Strong Town-Gown Relationships Benefit Two Nebraska Towns

The Lincoln Journal Star published an interesting article by Ken Hambleton, "Colleges help keep small Nebraska towns feeling young," in mid-March 2019.  Hambleton interviewed a variety of people in two college towns, Seward and Crete, roughly thirty miles apart.  Complex webs of interrelationships characterize the town-gown relationships in both communities and each community appears to be enjoying the benefits of vibrant local economies.

Concordia University enrolls 2,520 students and is located in Seward, NE, a town of 6,694 people.

Crete, NE is nearly identical in size with 6,960 people, while Doane University enrolls 2,871 students with its main campus in Crete and graduate or professional programs offered in Lincoln, NE.

Doane was initially founded in 1872 and was affiliated at the time with the Congregational Church, now, the United Church of Christ.  The institutional name was changed from Doane College to Doane University in 2016.

Founded in 1894, Concordia is slightly younger and is affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  It was initially known as The Lutheran Seminary and over time was unofficially known as Seward College, German College, or the Lutheran Normal School. The official name changed to Concordia Teachers College in 1924 and then Concordia University in 1998.