Timeline of significant events in the history of the governance of Luther College:

1865 - Articles of Incorporation authored.

1871 - Amendments to Article III (Church Council renamed - "Board of Visitors"); Article III (President and Professors renamed "Board of Faculty"); Article IV (Treasurer could not be a member of the Board of Trustees); Article X (Added duties of the Treasurer) Bylaws adopted.

1872 - Amendment to Article IV (Corporation meetings can be held in states bordering Iowa.)

1878 - Amendment to Bylaws (Changed to provide for triennial elections.)

1915 - Articles of Incorporation renewed.

1917 - Amendment to Articles (Board of Education established in place of the "Church Council".)

1918 - Amendment to Articles (Church and College struck the word "Norwegian" from their name.)

1930 - Amendments to Bylaws (Board of Trustees become the "General Managers" of the College.) Revised wording of Articles (Increased power of the Board of Trustees and decreased power of the Church Council.)

1936 - Amendment to Article VII (Co-education.)

1950 - Amendment to Article III (Wording amended to reflect Church name change to "Evangelical Lutheran Church") and Article VI (Officers of the Corporation and Trustees elected for one year terms instead of two year terms.) Amendment to Bylaws (Trustees should meet 4 times annually in Decorah.)

1958 - Amendment to Articles (restructure Articles and Bylaws in which governing body changed from Board of Trustees to Board of Regents.)

1962 - Amendment to Article VII (Well qualified Lutherans who are not members of the American Lutheran Church may not be excluded from candidacy for College President.)

1964 - Amendment to Bylaws (change in wording of paragraph VIII.)

1966 - Amendments to Bylaws (redefining officers' titles and Paragraph VIII, restructure of faculty.)

1968 - Amendment to Article VII (Board of Regents elections and office tenure.)

1972 - Amendment to Bylaws (addition of IX (Indemnification of Regents and Officers) and extant IX becomes X.)

1974 - Amendments to Article V (Membership revisions) and Article VI (Meetings revisions). Amendments to Bylaws (delete paragraph 1.07 concerning Board of Regents management of the Norwegian-American Historical Museum and paragraph 1.08 becomes 1.07.)

1976 - Amendments to Article VI (wording re: meetings deleted and rewritten) and to Bylaws (wording re: meetings deleted, rewritten and revised.)

1978 - Amendment to Article VII (management and control paragraph added.)

1980 - Amendment to Bylaws (re: officers.)

1984 - Amendments to Article VII (Board of Regents members revised). Amendments to Bylaws (change the words "Chairman" and "Chairmen" to "Chair" and "Vice Chairman" to "Vice Chair") and to Article VIII and Bylaws (deleted references to "he" and "his" and replaced it with gender neutral language. Amendment to Bylaws (replace "Faculty Senate" with "Faculty" and "Faculty Council".)

1987 - Amendments to Article III, V, VI, VII, VIII, XIII and Bylaws (change "American Lutheran Church" to "Evangelical Lutheran Church of America"). Amendments to Articles V, VI, and to Bylaws (President of ALC to Bishop of ELCA.) Amendments to Article VII ("President of Iowa District" to "Bishop of Northeast Iowa Synod"), Article V ("Board of College and University Services" to "Board of the Division for Education), and Article VII (7.03, 7.06) and Bylaw (I 1.01, 1.03.)

1988 - Amendments to Article VII (re: management and control) and Article VIII (section 8.01 re: officers revised.) Change section numbers 7.03 to 7.04, 7.04 to 7.05, 7.05 to 7.06, and 7.06 -7.07. Amendment to Bylaws (Board of Regents revised) and (Secretary and Assistant Secretary.) Add new Bylaw VI (the Executive Committee) and VII (the Nominating Committee.) Change Bylaw VI to VIII, VII to IX, IX to XI, X to XII. Revise Bylaws section 4.01 and 4.02 and add 4.03.

1989 - Amendment to Article VII (management and control) and section 7.02 revised.

1991 - Amendments to Article XIII (amendments revised), Article VII (management and control) and Bylaws (amendments.)

1993 - Amendments to Bylaw VII (title revised to read "The Nominating and Board of Affairs Committee". Revise section 7.01 (elections to the board), 7.02 (duties), Bylaw VI (Executive Committee elections and powers), and Bylaw I (Board of Regents elections.)

1995 - Amendments to Article V (change wording from general conventions to church wide assembly), Article VI (change wording from general conventions to church wide assembly.)

Sources:

Bothne, Gisle, The Norwegian Luther College 1861-1897, (Decorah, 1897)

Jordahl, Leigh D and Kaasa, Harris E., Stability and Change: Luther College in Its Second Century (Decorah, 1986)

Luther College Semi-Centennial: 1861—1911 (Des Moines, 1911)

Nelson, David T., Luther College 1861-1961 (Decorah, 1961)

Norlie, O.M. et al, Luther College Through Sixty Years: 1861-1921 (Minneapolis, 1922)

Registrar, The Faculty Handbook, 1955, 1974, 1994 (Decorah, various dates)

Ylvisaker, J. Th., The Norwegian Luther College Decorah, Iowa: An Outline of Its History from 1861 to 1890 (Decorah, 1890)