Dana College is an accredited baccalaureate college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre (607,000 m²) campus is approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Omaha, and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley.

"Dana" means "from Denmark". The college was founded in 1884 by Danish pioneers.

Introduction

The student body is taught by 45 professors and eight non-doctorate instructors, resulting in an average teacher-student ratio of 1:12.

The college offers on-campus housing in five residence halls and contractually maintains off-campus apartments for married or non-traditional students. Campus life is fostered by an active student government and many student organizations. There are no fraternities and sororities.

History

The Danish Evangelical Lutheran Association in America (or Blair Church) was formed in 1884 by a group of Danish members who left the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Many Blair Church pastors were supportive of the Inner Mission.

The Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (or North Church) was formed in 1894 when seminary professor P. S. Vig, along with a number of pastor and congregations, left the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America over theological differences.

In 1896, two small groups of Danish Lutherans in America - known as the Blair Church and the North Church - came together to form the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church (commonly known as the United Church). This church body was a part of the Danish Lutheran "Inner Mission" movement, which supported a revival of religious practice based on the Bible and orthodox Lutheran teachings. Its members strongly opposed the liberalizing influence of Danish theologian N. F. S. Grundtvig, who had supported the realization of religious expression through sacramental and congregational practices.

Led by Peter Sørensen Vig and C. X. Hansen, one of the United Church's first priorities was to establish an educational system. Elk Horn Højskole in Elk Horn, Iowa, had been founded in 1878 as the first Danish folk school in America. In 1894, Pastor Kristian Anker, then owner and principal of the Elk Horn Højskole, sold it to the newly formed Danish Lutheran Church in North America for use as a seminary and college. When the North Church merged with the Blair Church in 1896, the seminary was consolidated with Trinity Seminary in Blair, Nebraska.

When the Dana School was founded, part of its purpose was to be a pre-seminary school for those preparing for ministry in the Lutheran church. Many of Dana's early graduates went on to study at Trinity Seminary. For many years, Dana and Trinity shared faculty, administrators, staff, and presidents. This relationship ended when Trinity Seminary merged with Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.

The Dana School was begun as preparatory school. By the early 1910s - in cooperation with the University of Nebraska - the Dana School was awarding Associate's Degrees. In the 1930s Dana College became an accredited four-year school and began awarding Bachelor's Degrees.

Presidents of Dana College & Trinity Seminary

Trinity Seminary was served by six Presidents. A. M. Andersen (1884-1889) was the founding President of the seminary. The two men who followed him were intimately involved in both the formation of the school and of the United Church. G. B. Christiansen served the school from 1890-1896. P.S. Vig led the school on and off for the next thirty years (1896-1899, 1902-1905, 1909-1914, 1919-1925). Other Presidents of the seminary included S. C. Eriksen (1908-1909), J. P. Nielsen, and T. I. Jensen..

Five men were appointed by the United Church to serve as Presidents of both the Dana College and Trinity Seminary. These were Kristian Anker (1899-1902), J. P. Jensen (1905-1908), L. A. Laursen (1914-1919), T. M. Hansen (1925-1929), Erland Nelson (1929-1931) and R. E. Morton (1946-1956)

The Presidents of Dana College were:

• Kristian Anker (1902-1905)
• C. X. Hansen (1908-1914, 1919-1925, 1936-1938)
• Erland Nelson (1931-1936)
• Lawrence Siersbeck (1938-1944)
• R. E. Morton (1944-1946)
• C. C. Madsen (1956-1971)
• Earl R. Mezoff (1971-1978)
• Myrv Christopherson (1986-2005)
• Janet Philipp (2005 - present)

Majors offered

Dana College offers a bachelor's degree in the following:

• Accounting
• Art
• Biology
• Business Administration
• Chemistry
• Corporate Communication
• Criminal Justice
• Education - Elementary, Secondary and Special
• English
• Graphic Design
• History
• Integrated Studies
• International Studies
• Journalism
• Mathematics
• Music
• Musical Theatre
• Psychology
• Public Accounting
• Religion
• Social Science
• Social Work
• Spanish
• Sport Management
• Sustainability

Notable Graduates

• Marion Hudson '56. First Black Student. Former Football player and Dana College record holder. Inducted into Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
• Myrvin F. Christopherson '61. Former President of Dana College.
• Mike Carubba '92. Former CFL Quarterback and current sports movie consultant.
• Jason Dannelly '02. Former athlete and broadcaster. Sports journalist and founder of the Victory Sports Network, the national media for NAIA athletics, which has been acquired by the College Fanz Sports Network.
• Ben Henderson '06. Ben Henderson is a dynamic MMA fighter who lives a life of Zen when he is not defeating opponents. In his time off you will find him in the library reading books and training his mind.

Athletics

Dana College is a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Former pro wrestler Bill Danenhauer is the athletic director. The athletic program provides for a baseball, soccer, cheer and dance, basketball, American football, men's and women's golf, softball, track, volleyball, women's lacrosse and wrestling program.

In addition, Dana College has a number of intramural and club sports programs below the varsity level that function independently from the athletic department. Dana College thought of changing conference affiliations in January 2009, but outcry from alumni caused the school to rethink its position.

References

On the history of Dana College and Trinity Seminary:

• Christensen, William E. Saga of the Tower: A History of Dana College and Trinity Seminary. Blair, Nebraska: Lutheran Publishing House, 1959.
• Petersen, Peter L. A Place Called Dana: The Centennial History of Trinity Seminary and Dana College. Blair, Nebraska: Dana College, 1984

On the history of the Danish Lutherans in America:

• Jensen, John M. The United Evangelical Lutheran Church: An Interpretation. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1964.
• Nyholm, Paul C. The Americanization of the Danish Lutheran Churches in America: A Study in Immigrant History. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1963.

External links

• Official Website