Photo by Bryan Clapper Students walk through Buntrock Commons at St. Olaf College in Northfield

St. Olaf College lists three Minnesota governors among its alumni and also wants you to know that its campus is ecologically correct.
Crossroads College takes pride in its family atmosphere.
Minnesota State University Mankato boasts a fabulously high-tech student recreation/fitness center.
Gustavus Adolphus College has survived two tornadoes.
Winona State University, which is celebrating its 150th birthday, offers a degree program in composite materials engineering.
Southwest Minnesota State University offers a bachelor of science in culinology.
Southern Minnesota boasts a bounty of higher education opportunities. Its institutions of higher learning diverge in size, degree programs and cost. Each delivers quality education. Some have earned recognition from Princeton Review. Others from U.S. News & World Report.
Southern Minnesota magazine reached out to the region’s colleges and universities. With thanks to the schools for responding, we present the survey results — statistics, facts and miscellany.
By the way, “n/a” means either no answer or not applicable. In some places where answers were not given or were not applicable — for instance, some school don’t have campuses — we have simply left them off the list. Also, while most schools listed are main campuses, some are branches. Information given is for what is in Southern Minnesota. For instance, the year given for the establishment of Augsburg in Rochester is 1999, though the main campus in Minneapolis dates back to 1869.

The schools:
Augsburg Rochester Program
Bethany Lutheran College (Mankato)
Cardinal Stritch University (Rochester)
Carleton College (Northfield)
Crossroads College (Rochester)
Crown College (Owatonna)
Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter)
Martin Luther College (New Ulm)
Minnesota School of Business (Rochester)
Minnesota State University Mankato
Pillsbury Baptist Bible College (Owatonna)
Saint Mary’s University (Winona)
St. Olaf College (Northfield)
College of St. Scholastica Rochester
Southwest Minnesota State University (Marshall)
University of Minnesota Rochester
Winona State University

Total student enrollment:
Augsburg 400
Bethany 572
Cardinal Stritch n/a
Carleton 1,986
Crossroads 189
Crown 60
Gustavus 2,628
Martin Luther 818
MSB Rochester 649
MSU Mankato 14,200
Pillsbury 165
Saint Mary’s 5,960
St. Olaf 3,040
St. Scholastica 38
SMSU 3,700
UMR 400
WSU 7,693

Full-time student enrollment:
Augsburg 300
Bethany 550
Cardinal Stritch n/a
Carleton 1,986
Crossroads 166
Crown 60
Gustavus 2,582
Martin Luther 700
MSB Rochester 176
MSU Mankato 11,743
Pillsbury 145
Saint Mary’s 2,044
St. Olaf 2,986
St. Scholastica 22
SMSU 3,700
UMR 160
WSU 7,074

Tuition expressed as dollars per credit:
Augsburg $300
Bethany n/a
Cardinal Stritch $380
Carleton n/a
Crossroads $350
Crown $375
Gustavus $3,840
(One credit at Gustavus is equal to four credits at St. Olaf or St. Mary’s.)
Martin Luther n/a
MSB Rochester n/a
MSU Mankato $212.25
Pillsbury $267
Saint Mary’s $790
St. Olaf $955
St. Scholastica $365
SMSU $216.41
(Up to 12. SMSU has banded tuition 12-18.)
UMR $305.77
WSU $185

Tuition expressed as dollars per year:
Augsburg $7,272 (for 6 classes)
Bethany $8,750 per semester
(includes 12-18 credits)
Cardinal Stritch $5,400
per term
Carleton $34,083
Crossroads $11,950
Crown $9,800
Gustavus $28,535
Martin Luther $9,850
MSB Rochester $13,320
MSU Mankato $5,308
Pillsbury $8,544
Saint Mary’s $30,530
St. Olaf $30,600
St. Scholastica n/a
SMSU $5,600
UMR $7,950
WSU $5,600

Student-to-teacher ratio:
Augsburg 10:1
Bethany 12:1
Carleton 10:1
Crossroads 11:1
Crown 8:1
Gustavus 12:1
Martin Luther 11:1
MSB Rochester 11:1
MSU Mankato 22:1
Pillsbury 7:1
Saint Mary’s 12:1
St. Olaf 12.5:1
St. Scholastica 9:1
SMSU 20:1
UMR 14:1
WSU 21:1

