# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2013_S91 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) SYNOD REPORTS The networks created through the collaboration enhance communication and support across the system. Because higher education in the U.S. is so competitive, in the last three years, CUS institutions have increased their efforts to raise scholarship dollars and grow their endowments, to offer programs which appeal to traditional and non-traditional students, and to position themselves strategically in local and regional markets. To remain competitive and to continue to produce outstanding graduates, CUS institutions must continue to identify talented, dedicated faculty, administrators, and regents who understand the complexities of higher education and who are able to work together to achieve the mission of the colleges and universities of the LCMS. 91 • On May 18, 2012, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Board of Directors and the Board of Regents of both Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) and CUAA approved an academic alliance to revitalize the 187-acre Ann Arbor, Michigan, campus and its academic programs. This new relationship will position CUAA for even greater ministry opportunities than ever before. • On December 4, 2012, Lonnie Pries was named new Athletic Director and Head Football Coach. Pries was named 2012 Northern Athletics Conference Coach of the Year in November while at Concordia University Chicago. • In December 2012, Frankenmuth and Dearborn, MI, were announced as locations for the University’s new Accelerated Learning Centers. CUS Goals for the Next Triennium • Assist CUS institutions in the identification and recruitment of highly qualified Lutheran faculty. • Assist CUS institutions in recruiting LCMS students and church work profession students. • Support efforts of the CUS institutions to increase For The Sake Of The Church endowment fund contributions, pledges, and estatedesignated gifts. • Intensify efforts to identify and train individuals for positions of leadership at CUS institutions. • Provide for education and training of regents, especially in the areas of finance and higher education administration. Significant Achievements: Individual Campuses Concordia University Ann Arbor (CUAA), Ann Arbor, MI— Patrick T. Ferry, Interim President Concordia University Ann Arbor was dedicated as a junior college in 1963. Fifty years later, the university’s dedicated and caring faculty continue to espouse ethics and values in the classroom, reinforcing what students, faculty, and staff hear in the Chapel of The Holy Trinity every day. With that in mind, listed below in no particular order are some of the accomplishments at CUAA over the past 30 months. • Expansion of the Haab School of Business and Management resulted in nine new undergraduate programs and eleven concentrations in the M.S. in Organizational Leadership degree. • The university received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education in October 2010 to aid in student retention. Three new positions were created by the grant that was to be paid out in $400,000 installments over a 5-year period. • The university’s Web site was totally redesigned beginning in the spring of 2012. The project was nearing completion by the time the first semester began in late August. • The Lady Cardinals basketball team won its first-ever Concordia Invitational Tournament championship in February 2011 and followed that a month later by qualifying for the NAIA Division II Tournament for the first time in school history. • A new program in Liberal Arts, Business, and Entrepreneurship was initiated in 2011 to enhance the experience of those students majoring in Liberal Arts. • In May 2012, extensive landscaping and major renovations to the residence halls and cafeteria got under way. New sidewalks and parking lots, along with an outdoor patio, were in place by the time students arrived on campus in August. • The university marked its 50th academic year on August 27, when Acting President Randall W. Luecke officially opened school during the traditional Opening Service. Luecke served in that important capacity until February 15, 2013, when he and his wife moved to Florida. Concordia University Texas, Austin, TX Thomas Cedel, President Concordia University Texas' mission is to develop Christian leaders. Since its founding in 1926, Concordia has sought to prepare students for lives of service in the church and community. In 2008, the university moved from its original campus in downtown Austin to a new location that has allowed it to expand that mission to even more students. • Enrollment has reached nearly 2,600 students in all areas including undergraduate, graduate, and online programs, an increase of approximately 20 percent since the fall of 2009. • In November 2011, Concordia University Texas (CTX) completed its latest strategic plan “Toward 2020.” Over one hundred members of the faculty and staff were involved in six committees. The plan supports Concordia’s mission of developing Christian leaders and the desired outcome for our graduates to be men and women who transform communities by seeking out leadership opportunities and influencing people for Christ. • Concordia responded to the growing demands of the health care field in 2010 when it launched its nursing program at full capacity. In May 2012, the university graduated 100 percent of its first nursing class. All of those students passed their licensing exam and were offered employment. • The Concordia Master’s in Business Administration enrollment has tripled since its inception in Fall 2010, adding cohorts in San Antonio, in Fall 2011, and Dallas-Fort Worth, for Spring 2013. The first cohort graduated in August 2012. • Concordia provides scholarships to students on merit and needbased criteria. Eighty percent of students receive some kind of financial aid including scholarships and grants; and Concordia students graduate with student loan debts that average 11 percent lower than peers at area public schools and 30–40 percent lower than peers at area private institutions. • Concordia’s graduates across all programs meet or exceed national peer benchmarks in academic core competencies based on a nationwide assessment using the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency. • Concordia offers overseas studies through several consortia and partner institutions in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Central America. • Three athletic teams (cross country, women’s basketball and baseball) earned American Southwest Conference championship titles, ranking second for the most championship titles earned in a year among the 15-member institutions. • Concordia is the proud steward of the 285-acre Concordia Preserve and the Friesenhahn Cave site in San Antonio. The preserve is home to 28 archeological sites, 13 of which have been included within the National Register of Historic Places. The university holds the distinction as the only university in the United States whose campus is adjacent to a nature preserve. 2013 Convention Workbook