# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S116 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 116 OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS ation from the NAIA to the NCAA Division II and now competes in the PacWest Conference. Concordia’s men’s volleyball team belongs to one of the best leagues in the country and competes against UCLA, Pepperdine, University of Southern California, BYU, and Stanford. •• •• •• •• Concordia’s regents approved, in concept, a new campus master plan which gives direction to a complete four-phase campus buildout within the next 20–25 years. The City of Irvine has approved Phase One and Phase Two of the master plan. The university launched publicly “Forward in Faith—The Campaign for Concordia” in October 2018 with an $85M goal. Within the campaign, Concordia secured a $5 million estate gift, the largest of its kind in the university’s history. To date, the comprehensive campaign has raised over $72M. The new $30M Borland-Manske Center, housing music, worship, and theology programs, will provide state-of-the art recording, rehearsal, instruction, and performance spaces starting in August 2019. Over ten million dollars has been invested in campus improvements and student amenities in the last three years, including updates to student residence halls, fitness center, lounges, study rooms, outdoor seating, and BBQs. Concordia celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 with a concert titled “Reformation 500: An Evening of Word and Song.” More than 500 musicians, speakers, and dancers joined the sold-out crowd of over 1,700 concert-goers in what was the largest celebration of the Reformation on the West Coast. The concert was held at Segerstrom Concert Hall, Orange County’s premiere concert venue. •• Concordia’s music department produced two highly acclaimed, sold-out Christmas concerts in December 2018, also performed at Segerstrom Concert Hall. •• Concordia’s Enduring Questions & Ideas (Q&I) general education curriculum received national attention when profiled in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2018 special report on “Reforming Gen Ed: Strategies for Success on Your Campus.” •• oo Master of Science in Coaching and Athletics Administration •• For 2018, U.S. News ranked Concordia among the Best Colleges for Veterans in the Western Region of the U.S.. •• Concordia University, Irvine, alumni now number over 20,000. •• Since its inception in January 2014, 137 students have entered Concordia’s Doctor of Education Leadership program, which enjoys a retention rate of 86 percent and a graduation rate of 75 percent. •• Over three-fourths of Concordia’s EdD graduates were promoted to higher levels of administrative or faculty positions from the time of admission into the program to completion of the degree. •• Last summer CUI hosted its seventh annual Teen Entrepreneur Academy, a residential business summer camp for high school students which drew 100 high school students from Asia and the United States, who learned about starting their own businesses while competing for a $1,500 cash prize for best business plan. Since inception, over 600 high school students have participated in the annual camp business academy. •• CUI also hosted the fourth annual Kid Entrepreneur Academy, a business summer day camp for kids in grades 5–8 which drew a record 85 students. The kids learned principles of business and business start-up strategies. Over 300 kids have participated since the program began. Last spring, CUI hosted its third annual Cornelius Business Plan Competition, open to all CUI students. Student teams competed for $5,000 in cash prizes to help start their own businesses. •• Concordia’s Human Resources department transitioned staff and faculty recruitment processes to a web-based Applicant Tracking System. The new system allows CUI to advertise positions more broadly and enlarges the recruitment pool, resulting in higher caliber applicants and better results. •• Staff and faculty who achieved the platinum level in the Concordia Plan Services wellness program have almost tripled since last year. Kurt J. Krueger, Interim President In the last three years, Concordia added the following academic programs: oo Bachelor of Science in Computer Science oo Minor in Computer Science oo Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Ministry Leadership oo Master of Arts in Church Leadership oo Bachelor of Arts in Leadership Studies oo Master of Arts in Executive Coaching and Consultation 2019 Convention Workbook R16.4 Concordia University, Nebraska Greetings from Concordia University, Nebraska, where we continue to faithfully equip men and women for lives of learning, service, and leadership in the church and world. During the past triennium, Concordia has been working to fulfill its 2020 strategic plan, THRIVE. The vision driving the current strategic plan is to “be a thriving Lutheran university that engages students in dynamic, life-shaping experiences and relationships as they discover, pursue, and realize their vocational callings.”