# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S924
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

80 SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES

program. Fort Wayne has many things to offer which would mak,
it ideal as a training center for Synod’s professional people. [t ic
a city of many Lutheran churches with active and progressive
parish programs; with only one exception, all maintain .
schools. They have active Sunday schools with large teachj
staffs. They have high standards of church music. All the other
educational and auxiliary agencies of the Church are also repre.
sented in this locality, such as the Lutheran Women’s Missio
League, the Walther League, the deaconess program, the Lutheran
Laymen’s League, and a very complete institutional program. The
city likewise ranks high in cultural and civic offerings.

_ Since, no doubt, in the not-too-distant future, additional senior
colleges will be necessary, it seems only reasonable that one be
located as far east as practical from the exact center of Lutheran
population. The location of Fort Wayne makes it a logical choice
for the first Senior College.

The proposal that a four-year college be located at Fort Wayne
has had the approval of the faculty and board of Concordia College,
the Fort Wayne Pastoral Conference, the Fort Wayne Area Con-
ference, and it was the unanimous recommendation from the Cen-
tral District.

In addition to the possibility of utilizing the present campus,
Synod also will have the opportunity of disposing of the present
campus by accepting an offer to purchase the present site. If Synod
is willing to accept a substantial and satisfactory offer for the pres-
ent campus and obtain a new site in the Fort Wayne area for the
Senior College, the present number of schools could be retained.
The purchase price, plus moneys already allocated to Fort Wayne
for new buildings, plus the moneys available at present for a Senior
College, could then all be used for the erection of new buildings
ona new campus in the Fort Wayne area.

The Teacher-Training Program

In co-operation with the teachers’ colleges at River Forest and
at Seward, the first two years of the teacher-training program
have been offered to men and women on the college level. Dor-
mitory facilities are available to both men and women under this
new program. Two large faculty homes have been converted into
girls’ residence centers. This year the first group will be graduated
under this teacher-training program. The women are required to
take a minimum of one summer term at either River Forest or
Seward before they are allowed to go out and teach. The men
are required to take at least one additional year at one of the
teachers’ colleges. These additional teacher-training facilities have
been set up to help alleviate the critical shortage in the elementary