Wartburg College
Encyclopedia
Wartburg College is a selective four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
located in Waverly
, Iowa
. Wartburg West is in Denver, Colorado
.
The most popular programs of study at Wartburg are, (in order): business administration, biology, communication arts, elementary education, and psychology . Wartburg's social work
program is the oldest undergraduate program of its kind in Iowa. Wartburg is the only private college in Iowa offering a music therapy
major. The college is highly competitive and has an 89 percent medical school placement rate and a 100 percent placement rate in other fields of medicine.
In 2007 US News and World Report rated Wartburg College 6th for academic excellence among Midwestern comprehensive colleges which primarily award bachelor's degrees, and 2nd in terms of "bang for the buck" (i.e. best value when tuition costs, scholarship aid, and academics are compared).
, by Georg M. Grossman
, a native of Neuendettelsau
, Bavaria
. Grossmann was sent by Pastor Wilhelm Löhe to establish a teacher training school for German immigrants
. The location of the college moved many times between Illinois
and Iowa until permanently settling in Waverly in 1935. Also in 1935 St. Paul (Phalen) Luther College of Saint Paul, Minnesota merged into Wartburg College.
The college is named after Wartburg Castle
in Eisenach, Germany
, where Martin Luther
was protected during the stormy days of the Reformation
. Student and alumni groups often travel to the castle, and the Wartburg Choir has performed in the castle several times. Waverly
and Eisenach
are sister cities, and they often swap foreign exchange students. The college is proud of its German heritage, and celebrates an annual student-declared one-day holiday Outfly
, a deliberately mistaken translation of the German noun
Ausflug. Another German element of campus life is the stone inscription on the Chapel: "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott", which English-speaking Lutherans sing as A Mighty Fortress is Our God
.
Campus buildings are named after places and people in Wartburg's history, including Grossmann, Luther, Saginaw, Galena, etc. The college is nearing the end of a long-term effort to unify the architectural appearance of the campus, with new music, library, stadium, cafeteria, and science buildings over the past 15 years. An array of skywalks and building corridors now allows students to walk from one end of campus to the other without having to go outside.
In 2008 the new Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center, an indoor athletic complex co-sponsored by the city of Waverly
, opened. The new center includes a performance arena, an indoor track, and natatorium. It replaces Knights Gymnasium, the longtime home of Wartburg Basketball and Volleyball, as well as the Physical Education Center which formerly adjoined the old gym.
The longstanding rivalry between Luther College
in Decorah, Iowa
and Wartburg College has produced colorful moments over several years. The origins of the rivalry are vague. Stories of pranks date back to the 1940s. The rivalry has, for the most part, been characterized by fun and good sportsmanship. The rivalry rose to new heights in October 1996, when two clever Wartburg cross-country runners rented a light plane, flew to Decorah, and dropped leaflets on the Luther campus. The incident was reported in every major newspaper in Iowa, got national mention on the Fox
network and made Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the most memorable college pranks of the 1996-1997 year. The creativity in the rivalry continued when student staff members of the college radio station, KWAR, secretly entered a float in the Luther College Homecoming Parade. The staff members decorated the float as an environmental club - the Organization of Nature Enthusiasts - from Luther College. In front of judges stand, the float quickly changed colors from blue and white to orange and black. The float continued all the way through town and onto Luther's campus, with numerous Wartburg students joining the procession from the crowd as the parade passed them.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
located in Waverly
Waverly, Iowa
Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,874 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Wartburg West is in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
The most popular programs of study at Wartburg are, (in order): business administration, biology, communication arts, elementary education, and psychology . Wartburg's social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
program is the oldest undergraduate program of its kind in Iowa. Wartburg is the only private college in Iowa offering a music therapy
Music therapy
Music therapy is an allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their...
major. The college is highly competitive and has an 89 percent medical school placement rate and a 100 percent placement rate in other fields of medicine.
In 2007 US News and World Report rated Wartburg College 6th for academic excellence among Midwestern comprehensive colleges which primarily award bachelor's degrees, and 2nd in terms of "bang for the buck" (i.e. best value when tuition costs, scholarship aid, and academics are compared).
