St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf II of Norway and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was visited by King Olav in 1987 and King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway in 2011. Queen Sonja of Norway visited the college's campus a second time in 2022 as part of a tour to celebrate the connections between Norway and Minnesota's Norwegian-American community. She participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Special Collections vault at Rølvaag Memorial Library.
Former names | St. Olaf’s School (1874–1889) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Fram! Fram! Kristmenn, Krossmenn (Nynorsk) |
Motto in English | Forward! Forward! Men of Christ, Men of the Cross |
| Type | Private liberal arts college |
| Established | November 6, 1874 |
Religious affiliation | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $666.02 million (2022) |
| Budget | $210.3 million (2020) |
| President | Susan Rundell Singer |
| Undergraduates | 3,048 (fall 2018) |
| Location | , U.S. 44°27′34″N 93°10′50″W |
| Campus | Rural 920 acres (370 ha) |
| Colors | Black and gold |
| Nickname | "Oles" /ˈoʊliːz/ OH-leez |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III – MIAC |
| Mascot | St. Olaf Lion, "Ole" |
| Website | www |
As of 2017, the college enrolled 3,035 undergraduate students and 256 faculty. The campus, including its 325-acre (132 ha) natural lands, lies 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the city of Northfield, Minnesota; Northfield is also the home of its neighbor and friendly rival Carleton College. Between 1995 and 2020, 154 St. Olaf graduates were named Fulbright Scholars and 35 received Goldwater Scholarships.