2026 September Licensure Update – Martin Luther College

Dear MLC Students, Faculty, Staff, and Supporters,

As the new school year gets underway, we want to share an update regarding teacher licensure at Martin Luther College. One of the goals of the Licensure Office is to provide regular, quarterly updates about our licensure work to the wide range of people who have an interest in and connection to MLC. This letter is the first step in that effort. For that reason, we are sharing it with faculty, staff, and emeriti as well as with other groups connected to MLC. Some of what follows has been shared previously with these groups, but we want this quarterly communication to provide a common and current account of where things stand.

Our Mission Remains Unchanged
First, we want to emphasize what has not changed: MLC remains committed to preparing strong, faithful teachers and other workers for gospel ministry. Licensure is an important part of that preparation, and we take our responsibility to provide that pathway seriously. At the same time, licensure is a means of supporting MLC’s larger mission, not the mission itself. Our purpose remains preparing young men and women for Confessional Lutheran gospel ministry.

For most returning MLC students, the recent licensure setbacks do not affect their ability to earn a license through MLC after graduation. The exception is our Social Studies and Physical Education programs, whose licensure eligibility was discontinued in spring 2024 and has not yet been restored. As a result, the 13 students completing these programs in May 2027 will not initially be able to earn their teaching licenses through MLC.

Our response begins with an honest assessment of what led to the current situation. In short, MLC did not consistently provide the state with clear evidence that our programs were meeting licensure standards. In addition, we were unable to tell a clear story about how we were using student data across the college to identify areas for improvement and make needed changes. To use a math analogy, we are getting the “right answer” (strong, capable teachers), but we have not consistently “shown our work” in the ways Minnesota’s Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) expected. We take that responsibility seriously and are making significant changes.

The Path to Restoring Licensure
We have put new interim leadership in place and established a new administrative role to unify assessment—including licensure—across the college; we are currently working through the Synod to fill that position permanently with either a called worker or a qualified layperson. We have also hired consultants with expertise in Minnesota teacher licensure and are working regularly with state officials to receive feedback on our plans. Restoring licensure eligibility requires a state review process that can take up to a year. We must restore that eligibility before our current first-year students reach graduation so that they, too, have a pathway to licensure through MLC. Our goal is for the May 2027 Social Studies and Physical Education graduates to be the only MLC graduates affected by this temporary interruption.

We also recognize our responsibility to the students who entered MLC expecting a path to licensure. If a May 2027 graduate, after assignment, needs an initial teaching license through another state, MLC will cover the cost. Once MLC’s licensure eligibility is restored, affected graduates will also be able to use MLC’s post-baccalaureate program to complete the requirements for an MLC license, again at MLC’s expense.

We know that licensure matters to our students, families, and supporters. The process provides an outside measure of the quality and effectiveness of MLC’s teacher-education programs, affirming that our preparation meets the proficiency standards used across Minnesota. Licensure also gives graduates additional opportunities to serve, including beyond Lutheran schools when circumstances require it. We are committed to restoring and strengthening that pathway.

At the same time, this experience reinforces something fundamental about MLC: our purpose is not simply to produce licensed teachers; it is to prepare faithful, capable servants for gospel ministry. The Christ-centered education, theological formation, relationships, worship life, and servant-minded community that define an MLC education remain at the center of our work. Licensure supports that preparation, but it does not define it.

Keeping You Informed
We are grateful for your continued commitment to MLC and to its mission of preparing faithful, capable servants for gospel ministry. We will continue to keep you informed as the licensure work progresses, with the goal of providing quarterly updates throughout the upcoming school year. We also welcome your questions and feedback along the way. Please feel free to reach out at any time if there is anything we can clarify or if you would like to talk further about our efforts.

In Christ,

Paul Grubbs
Assistant Provost for Excellence and Assessment
Martin Luther College

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