins, and course catalogues.

The institution was established as Bemidji State Normal School.  The name changed to Bemidji State Teachers College in 1921, to Bemidji State College in 1957, and to Bemidji State University in 1976.

The centennial web pages offer a timeline of milestones and a variety of other resources that include a video on Vimeo that provides an overview of institutional history, "Bemidji State University: Celebrating our Centennial.".

Minneapolis Business College Announces Closure

Katie Galioto reported for the Minneapolis Star Tribune on June 26, 2019 that "After 145 years, Minneapolis Business College to close in December."

The institution was founded in 1874 and moved to Roseville, MN after 1983.  Galioto reports that enrollment had declined to approximately 90 students.  It was part of the Bradford Schools system headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Century of Connection...Highlighting the History of The College of St. Benedict

WJON radio published a five part series by Ashli Overlund in 2013, A Century of Connection, focusing on a century of history at St. Benedict College following the admission of the first students one hundred years earlier in 1913.

St. Benedict's was founded by the Sisters of Saint Benedict's Monastery and is located in St. Joseph, MN.

The initial text with each of the following bullets links to the original WJON post.  The respective YouTube videos from these posts are also embedded following each bullets.

• The first post, "A Century of Connection:  Early History At The College Of St. Benedict,"

• A Century of Connection: Looking To The Future At The College Of St. Benedict, the College Of St. Benedict is currently planning two major renovation and building projects that they hope will carry them into their next century.

• A Century Of Connection: Welle Family’s College of St. Benedict Legacy, one family that has deep roots within the St. Ben's community.

• A Century of Connection: St. Ben’s Blazers Athletics

• A Century of Connection: College of St. Benedict’s Ties To NASA

You can also visit web pages of the College of St. Benedict for an historical sketch of the institution or access an extensive array of resources through the College of St. Benedict Archives.

Normandale Community College Marks 50th Anniversary

Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1968.  The anniversary web pages include events scheduled to mark the milestone and a time line of key historical events.  

The institution opened as Normandale State Junior College and changed its name to Normandale Community College in 1973.

Sesquicentennial Celebrations at Minnesota State University Mankato

Minnesota State University Mankato is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding as Mankato State Normal School in 1868.

You can visit the 150th anniversary web pages for links to events commemorating the anniversary, historical information and digital resources. The web pages for the university archives also offer an extensive set of digital collections.

Mankato State Normal School became Mankato State College in 1957. The name changed again to Mankato State University in 1975 and then to Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1998.

A sesquicentennial history of the institution written by William E. Lass, a professor emeritus of history, was also released this week, Minnesota State University, Mankato 1868-2018: A Sesquicentennial History.

St. Cloud State University Sesquicentennial Anniversary

St. Cloud State University in Minnesota is preparing to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1869.  The initial sesquicentennial page includes a short video and links to a timeline, various events or news related to the anniversary.  You can also follow a link to a post, "SCSU AT 150: HOW IT ALL BEGAN BACK IN 1869," on the WJON radio site with a short historical sketch and early photographs.

SCSU was founded as the Third District State Normal School at St. Cloud, MN. The name changed to St. Cloud State Teachers College in 1921 and to St. Cloud State College in 1957. The name then changed to St. Cloud State University in 1975.

The University Archives created several exhibits, "From Normal to University: The St. Cloud State Campus Since 1869," that provide interesting information on how the campus mission and physical characteristics have changed.  You can find links to historic individual building profiles for many campus buildings and information on Faces Behind the Places exhibit that explores the people who have St. Cloud State buildings named in their honor.  

The Archives also has a page, "Historical Compilations and Histories," with an amazing array of links to historical resources including:

• History of St. Cloud State Teachers College (1954), by Dudley Brainard. Written by long-time faculty member and former president, Dudley Brainard, this history was an update of his 1944 history created for the 75th anniversary of St. Cloud State's establishment.
• A Centennial History of St. Cloud State College (1968), by Edwin Cates. Authored by History faculty member Edwin Cates, this volume was written to commemorate St. Cloud State's 100th anniversary in 1969.
• University Archives YouTube channel. Film and video from University Archives, including nearly all football games from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Serving for Over 70 Years: South Central College in Minnesota

The Mankato Free Press published a retrospective article March 5, 2018, "Mankato site of state's first public vo-tech," that provides a brief historical sketch for what is now South Central College.

The institution was founded in 1946 as Mankato Vocational School, the first public, post-secondary vocational-technical school in the state. The name change in 1989 to Mankato Technical College. It merged in 1992 to become Albert Lea-Mankato Technical College. Three years later it joined MN State Colleges and Universities System in 1995. Following realignment, it joined with the Faribault campus of what had formerly been MN Riverland Technical College to become South Central Technical College. The name was changed in 2005 to South Central College.

South Central College serves 5,090 students and offers 45 academic programs. It also serves over 9,000 additional people through customized training and continuing education programs.

