# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1998_S288 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 286 BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE 3.703 Purpose of the Concordia University System Concordia University System, as a corporate entity under the laws of the State of Missouri, is operated by its members and Board of Directors in accordance with its articles of incorporation and cor- porate bylaws to further the objectives and duties of the Board for Higher Education within the Synod. Any amendments to the arti- cles of incorporation shall be subject to approval by the Members. 3.705 Membership of the Concordia University System The Members of Concordia University System shall consist of two groups, one group consisting of individuals appointed by the Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Council of Presidents, and the other group consisting of indi- viduals representing the colleges and universities as established by the corporation’s bylaws. 3.707 Membership of the Board The Board for Higher Education shall consist of 17 members. Seven of its members shall serve on a Committee for Pastoral Ed- ucation, and seven shall serve on a Committee for University Edu- cation. One member shall be elected by the board to serve as chair and may sit with either committee but without vote on a committee. The voting members shall be as follows: a. Five laypersons (who are not regents of any synodical higher edu- cation institution) with financial or administrative or educational ex- perience, elected to the board by the Council of Members of the Concordia University System. At least two of these shall serve on the Committee for University Education. b. Two laypersons (who are not regents of any synodical higher edu- cation institution) with financial or administrative or education ex- perience, and one ordained minister (who is not a regent of any syn- odical higher education institution), elected to the board by the joint action of the seminary boards of regents. At least two of these shall serve on the Committee for Pastoral Education. c. Two ordained ministers, one of whom must be a parish pastor; two commissioned ministers; and two laypersons elected by the Synod in convention; one District President elected by the Council of Pres- idents. These persons shall not be regents of any synodical higher education institution. They will be assigned to one of the two com- mittees by action of the board. d. The President of the Synod or his representative and the Chief Fi- nancial Officer of the Synod, who shall have voice but not vote on either committee. They shall have vote in the plenary board. Any of the voting members, except the President and the Chief Financial Officer, is eligible to serve as chair of the board. If one of the five members elected by the CUS Council of Members or one of the three elected by the joint seminary regents is elected chair, that member will leave the Committee for University Education or Pastoral Education. The vacated committee seat will be filled via an appointment made by the plenary board. The seminary presidents will serve as ex officio members of the Committee for Pastoral Education, without vote. Two presidents from the Concordia University System campuses shall be selected by the college and university presidents to be ex officio members of the Committee for University Education, without vote. 3.709 Functions The board shall have the overall responsibility to provide for higher education by supervising and coordinating the activities of the Synod’s colleges, universities, and seminaries as a unified syn- odical system through their respective Boards of Regents. The board is particularly responsible for education programs leading to synodical service as ordained ministers, commissioned ministers, and other professional church workers. To that end and in keeping with the objectives and the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod, the board shall a. develop detailed coordinating policies and procedures for imple- menting structural arrangements and individual college, universily, and seminary roles established by the Synod and be responsible for their implementation: b. coordinate institutional planning and prepare and execute sys- temwide plans for adoption by the Synod for meeting constituency needs and interests: c. review and approve programs, both church work and nonchurch work, both undergraduate and graduate, in the interest of the insti- tutions and the constituency; d. review and approve institutional budgets as related to system needs and plans, and recommend a systemwide budget; e. establish policy guidelines involving distribution of synodical sub- sidy and efforts for securing additional financial support from other sources; f. through use of standardized forms secure data from the colleges, universities, and seminaries; gather, interpret, and forward to the institutions national and systemwide information including trends in education and government programs and regulations; g. determine detailed policies for the administration of synodical stu- dent financial aid funds for the system and recommend individual institutional allocation; h. provide details for the application of policies regarding personnel selection and grant prior approval for initial appointments of faculty and professional staff; i. approve capital projects on the basis of constituency priorities and system and institutional needs in accordance with campus property- management agreements, j. assist congregations and Districts in recruitment of students for pro- fessional church work and lay service, and in the development of student-aid programs; k. establish criteria for determining institutional viability, fiscal and otherwise; 1. have authority, after receiving the consent of the Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church—Missoun Synod by its two-thirds vote and also the consent of either the Council of Presidents by its two- thirds vote, or the appropriate Board of Regents by its two-thirds vote. to expand, consolidate, relocate, or separate an educational institution from the Synod. In case of the closure of an educational institution, the Board for Higher Education (serving also as the Board of Directors of the Concordia University System) shall have the authority to act with the consent, expressed by a two-thirds vote, of both the Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church—Mis- soun Synod and the Council of Presidents; m. visit colleges and seminaries on a periodic basis to assist in idenu- fying strengths and weaknesses of the institutions on the basis of agreed-upon standards and provide support for their growth in ex- cellence; n. serve as resource for the development of lists of potential teaching and administrative personnel. 3.711 Standing Committees The board shall be assisted by standing committees dealing with the following areas: Colloquy for the Pastoral Ministry Colloquy for the Teaching Ministry Colloquy for Deaconess Ministry 3.713 Boards of Regents, Presidents, Faculties Each college, university, and seminary. with its president and faculty, shall be governed by a Board of Regents as detailed else- where in these Bylaws. 3.715 Advisory Council Presidents and acting presidents of the Synod’s educational in- stitutions shall comprise an advisory council which shail meet at the call of the Board for Higher Education and report the results of its studies to the board for consideration in making its decisions.