History
Wartburg College was founded in 1852 in Saginaw, MichiganSaginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, by Georg M. Grossman
Georg M. Grossman
Georg M. Grossman was a German-American Lutheran academic and church leader.-Background:...
, a native of Neuendettelsau
Neuendettelsau
Neuendettelsau is a local authority in Middle Franconia, Germany. Neuendettelsau is situated 20 miles southwest of Nuremberg and 12 miles east of Ansbach. Population: 7.833 ....
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Grossmann was sent by Pastor Wilhelm Löhe to establish a teacher training school for German immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
. The location of the college moved many times between Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Iowa until permanently settling in Waverly in 1935. Also in 1935 St. Paul (Phalen) Luther College of Saint Paul, Minnesota merged into Wartburg College.
The college is named after Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle
The Wartburg is a castle situated on a 1230-foot precipice to the southwest of, and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany...
in Eisenach, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
was protected during the stormy days of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. Student and alumni groups often travel to the castle, and the Wartburg Choir has performed in the castle several times. Waverly
Waverly, Iowa
Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,874 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and Eisenach
Eisenach
Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
are sister cities, and they often swap foreign exchange students. The college is proud of its German heritage, and celebrates an annual student-declared one-day holiday Outfly
Outfly
A Wartburg College tradition that traces back to the 1890s and is sometimes called by its German name, "Ausflug," Outfly is a student-initiated, one-day holiday. It now occurs once a year during the Fall Term and Winter Term...
, a deliberately mistaken translation of the German noun
German nouns
A German noun has one of three specific grammatical genders and belongs to one of three declension classes, only partly dependent of gender. A fourth declension is used for plural declension. These features remain unaltered by inflection but must be considered in this process. The grammatical...
Ausflug. Another German element of campus life is the stone inscription on the Chapel: "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott", which English-speaking Lutherans sing as A Mighty Fortress is Our God
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" is the best known of Martin Luther's hymns. Luther wrote the words and composed the melody sometime between 1527 and 1529. It has been translated into English at least seventy times and also into many other languages...
.
Campus buildings are named after places and people in Wartburg's history, including Grossmann, Luther, Saginaw, Galena, etc. The college is nearing the end of a long-term effort to unify the architectural appearance of the campus, with new music, library, stadium, cafeteria, and science buildings over the past 15 years. An array of skywalks and building corridors now allows students to walk from one end of campus to the other without having to go outside.
In 2008 the new Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center, an indoor athletic complex co-sponsored by the city of Waverly
Waverly, Iowa
Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,874 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, opened. The new center includes a performance arena, an indoor track, and natatorium. It replaces Knights Gymnasium, the longtime home of Wartburg Basketball and Volleyball, as well as the Physical Education Center which formerly adjoined the old gym.
The longstanding rivalry between Luther College
Luther College (Iowa)
Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...
in Decorah, Iowa
Decorah, Iowa
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S...
and Wartburg College has produced colorful moments over several years. The origins of the rivalry are vague. Stories of pranks date back to the 1940s. The rivalry has, for the most part, been characterized by fun and good sportsmanship. The rivalry rose to new heights in October 1996, when two clever Wartburg cross-country runners rented a light plane, flew to Decorah, and dropped leaflets on the Luther campus. The incident was reported in every major newspaper in Iowa, got national mention on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network and made Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the most memorable college pranks of the 1996-1997 year. The creativity in the rivalry continued when student staff members of the college radio station, KWAR, secretly entered a float in the Luther College Homecoming Parade. The staff members decorated the float as an environmental club - the Organization of Nature Enthusiasts - from Luther College. In front of judges stand, the float quickly changed colors from blue and white to orange and black. The float continued all the way through town and onto Luther's campus, with numerous Wartburg students joining the procession from the crowd as the parade passed them.
