About

"Whatever we do, let us do it well. Let the quality of our work be good." Eric Norelius, May 9, 1887

Past Presidents of Gustavus

• The Rev. Eric Noreilus (founder)............................................1862-1863
• The Rev. Andrew Jackson (principal).....................................1863-1873
• John J. Frodeen (principal)...................................................1873-1874
• The Rev. Andrew Jackson (acting principal)..................................1874-1876
• The Rev. Jonas P. Nyquist....................................................1876-1881
• The Rev. Matthias Wahlstrom (acting president).................................1881-1882
• The Rev. Matthias Wahlstrom (president)...............................1882-1904
• The Rev. Dr. Peter A. Mattson 1892........................................1904-1911
• The Rev. Dr. Jacob P. Uhler (acting president).......................................1911-1913, 1927
• The Rev. Oscar J. Johnson.....................................................1913-1942
• The Rev. Dr. Walter Lunden'22..............................................1942-1943
• The Rev. Dr. O.A. Winfield (acting president)...........................................1943-1944
• The Rev. Dr. Edgar M. Carlson'30...........................................1944-1968
• Dr. Albert Swanson (acting president).......................................................1968-1969
• Frank Barth..........................................................................1969-1975
• The Rev. Abner W. Arthur'31 (acting president).......................................Summer 1975
• Dr. Edward A. Lindell...........................................................1975-1980
• The Rev. Abner W. Arthur (acting president)............................................1980-1981
• The Rev. Dr. John S. Kendall'49...........................................1981-1991
• Dr. Axel Steuer.....................................................................1991-2002
• The Rev. Dennis J. Johnson'60.............................................2002-2003
• Dr. James L. Peterson'64.....................................................2003-2008
• Jack R. Ohle.........................................................................2008-2014
• Rebecca M. Bergman.........................................................................2014-

Organizational Chart

View the College's organizational chart.

Board of Trustees 2024-2025

You are welcome to contact members of the Board of Trustees by sending an email to GACtrustees@gustavus.edu.

President's Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At the direction of President Bergman, the PCDEI exists to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive Gustavus community. Comprised of members from all college constituencies, the PCDEI leadership team and council meet regularly to develop strategies and tactics, assess ongoing implementation efforts, and identify priorities for the future. The President’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is charged by the Gustavus president with the following responsibilities:

1. Articulate Gustavus’ vision, expectations, and goals with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
2. Identify and examine institutional barriers related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including those associated with Gustavus’ history, values, and structures.
3. Review evolving best practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion and recommend improvements in policies, practices, and programming.
4. Coordinate and participate in implementation of applicable Gustavus Acts strategies.
5. Identify diversity, equity, and inclusion-related goals and assess progress toward their achievement annually.
6. Propose and coordinate events and initiatives that will enhance community engagement around issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
7. Develop a communication plan and report regularly on plans and progress to the Gustavus community and others.
8. Serve as representatives of, advocates for, and liaisons to the stakeholder groups associated with the Council (students/student organizations, faculty, administration, support staff, alumni).
9. Review and update this charge and the work of the PCDEI annually.

President's Environmental Sustainability Council

The President's Environmental Sustainability Council (PESC) is charged with developing Gustavus’s environmental sustainability vision and goals, including those related to climate change and greenhouse gas mitigation. The PESC will recommend to College leadership policies and procedures for achieving Gustavus’s environmental sustainability goals, including operational structures, campus initiatives, and public events that might support achievement of those goals.

President's Council for Indigenous Relations

The President’s Council for Indigenous Relations is charged by the Gustavus president with the following responsibilities:

1. Formulate and communicate Gustavus’ vision and goals with respect to Indigenous relations.
2. Cultivate relationships with Dakota communities and leaders in the region and include their voices and perspectives in the Council’s work.
3. Build and sustain partnerships with other educational, governmental, or non-governmental organizations in our region who are also engaged in reconciliation work with Dakota and other indigenous communities.
4. Advise the College on language for and use of land acknowledgements and ways of speaking, including but not limited to terms that will be used in formal college documents to refer to the Dakota and the immigrants who settled in Minnesota and descriptions of the Indigenous and immigrant history of this region that will be used formally by the College.
5. Plan and implement education for the campus community about Dakota history and cultural practices in partnership with Dakota experts, scholars, teachers, and elders.
6. Examine and reimagine institutional practices in response to Dakota relationships, partnerships, and research.
7. Support and fund archival research of Gustavus’ relationship with the Dakota people along four historical threads: Gustavus’ land acquisition, Indigenous students and student organizations, Dakota and immigrant trauma narratives, and campus representations of Indigenous people; communicate research findings to the campus, community, and Dakota communities.
8. Advance Indigenous studies courses and topics within the curriculum.
9. Propose and coordinate events and initiatives that will enhance community engagement with Indigenous and immigrant history, culture, and communities.