Since Concordia was founded, it has articulated aChristian andglobal curriculum. Students are required to take courses in health, communication, religion, and culture. The college maintains athletic teams in 22 sports and carries 20 music ensembles, including The Concordia Orchestra, The Concordia Band, andThe Concordia Choir.
Concordia College was dedicated as a private academy on October 31, 1891, by a group of approximately one dozen Norwegian pastors and laymen[8] who had recently settled in theRed River Valley. The school was founded on the property of the former Episcopalian Bishop Whipple School, which had closed in 1887.[9] English professorIngebrikt Grose ofSt. Olaf College was asked to preside over the academy,[10] which at that time offeredmixed-sex education in English literature, natural sciences, mathematics, piano, and organ.[11] The school opened with three faculty and twelve students.[12]
In 1892, Rasmus Bogstad, a Norwegian pastor, raised funds to build a male dormitory on campus grounds. His efforts led to the construction of Academy Hall.[13] In 1893, Grose resigned and recently hired business professor Hans Aaker took his place.[14] Aaker became mayor ofMoorhead in 1900 and left two years later when that job compromised his dedication to the school.[15] Bogstad was appointed Concordia's next president and established itsliberal tradition.[16] Under Bogstad, Concordia constructed a new academic building, now called Old Main.[17]
Henry O. Shurson held the presidency after Bogstad resigned in 1910 untilJohan A. Aasgaard was appointed in 1911.[10] Under Aasgaard, the nearby Park Region College and Bruflat Academy were merged with Concordia,[18] and a new library was built in what is now called Grose Hall.[19] In 1925, John N. Brown became president and oversaw Concordia's accreditation by theNorth Central Association in 1927.[20] Eleven years later, a female dormitory was built, named Fjelstad Hall,[21] and in 1947, a male dormitory was built, later called Brown Hall.[22]
Joseph "Prexy Joe" Knutson became president in 1951, and presided over the construction of 16 buildings and the increase in enrollment to 1592 students.[23] Under his leadership, the Concordia Annual Fund, which continues today, was established to raise money for the college's interests.[24] Paul J. Dovre took the presidency in 1975[10] and oversaw new college programs and articulated Concordia'sLutheran mission.[25] In 1991, Concordia's Speech Team placed 4th in the nation at the AFA-NIET, beating schools with twenty times their enrolment.[26]
In 1999, the college welcomed President Thomas W. Thomsen, who implemented the design for a new campus center; in 2004 Pamela M. Jolicoeur, who established plans for the college's Offutt School of Business, was appointed the first female President.[27] Construction on the Offutt School of Business was completed in late 2012, and hosted students in the fall semester of 2013.[10] William Craft began as president in 2011 and served until June 30, 2023. In 2018, the college's ministry became a member ofReconciling in Christ, affirming its support ofLGBTQIA+ people.[28][29] Today, the college is led by President Colin Irvine.[30]
Concordia is accredited by theHigher Learning Commission.[31][32] It enrolls over 1,800 students[33] and offers 61 majors and 12 pre-professional programs.[34]Master of Education degrees are offered,[35] and the most popular majors are business, education, and communication.[7]
The college upholds a curriculum that centers on aChristian andglobal perspective.[36] Affiliated with theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America, Concordia practices theliberal arts from theLutheran theological tradition.[37][38] Faculty are encouraged to retainBecoming Responsibly Engaged in the World (BREW) as a thematic focus in their instructions.[39] The college operates by a semester calendar[7] and first-year students are required to take courses inhealth,communication,religion, andculture.[40] Anhonors program is offered for motivated students.[41]
Concordia is included in the Open Doors survey of the top twenty baccalaureate institutions that send students abroad.[40] The college offers four global education programs[42] and offers instruction in nine languages.[43] Moreover, students are permitted to study at two neighboring universities,Minnesota State University Moorhead andNorth Dakota State University, for course credit to their degrees.[44]
In July 2023, Concordia opened the Heimarck Center, an experiential learning facility for the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions.[45]
The college maintains three choirs, four bands, two orchestras, three jazz ensembles, two percussion ensembles, and two handbell choirs.[46] Music education began with the college's 1891 formation, when piano and organ lessons were taught by one instructor.[10] The college has since expanded to include a music department of 45 faculty that offers fiveBachelor of Music degrees and twoBachelor of Arts degrees.[47]
The Concordia Choir is a 78-membermixed choir that travels internationally and has performed at major performance venues, includingCarnegie Hall and theKennedy Center.[48] The choir was founded in 1919 by the college's voice instructor and began touring in 1923 under the direction of Herman Monson.[49] The choir grew to national prominence in the following decades whenPaul J. Christiansen became the director.[50] Christiansen remained in the position for 49 years[51] until composerRené Clausen took over in 1986.[52] Under Clausen, The Concordia Choir has released numerous recordings and has performed with theKing's Singers.[48] He was succeeded in 2020 by Michael Culloton.