Tuition and finances
The total cost of attendance at Wartburg is approximately $39,110 annually (2011–12). However, there are a number of scholarships available to exceptional prospective students.- Regents Scholarships up to full tuition
- Presidential Scholarships up to full tuition
- McElroy Scholarship / Slife Scholarship up to full tuition
- Meistersinger Music Scholarship up to $5,000 per year
- Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship $3,000 per year for two years
- Awarded to transfer students who are active members of Phi Theta Kappa at a two-year institution. You must be accepted for admission and complete a scholarship application, have a minimum 3.3 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, and have completed at least 30 semester hours of transfer credit by March 1.
- John Deere Credit Scholarship up to $2,250 per year
- Awarded to ethnic minority students from Des Moines public schools with a minimum ACT composite score of 19, rank in top half of graduating class and GPA of 3.0. Students who meet the criteria for the scholarship need to submit the scholarship application and complete an interview.
- International & Overseas American Student Scholarships amounts vary
- Awarded to international and overseas Americans based on merit.
- Tuition Exchange Program for Imports full tuition
- Dependents of employees at other higher education institutions may qualify for the tuition exchange program.
- Cedar Valley Science Symposium Scholarship up to $1,500 per year
- Offered each fall as a part of the Cedar Valley Science Symposium at Wartburg. For first-year students on the basis of participation in the Cedar Valley Science Symposium. Not based on financial need. Contact the college by the end of September for information.
- Communication Arts/Studies Scholarship up to $1,000 per year
- Offered each year as a part of the Wartburg/IBA Summer Workshop and SCJ Media Day. For first-year students declaring a communication arts or studies major and demonstrate communication proficiency.
- Americorps Matching Grant (PDF)
- Matches up to 50 percent of the AmeriCorps Education Award for students who meet selection criteria.
- Education Partners in Covenant (EPIC) up to $750 per year
- For members of participating congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A matching funds program between the congregation and the college. Not based on financial need. Wartburg matches up to $750 per academic year.
- National Merit Finalist Scholarship $2,000 per year
- Awarded to first-year students who list Wartburg as their first choice with the National Merit Corporation and are selected as finalists.
People
- Raymond McCaskey, former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (15 years). Booster to the college (McCaskey Lyceum).
- Missy Buttry, class of 2005, only runner in any division, male or female, to win three consecutive NCAANational Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
championships. - Sarah CorpsteinSarah CorpsteinSarah Beth Corpstein is a beauty queen from Anamosa, Iowa who has competed in the Miss USA pageant.Corpstein won the Miss Iowa USA 2006 title in a state pageant held in Ottumwa, Iowa in September 2005. It was her second attempt at the title, as she placed 1st runner up to Joy Robinson in 2005...
, class of 2005, Miss Iowa USAMiss Iowa USAThe Miss Iowa USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Iowa in the Miss USA pageant.While Iowa has not been greatly successful in the past four decades, they were one of the most consistent states in the first decade of the pageant's existence...
2006. - Mark HoltzMark HoltzMark Holtz was an American sportscaster, best known for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers.-Career:...
, class of 1971, voice of the Texas Rangers, Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. - Kathryn Koob, class of 1960, one of the 52 Americans held hostageIran hostage crisisThe Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
in the US Embassy in IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
from November 1979 until January 1981. Koob accepted a post as a guest instructor in Oral Communication and has taught a course entitled Reconciliation at Wartburg. - Coleen RowleyColeen RowleyColeen Rowley is a former FBI agent and whistleblower, and was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district, one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota in 2006...
, class of 1977, whistleblowerWhistleblowerA whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
FBI agent, researched suspected WTCWTCWTC is an initialism which may stand for:*World Trade Center in New York, a seven-building complex in Lower Manhattan that was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks**World Trade Center a series of World Trade Centers...
terroristTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
Zacarias MoussaouiZacarias MoussaouiZacarias Moussaoui is a French citizen who was convicted of conspiring to kill citizens of the US as part of the September 11 attacks...
, joint 2002 TIMETimeTime is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
"Person of the Year", candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 2nd District in 2006. - Debra Scheller, class of 1978, Miss Iowa 1977 http://www.missiowa.com/former.html.
