Luther College has appointed longtime Decorah educator and former Vesterheim leader Andrew Ellingsen as director of the Richard L. and Judith A. Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies, placing a familiar local figure at the center of the college’s connections with Norway and the broader Nordic region.
Provost Pam Bacon announced the appointment during the week of Aug. 17, 2026. Ellingsen began his new role on Luther’s Decorah campus Wednesday, Aug. 12. He succeeds Nordic Studies Associate Professor Maren Johnson, who was recently appointed executive director of the center.
From Vesterheim to Luther
Ellingsen most recently spent more than five years as director of folk art education at Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School in Decorah. There, he expanded participation and grew programs through strategic planning and other organizational initiatives.
His Vesterheim work included multiple educational partnerships with Luther College. Those collaborations included January Term classes hosted at the museum, a Vesterheim–Torgerson Center internship pipeline for Luther students and plans for education-focused tours in Norway.
Ellingsen also co-taught FCUL 139: Nordic Tales and Traditions with Johnson. The course was piloted in 2024 for Luther students studying away during their first year.
Before joining Vesterheim, Ellingsen taught elementary music for nearly 20 years. He began in the Twin Cities before continuing his teaching career in Decorah. He also taught undergraduate elementary music methods at Luther and served on the faculty for Orff Schulwerk graduate courses at Southern Methodist University, the University of Memphis and the University of St. Thomas.
Ellingsen holds a master’s degree in music education from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He graduated from Luther in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in music education.
A center connecting Decorah with the Nordic region
Established in 2018, the Torgerson Center honors Luther’s history as the first college in the United States founded by Norwegian immigrants. Its mission is to build connections with modern Norway and other Nordic countries through innovative programs and strategic partnerships.
The center creates learning opportunities for students and faculty and collaborates with Vesterheim on programming. Luther describes it as the only endowed undergraduate Nordic Studies center in the United States.
Bacon pointed to Ellingsen’s experience as an educator and program leader, as well as his deep Decorah roots and connections within the Norwegian-American heritage community. Johnson welcomed the appointment and described Ellingsen as a generative, thoughtful leader who can help advance the center’s work.
Ellingsen’s appointment combines classroom teaching, museum education, international programming and experience in Luther’s academic community. From the college’s Decorah campus, that background will support the center’s continuing work with students, faculty, Vesterheim and Nordic partners.