Features Editor- Eric Hofer

Eric Norelius

1862-1863

Eric Norelius founded the school that would later become Gustavus in 1862 in Red Wing, Minnesota as a division of his church. Just a few months later he had thirty students studying under him with his large collection of books serving as the college’s first official library. After resigning as president, he went on to establish the Vasa Children’s Home, which is considered to be the first orphanage in Minnesota. 

In 1870 he was elected president of the Minnesota Conference by his fellow church leaders, which is a division of the Augustana Synod; only three years later he was elected as president of the synod, a position he held for seven years. In 1912 he was able to preach at Gustavus’ fifteenth anniversary, despite his failing health.

Andrew Jackson

1863-1873

Due to the college’s affiliation with the Minnesota Conference, it was decided that Gustavus would move to East Union, a rural settlement in Carver County. At this time, Gustavus was given its first official name: Minnesota Elementar Skola, which despite its name, indicated a secondary school. In 1865 as Swedish Lutherans were commemorating the 1,000th anniversary of the death of St. Ansgar, the college was renamed to St. Ansgar’s Academy.

During this time, Andrew Jackson acted as the sole professor, treasurer, librarian, and janitor for the college, effectively running the institution by himself. In 1872 a committee was appointed, which reported widespread dissatisfaction with the college’s rural location. As such, the college was planned to move to Minneapolis under the name Gustavus Adolphus Literary and Theological Institute. However, donations failed to materialize and the move was postponed, at which point a delegation from St. Peter made a successful bid, largely because it was the only bid received. 

Jonas Nyquist 

1876-1881

Despite considering himself a temporary president, Jonas Nyquist oversaw many major changes to Gustavus, most notably the relocation, which proved to be an immediate hurdle as, due to construction and financial difficulties, had to be postponed a year. The college was renamed one final time to Gustavus Adolphus College and opened for the first term in 1876, despite lecture halls not being finished. Old Main housed everything the college needed, between housing, lecture halls, the dining room, a library; and, for a short time, Nyquist himself, who lived in the basement with his family. 

Although it was a college in name, Gustavus was not officially recognized as such—something Nyquist sought to fix. Several classes were provided covering several core subjects, along with Swedish, which was personally taught by Nyquist. Despite attendance exceeding 100 students for the first time in 1880, the college still faced financial troubles and calls for a move to the Twin Cities, which prompted Nyquist to resign.

Matthias Wahlstrom

1882-1904

Upon his selection, Matthias Wahlstrom pledged to make Gustavus a “complete college.” In 1882, the first freshman class was enrolled, followed by the first sophomore class in 1885, the first junior class in 1888. Eight of the men from the junior class graduated with the college’s first bachelor’s degrees in 1890, which meant Gustavus Adolphus College was officially a true college. In 1884, North and South Halls were constructed to serve as women’s residences, with Wahlstrom and his father personally building a house on campus to serve as his home. The first gym was constructed in 1886, followed by a building for musical programs the next year. By the turn of the century, enrollment was near 400, which led to Gustavus participating in intercollegiate sports and joining the Minnesota Intercollegiate Oratorical Association. 

However, despite the renovations and success, plans to build an auditorium renewed debates to move the college to the Twin Cities. Advocates for the Twin Cities had the majority, deciding to move if $200,000 was raised by the following year. When the deadline approached, only $132,000 had been raised, and the move was delayed a year. When only $150,000 had been pledged the following year, the St. Peter community put together $15,000 for the auditorium, convincing the conference to stay in the town. Tired and discouraged from years of this debate, Wahlstrom decided to resign in 1904.

Peter Mattson

1904-1911

Peter Mattson became the first Gustavus alumni president, having graduated in 1892. Though Mattson had been an outspoken supporter of moving the college to the Twin Cities, he begrudgingly agreed with the decision to remain in St. Peter. Despite the growing popularity of athletics, Mattson saw it as interfering with the religious and moral life of Gustavus. Upon his selection, Mattson banned football, with the Augustana Synod forbidding all intercollegiate competition amongst its colleges the following summer.

