Waldorf University

History

thumb|left|The college on a 1948 postcard Waldorf University, founded in 1903 as Waldorf College, was a result of "The Great Hotel War of Forest City", a competitive battle between Forest City's two upper-class hotels, which were built at the same time. The result was the Waldorf Hotel being left vacant after only four months of operation. The vacant hotel provided an opportunity for Rev. C.S. Salveson to create a Christian college. Waldorf started out as an academy and business college, not just a preparatory program for future pastors. From its earliest days, Waldorf viewed education sponsored by the church as essential for success in society.

Since 1920, Waldorf's curriculum has evolved to reflect a liberal arts emphasis. Today, almost all Waldorf students intend to earn a bachelor's degree. In the spring of 1994, Waldorf College was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

In January 2010, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America sold the college to a subsidiary of Columbia Southern University and it became a for-profit institution. Waldorf College became Waldorf University in March 2016. In 2022, the ownership of the college was transferred to the Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation and the university began the process of returning to nonprofit status. As of July 2025, the university's accreditor classified the university as "non-profit" and news reports indicated that the U.S. Department of Education approved the change the department's official database of institutional information still classified the university as "for-profit".

Presidents

Waldorf has had the following presidents:

• C. S. Salveson (1903–1904)
• Lars W. Boe (1904–1915)
• Martin Hegland (1915–1919)
• O. O. Bjertness (acting president 1919–1920)
• C. B. Helgen (1920–1929)
• C. M. Granskou (1929–1932)
• J. L. Rendahl (1932–1943)
• M. O. Nilssen (1943–1950)
• A. L. Halvorson (acting president 1950–1951)
• Sidney A. Rand (1951–1956)
• Sigvald D. Fauske (1956–1970)
• Gerrish Severson (acting president 1970–1971)
• Paul D. Mork (1971–1978)
• Morris Wee (acting president 1978–1979, 1985–1986)
• Arndt F. Braaten (1979–1985)
• William E. Hamm (1986–1999)
• Thomas L. Jolivette (1999–2004)
• Robert L. Vogel (acting president 2004–2005)
• Richard A. Hanson (2005–2010)
• Joseph Manjone (2010–2011)
• Robert A. Alsop (2011–present)

Academics

Waldorf University offers associate, bachelor, and master's degree programs, as well as several undergraduate certificate options and online career-prep programs. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

Undergraduate admissions

According to the 2019 U.S. News & World Report, Waldorf University is considered "less selective" and had an admissions acceptance rate of 72%. Peterson's - The Real Guide to Colleges and Universities ranked Waldorf College admission as being moderately difficult.

Honor societies

Waldorf University is home to Alpha Chi honor society's Iowa Iota chapter.

Waldorf University Theatre is home to the Alpha Epsilon Omega cast of Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society (APO). Waldorf University is also an active member in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

The university is also home to the Alpha Iota Lambda chapter of the Alpha Sigma Lambda, which is the oldest and largest national honor society for non-traditional students.

Athletics

Waldorf's athletic teams are called the Warriors. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), has competed in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 2024-25 academic year. The Warriors previously competed in these conferences: the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) from the 2015-16 to 2023-24; the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) from 2012-13 to 2014-15; and the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 2003-04 to 2011-12.

Waldorf competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, track & field and wrestling; women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, eSports and shooting sports. The university expanded athletics in 2010 by adding men's ice hockey and women's wrestling.

Football

The Waldorf Warriors football team represents the university in college football.

Men's soccer

The Waldorf Warriors men's soccer team represents the university in college soccer. It won the Association of Independence Institutions (AII) conference championship, beating Georgia Gwinnett College in 2017 to claim its first conference title in the sport.

Cheerleading

The Waldorf Warriors cheerleaders are a competitive squad known for all-female stunting routines.

Ice hockey

The ice hockey team began play during the 2011–12 academic year and plays an independent schedule of club programs, as the NAIA does not currently sponsor a championship for ice hockey. The program is coached by Mike Heitkamp and assistant coach Ty Prater.

Women's wrestling

Waldorf launched Iowa's first collegiate women's wrestling program in 2010.

Notable alumni

Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here as notable people. This establishes notability. The person's biographical article should say how they are associated with the university. An external reliable source of their association should be cited in their article and here. All others will be deleted without further explanation. Alphabetize by last name please. Use a short one line description of notability (no period). If the person you think is notable and does not have a Wikipedia article for themselves, create one. Guidelines for the notability of a person can be found by entering WP:PEOPLE in the wiki search. Guidelines on what is needed and how to write the article can be found by entering WP:MOSBIO in the wiki search. END OF NOTICE * * * * * * * * * * * * END OF NOTICE * * * * * * * * * * * *END OF NOTICE --

Additions without a citation are subject to removal. If a citation link is broken, please replace it with one that works.

• Brad Anderson, Former CEO of Best Buy
• Bob Backlund, professional wrestler
• Ian Beckles, professional football player
• Greg Davids, politician
• Rebecca Fjelland Davis, novelist and college instructor
• Karl Dehesa, professional basketball player
• Casey Klunder, college baseball coach
• Josh Neer, wrestler and mixed martial artist
• Henry Waechter, professional football player

Notes

References

References

1. (2025). "College Navigator - Waldorf University". [[National Center for Education Statistics]].
2. "Waldorf University Branding".
3. "About Us".
4. "Waldorf University finalizes transfer of ownership".
5. "History".
6. (January 13, 2010). "Waldorf College Sold, No Longer Affiliated with ELCA".
7. AJ Taylor. (2016-03-17). "Waldorf College is Changing {{sic". Kiow.com.
8. (2022-12-02). "Waldorf University ownership is now Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation".
9. link. [[Higher Learning Commission]]. (2025)
10. "Waldorf University Status Change {{!}} Waldorf University".
11. Bunge, Mike. (2025-03-01). "Waldorf University is becoming a nonprofit school".
12. (2024-04-05). "2022-23 Waldorf University Catalog".
13. "Academics".
14. "Programs of Study".
15. "Accreditation & Licensure".
16. Yost, Rae. (21 November 2012). "Waldorf College reaches a gold standard".
17. "Waldorf College {{!}} Best College {{!}} US News".
18. "Waldorf College in Forest City, IA - Find information about admissions, tuition, majors and campus life at Petersons.com".
19. "List of Chapters by Region – Alpha Chi".
20. "Get Involved with Theatre".
21. (February 2025). "Chapter Directory".
22. "Members". Midwest Collegiate Conference.
23. (September 22, 2010). "Waldorf to Launch Hockey Team". Waldorf College.
24. Yost, Rae. (September 16, 2010). "Waldorf College adds hockey program". Forest City Summit.
25. (2010). "Waldorf College launches new women's wrestling program". Access News.
26. "Josh Neer MMA Bio".
27. "Henry Waechter". databaseFootball.com.