# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1935_S68
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

68 sg} Proceedings: of Thirty:Sixth, Regular Convention, :

Under the prevailing circumstances, to. wit, the economic condi-
tions in general and the reduced enrolment referred to,. your faculty,
on its own initiative and of its own accord, has during the last two
years refrained from engaging the assistant professor and has divided
the work among its members, thus conducting the full college course
with three professors and the usual part-time assistant, the pastor of
one of our congregations near Conover. With gratitude to God we
may report that we have been able to bear the burden and that we are
looking forward to a successful completion of the year’s work. God
has blessed us and our students continually with good health, with but
very minor interruptions.

In view of the action of the Committee of Thirteen, respectively
its recommendation to Synod to close our college at Conover, and in
view of the fact that we have made our own position known to them in
the reply of our Board of Control, which is now in the hands of said
committee, we herewith beg leave to embody that reply herewith as
a portion of this report to your honorable body, to wit: —

“September 23, 1934.
“To the Hon. Committee on Higher Education.
“Dear BRETHREN : —

“In answer to the recommendation of your committee respecting
Concordia College, Conover, N.C., in your report, dated June, 1934,
the Board of Control of said college begs leave herewith to make the
following detailed reply.

“1, You state: ‘By maintaining this struggling school for forty
years, our people have certainly kept faith'with those who turned the
institution over to us in the interest of sound Lutheranism.’ For
a proper understanding of this point it must of course be borne in
mind that the college at the time that it was turned over to Missouri
was turned over for improvement. It was understood and expected
that the Missouri Synod, as a strong ehurch-body, would strengthen
the institution by means of the needed financial support. The records
of Synod will show that the authorities of the Conover institution
have in the past continually asked for this increased support and that
Synod at two of its delegate meetings voted a considerable sum of
money for a new building (which resolutions, however, were not car-
ried out). Whilst therefore Synod during the last forty years has
indeed kept the institution from succumbing, it. has not raised the
institution out of the material condition which is to a large extent
to blame for its continued struggling. The local buildings and equip:
ment have been declared inadequate ‘for reasonable success now fo1
many years by all who have inspected them. We feel that this ought
to be borne in mind in order that your statement may not be under
stood as if the institution as such under ‘all circumstances would no’
have had a chance in the direction of success.