Despite the protests, Mattson held strong in his belief, stating that Gustavus should uphold the synod’s decision, although several other synod colleges didn’t enforce the ban. During this ban, several secret societies were formed to play football in private. The next several years were marked by increasing agitation until the synod overturned their ban on intercollegiate athletics in 1910—though football would not return to Gustavus until 1917. The new governor of Minnesota, John Johnson, had close ties to college and convinced Andrew Carnegie to donate to Gustavus, helping fund the construction of a new residence hall, heating plant, and an auditorium. Due to frequent unrest amongst the board, faculty, and students, Mattson resigned in 1911. 

Oscar Johnson

1913-1942

It’d be difficult to find someone as much of a polar opposite to Mattson as Oscar Johnson was. When Mattson encouraged the synod’s ban on intramural sports, Johnson pushed for it to be lifted; whereas fraternities and sororities were things Mattson struggled with, by the time Johnson left they had been accepted parts of Gustavus; Swedish became hardly used in church services; movies went from something that was frowned upon to something many people loved; the athletic department had done a complete 180°.

In 1914, majors and minors were introduced, along with the elective system and the library moved out of the second floor of Old Main in 1920. A new gymnasium was planned to be constructed in 1917. However, with the United States’ involvement in World War I, funds had to be reorganized; in addition, the majority of male students enlisted or were drafted. After the end of the war, a new gym was built in 1922, which later led to Gustavus’ entrance into the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where the college saw great success. During Johnson’s term, enrollment increased from 123 to well over 500, leading to the construction of Uhler and Rundstrom Halls. After a long and eventful term, Johnson retired at 71 years old.  

Walter Lunden

1942-1943

Upon taking office, Walter Lunden initiated campus-wide improvements, including painting, redecorating, and general renovations. Due to the government-imposed travel restrictions and the college’s strained finances, Lunden (with the support of the Board of Trustees) placed a ban on all intercollegiate athletics. This was highly unpopular amongst students, leading to the Board reversing the decision and lifting the ban. As a result, Lunden attempted to resign, but was denied by the Board, greatly shaking their trust in Lunden.

Lunden’s improvements saw success, as the college hired a business manager, started major insurance changes, and made a case for better financial support from the church. He began discussions to host a V-12 military training unit at Gustavus, which was rejected by the Board until lobbying from faculty and alumni reversed the decision. Shortly after, Lunden asked the Board for an indefinite leave of absence to accept a wartime commission, but was denied. Lunden resigned again, with the Board finally letting him leave. 

Edgar Carlson

1944-1968

Edgar Carlson entered Gustavus at an interesting time, when enrollment consisted of 388 V-12 trainees and only 95 civilian students. However, by the start of 1946 and the end of World War II, enrollment soared to 1,127, the first time Gustavus had ever had a student population of over 1,000. With such a drastic increase in enrollment, housing became an immediate concern; St. Peter residents let students live in their houses while the interior of the stadium housed 40 students. In the spring of 1946, construction began on Wahlstrom Hall, with students beginning to occupy it before its completion. 

Though enrollment dropped a few years after the end of World War II due to the graduation of veterans, it began to rise again in 1954. Following the completion of Sorensen, Sohre, North, Pittman, and Gibbs Halls, 1969 saw enrollment increase to 1,872. Norelius Hall finished construction, which was the largest residence hall and the only at the time to accommodate both men and women. 

In addition to residence halls, the Folke Bernadotte Library finished construction in 1948. A predecessor to the Campus Center was constructed in 1960 which housed many of the same facilities. Vickner Hall was finished in 1962, followed by Nobel Hall the following year to improve Gustavus’ science education, with the first Nobel Conference being held in 1965 to discuss genetics. One of the most notable structures on campus, Christ Chapel, was a pet project of Carlson, finished construction in 1961, one year before Gustavus’s 100th anniversary. After 24 years in office, Carlson resigned. 

