Now in its second century, St. Olaf College remains dedicated to the high standards set by its Norwegian immigrant founders. In the spirit of free inquiry and free expression, it offers a distinctive environment that integrates teaching, scholarship, creative activity, and opportunities for encounter with the Christian Gospel and God's call to faith. The college intends that its graduates combine academic excellence and theological literacy with a commitment to lifelong learning.
St. Olaf College strives to be an inclusive community, respecting those of differing backgrounds and beliefs. Through its curriculum, campus life, and off-campus programs, it stimulates students' critical thinking and heightens their moral sensitivity; it encourages them to be seekers of truth, leading lives of unselfish service to others; and it challenges them to be responsible and knowledgeable citizens of the world.
Approved by the St. Olaf faculty in 1987 and the opening paragraph adopted, as a shorter version, by the St. Olaf Board of Regents that same year.
An Education for Life in the 21st Century
At the same time, the curriculum provides opportunity for integrative study through "double-counted" courses which meet more than one requirement, and through a variety of interdisciplinary majors and concentrations. This blend of traditional and innovative instruction nurtures a critical, creative, and flexible intelligence. The St. Olaf curriculum prepares students for the lifelong learning so essential to their continued personal and professional development.
A student's General Education program includes three types of courses.
Foundation courses focus on the development of basic verbal, mathematical, and physical skills. The requirements in this area include:
These requirements support the college's mission in a variety of ways. Students are introduced to the liberal arts in the First Year Seminar and in a variety of discipline-based foundation and core courses. Opportunities for encounter with the Gospel are provided in the Biblical and Theological Studies requirement and in courses that meet other core and integrative requirements. A global perspective is articulated in foreign language courses, in multicultural studies courses, and in international programs which meet General Education requirements. Students are prepared for the world of work in foundation courses which emphasize communication and analytic skills and in integrative courses which promote flexibility of mind. Taken as a whole, the General Education requirements seek to foster the development of mind, body, and spirit that is at the heart of our mission.
Major Studies: Students are also prepared for lives of worth and service in their major studies. Many students choose to major in one of the traditional liberal arts disciplines, such as Art, Biology, Economics, History, Mathematics, or Philosophy. Others choose an interdisciplinary program which brings the perspectives of several disciplines to bear on a specialized area of concern, such as Asian Studies, Medieval Studies, or Women's Studies. Still others design their own interdisciplinary concentrations in collaboration with faculty members through the St. Olaf Paracollege. Many students choose to double-major or to pursue a concentration or certification program in addition to a disciplinary major.
See Graduation Requirements in the Index for detailed information on the General Education requirements. Consult the Class and Lab Schedules published three times a year by the Office of the Registrar for specific information on the requirements that particular courses fulfill.
The purpose of student outcomes assessment at St. Olaf is to foster thoughtful and informed reflection on the success of the college's academic programs in providing students a superior education experience. The assessment program provides an important and active method for evaluating and improving overall student academic achievement and measuring the quality of the college's General Education program and disciplinary majors. It focuses on the following areas of the curriculum:
I. General Education A. Effective Writing B. Critical Thinking C. Global Awareness D. Theological Literacy E. Ethical Understanding II. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Majors All students participate in St. Olaf's Assessment Program from the time they enter the college until they graduate. Though students may be asked to demonstrate their academic achievement in terms of acquired skills and knowledge in many of the assessment measurements, they also may be surveyed about their attitudes concerning curricular offerings, choices, and the effectiveness of a program of study.
The Assessment Program at St. Olaf helps shape a curriculum that is responsive to student needs. It also provides students with the opportunity to make a valuable impact on the long-term future of their department major as well as the general education they receive. This enables St. Olaf to continue to produce graduates that are nationally competitive and to preserve the high quality of graduates' degrees long after they leave the college.
The 4-1-4 Calendar
The St. Olaf College academic year consists of a 4-1-4 curriculum and
calendar plan (two 14-week semesters of four courses each separated by a
one-month Interim of one course in January). The 4-1-4 curriculum is
augmented by two summer sessions during which as many as four courses may
be taken.
This schedule improves the quality of instruction by concentrating student effort on fewer courses at one time; by providing an opportunity for independent study for all students at some time during the four years; by providing opportunities for students with special abilities through programs of departmental and interdepartmental distinction; by providing integration of intellectual experiences and philosophy of life through interdisciplinary and capstone courses; and by providing for acceleration, with graduation possible in three years.
Study in the January Interim, and in seminar and thesis courses, is aimed at helping the student develop greater insight, initiative, creativity, and responsibility.
St. Olaf College confers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music upon students who have completed requirements leading to those degrees. (Consult the Index for more information about Graduation Requirements.) Historically 70-75 percent of all St. Olaf students who enter directly after high school graduate after four years of study, one of the highest graduation rates in the country among four-year, private liberal arts colleges.
The January Interim is a four-week period of intensive study in one area. The Interim provides an opportunity for instructors and students to focus their entire attention on one course for a full month, and offers a time for single-minded study in depth. It is a time when unique teaching and learning styles may be utilized in traditional courses or when unique subjects may be studied in international or domestic off-campus locations. Faculty often develop creative on-campus course work dealing with contemporary topics in their discipline.
