In honor of the College’s Sesquicentennial, October 1, 2011 has been declared Gustavus Adolphus College Day in the State of Minnesota by Governor Mark Dayton and in the City of St. Peter by Mayor Tim Strand. The College was also recognized on the floor of the United States House of Representatives by Congressman Tim Walz. The Minnesota House of Representatives also passed a resolution honoring the College for its 150th anniversary.
The proclamation from Governor Dayton reads:
Whereas: Gustavus Adolphus College was founded 150 years ago as Minnesota Elementar Skola in Red Wing, Minnesota, as a place to teach Swedish men and women of the new Augustana Synod to be pastors and teachers; and
Whereas: This school moved to East Union, Minnesota in 1863 as St. Ansgar’s Academy, then to St. Peter, Minnesota in 1876, taking the name of Gustavus Adolphus College; and
Whereas: Gustavus Adolphus College is a nationally-recognized, four-year liberal arts College, with a Phi Beta Kappa standing, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and
Whereas: Gustavus Adolphus College fosters the development of values of excellence, faith, service, justice, and community as an integral part of intellectual growth, and seeks to promote leadership and service to the world; and
Whereas: Gustavus Adolphus College aspires to be a community of persons from diverse backgrounds who respect and affirm the dignity of all people, and where students attain their full potential and develop a passion for lifelong learning.
Now, therefore, I, Mark Dayton, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim October 1, 2011 as: Gustavus Adolphus College Day in the State of Minnesota.
“We thank Governor Dayton, Mayor Strand, Congressman Walz, and others who recognize the importance of the College’s Sesquicentennial celebration in public ways,” President Jack R. Ohle said. “What an exciting way for us to kick off our 150th year.”
Click on the following links to view the proclamations associated with the College’s Sesquicentennial:
State of Minnesota Proclamation
City of St. Peter Proclamation
U.S. House of Representatives Floor Speech
Minnesota House of Representatives Resolution
The College will officially kick off its Sesquicentennial celebration on Friday, Sept. 30 when more than 750 alumni and friends of the College will gather in the Lund Center Arena for dinner.
The College’s Sesquicentennial celebration will run through Homecoming Weekend in the fall of 2012. Many events are scheduled throughout the year to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the College including several prominent speakers: Martin Luther King Jr. biographer Taylor Branch, Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author James McPherson – 1959 graduate of Gustavus and the George Henry Davis Professor Emeritus of United States History at Princeton University.
For all current information and events related to the Sesquicentennial, go online to gustavus.edu/150.
###
Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510