# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S123
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
R16.8

Concordia University Wisconsin
and Ann Arbor
By the time our convention gathers in Tampa, Concordia
University Wisconsin and Concordia University Ann Arbor
will celebrate the sixth anniversary of the merger of our two
institutions. That step, formally implemented July 1, 2013, was
preceded by more than a year of close collaboration leading to
consolidation. The journey has been a momentous one and we
have much to celebrate.
As we craft this report, we anticipate the visit of the
Higher Learning Commission for renewal of our accreditation.
HLC’s focus for their visit is the merger, and our accreditor is
keen to assess the success of this venture. Of course, we expect
the HLC to affirm what we already know—the merger of two
Concordia campuses has been a great blessing to CUW and
CUAA, to the Concordia University System, and to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Through their various vocations, thousands of students, their lives uncommonly impacted
by CUWAA, now touch the lives of many thousands more. We
are grateful for the support of Synod and for the prayers of all
who have supported this endeavor. May the Lord continue to
bless Concordia as we “prepare students in mind, body, and
spirit for service to Christ in the Church and in the world.”
Concordia University is a Lutheran higher education community
committed to helping students develop in mind, body, and spirit
for service to Christ in the Church and the world.
As of the fall 2018 census, Concordia University Wisconsin
and Ann Arbor (CUWAA) serves 7,376 students at two residential campuses in Mequon, WI, and Ann Arbor, MI, online, and
at nine extension campuses.
The University’s six schools of study offer 87 undergraduate majors and programs, 33 graduate/master’s degrees and programs, five doctoral/professional programs, and six associate
degrees. The largest program areas include business, education,
family life, nursing, and health professions.
The University educates a strong percentage of the church
career professional undergraduates in the Concordia University
System—569 as of fall 2018, a 9 percent increase from fall 2015.
Learner Profile
37 percent Traditional Undergraduate
14 percent Accelerated Learning/Non-Traditional
43 percent Graduate School
4 percent Professional (Pharmacy)
2 percent Other
33 percent Lutheran Traditional Undergraduate Students
11 percent International
20 percent Minority
22 percent First Generation Traditional Undergraduates
96 percent of CUW and 94 percent of CUAA traditional undergraduates are employed one year after graduation (at
CUAA this is a +12 percent growth since the 2016 Convention).

123

Uncommon Higher Education:
A Faith and Learning-Centered Community
CUWAA is a Christ-centered, learner-focused institution
driven by rigorous academics and a commitment to excellence
in teaching. Our learning environment prioritizes academic rigor
and ensures well-prepared students, who are ready for career and
calling success.

Triennium Highlights
We boast notable pass rates in all programs. Our average
licensure exam pass rate for all professional programs is 95 percent, well above the national average.
This triennium, CUWAA made significant strides in student retention. At the Ann Arbor campus, current fall-to-fall
retention is 74 percent, an increase of 10 percent over the prior
two years. The Wisconsin campus achieved an all-time high for
retention in fall 2017 with an impressive 82 percent rate.
In 2016, we measured student spiritual formation and
growth with the University Spiritual Life Survey, which indexed
students’ perception of their own spiritual vitality against their
perceptions of campus spiritual vitality. CUWAA has the lowest gap between these two indices of any participating university
to date.

Uncommon Success:
Committed to Purposeful Growth
A primary goal this triennium was to more deeply root
CUWAA’s brand reputation locally, regionally, and nationally.
With the public launch of our brand, “Live Uncommon,” we
are positioned among the top institutions in our region and are
exceeding our goals for student leads and enrollment.
We have achieved significant enrollment gains on the Ann
Arbor campus thanks to an infusion of an array of academic
and co-curricular programs, including the opening of our stateof-the-art School of Nursing in 2016, and the recently launched
physician’s assistant studies program.
The Ann Arbor campus has added 171 students since the 2016
Convention. Overall enrollment on this campus has increased by
60 percent since the 2013 campus merger with Wisconsin.

Uncommon Impact through
Service and Leadership
Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor continues
to offer uncommon support to our nation’s military veterans.
As of August 2018, 607 veterans, active military, spouses, and
dependents have been served by CUWAA (334 of those in the
most recent academic year).
The university has also embraced a strategy to grow its
scholarly activity as both a teaching and learning tool that effectively advances our mission and serves society.

Notable Faculty Scholarship
Dr. Cindy Fenske, undergraduate nursing, “Fostering Clinical Judgment Abilities During Clinical Remediation: A
Multi-Modal Approach,” academic journal article, 2016.
Dr. Reivian Berrios Barillas, occupational therapy, “Sex Differences in Neuromuscular Fatigability of the Knee Extensors Post-Stroke,” academic journal article, January 12,
2017.
2019 Convention Workbook