Students may pursue, with guidance of a faculty member, independent study projects or internships on or off campus during the Interim. A group of students may design an experimental course with approval by the college curriculum committee. Thus, the Interim provides the student with an opportunity to choose from a wide variety of independent or group learning activities. St. Olaf upperclass students may also attend an Interim at one of approximately 150 other 4-1-4 colleges on an Interim Exchange basis.
Students are expected to devote a minimum of 40 hours of study per week directly related to the Interim course, including class time, outside reading, and other course-related work. In general, faculty and student contact hours for the Interim approximate the contact hours per course during the regular semester: 35-40 hours for the entire Interim, or 8-10 hours per week. Class attendance is required on the last day of the Interim for examination or evaluation purposes. Grades are based on evaluation procedures similar to the regular semester.
Students may take only one course or program of instruction during Interim. St. Olaf students enrolled in a winter term Carleton College course are not allowed to enroll in the St. Olaf Interim. The Carleton course equals a full load for the Interim.
One option for students at St. Olaf is the Paracollege, the "parallel" college which offers an alternative means of earning the St. Olaf B.A. degree. The Paracollege believes that students work best when they have the autonomy and flexibility to choose their own strategies for learning. With close supervision from faculty advisers, students put together educational programs that serve their own particular needs, interests, and academic objectives.
Students implement their goals through a variety of educational options, especially individual tutorials, in which they explore topics of their choice with the guidance of a faculty member, and seminars, which are small discussion courses, usually interdisciplinary and frequently team-taught by professors from different disciplines.
Paracollege students earn their degrees by fulfilling requirements that are different from, although comparable to, the St. Olaf general education requirements. They complete their undergraduate work with a senior concentration, an individually constructed and usually interdisciplinary area of study. Students may transfer into or out of the Paracollege and receive credit for their work in accordance with policies agreed upon by the faculty and the Office of the Registrar.
Paracollege students are full members of the St. Olaf community. They live in residence halls and eat in the Caf with general college students; participate in campus activities, in student government, and in off-campus programs; and take part in campus social life. Paracollege faculty are drawn from the departments of the regular college, and are assigned part of their teaching time as tutors in the Paracollege. More than one- third of the current St. Olaf faculty have taught in the Paracollege. For a full description of the Paracollege, consult the Index.
Students can customize their educations at St. Olaf -- thanks to an exciting array of international and domestic off-campus study programs, innovative offerings such as Applied Foreign Language Component and the Great Conversation, and opportunities for independent study and research, internships, and pre-professional studies. For more information on these offerings, see the section on Special Programs later in this catalog or consult the Index.
Academic Resources
Together, the St. Olaf Libraries and the Academic Computing Center provide
a variety of carefully selected resources (ranging from Luther's Grosse
Katechismus to the World Wide Web) that seek to mirror the breadth and
depth of the undergraduate curriculum. The partnership between the
Libraries and the Academic Computing Center provides access to regional,
national, and international networks, databases, and other sources of
information. A strong system of libraries and computing center
laboratories, and access to the campus network from residence halls and
faculty offices ensure the availability of academic resources to the
entire community.
The St. Olaf Libraries are distinguished by an instruction program which teaches students research methodologies and evaluation techniques applicable to a variety of disciplines. This instruction is applicable immediately as students work on assignments dealing with a world of rapidly proliferating information and delivery systems and will also provide a foundation for lifelong learning after they leave the College.
Twenty-nine library faculty and staff, and more than 100 students, work to purchase, organize, make available and teach retrieval strategies for a rich blend of materials and access points. The collections contain over 445,000 books and bound periodicals, and over 264,000 nonbook items (CDs, videos, sound recordings, software), which are housed in three separate libraries: Rølvaag Memorial Library (the "main" library), Halvorson Music Library, and Glasoe Science Library. More than 1700 periodicals are received currently and the Libraries are a partial depository for federal government publications. While the collections primarily provide the basic resources required for the undergraduate study of all aspects of human culture, they have unusual strengths and emphases which reflect unique elements in the tradition of the college. They are especially strong in the fields of religion, Scandinavian literature and history, mathematics, and music. St. Olaf is one of the few places where extensive materials can be found for the study of the culture and church life of Norwegian-Americans.
In addition to the St. Olaf collections, the Libraries also provide access to materials held across the state, the nation, and the world through their on-line catalog system, a variety of CD-ROM and online services, and the Internet. Strong consortial relationships ensure the availability of supplemental materials which enrich undergraduate study and research.
To teach students how to identify, retrieve and evaluate appropriate materials, librarians work with classes as assignments are made and provide individualized instruction at the Rølvaag reference desk (staffed by library faculty 69 hours a week) and at the Science and Music Libraries as posted. The Libraries are open a total of 99 hours per week, with extended hours later in the semester and during exams.
