January 13, 2010

CHICAGO – Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa, was sold Jan. 8 to Mayes Education, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Southern University (CSU). With its new for-profit status, Waldorf is no longer affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Based in Orange Beach, Ala., CSU is a for-profit institution and one of the nation's first online universities.

The sale was prompted by a financial crisis at Waldorf. In April the Waldorf Lutheran College Association – the college's governing body – approved a series of resolutions that moved the school closer to a possible sale to CSU.

"Transfer of Waldorf College ownership to Columbia Southern University ends Waldorf's institutional relationship with the ELCA. Although Waldorf is no longer a college of the ELCA, we are in active conversation with the Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation about their hope to develop an ELCA campus ministry for the college," said the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, executive director, ELCA Vocation and Education.

"The ELCA is grateful for close ties between Waldorf and the Lutheran church," said Olson. "The churchwide organization, the ELCA Western Iowa Synod, and area congregations have all been active parts of that relationship. We look forward to future possibilities for serving Waldorf's students, staff and faculty," he said.

The Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2006, will continue to provide pastoral care for students, support campus ministries and more.

"The Foundation is an independent organization whose purpose includes continuation of some things previously done through the college's church relationship," said Olson.

Waldorf and CSU will remain separate institutions but work closely together for the improvement of both schools. Both institutions will provide new majors, distance learning opportunities and campus improvements, according to a Jan. 11 Waldorf news release.

In a Jan. 11 letter to faculty and staff, Dr. Joe Manjone, Waldorf president, wrote that the future of the school is "not only much brighter than it was a year ago, but is now limitless."

"Working together, we can build Waldorf into a nationally ranked school," said Manjone. "To do this, we must remember that we are here because of our students, that they are our customers, and that we must provide them with a high-quality education, treat them even better than we expect to be treated, and assist and support them whenever possible. Also, we must always keep in mind that the Waldorf and CSU faculty and staff are a family and that we must cooperate, help and support each other."

Waldorf College was founded in 1903 by the Rev. C.S. Salveson, pastor of what is now Immanuel Lutheran Church, Forest City, a congregation of the ELCA.

The home page for Waldorf College is at http://www.waldorf.edu/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service
Heather Jordan is director of communication at Waldorf.