Bethany Lutheran College

Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) is a private Christian liberal arts college in Mankato, Minnesota. Founded in 1927, BLC is operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The campus overlooks the Minnesota River valley in a community of 53,000.

For the nearby theological seminary, see Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. For other schools with similar names, see Bethany College (disambiguation).

Bethany Lutheran College
MottoΕΝΟΣ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΧΡΕΙΑ
Motto in English
One Thing Needful
TypePrivate
Established1927
Religious affiliation
Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Endowment$43,614,000 (as of 2014)[1]
PresidentGene Pfeifer
Academic staff
75 (35 adjunct)
Students750 undergraduate
Location
Mankato
,
Minnesota
,
United States

44°09′59″N 93°59′27″W
CampusMedium city, 50 acres (20 ha)
ColorsRed and white (athletics also uses black)               
MascotViking
Websiteblc.edu
Old Main, built in 1911
Trinity Chapel

History

Bethany Ladies College opened in 1911 with 44 students and a faculty of four. In 1927, the Norwegian Synod of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church (now known as the Evangelical Lutheran Synod) purchased the campus for dual use as both a high school (Bethany Lutheran High School; closed in 1969) and junior college (Bethany Lutheran College). In 1946, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary (BLTS) began as a department of the college, becoming a separate institution in 1975.

In 2001, Bethany awarded its first baccalaureate degrees, completing a five-year transition from its 74-year history as a junior college.

Timeline
  • 1911: Bethany Ladies College opens
  • 1927: Norwegian Synod purchases college
  • 1946: Seminary opens
  • 1969: High school closes
  • 1999: Baccalaureate programs begin
  • 2001: First BA degrees granted

Athletics

The Vikings are members of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference in the NCAA Division III. The school offers the following sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men and women's cross country, men and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, volleyball, and men's and women's track & field.[2]

In 2020, the men's and woman's basketball teams both won the UMAC Conference Championships. In the 2020 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament, the men's team was knocked out by Washington University in St. Louis, 102-68.[3] The woman's team entered the first round against Bethel University, a university five times the size of Bethany Lutheran. At that point, no UMAC basketball team had defeated a larger MIAC school in the playoffs, but the Vikings beat Bethel 62-58. They continued on to play University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, losing 67-60.[4]

Notable graduates
  • 1949 – Marvin Schwan, founder of the Schwan Food Company.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Chronicle of Higher Education Sortable Endowments table by Fiscal Year 2013–2014". NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. January 29, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  2. "The Official Athletics Site of the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings". Bethany Lutheran College. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  3. "Bethany Lutheran men and women's basketball claim UMAC Championship title". KEYC News Now. February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  4. Courrier, Chad (March 7, 2020). "Bethany gives up late run at NCAA". Mankato Free Press. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  5. Lambert, Bruce (May 12, 1993). "Marvin M. Schwan, 64, Builder Of a Billion-Dollar Food Empire". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
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