Search Gustavus

Music scholarships at Gustavus support students who wish to continue their involvement in music, regardless of their major or minor.

The Center for Career Development at Gustavus empowers students and alumni in career exploration, planning, and transitions. Learn more about self-assessment tools, internships, resume writing, interview preparation, job search help, the alumni/student mentoring program, and more.

We connect Gusties with local food production and sustainable agriculture. More than gardening, we explore food systems, environmental justice, and climate action. Join us as we create a more sustainable campus community, while also getting agriculture experience. 

Explore academic courses and programs, like the Gustie Cup, that empower Gustavus students to develop skills in entrepreneurship, innovation, and creative leadership.

Gustavus Counseling Center provides confidential student support: individual counseling, workshops, self‑care resources, crisis help, and mental health guidance.

Explore Tuition Exchange programs at Gustavus, including eligibility and application steps.

A Minnesota native, Steve Mellema received his undergraduate degree (with majors in physics and mathematics) from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1972. Following his graduation, he spent six years in Malaysia as a teacher and trainer with the United States Peace Corps. He subsequently attended graduate school at Ohio University, receiving a Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics in 1983. 

Following postdoctoral positions at Ohio University and the University of Wisconsin, he joined the faculty at Gustavus in 1986. He taught in the physics department through 40 years of graduating classes, and also served three terms as chair of the department. 

As an active member of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Steve incorporated the results of physics-education research into his own teaching of physics for more than three decades, including peer instruction, cooperative-group problem solving, computer simulations, and studio methods. Steve was fortunate to receive two Fulbright Scholar appointments to Malaysia, and used them to bring some of those advancements in physics pedagogy to his adopted "second home'", teaching at the School of Physics at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang. 

Over the years, he has also led four study-abroad courses taking Gustavus students to visit and study Malaysia. Steve retired from active teaching in 2025, and is currently a Research Professor of Physics.