Our College: The First 25 Years of MLC
By Phil Balge ’21 (St. Paul-New Ulm MN)
Martin Luther College was established in 1995 when Northwestern College and Dr. Martin Luther College combined in New Ulm. View snapshots from the first 25 years of our college in our online copy of InFocus. Here’s just a peek:
1996
BLACK RED WHITE, FIGHT!
Many cheerleading groups sprang up in MLC’s first year. By the end of the 90s, two remained. The Knights Cheerleaders (pictured) led cheers in the most traditional sense, boosting spirits with intricate floor routines and colorful pom-pons. The KNOBZ, a group of five guys with colorful personalities, were less traditional but nonetheless inspiring. They were later replaced by the Male Cheerleaders, whose skits included students, faculty members, and even referees, giving MLC a home court advantage not seen anywhere else in the NCAA. Pictured: Sarah Musgrave, Paula Carter, Kristine Heins, Kristi Stueber, Sherri Sukow, Amy Knurowski
2002
8X CHAMPIONS
In other 2002 sports news, the men’s cross country team won the UMAC for the fifth year in a row under Coach Chuck Hussman. And they did not slow down. The Knights earned the conference title each year from 1998 to 2005. Students come to New Ulm to become teachers, staff ministers, and pastors. Sometimes they leave with hardware.
2005
MY GOD IS MY ROCK
Responding to Hurricane Katrina destruction, Team SOAR (Standing on a Rock) traveled to New Orleans to help with cleanup efforts and offer spiritual encouragement to those they served. “As we drive back to our house we discuss the events of the day, swapping stories. Replaying the day in our mind, we pray that God be with the family whose house we just finished. We thank God for giving us this opportunity to serve.” – The SOAR online blog
2010
A PLACE SET APART
On April 10-11, 2010, about 2,000 worshipers joined to dedicate the Chapel of the Christ, MLC’s most significant facility expansion since 1995. Thanks to generous donors, the space continues to be the center of daily life at MLC, a place for the campus to gather around the gospel in Word and sacrament and a valuable teaching station for future gospel ministers. At his retirement, President Mark Zarling recalled, “As the chapel went up and they [students] saw the beauty of it and the scale of it, there was no doubt in their mind. Jesus was most important here.” Today, it’s difficult to imagine MLC without the Chapel of the Christ.
2013
LET THE CHILDREN COME
In 2013 MLC dedicated its new Early Childhood Learning Center with room to educate and care for nearly 100 children ages 0-5. With early childhood ministries booming in WELS, here MLC early childhood majors could receive the best possible professional training. “We get to teach these children about Jesus’ love for them,” Professor Jennifer Mehlberg said. “We get to show parents how to start praying and ways to read Bible stories with their children. We build these relationships and then invite them to our church to learn more about Christ’s saving work for us.”
2018
COMEBACK KIDS
Improving from a 0-9 season in 2016, the Knights football team completed an undefeated conference season in 2018, earning the UMAC title and the team’s first-ever automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. The incredible turnaround under Coach Mark Stein was noted in local and state news outlets. In playoffs, MLC fell in the first round to Division III powerhouse St. John’s University at Collegeville, Minnesota. MLC secured its second consecutive UMAC title in 2019 with another perfect conference record.
View snapshots from all 25 years in our online copy of InFocus.