Male-to-female ratio:
Augsburg 33:67
Bethany 44:56
Carleton 47:53
Crossroads 48:52
Crown 11:89
Gustavus 43:57
Martin Luther 50:50
MSB Rochester 25:75
MSU Mankato 46:54
Pillsbury 40:60
Saint Mary’s 47:53
St. Olaf 45:55
St. Scholastica 33:67
SMSU 40:60
UMR 40:60
WSU 39:61

Diversity
First line: Percentage of traditional vs. nontraditional students
Second line: Percentages of students from various races

Augsburg:
10 traditional, 90 nontraditional
n/a

Bethany
95 traditional, 5 nontraditional
6 minority

Cardinal Stritch
n/a
n/a

Carleton
Nearly 100 traditional
5.7 International, 4.8 Black, 0.6 American Indian, 10 Asian, 5.5 Hispanic, 73.4 White Non-Hispanic

Crossroads
79 traditional, 21 nontraditional
88 White Non-Hispanic, 2.5 Asian, 7.5 Black, 1 Hispanic, 1 Other

Crown
100 nontraditional
90 White Non-Hispanic, 5 Black, 5 Hispanic

Gustavus
Strictly traditional (less than 1 nontraditional)
89 White Non-Hispanic, 4 Asian/Pacific Islander, 2 Hispanic, 2 Black, 1 American Indian, 1 Nonresident Alien, 1 Unknown

Martin Luther
Of full-time students, most are traditional. Roughly 10 percent would be considered nontraditional.
n/a

MSB Rochester
Average age of student body is 27.
n/a
MSU Mankato
89 traditional, 11 nontraditional
82.6 White Non-Hispanic, 3.4 International, 3.4 Black, 2.2 Asian, 1.2 Hispanic or Latino, 0.5 American Indian, 0.1 Pacific Islander, 6.7 Unknown

Pillsbury
85 traditional, 15 nontraditional
91 White Non-Hispanic, 4 International, 2 Black, 1 Hispanic, 0.5 Asian

Saint Mary’s
1,350 undergraduate students were registered on the Winona campus in traditional undergraduate programs; 692 undergraduate adult learners and 3,918 graduate students were registered in the schools of Graduate and Professional Programs in the Twin Cities.
2.5 Asian/Pacific Islander, 4.8 Black, 0.4 American Indian, 2.1 Hispanic, 74.6 White Non-Hispanic, 2.3 Nonresident Alien, 13.3 Unknown

St. Olaf
n/a
1.3 Black, 0.2 American Indian, 4.9 Asian/Pacific Islander, 1.5 Hispanic, 84.8 White Non-Hispanic, 6.2 Unknown

St. Scholastica
100 nontraditional
94 White Non-Hispanic, 3 Hispanic, 3 Black

SMSU
n/a
Students of color comprise 10 percent of SMSU’s student body.

UMR
40 traditional, 60 nontraditional
n/a

WSU
90 traditional, 10 nontraditional
87 White, 3 International, 1 Asian, 1 Black, 4 Unknown

Placement rates for graduates:
Augsburg: Approximately 99 percent.
Bethany: According to the postgraduate survey, at graduation: 25 percent are employed, 26 percent are continuing their education; 1 year after graduation: 81 percent are employed, 16 percent are still continuing their education.
Carleton: More than half of all Carleton alumni have earned advanced degrees, and more than 16 percent have earned doctorates. About two-thirds enter graduate or professional schools within five years after graduation. Many also go directly into workforce, and 100 percent of recent pre-law Carleton students have been accepted to law school. Seventy percent of Carleton alumni who apply to medical school and maintained a grade point average of 3.0 or higher while at Carleton are accepted; the national acceptance rate is 40 percent.
Crossroads: Placement varies from 33 percent to 65 percent based on program-related employment — 22 percent immediately enter graduate school.
Crown: Most students are already in full-time jobs when they enroll, and many are seeking to move up in present employment.
Gustavus: For employment: 53 percent. For grad school: 86 percent
Martin Luther: Graduates either enter Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., to continue their training to be pastors, or go into teaching receive a call similar to a pastor. The school doesn’t keep track of placement rates, but for those that are eligible to receive these calls, almost all (over 90 percent) receive them.
MSB Rochester: 95.5 percent per most recent accreditation report.
MSU Mankato: Class of 2006 placement rate: 90.6 percent.
Saint Mary’s: Six months after graduation, 49 percent of the class of 2006 had full-time job offers; 28 percent of the 2006 graduates went directly to graduate or professional schools.
St. Olaf: Class of 2006, six months out: Graduate or professional programs, 28.7 percent. Employment, government or nonprofit organizations (including health), 33.5 percent; business and industry, 22.2 percent
St. Scholastica: New campus. No numbers available.
SMSU: 95 percent
UMR: New campus. No numbers available.
WSU: For the 2005-06 academic year, the placement rate for graduates in fields related to their major was 70 percent for students enrolled full-time and 10.1 percent for students enrolled part time.