- Simon EstesSimon EstesSimon Estes is an operatic bass-baritone of African-American descent who had a major international opera career since the 1960s...
Professor of Music - Don DenkingerDon DenkingerDonald Anton Denkinger is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1969 to 1998. Denkinger wore uniform number 11, when the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980. He is best remembered for an incorrect call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World...
, Major League Baseball umpire who achieved fame for his call at 1st base as an umpire in the 1985 World Series - Dennis Johnson, Dunedin, Florida, class of 1974, restaurant co-owner/founder of Hooters Restaurant chainHootersHooters is the trade name of two privately held American restaurant chains: Hooters of America, Incorporated, based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Hooters, Incorporated, based in Clearwater, Florida...
- Dr. Delbert H. Meyer, discovered process for creating purified terephthalic acidTerephthalic acidTerephthalic acid is the organic compound with formula C6H42. This colourless solid is a commodity chemical, used principally as a precursor to the polyester PET, used to make clothing and plastic bottles. Several billion kilograms are produced annually...
(PTA), a key building block in the production of polyesterPolyesterPolyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
; recipient of the National Medal of TechnologyNational Medal of TechnologyThe National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology...
(1992). - Tom ZirbelTom ZirbelTom Zirbel is a American road bicycle racing cyclist from Clear Lake, Iowa, riding for . He rode for from 2006 to 2009...
, professional bicycle racer and 2009 USA CyclingUSA CyclingUSA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, BMX and collegiate racing...
NRC points champion who signed to Union Cycleste Internationale professional team, Garmin-Transitions for the 2010 season. - Paul SchellPaul SchellPaul Schell, born Paul Schlachtenhaufen on October 8, 1937, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, was the 50th mayor of Seattle, Washington. His four-year term as mayor began on January 1, 1998....
, former Mayor of Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country... - Brian TrowBrian TrowBrian Trow is a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with Peter Pasternack. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the endeavors of the company, founded in 2005, are featured in two seasons of the television series Flip...
, businessman and television personality
Presidents of Wartburg
- Georg M. GrossmanGeorg M. GrossmanGeorg M. Grossman was a German-American Lutheran academic and church leader.-Background:...
1852-1868 - John Klindworth 1868-1875
- Georg Grossmann 1878-1894
- Friedrich Lutz 1894-1905
- Gerhard Bergstraesser 1905-1909
- Friedrich Richter 1894-1899 (Clinton IA)
- Otto Kraushaar 1899-1907 (Clinton IA)
- John Fritschel 1907-1919 (Clinton IA)
- Otto Proehl 1919-1935 (Clinton IA)
- August Engelbrecht 1909-1933
- Edward J. Braulick 1935-1945
- Conrad Becker 1945-1964
- John Bachman 1964-1974
- William Jellema 1974-1980
- Robert L. Vogel 1980-1998
- Jack R. OhleJack OhleJack Ohle is the President of Gustavus Adolphus College. He was previously the President of Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, from 1998...
1998-2008 - William Hamm 2008-2009 (Interim)
- Darrel Colson 2009–Present
Locations
Wartburg College has moved many times throughout its history:- Saginaw, MichiganSaginaw, MichiganSaginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
1852-1853 - Dubuque, IowaDubuque, IowaDubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
1853-1857 - St. Sebald, Iowa 1857-1868
- Galena, IllinoisGalena, IllinoisGalena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
1868-1875 - Mendota, IllinoisMendota, IllinoisMendota is a city located in north-central Illinois in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The city has 7,272 residents, and is the fifth largest city in LaSalle County, though recent estimates have shown that the population has decreased to 6,995 residents. It is part of the...
1875-1885 - Clinton, IowaClinton, IowaClinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26231as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa , was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical...
1894-1935 - Waverly, IowaWaverly, IowaWaverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,874 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
1879-1933 and 1935–Present
External links
- Official Website
- Official Sports Website
- The Circuit (Converged Student Media Website)
- Wartburg Trumpet (Student Newspaper)
- KWAR-FM Radio (Wartburg's on-campus radio station)
- Vogel Library Website