Frank Barth

1969-1975

Frank Barth became the first president to not be a member of the clergy, largely coming in on issues of racial tension and opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to keep tempers low despite protests being commonplace. Shortly after taking office, the Auditorium had been completely destroyed by a fire, losing the vast majority of transcripts and records. After the building had been razed, the Carlson Administration Center was built on the same site. The year prior, the Schaefer Fine Arts Center was constructed, with fine arts getting an even bigger spotlight with the first Christmas in Christ Chapel in 1973, along with development of the arboretum the same year. To secure a $1 million federal grant, a Second Folke Bernadotte Library was constructed, opening in 1972, along with an enclosed hockey arena. Having completed many of his objectives, Barth resigned in 1975.

Edward Lindell

1975-1980

Edward Lindell inherited a college which had 2,000 enrolled students and a nearly $10 million budget. However, due to the rapid construction over the last several decades, the accumulated deficit was starting to become a problem, which was Lindell’s main goal for his term. In an attempt to curtail expenses, he delayed his own inauguration and froze faculty and administration salaries for two years, which was accepted in good spirits. 

Lindell and his wife Patty were successful in raising funds, leading a team that secured over $16 million for Gustavus, with his last two years securing $4 million each. Over his term the endowment had tripled. After fixing the college’s financial troubles, Lindell resigned in 1980.

John Kendall

1981-1991

Under John Kendall’s presidency, both humanities and sciences benefited with the construction of Confer and Olin Hall, along with the renovation of Nobel Hall. The Gustavus Alumni Association earned national recognition from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, earning 18 consecutive awards between 1971 and 1988 for sustained excellence in alumni donations. Kendall helped develop the Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations, which now comprises several colleges associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, resigning from the office shortly after.

Axel Steuer 

1991-2002

Upon taking office, Axel Steuer began working on increasing Gustavus’ endowment and enhancing the college’s national reputation. However, his most notable moment came in 1998 when much of the campus was destroyed by the tornado, which had cost more than $50 million in damages. Just when many were beginning to question if the college would reopen in the fall, Steuer announced that Gustavus would complete the spring term and graduate their students on time. Despite the destruction, the recovery efforts were successful enough to bring in a record first-year class that fall. 

With the turn of the century, Gustavus had an enrollment of 2,500 students, employed 170 full-time faculty, and had a strong status as a hub for sciences and humanities alike. Steuer drafted a mission statement that still largely carries forward to this day along with outlining five core values unique to the Gustavus community: excellence, faith, community, justice, and service. Despite his success, Steuer unexpectedly resigned in 2002.

James Peterson

2003-2008

In one of his first public addresses, James Peterson declared Gustavus’ commitment to the values Steuer had outlined. Under his watch, Gustavus’ endowment had surpassed $100 million and the position of provost was created to oversee all academic programs and planning. As Wahlstrom Hall was demolished for being outdated, Southwest Hall was constructed. Having met his strategic and financial goals for the college, Peterson left the role in 2008. 

Jack Ohle

2008-2014

One of Jack Ohle’s first objectives as president was to expand the current strategic planning process into one that would be able to provide more concrete results. In 2011, the construction of Beck Hall was completed, along with renovations to Anderson and Nobel Halls, completed just in time to see the college’s largest incoming class. Under Ohle, Gustavus celebrated its 150th anniversary with over 750 attendees, including the king and queen of Sweden. 

Rebecca Bergman

2014-2025

Rebecca Bergman made Gustavus history by becoming the first woman president in the college’s long history. Over her term, her majors goals were to expand and diversify the Gustavus community and to achieve stability for the college. Bergman helped spearhead the development of Gustavus’ first master’s degree program and doubled the college’s endowment in her term from $135 million to over $300 million. Much of this money was put towards renovating Nobel Hall and Lund Center, both of which saw their areas nearly double. In 2024, Bergman announced her plan to retire, officially stepping down in the summer of 2025.  

John Volin

2025- 

John Volin is the current president of Gustavus, and while he hasn’t even held the title for a year at this point, he has still managed to make a positive impact on the campus. One of Volin’s largest objectives is to connect to the Gustavus community through attending many campus events, dining at the cafeteria, and sponsoring the Great Gustie Read. Volin has also been an advocate for addressing food insecurity through voicing his support for the Gustie Pantry and the lunch buffet, as well as creating the first pet-friendly housing options on campus.