Percentages of students who live on campus:
Bethany 77
Carleton 90
Crossroads 70
Gustavus 80
MSU Mankato 21
Pillsbury 73
Saint Mary’s 84
St. Olaf 96
SMSU 40
WSU 22

Year established:
Augsburg 1999
Bethany 1927
Cardinal Stritch n/a
Carleton 1866
Crossroads 1913
Crown 2003
Gustavus 1862
Martin Luther 1884
MSB Rochester 2005
MSU Mankato 1868
Pillsbury 1957
Saint Mary’s 1912
St. Olaf 1874
St. Scholastica 2006
SMSU 1967
UMR 2006
WSU 1858

Established by:
Augsburg: Dr. Rick Thoni and Augsburg College main campus
Bethany: Norwegian Synod (now Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
Cardinal Stritch: Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
Carleton: Minnesota Conference of Congregational Churches
Crossroads: David E. Olson, a preacher, evangelist and teacher
Crown: Dr. Koryn Smith and Crown College main campus
Gustavus: Swedish Lutheran immigrants
Martin Luther: Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
MSB Rochester: Minnesota School of Business main campus
MSU Mankato: Minnesota Legislature
Pillsbury: Minnesota Baptist Association
Saint Mary’s: Bishop Patrick Heffron
St. Olaf: Lutheran pastor Bernt Muus and Northfield businessman Harald Thorson
St. Scholastica: Benedictine Sisters
SMSU: Minnesota Legislature
UMR: Minnesota Legislature
WSU: Minnesota Legislature

Affiliation:
Augsburg: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Bethany: Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Cardinal Stritch: Roman Catholic Church
Carleton: Council for Higher Education of the United Church of Christ
Crossroads: Christian Churches and Churches of Christ
Crown: Christian & Missionary Alliance
Gustavus: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
Martin Luther: Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
MSB Rochester: Terry L. Myrhe family
MSU Mankato: state of Minnesota
Pillsbury: independent Baptist churches
Saint Mary’s: Roman Catholic Church
St. Olaf: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
St. Scholastica: Roman Catholic Church
SMSU: state of Minnesota
UMR: state of Minnesota
WSU: state of Minnesota

4 most popular or acclaimed degrees:
Augsburg: nursing, business management, management information systems, education
Bethany: communication, business administration, elementary education, psychology
Cardinal Stritch: specialized business, business support management, business administration, business management
Crossroads: youth & family studies, counseling/psychology, general/pastoral ministry, music ministry
Crown: nursing, education, psychology, christian ministry
Gustavus: communication studies, business, biology, psychology
Martin Luther: education, seminary
MSB Rochester: business administration, paralegal, medical assisting, veterinary technology
MSU Mankato: industrial/organizational psychology, information technology, creative writing, automotive engineering technology
Saint Mary’s: education, teaching and learning, marketing/ management, teacher preparation
Pillsbury: Bible, education, missions, counseling
St. Olaf: English, biology, mathematics, economics
St. Scholastica: management, organizational behavior, nursing, marketing
SMSU: business, education, psychology, biology
UMR: business, health care, nursing, human development
WSU: nursing, education, composite materials engineering, biology