Kierkegaard Library:
The Howard and Edna Hong Kierkegaard Library, located within the
Rølvaag Library Building, is one of the major research libraries in
the world for the study of the thought of the Danish philosopher
Søren Kierkegaard. The library was presented to St. Olaf College in
1976 by the Hongs, St. Olaf alumni and internationally noted Kierke-gaard
scholars and translators. Howard Hong is professor emeritus of philosophy.
St. Olaf College Archives:
Located in the Rølvaag Library Building, the St. Olaf College
Archives contain official records and publications, private papers, books,
audiovisual materials, and museum artifacts which record and illustrate
the history and life of the college. These materials provide historical
information about the Board of Regents, the faculty, the student body,
alumni, academic departments, curriculum, administrative offices, campus
services, college organizations, and campus activities. The Archives are
maintained in order that materials of historical value may be preserved
and made available for the use of scholars and other interested persons.
The Norwegian-American Historical Association:
Since its founding in 1925, the Norwegian-American Historical Association
(NAHA) has been sheltered by St. Olaf College and is housed in the
Rølvaag Library Building. NAHA publishes on a regular basis
scholarly books that treat topics related to Norwegian migration to
America. NAHA archives consist of books, periodicals, newspapers and
manuscripts. The manuscript collections, all organized and described,
range from personal papers to organizational records, from diaries and
journals to unpublished book-length manuscripts. The archives, now a
national center for research in Norwegian migration, is open to both
students and the public.
The Academic Computing Center (ACC) provides computers, software, and support to all academic users within the St. Olaf community.
Over 180 public Macintoshes, PC-compatibles, and UNIX workstations (Sun and SGI) connect to a campus-wide, fiber-optic network that provides free access to e-mail, software servers, printing resources, and the Internet.
Public labs in most academic buildings and all residence halls provide equal access to equipment and software for all students, whether or not they are enrolled in a course requiring the use of the computer. In addition, the ACC offers free workshops and seminars throughout the year on topics including introductory sessions on the Macintosh and PC, using electronic mail on the UNIX systems, browsing the World Wide Web, and creating your own Web home page. Specialized workshops are also developed as need arises.
In addition to the public facilities, 19 departments share or have their own specialized computing labs. This brings to over 400 the number of computers that students may use.
Over 49 percent of all students have their own microcomputer on campus; most also have their own printer. A college-sponsored microcomputer purchase plan allows all full-time St. Olaf students and qualifying faculty and staff to buy a computer at educationally discounted prices. (College-sponsored computer loans are also available to students.) Students who own a computer can connect to the campus network in their own rooms in nine of the eleven residence halls. (All residence halls will be on-line in the coming years.)
The ACC operates a not-for-profit Computer Store that makes computing supplies and equipment available to members of the St. Olaf community at low cost.
The ACC employs 12 full-time professionals who support the academic computing needs of the entire campus--students, staff, and faculty. Staff are available between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and student assistants are on duty during the day, in the evenings, and on weekends
Located in Northfield, Minnesota, 40 miles south of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the St. Olaf campus includes 30 major academic, residential, and service buildings most of which are constructed in the Scandinavian-modern architectural style.
The Old Main (1878 and 1983): Language classrooms and offices. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ytterboe Hall (1900 and 1982): Health service, offices, classroom, and other uses.
Steensland Museum (1902): Art Gallery.
Speech-Theater Building (1920 and 1977): Speech and theater arts facilities, including two theaters.
Holland Hall (1925 and 1969): Behavioral and social science classrooms and offices, psychological science laboratories, departments of history and philosophy, the Paracollege.
Original Music Building (1926): Mathematics offices, music prac-tice rooms, institutional research.
Flaten Hall (1932 and 1956): Art and education classrooms and offices, art studios, gallery.
Rølvaag Memorial Library (1942 and 1966, expansion 1990-92): In addition to the book and periodical collections, the Library houses reference and study rooms, English classrooms and offices, college archives, office and archives of Norwegian-American Historical Association, and the Academic Computer Center.
Boe Memorial Chapel (1953): Chapel and pastor's office, classrooms, religion offices, music practice rooms.
Skoglund Athletic Center (1967): Gymnasium-auditorium, fieldhouse, swimming pool, physical education classrooms and offices.
Science Center (1968): Science and mathematics classrooms and offices, laboratories, Glasoe Science Library, nursing department, media center.
Christiansen Hall of Music (1976): Music classrooms, rehearsal halls, practice rooms, studios, Halvorson Music Library, Urness Recital Hall.
Manitou Field House (1992): Athletic teams dressing rooms, weight training and athletic training facilities.
A listing of residence halls and honor houses is contained in the Residential Life section later in this catalog.
Manitou Cottage: International studies office; continuing education.
Power Plant (1923 and 1967): physical facilities offices.
Skifter Radio Building (1931):
WCAL FM radio facilities, Tor-modsgaard-Bakken Recital Hall.
Old Main Annex (1947): Counseling services: academic support center, career development center; internship coordinator; language laboratory; Oslo Summer School.
Administration Building (1959 and 1986): Admissions and administrative offices, administrative computer center, print shop.
Granskou Complex, St. Olaf Center (1960): Dining, recreation, bookstore, post office, student government and media offices.