Established on 08.25.2014 by Dr. Doug N. '71 and Nancy J. '72 Hastad
Doug '71 and Nancy (Seljevold) '72 Hastad were blessed with two children, Jacob and Rebekah. In spite of their efforts to persuade them to attend a private institution, they successfully completed their undergraduate degrees from the University of Minnesota. That said, their broader family relationship with Concordia College has depth. Doug’s father, Noel Hastad, attended Concordia in the mid-1930s and was a member of the college’s first band trip abroad to Norway. Unfortunately, he never graduated as he was called back to the family farm in Halstad, MN, during the depression. Nancy’s father, Phil Seljevold ’50, was a student-athlete at Concordia and went on to an extremely successful career in public school education. Nancy’s two brothers and one sister (who married a Cobber) graduated from Concordia. Six of her siblings’ nine children graduated from Concordia, and one will graduate shortly. In sum, there is a family history at Concordia that continues today.
Doug and Nancy benefitted greatly from wonderfully personal experiences and undergraduate degree majors in health and physical education with minors in English and Spanish, respectfully. After their marriage in 1972, their professional careers began in earnest. They have worked in education at virtually all levels and in a wide variety of capacities. In fact, one of their stops was at Concordia, where Nancy was a Residence Hall Director, and Doug taught and did administrative work. They’ve lived in six different states and been directly associated with multiple public and private colleges and universities. They both retired in 2017 and now reside in the geological anomaly region of the Mississippi River Valley in western Wisconsin.
Throughout our numerous affiliations and interactions with college/university students, it became quite evident that the financial needs to attend an institution of higher education were critical to their retention and graduation. To assist in this paramount need, Doug and Nancy established this endowed scholarship at their undergraduate alma mater. It is a gift that will keep on giving and will encourage students to complete their academic degrees at a very special place. Hopefully, it will also incentivize them to do the same for future generations when their financial means allow.
Go Cobbers!
The Doug and Nancy Hastad Endowed Scholarship is awarded by the Office of Financial Aid to one or more students of any class based on scholastic achievement and financial need, with preference given to students who are majoring in education.