Top achievements (athletic, scholastic, other):
Bethany:
• Two students took third place in the Broadcasters Education Association’s national collegiate competition for their Mavericks Hockey pre-game show.
• BLC women’s basketball team earned fourth place against the nation’s top Christian colleges in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament in Oakland City, Indiana.
Crossroads:
• The school has170 alumni serving as missionaries all over the world.
Crown:
•Three education students have received a Certificate of Achievement for outstanding grades in the Praxis II examination for education majors.
Gustavus:
• Gustavus finished 11th out of 435 Division III competing schools in the 2006-07 U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup Standings — the only all-sports competition in intercollegiate athletics.
• The Gustavus forensics program finished the 2006-07 season ranked 20th among all colleges and universities nationwide.
• Gustavus continues to be a leader in the number of students presenting original research at national programs and conferences.
Martin Luther:
• Martin Luther greatest claim is that our student body comes to Martin Luther College to serve the church. As they graduate, they place their futures in the hands of the church to use their talents as God would call them. These young people dedicate their lives to serving the needs of God’s people.
MSU Mankato:
• Nation’s only “TechRec” student recreation/fitness facility (40 aerobic machines, each with HDTV screens, instant access to e-mail, Internet, web radio, cable TV)
• Minnesota’s leading alternative automotive fuel research institution
• One of nation’s top business schools (Princeton Review)
• National leader in wireless technology
• Nationally ranked forensics team
• Nationally ranked Division II athletics, including track and field, wrestling, women’s bowling
• Nationally recognized service-learning program
Pillsbury:
• 2007 NCCAA Region Basketball Champions
Saint Mary’s:
• 2000 Division III National Softball Champions
• Third tier “National University” ranking by U.S. News & World Report
• Best Midwestern Colleges 2008 by Princeton Review
St. Olaf:
• St. Olaf students Ishanaa Rambachan of Apple Valley and Nicole Novak of Iowa City are among the 32 students from across the U.S. recently selected as Rhodes Scholars. The two seniors are the college’s eighth and ninth Rhodes Scholars since 1910 and the fourth and fifth since 1997. Over the past decade, St. Olaf students have had more Rhodes Scholar selections than any other baccalaureate institution.
• A wind turbine provides up to 30 percent of the campus’ energy, and the school’s 180,000-square-foot science complex, scheduled to open in autumn 2009, is being built using "green" construction methods.
St. Scholastica:
• St. Scholastica is consistently recognized for excellence by U.S. News & World Report magazine. The magazine’s 2008 “America’s Best Colleges” ranks St. Scholastica in the Top Tier of regional universities in the Midwest.
• St. Scholastica has been called a “hidden gem” by the Washington Post.
SMSU:
• SMSU offers a culinology degree, the only Research Chefs Association-approved culinology program in the country that is an independent, stand-alone, fully-integrated culinary arts and food science program.
• The university has invested over $77 million in construction and infrastructure improvements over the past five years, including a new student center, conference center, library renovation, residence apartments and regional event center.
UMR:
• Students in the respiratory care program won national competitions in their field each of the past three years.
WSU:
• For the 12th year in a row, WSU has been named among America’s 100 Best College Buys, for institutional quality and value.
• For the fourth consecutive year, WSU has been named a 2008 Best College in the Midwestern Region by The Princeton Review.
• WSU ranks as a top tier institution in the 2008 listing of America’s Best Colleges published by U.S. News & World Report. The school ranks 52nd among institutions in the category of “Best Universities: Master’s” for the Midwest region.
• The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a national policy and research center for higher education, selected WSU for a Community Engagement classification.
• WSU makes numerous cultural contributions to the Winona community. WSU hosts the Frozen River Film Festival, which offers programs that engage, educate and activate people to become involved in the world. The university has also been host to the Great River Shakespeare Festival and is a supporter of the Minnesota Beethoven Festival. WSU faculty and staff organize and contribute to many annual offerings, including the Lyceum Series, Celebration of the Book Series, CLASP Series, Great River Reading Series, Athenaeum Series and American Democracy Project.
• WSU men’s basketball: NCAA Division II Champions 2006; NCAA Division II second in nation 2007, NCAA consecutive wins record 2007; ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II going into 2007-08 season.

