Institution Has Been A Success Since Its Inception in 1904
One of the growing institutions of learning in the Northwest is Minnesota college at Harvard and Delaware in Minneapolis. The college is owned and controlled by the Minnesota conference of the Swedish Lutheran Church and represents a large constituency. The college was organized Oct. 4, 1904 with Rev. E.O. Shone as the acting president. At that time the institution was located on Franklin Avenue. It was soon found that the quarters were inadequate and in 1905 land and a building on the corner of Harvard and Delaware streets southeast were purchased. Dr. P. M. Magnusson succeeded Rev. Mr Stone as acting president and was in turn succeeded by Dr. Joshua Larson of Yale University. At the annual meeting of the Minnesota conference in February, 1907. Frank Nelson of Lindsborg, Kan. former state superintendent of public instruction for that state, was elected permanent president of the institution. Mr. Nelson assumed his duties two years ago this month and with his arrival an aggressive policy was inaugurated which has been maintained ever since.
In order to meet the increasing attendance the board of directors recently purchased a block of land between Harvard and Union streets, facing Washington Avenue. The plan is to erect the main college building with a large auditorium, on this block and an aggressive subscription campaign is being conducted for the purpose of raising $75,000 for the building fund. J. J. Hill has promised $6,000; C. J. Johnson, vice president of C. A. Johnson Lumber company, 2,500, the young people of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, $1,500 and the Alumni Association, $1,000. Minnesota College stands firmly for the Christian idea of education. It believes in character-building. The special attention given to the students and the care exercised in regard to moral influences have created a spirit of confidence which is a valuable asset of the institution.
-Excerpted from the Minneapolis Tribune July 29th, 1909