The college has put on an annual Christmas concert since 1927 that remains a tradition of the local community.[53] From its inception, it has featured the music department's choirs and orchestra.[53] In 1940, Christianson began working with painterCyrus M. Running to incorporate murals with the concert to reflect the music's themes.[54] Running completed the designs until 1978, when their development was taken over byDavid J. Hetland,[53] whose murals have traditionally extended 56 by 20 feet (17.1 m × 6.1 m).[55] After Hetland's 2006 death, mural designs were taken over by artist Paul Johnson.[53] The concert is currently performed four times annually on Concordia's campus and twice annually atOrchestra Hall.[56] Over 450 students perform[57] for an audience of twenty thousand,[58] and the concert is broadcast on radio and television.[53] The 2009 concert,Journey to Bethlehem, was recorded byTwin Cities Public Television and won a regionalEmmy.[59] It was broadcast nationally by members of thePublic Broadcasting Service.[59]
Concordia–Moorhead competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports, in which more than 800 students participate.[61] Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, tennis, track & field, and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.
Athletics began when a baseball club was organized in 1903[62] and a basketball team was formed after the construction of a gymnasium in 1907.[63]Football emerged in 1916 and Concordia joined theMIAC in 1920.[64] Soon after, teams for tennis, golf, wrestling, softball, volleyball, track, cross country running and others were formed.[65]
Athletics grew further whenJake Christiansen, brother of conductor Paul J. Christiansen, was appointed physical education director in 1941.[66] He coached the football team to five conference championships over his 28-year career.[67] In 1952, Christiansen designed a new athletic facility[63] that promoted the college's reputation in the region.[68] One of Christiansen's former students,Jim Christopherson, took over coaching in 1969 and led the team to nine conference titles and two national championships.[69] Both coaches have been inducted in theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[63]
The1982 Concordia–Moorhead women's basketball team defeatedMount Mercy, 73–72, to capture the Cobbers' firstAIAW Division III national championship. The Cobbers defeatedSt. John Fisher in the1988 NCAA Division III championship game, 65–57, to claim the Cobbers' first NCAA national title.
Rich Glas, athletic director and men's basketball head coach
Terry Horan, Minnesota Football Coach Association Hall of Fame inductee and Concordia College football coach.[70]
Marcus J. Borg, (1942–2015) American New Testament scholar and theologian who was among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity
Don Gaetz, former Florida Senate President and father of CongressmanMatt Gaetz
Gabriel Hauge (March 7, 1914 – July 24, 1981), a prominent American bank executive, economist, academic, director on theCouncil on Foreign Relations. Hauge served as assistant to the president for economic affairs during the administration ofDwight D. Eisenhower.[80]
Wilberforce Juta, Former Nigerian politician who served as governor ofGongola State, and later was appointed Nigerian High Commissioner to Zimbabwe.[83]
Roxana Saberi, American journalist, CBS News correspondent and former Miss North Dakota pageant winner. In 2009, she was held prisoner in Iran's Evin Prison for 101 days under accusations of espionage.[89]
^Francisco Salazar, Obituary: Soprano Karan Armstrong Dies at 79,Opera Wire, October 5, 2021/
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on February 12, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 11, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)A Brief History of Wolf Research, Steve Grooms,International Wolf, Summer, 2002, Volume 21, No. 2, p. 9
^Kevin Schnepf,Where are they now?: Bennett set to make return to Concordia,INFORUM, October 07, 2010
^Multi-Language Publications NewsletterBringing the Written Word to the World. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. March 2003 p. 2-3 Reu Beck "The Life and Work of Dr. William F. Beck"pdfArchived 2010-12-29 at theWayback Machine
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