Midland University plans to purchase former Dana College campus
Midland University, one of the 26 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) colleges, announced plans to make a purchase offer for the now-defunct campus of Dana College, which ceased functioning as a Lutheran higher education institution in 2011. Midland is located in Fremont, Nebraska, 24 miles from the Dana campus in Blair, Nebraska.
The Omaha World-Herald is reporting that independently-raised private funds will be used to procure the Dana campus. Midland already has lined up donors for the purchase.
While Dana College had experienced difficult financial challenges and a shrinking student body, Midland is growing rapidly.
When the sale is complete, Midland will have two campuses, both in the Omaha area. Officials hope to open the Blair campus in time for the 2015 academic year, according to sources at the school.
Midland has about 1,000 students, 60 percent of whom reside on the campus. The university was founded in Atchison, Kansas, by the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1883. It moved to Fremont in 1919, where it merged with Luther Junior College in 1962.
Tags: Bob Hulteen, Dana College, ELCA, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, General Synod, Luther Junior College, Midland University, The Omaha World-Herald
