# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S115
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

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appearances at the NCAA Division III World Series
in 2017 and 2018 and a #4 final national ranking.

Christ, the Savior of all the world. Here, His blessings abound.

Athletic Excellence (2017–18): 161 Scholar Athletes;
NACC Man and NACC Woman of the Year; 2 AllAcademic Teams; 29 NACC All-Conference Athletes;
7 All-Americans; 4 NACC Athletes of the Year; and
2 NACC Coaches of the Year.

Daniel L. Gard, President

The university is celebrating the tenth year of
partnership with Orchard Place Elementary School
in Des Plaines, Illinois, which promotes college
awareness at a young age and encourages all students,
regardless of socioeconomic or other challenges,
to set goals for college. Nine CUC alumni are also
teachers at Orchard Place. More than 450 students,
parents, and educators have participated in this
college-bound program.
Among students who earned baccalaureate degrees
this May are those who participated in Tomorrow’s
Promise, a nationally recognized, innovative
partnership between Concordia Chicago, a local
public school district, and Fifth Third Bank. This
public-private partnership provided financial
resources and mentoring to students selected as sixth
graders with high potential for academic success.

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The university’s Wind Symphony made its second
performance appearance at New York City’s famed
Carnegie Hall in 2019.

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A team of undergraduate students were awarded first
place in the Chicago IEEEXtreme 24-Hour Programming Competition, for the third time in four years.
Their performance in the annual Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) contest placed
them 30th in the United States and 426th in the
world—in the top 10 percent—out of 5,155 teams.
CUC also debuted its first-ever all-female programming team, which finished 84th in the United States
and 915th in the world, among the top 20 percent.

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The Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching
has been awarded to 20 CUC alumni as a recognition
of their exceptional dedication to both their students
and schools. The related Golden Apple Scholars of
Illinois program is designed to help place top teachers into high-needs schools—25 CUC students and
alumni have been named as scholars.
Seven CUC faculty members have been named as
Fulbright Scholars providing them the opportunity
to participate in the international academic exchange
program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
The Rev. Dr. Daniel L. Gard, 11th president of Concordia Chicago, retired from the United States Navy
in October 2016 and from the presidency of Concordia Chicago on July 2, 2019. A presidential search is
being conducted at the time of this writing and may
be completed by the time of the convention.

Concordia University Chicago serves the Synod in its mission of education and, through that mission, as a self-sustaining
mission of our Lord’s Great Commission. At the center is Jesus

Soli Deo Gloria!

R16.3

Concordia University, Irvine
Mission Statement
Concordia University, Irvine, guided by the Great Commission of Christ Jesus and the Lutheran Confessions, empowers students through the liberal arts and professional studies for
lives of learning, service, and leadership.

Vision Statement
Concordia University, Irvine, will be among the finest distinctively Lutheran liberal arts universities in America, preparing wise, honorable, cultivated citizens, informed by the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, for the Church and world.
University updates for 2019 Convention Workbook:
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After securing a $500,000 grant from the Lilly
Foundation, the university established the Crosswise
Institute, a summer program that engages high school
students in meaningful dialogue on contemporary
cultural issues from a Lutheran Christian perspective.

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Responding to workers in the field, Concordia created a new track for Director of Christian Education
training in which candidates earn an MA in Theology.

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Concordia’s Board of Regents endorsed a proposal
that prepares the university to be designated as a
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The federal designation allows Concordia to compete for grants that
serve low-income, first-generation Hispanic students.
HSI status can be achieved when Concordia’s undergraduate Hispanic population reaches 25 percent.
Current Hispanic population is 24 percent.

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In the fall of 2016, Concordia hosted its first annual
Latina Leadership Conference, a free half-day event
designed to help girls in local high schools and community colleges and their parents to navigate the
road to college. CUI faculty, staff, students, and local
LCMS church members volunteer their time for the
conference, which now draws over 300 attendees from
17 high schools and four community colleges.

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A Hispanic Leadership Advisory Board was constituted for the purpose of helping the university recruit
students and secure scholarship support from the
Hispanic community.

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Together with other conservative Christian colleges
and universities in the state, Concordia formed the
California Association of Christian Colleges and
Universities (CACCU) to help influence state legislation which upholds and supports religious freedom.

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Concordia successfully transitioned its athletic affili2019 Convention Workbook