Record enrollment for MLC as new year starts

For the first time, MLC will recommend

students for state

teaching licenses

By RACHEL WEDDIG

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Walking around Martin Luther College (MLC) students are busy unloading trailers and cars and meeting up with friends. Parents are giving hugs and saying good-bye. Summer is over, and students are back in school.

With a record enrollment of 1,062 students, MLC President Theodore Olsen is looking forward to the school year that begins Monday.

Olsen has been president of MLC since it opened its doors in 1995.

The record enrollment brings joy, and so does having a 50/50 split of men and women. This year, MLC enrolled 526 men and 536 women, numbers that most colleges strive for, but don't usually get.

"There seems to be a trend in education of more women going to college than men," Olsen said. "It seems that every college wants more men. We're really happy with the 50/50 distribution."

Of the 1,062 students, 809 are enrolled in the education ministry program and 253 are enrolled in pastoral ministry. The 253 students in the pastoral ministry program is also a record for MLC.

"When we started the program in 1995 we had 180 students," Olsen said. "Having 253 enrolled now is a nice number to have."

The increased enrollment in the program could be attributed to the shortage of pastors in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) which could be helping students feel optimistic about getting placed after graduation.

MLC will welcome international students as well. Last year it had 17 or 18. This year MLC enrolled students from Canada, Antigua, Sweden and other places. Olsen said having international students on campus gives others a chance to lean about different cultures and ways of life.

This year MLC will welcome three new faculty members, Jonathan Scharf, Susan Haar and James Warner. Scharf is on a one-year call to teach Hebrew, Warner will be a tutor living in the dormitory and teaching religion, and Haar is the new Director of the Early Childhood Learning Center. They will officially be installed during the opening church service at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

For the first time, MLC has been granted status as an institution to recommend students for teaching licenses. The graduating class this year will be the first students eligible for state licensing.

"The community has been extremely cooperative with the college to take students into their classrooms," Olsen said. "This enables us to carry out our program and we appreciate their willingness to work with us in this area, especially Superintendent Harold Remme from District 88."

Olsen was also grateful for the help from a group of citizens from New Ulm who gave MLC input and support to help them obtain licensing status.

"This town has been super in helping us -- we really have a great relationship with the community," said Olsen.

MLC will implement a new curriculum this year in the freshman class. Upperclassmen will continue under the old curriculum. For three years MLC worked on the new curriculum and Olsen is looking forward to seeing how it works.

A continuing issue MLC has been working with is providing more campus housing. MLC has been looking to purchase Sunset Apartments, which are located four blocks behind MLC, adjacent to another dorm property, the Lutheran Manor.

"We've made an offer on the Sunset Apartments and it looks promising," Olsen said. "It's almost a done deal and we're really optimistic."

The Sunset Apartments will hold about 240 students. Currently, MLC has 875 students in their dormitories that are filled to capacity, and Olsen said the purchase of Sunset Apartments should take care of the overflow. Olsen is hoping all the paperwork should be done soon so they can move some students out of the dormitories and into the apartments.

Olsen recently attended the National Churches Convention. He requested funding from the Synodical Council to build a new chapel and other projects that total $12.5 million. Olsen also requested funding to build a new Student Activities Center that will cost between $10-$11 million dollars.

"We didn't get a yes and we didn't get a no," Olsen said. "The council gave MLC's Planned Giving Counselors the authority to continue the campaign for the chapel project."

Olsen said it may take a year or two before they can go ahead with the project.