Lutheran Heritage

As a Lutheran university, Grand View prepares students to do God’s work in the world. Our Lutheran heritage teaches us that human endeavors are indeed a medium for God’s love. Therefore, we aim to educate and inspire students to seek truth, think globally, care deeply, decide carefully, act ethically, and work diligently to improve life for all.

Martin Luther’s vision for the life of a Christian inspires Grand View to offer excellent liberal (liberating) education combined with strong career preparation to prepare students to serve society. We encourage students to discern how their gifts—their talents, abilities, and passions—can be put to use in family, community, and work settings for the benefit of others. This Lutheran understanding of vocation is an essential outcome of our core curriculum, is at the heart of student advising, and is infused into the campus culture.

Committed to developing the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—Grand View supports students in their own faith journeys, regardless of their religious affiliation. We offer active and inviting campus ministries, religious programming, Bible studies, and pastoral care.

Grand View is a University of the Lutheran Church, but exists to serve the world. While our educational practices and institutional values are shaped by and grounded in our Lutheran heritage and identity, Grand View is open and welcoming to all.

Faith Foundations

Grand View’s core values emerge from our Lutheran heritage and our Danish roots. These bedrock values shape academic life, student life, and faith life at Grand View. Grand View is a university of the church (shaped and informed by our “faith foundations”) for the world (called, as an institution, to serve society).

Academic Life

Excellence - Believing we are all called to be co-creators with God in perfecting and preserving the world, Grand View encourages faculty, staff, and students to give their best effort in all they do.
Critical Inquiry - Grand View supports its faculty by providing the academic freedom to pursue truth, to critique what is, and to discover a deeper understanding of our place in the world. Students are also encouraged to develop these skills.
Dialogue Between Faith and Reason - Grand View believes wisdom emerges when faith perspectives inform reason and vice versa. Questions of faith and religious beliefs are welcomed in all classrooms.
Liberal (liberating) Arts - Believing that ignorance enslaves and truth frees, Grand View is committed to the liberal arts as the primary means of cultivating wisdom that frees us for the service to others.
Vocation - Grand View encourages faculty, staff, and students to put their personal gifts and knowledge to work in order to serve others and the world.

Student Life & Work Life

Community Defined by Christ and Creation - Grand View affirms the lordship of Jesus Christ and his preeminence in creating and defining Christian community. Grand View also celebrates the universal bond that human beings are all made in the image of God, equal in dignity, sharing a humanity in which God shows no partiality.
Promotion of Individual Freedom - Grand View is dedicated to individual freedom as an opportunity to make moral decisions, act ethically, and serve others.
Respect for the Law - Believing that laws inform us of right and wrong, Grand View abides by civil laws and governing structures that themselves are established by God.
Civic Engagement - Grand View emphasizes civic engagement through community service by its students, faculty, and staff.
Commitment to Wellness - Grand View is committed to health and wellness so that all community members have an opportunity to balance and nurture mind, body, and spirit.

Faith Life

Worship - Believing that we experience God in Word and Sacrament, Grand View is dedicated to the worship of God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel.
Ecumenism - Grand View recognizes God’s work across denominational lines and religious boundaries and thus supports all students — as well as faculty and staff — in their faith journey.
Pastoral Care - Grand View provides the office of Campus Pastor to serve the entire campus community through pastoral guidance and care.
Student Ministries - Grand View makes various ministry activities available to all students and encourages participation.
Theological Literacy - Grand View provides students with the tools to understand their own faith and engage in questions of faith and meaning in the world; it encourages the same understanding and engagement in faculty and staff.

Rooted and Open: The Common Calling of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities

While Grand View cherishes characteristics and qualities that are derived from our Danish roots, our location in Des Moines, and our own history of growth and development, the document entitled "Rooted and Open" reminds us we are part of a larger “movement” in higher education that has existed for nearly 200 years on this continent, and one that can trace its roots to the Reformation 500 years ago.

Because Grand View is rooted in a robust theological tradition, we intentionally pursue conversation about big questions from the full array of religious and secular academic traditions. In so doing, we shape our students' character, invite vocational discernment and build religious literacy. We press our graduates to push beyond careerism toward meaningful work and active participation in just, loving communities. Attention to religion helps our Lutheran students and students in other religious traditions grow in faith and commitment to their communities. Students with a secular self-understanding will grow in their commitment to ethical perspectives.

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