Gustavus Adolphus College is a private institution that was founded in
1862.
It
has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,455,
its setting is rural,
and the campus size is 340 acres.
It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar.
Gustavus Adolphus College's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges
is National Liberal Arts Colleges,
64.
Its tuition and fees are $40,020 (2014-15).
Gustavus Adolphus College is a
residential, liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota, that prepares
2,550 undergraduate students for lives of leadership, service, and
lifelong learning. The oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota, Gustavus
was founded in 1862 by Swedish Lutheran immigrants and named for Swedish
King Gustav II Adolf. Gustavus Adolphus College is affiliated with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Throughout its history,
it has valued its Lutheran and Swedish heritages.
The
Gustavus culture derives from our founding traditions and offers a
distinctiveness of feeling and deed on the campus and in the greater
world. Students and faculty pursue academic rigor and service in an
atmosphere of close-knit relationships, serious work, spirited enjoyment
of life, and uncommon mutual support.
At
Gustavus, students receive personal attention in small-sized classes
and engage in collaborative research with their professors. The College
is fully accredited and known for its academic excellence and strong
music, science, writing, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning
programs. We maintain a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and are widely admired
for our annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference-an event devoted to topics
relating to human rights and social justice.
Gustavus
is internationally recognized for its annual Nobel Conference. This
signature event was launched in 1965 following a gathering on campus of
26 Nobel laureates for the dedication of the Nobel Hall of Science in
1963. The conference brings cutting-edge science issues to the attention
of the public, engages world-renowned science speakers, and provides
opportunities to explore the moral and societal impact of scientific
issues.
Gustavus has always prized
community and has been marked by a pervasive sense of concern for every
member of the College community. Civility, mutual respect, cooperation,
shared governance, and caring have long been hallmarks of the College.
Freedom to express a broad range of ideas is central to our sense of
community, and resolution of conflicts in the broader society has long
been a fundamental concern for us.
Gustavus
has a commitment to high quality, even to excellence, in all that we
do. In the words of Eric Norelius, founder of the College, "Whatever we
do, let us do it well." Given our other values, it should be clear that
this commitment to excellence is neither a code word for elitism nor a
rejection of the best in Gustavus's heritage. Indeed, our distinctive
heritage demands nothing less than excellence.
Gustavus
holds the conviction that religious faith enriches and informs learning
and is a fundamental notion underpinning our emphasis on community,
ethics, and service. While strongly Lutheran in tradition and
character, conformity to that specific faith tradition is not expected.
In it mission statement, the College does declare an intent to develop
in students "a mature understanding of the Christian faith". People of
all faiths are welcomed and engaged here.
The
Swedish and religious heritage of Gustavus, specifically its Lutheran
roots and bonds, have ensured that justice and fairness are primary
institutional values. The College strives to be a just community in all
of its actions and to educate its students for morally responsible
lives. Relations within the College community are guided by high moral
principles, and those graduating from Gustavus are expected to
understand the full moral implications of their actions.
The
College values service as an objective of life and of education. We
embrace the notion that true leadership expresses itself in service to
others, and affirm the classical ideal of a liberating education, an
education that frees one to serve God and humanity to the best of one's
ability.