Search Gustavus

Gusties get involved with 100-plus clubs and organizations, small classes, and supportive mentors—plus time built in to explore passions beyond the classroom.

Welcome to The Hill: A hyper-connected campus that embraces you from the moment you arrive. This place hums with possibilities—from late-night, all-campus study breaks (think tons of food and live music) to dedicated time for pursuing sports, the arts, or brand-new passions.

That’s Gustavus: small enough for deep connections, roomy enough to grow in every direction you want.

The Wind Studies program at Gustavus is a dynamic and creative program centered on the core ideals of the liberal arts. The Wind Studies program features a wide variety of ensembles with varying levels of time commitment and styles of repertoire. Our two large ensembles are the storied Gustavus Wind Orchestra, a flexible wind ensemble, and the Gustavus Wind Symphony, a traditional large symphonic wind ensemble.

The Theatre and Dance Department produces four main stage plays, two dance concerts, and a variable number of student-directed plays and senior projects each year. For most productions, roughly half of the student participants are majors or minors. Dance students may audition for the Gustavus Dance Company and the Apprentice Company as well as for the two dance concerts. Main stage shows represent a variety of styles and time periods and are intended to entertain and challenge. In alternating years, the Department produces a major musical.

Peg O’Connor is the author of the forthcoming book on addiction and recovery titled, Recovering Character: Knowing How to Belong to Yourself. She is the author of three other books on addiction including Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering (Wildhouse Publishing, 2022), Life on the Rocks: Finding Meaning in Addiction and Recovery (Central Recovery Press, 2016), and The SoberPhilosopher Workbook for Exploring Addiction and Creating Recovery (Wildhouse Publishing, 2023). 

O’Connor is the author of the popular blog series, Philosophy Stirred, Not Shaken. The title of the series is a wink and nod to martinis. She has written opinion pieces for The New York Times, The Minnesota Star Tribune, USA Today, The Daily Herald, and Dallas Morning Herald. O’Connor has appeared on numerous television, radio, and podcast programs and has been quoted as an expert in publications ranging from The New York Times to Cosmo.

Minnesota high school juniors and seniors can apply for Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) to earn no-cost college credit toward their high school degree, full or part-time.

Mr. Tengwall is a visiting professor in the Department of Business & Economics, where he engages students on a range of topics including Management & Leadership, Business Models & Growth Strategy, Sales & Marketing, and Supply Chain/Operations Management. He also serves on the Boards of two companies and provides management consulting services to a range of businesses.

Previously, Mr. Tengwall had a 12-year career with the Marmon Group, a Berkshire Hathaway Company. During this time he was President of EcoWater Systems LLC (2019 – 2024), a leading North American manufacturer and marketer of residential and light commercial water softening and filtration systems. Prior to that, he was president of Marmon Food & Beverage Solutions Group (2013 – 2019), which was comprised of two different businesses, Marmon Link and Marmon Renew. Marmon Link (previous dba 3Wire Group Inc) is a provider of parts, training and service for foodservice and beverage dispensing equipment. Marmon Renew is a re-manufacturer of commercial beverage dispensing and related foodservice equipment.

Prior to his executive leadership roles with Marmon/Berkshire Hathaway, he had a 17-year career with Ecolab (NYSE: ECL). There he held several progressively more responsible leadership roles in the Institutional and Food & Beverage operating divisions. He led the marketing function for both business segments and engaged in multiple acquisitions as part of the overall business growth strategy.

Mr. Tengwall began his career as a microbiologist in the Sterilization Technology & Process Control Validation group at The Upjohn Company (now Pfizer). He then pivoted into marketing and business development roles with IMI Cornelius Inc., a subsidiary (at the time) of IMI plc.

Aaron was born and raised in St. Charles Minnesota, a small town between Winona and Rochester. He attended St. Mary's University in Winona Minnesota where he met his wife, Amanda. After St. Mary's he took some time off before enrolling in classes at the University of Minnesota. Aaron began working at Gustavus in 2007.

He has three children and enjoys listening to baseball games, reading a books, riding bike, putting puzzles together, and coaching soccer.

Since 2003, Kiki Harbitz has taught courses in the department of Biology, as well as the department of Health and Exercise Science. She specializes in anatomy and physiology, evolutionary biology, and animal behavior. She enjoys teaching students about their own bodies and helping them build upon the skills necessary to advocate for themselves and others in medical settings and situations. She spends her free time with family and friends, with pets (and foster dogs), gardening/landscaping, making art, being active, storm chasing, doing photography, and enjoying nature.

Dr. Jeff Ford has been a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Gustavus since 2016. He has taught almost every mathematics course offered at Gustavus. His research is in topology, dynamical systems, and mathematics education. Dr. Ford has supervised three honors theses, two interdisciplinary research projects, and six independent studies. He has co-authored two books in dynamical systems and one in linear algebra. He is committed to providing open access educational materials to students and encouraging teachers to use active and inclusive pedagogy. To that end, he has presented more than 20 times at conferences on active learning and alternative grading. 

Kate Aguilar is an active part of the History Department (assistant professor of African American and Sport History); Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies; African/African Diaspora Studies; and Sport Management. She challenges students to consider not only what Black history is, but what it does in the world. Her public scholarship includes contributions to the Washington Post and TIME magazine, and she is the Film, Media, and Museum Reviews section editor for the Journal of Sport History. Her current book expands an understanding of the revolt of the black athlete into the 1980s. She is also a part of a broader community of scholars working on campus to learn more about, implement, and assess inclusive teaching pedagogies.