1939 Royal Visit Commemorative Pin

Concordia has had many royal visits to keep in touch with its Norwegian heritage. King Harald in 1995, King Olav V in 1939, 1968, and 1982, and His Highness Prince George of Denmark visited the Language Villages in 1981(1). The first royal visit was in 1939 when the Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha came for a visit. When Concordia found out that Olav and Martha were visiting New York, President Brown immediately invited the couple to visit the Fargo-Moorhead area and tour the campus. The prince and princess accepted and came to Concordia in June. When the graduating students found out that the royal couple was coming to Concordia, they voted to have the graduation date pushed back so they could graduate with Crown Prince Olav present(2). The Crown Prince gave a commencement speech to the 83 graduates at the ceremony as well as receiving the first honorary doctorate degree- Doctorate of Law. Olav became king after his father, King Haakon VII, passed in 1957(3). As King Olav V, he was dedicated to helping the defense of Norway and he strengthened the military immensely (4). His other main focus was social values in Norway.  His open criticism of discrimination against immigrants in Norway during his annual New Year’s Eve speech in 1982 was the topic of widespread public debate (5). He visited Concordia two more times in his life, once 1968 and 1982. Concordia has strengthened its relationship with Norway by having other royalty come and visit the campus and Concordia is keeping a connection with the world in many ways. Concordia has the Language Villages where students become immeresed in other cultures and learn new languages, and Concordia has a strong international population on campus.

Essay by Jeremy Pierce