Each college has its separate character - a uniqueness which sets it apart from other colleges. Consider the religious heritage and commitment, the nature of the community in which it resides, the mission, the size, its faculty and students, its vision and its dreams, and an image of its character emerges. Wisconsin Lutheran College is one of those very special Christian colleges combining the excitement and vitality of a large metropolitan area with the seriousness of helping students to understand more fully the Scriptural implications for their lives, as well as the world in which they live.
History
When a handful of dedicated Christian men gathered to organize this liberal arts college in the early 1970s, they had little more than a strong faith in God and great determination. They had no facilities and no faculty. By the grace of God they opened the junior college in the fall of 1973 with a part-time faculty and two dozen students. It wasn’t until two years later that the school, affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, had its first full-time president.
Wisconsin Lutheran College purchased facilities in 1977: five buildings on an eight and a half acre campus. In 1982, the college purchased the library holdings from Milton College, which was closing. In 1983, the college purchased the science laboratory furnishings of the closing University of Wisconsin-Medford Center, another addition that helped the college pursue a dream: to become a four-year college.
The Board of Regents approved a comprehensive curriculum plan in 1984, and an evaluation team from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools concurred with the Board’s decision, agreeing that the necessary planning and resources existed to enable Wisconsin Lutheran College to move toward accreditation as a baccalaureate degree-granting institution.
In 1985, two and a half acres adjacent to the college were purchased for future campus development. In May of 1987, the first 12 students graduated from the new four-year curriculum with baccalaureate degrees, and the college was granted initial accreditation. Accreditation status by the Higher Learning Commission was reaffirmed in 2005 and 2015.
In 1988, the Marvin M. Schwan Library was completed and dedicated. In 1991, construction began on a second building, the Recreation Complex. A third building, the Center for Arts and Performance, was completed in 1996, and the Campus Center was finished and dedicated in 1998. Two new residence halls were dedicated in 2000, and a new academic building was completed in 2004. The college’s purchase of 26 acres of nearby land on the Milwaukee County Grounds in 2003 enabled athletic fields to be developed and dedicated in 2005. The Outdoor Athletic Center opened at the athletic fields in 2011. A new residence hall on Wisconsin Avenue opened in 2014, and a parking center opened in 2016.
Dr. Gary J. Greenfield served as the college’s first full-time president; he retired in June of 2003. Dr. Timothy J. Kriewall was inaugurated as the second president in September of 2003; he retired in June of 2008. Dr. Daniel W. Johnson was inaugurated as the college’s third president in April of 2009.
In 2010, the college began offering an adult degree completion program and a Master of Arts degree through the College of Adult and Graduate Studies. Wisconsin Lutheran College has been ranked annually as one of America’s top colleges. To God be the glory for this amazing history.
Identity
Wisconsin Lutheran College is a four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. It is located in Milwaukee. The college has a two-semester academic year and awards the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees with liberal arts and professional majors and several pre-professional programs.
Purpose
Wisconsin Lutheran College is a Christian school of higher education offering a program in the arts and sciences. Realizing that in Chris “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” the college integrates God’s truths into every discipline, helping students relate their faith to life in today’s world. Its primary purpose is to provide higher education for students interested in the arts and sciences taught within the framework of Christian doctrine. Although Wisconsin Lutheran College programs are designed for job preparation and upgrading, they are all the more concerned with preparing young Christian men and women to face life and deal with it through the application of Christian principles found in God’s Word.
Organization
Wisconsin Lutheran College is owned, operated, and maintained by a national conference of Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregations. The individual congregations, through their elected delegates, maintain the ultimate control of the school. The Board of Regents is charged with the responsibility of providing an effective local administrative organization through which the purpose of the college can be achieved. The Board of Regents discharges most of its functions in consultation with and through the president of the college, who represents the faculty and is directly responsible to the Board of Regents and the Wisconsin Lutheran College Conference, Incorporated.
The academic offerings and student services described in the catalog represent a description of Wisconsin Lutheran College as it ordinarily operates. However, the college reserves the right to make changes as circumstances warrant.
Philosophy
- Declaration of Faith
Wisconsin Lutheran College believes, teaches and confesses that the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments–in all their words and all their parts–are the inspired and inerrant Word of God, that these Holy Scriptures are the only source and authority for Christian doctrine and life, that they are efficacious in presenting God’s plan of salvation through Law and Gospel, and that they are sufficient and clear in revealing God’s truth. Wisconsin Lutheran College believes, teaches, and confesses all the symbols of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 without reservation, not insofar as, but because they are a correct presentation and explanation of the Word of God and a summary of the faith of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. These symbols are the three ecumenical Creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian), Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, Dr. Martin Luther’s Large Catechism, the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord.
- Adherence
All that is done or taught at Wisconsin Lutheran College shall be in accordance with the Word of God. Likewise, any controversies or disputes shall be settled by the norm of Holy Scripture.
- Confessional Affiliation
Wisconsin Lutheran College shall maintain confessional fellowship only with a church body that holds to all the truths of God’s Word in doctrine and practice and is bound to the confession of faith set forth in this philosophy if, and as long as, such a church body exists.
- Principles of Education
Wisconsin Lutheran College accepts the principle that education is inseparable from religion, that all knowledge in all areas of human thought and endeavor is worthy of inquiry when viewed in the light of human sin and divine grace. It is also committed to the total development of its students, not just intellectually, but also spiritually, emotionally, physically, and socially. In this Christian college the main source of life and growth is God’s Word. As members of the Body of Christ, all serve and are served, all teach and all learn. All recognize that the freedom of the Christian life lies within the bounds set forth in Holy Scripture.
Mission of Wisconsin Lutheran College
Wisconsin Lutheran College, affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, is a Lutheran liberal arts college for Christian men and women. The college is committed to providing quality teaching, scholarship, and service that are rooted in Holy Scripture; promoting the spiritual growth of students, faculty, and staff; and preparing students for lives of Christian leadership.
Accreditation
Wisconsin Lutheran College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.
The Higher Learning Commission
Telephone: 312.263.0456
Website: www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org
The programs of teacher education are approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The Nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Effective Academic Catalog
The academic catalog is published in electronic format every year as an academic resource for students. The entire college catalog can be found on the college’s website. Archived copies of the website catalog are kept by the library. Students should contact their advisor, a College dean, or the Registrar’s Office if the catalog does not answer their questions.
Students are bound by the policies, regulations, and General Education requirements of the catalog in effect at their enrollment at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Students will be bound by the major and minor requirements of the catalog at the time of declaration unless granted exception by a college dean. Students who interrupt their progress toward a degree by withdrawing from the college and then re-enrolling at a later date must abide by the catalog in effect at the time of re-admission if that absence has been more than two consecutive semesters.
All statements contained in this bulletin reflect the approved policies of Wisconsin Lutheran College that were in effect as of July 1, 2018. However, for the best possible educational experience of its students, or for unexpected financial reasons, the college reserves its right to change at any time any of the provisions, statements, policies, curricula, procedures, regulations, and fees.
FERPA
Wisconsin Lutheran College voluntarily complies with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and its amendments. Students have the right to inspect the contents of their campus files and records. Student information other than “directory information” will not be released to people outside the college without student authorization. WLC designates the following as “directory information”: student name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, most recent previous school attended, and photograph. Wisconsin Lutheran College may disclose any of those items without prior written consent unless notified in writing within five days of the opening of any given semester or summer session. The relationship Scripture establishes between parents and dependent children is recognized by the college in sharing important information regarding a student’s health, status, and well-being with parents.
Students are notified of their rights under FERPA through the annual publication of the Student Handbook.
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