Famous alumni:
Bethany: Marvin M. Schwan, founder of the Schwan food service company
Crossroads: Catherine Rowe, community volunteer, recently named one of the 25 most influential women in Orange County, Calif.
Gustavus: Former Minnesota governors Adolph Eberhart, Luther Youngdahl and Harold LeVander; Civil War historian James McPherson; playwright Kevin Kling; actor Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under,” “Dirty Sexy Money”); U.S. District Court judge Paul Magnuson; Scotchgard inventor Patsy Sherman
MSU Mankato: Glen Taylor, chairman of the Board of Taylor Corp. and owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves
Saint Mary’s: Michael Johanns, former secretary of agriculture; John McDonough, president of the Chicago Blackhawks
St. Olaf: Russell Anderson, chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court; Al Quie, former governor of Minnesota (and his wife, Gretchen); Patricia and Tracy Lambrecht, co-author (P.J. Tracy) of popular and award-winning novels, including “Monkeewrench,” “Live Bait,” “Dead Run” and “Snow Blind”; Bruce Laingen, former U.S. charge d’affaires in Iran who was one of the American diplomats taken hostage at the American embassy in Tehran; Chris Cunningham and Johnny Hermanson, the folk-singing duo, Storyhill
SMSU: Isiah Whitlock, actor, who appears on stage, big screen and television; Terrence Fogarty, the nation’s premier sports artist; Kuni Toyoda, president/CEO of Bella Notte, Tomato Express Inc., Nothing But Burgers, Smashing Tomato, and former president/CEO of Fazoli’s; Clarence Hightower, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities trustee and president of the Minneapolis Urban League
WSU: Michelle Bachmann, U.S. representative for Minnesota 6th District; Tim Penny, former state senator and U.S. representative; Patrick Knoll, vice president/creative director at DDB Worldwide advertising agency; Danny Pettit, owner of Alii Aviation; Jerry Seeman, official in the National Football League, 1975 to 1991, and the NFL’s Senior Director of Officiating, 1991 to 2001; Martin Lueck, trial lawyer and partner in the Minneapolis law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi; Terry Lierman, chief of staff to House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer

Athletic rivalry:
Bethany: Martin Luther
Carleton: St. Olaf
Crossroads: Emmaus Bible
Gustavus: St. Olaf, St. John’s
Martin Luther: Bethany
MSU Mankato: North Dakota
Pillsbury: Crown
Saint Mary’s: St. Thomas
St. Olaf: Carleton College
SMSU: Northern State
WSU: Depends on sport

One special thing people should know about your school:
Bethany: “Bethany has the lowest cost of any private liberal arts college in Minnesota.”
Cardinal Stritch: “Cardinal Stritch University of a pioneer in adult higher education.”
Crossroads: “Family atmosphere”
Crown: “Our format is unique and geared to the adult student.”
Gustavus: “Gustavus has survived two tornadoes — one in 1926 and one of the most devastating tornadoes in Minnesota history in 1998. Despite the widespread damage, classes were back in session three weeks later and the following year the school had its largest freshman class in school history at that time.”
MSB Rochester: “The college classes are unique in that students learn by doing and hands-on are utilized to the fullest. Even though lecture is important, practical application is enjoyed by our students.”
MSU Mankato: “One of the nation’s top master’s degree producers of student Fulbright awards.”
Pillsbury: “Pillsbury offers an academic program for students committed to serving in vocation or lay ministry. The campus is characterized by a warm family atmosphere with a faculty and staff who are readily accessible to students.”
Saint Mary’s: “We offer small class sizes with individualized attention. At SMU, faculty know students’ names and work with them to achieve their goals.”
St. Olaf: “St. Olaf is first among liberal arts colleges in the percentage of students who study abroad.”
St. Scholastica: “The programs available at the College of St. Scholastica Rochester are designed for working adults. Many students choose the Rochester program for its conveniently scheduled classes taught by highly qualified adjunct faculty who bring theory and practice into the classroom.”
SMSU: “Interconnected academic buildings allow students building-to-building access in 72-degree temperatures.”
UMR: “It is growing.”
WSU: “The oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, WSU is celebrating its sesquicentennial this year.” l