McNally Smith College of Music will Close

Minnesota Public Radio offered details surrounding the closure of McNally Smith College of Music in a post on December 15, 2107, "McNally Smith president says financing failure forced music school's closure."  The reporting by Solvejg Wastvedt includes an audio clip of an interview with President Harry Chalmiers.

McNally Smith College of Music was founded in 1985 and the small for-profit institution was located in St. Paul, MN.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune published reporting on the closure by Liz Sawyer on December 16, 2017 in "Emotions run high as McNally Smith College of Music graduates final class."

If you are interested in recent trends for closures and mergers, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Duluth Business University Announces Closure

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports in "Duluth's oldest university closing after 126 years" that Duluth Business University will close.  The for-profit institution was founded in 1891.

A 3-minute video on the closure, "Duluth Business University to Close After 126 years," is available on Duluth's Fox21 website that includes an interview with DBU's president and owner, Jim Gessner.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Augsburg College will become Augsburg University

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on March 2, 2017 that Augsburg College will become a university with the beginning of the upcoming fall semester.

Augsburg was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin and was the first seminary founded by Norwegian Lutherans in the United States.  It moved to Minneapolis three years later in 1872. 

The Augsburg web site offers a page devoted to the university name change that includes links to FAQs and other relevant information.

Augsburg enrolls 3,458 students with 2,474 in undergraduate programs.

Historical Sketch of St. Agatha's Conservatory of Music and Art in St. Paul, MN

Carrie Hatler provides an interesting historical post "St. Agatha's Conservatory of Music and Art," on the Forgotten Minnesota website.  The institution was founded in 1884 as St. Agatha's Conservatory and Convent by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Paul, MN.  The convent housed sisters who were teaching in nearby parochial schools.  The sisters hoped to be self-supporting and operated the conservatory as a way to earn money to support their convent.

St. Agatha's Conservatory relocated after 1908 to an impressive six story building built by the sisters on the southwest corner of Exchange and Cedar.  Enrollment peaked at over 1,100 students in the early 1900's and then began a slow decline with the conservatory closing in 1962.

Crossroads College in Rochester, MN will Close

KAAL-TV in Minnesota reports that Crossroads College in Rochester will be closing and will not offer fall classes.  An announcement on the college website indicates there is a desire to continue serving the educational needs of the area in another capacity.

Crossroads was founded by the Scandinavian Christian Unity Missionary Society. It opened as International Christian Missionary Bible College in 1913. In 1924 it became Minneapolis Bible College and in 1932, Minnesota Bible University. The name reverted to Minnesota Bible College in 1942 and was changed again in 2002 Crossroads College. It was affiliated with the Christian Church Church of Christ.

In 1971 the college moved from Minneapolis to its present location in Rochester, MN to begin its 59th year on a new 38 acre campus. Enrollment this past years was just under 100 students.

I am also maintaining a file with College Closures Since 2009 for those interested in tracking closures by year.

Le Cordon Bleu Colleges of Culinary Art will no longer enroll new students

Inside Higher Ed reports on December 17, 2015 that Le Cordon Bleu Colleges of Culinary Art will no longer accept new students and intends to close in 2017.  The for-profit operates sixteen locations around the country and is owned by Career Education Corporation.  The table below includes enrollment and accreditation information for each location from IPEDS.

Bethel at War...excellent example of a digital history and institutional stories

Chris Gehrz posted a description on The Pietist Schoolman blog of web pages devoted to the history of Bethel University during this past century.  Bethel at War 1914-2014 provides stories from a historical perspective of a small Midwestern college affiliated with the Baptist General Conference.

Bethel at War features essays, timeline, map, and information on many other references and resources.  

Alexandria Technical & Community College President Recognizes Faculty and Staff in Historical Sketch

Laura Urban, president of Alexandria Technical and Community College (ATCC) provides a brief history of the institution in an article for the Alexandria, MN Echo Press on October 7, 2015.  ATCC began offering classes in 1961 and currently serves over 2,600 students in west central Minnesota.

Investigative Reporters Turn Focus on For-Profits

There have been a number of interesting articles and blog posts this week focusing on operations of several for-profit institutions.

Mandi Woodruff authored a report for Yahoo! Finance on the history of Heald College and what transpired after it was acquired by Corinthian Colleges.  Woodruff's article, "Who killed Heald College," concludes that the story reflects a collective failure to protect students.  Further, it offers lessons of what can occur when combining business and education.

Kyle McCarthy's "Predatory Lender or 'Premier' Chain of Career Colleges" appears in the College section of the Huffington Post.  McCarthy pulls together information on unethical and dishonest behaviors at Globe University and Minnesota School of Business.  The institutions are part of a family owned chain of 30 for-profit colleges.

History of Winona State University is Featured

The Winona Daily News featured the history of Winona State University in a recent article.  Ron Marose writes about the founding as Minnesota's first State Normal School and the transition to become a more comprehensive university.