LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 240

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240 HIGHER EDUCATION

preschool faculty seminar in August 1979. Findings of the
management review team and its recommendation from a
fiscal viewpoint for shortening the calendar year from a 33-
week to a 30-week calendar led to the eventual decision of the
faculty to adopt a calendar of two 15-week semesters effective
with the 1981—82 academic year. Administration and faculty
are presently involved in making the necessary adaptations
for a smooth transition to this new calendar.

Academic Excellence

The college’s timetable for augmenting and strengthening
its academic programs, as reported to the Synod in 1979, is on
target. Concordia became the Synod’s first school to receive
full accreditation for a social-work program from the Council
on Social Work Education in November 1979. A Bachelor of
Science program in Business Education was registered with
the State Education Department in December 1979. Growing
interest in courses of mathematics led to approval of a majorin
this field from the state in the fall of 1980. A “business-plus”
program combining studies in business with a liberal arts
major leading to the A.A.S. and the B.A. degrees has also been
initiated. An expansion of the majors, especially appropriate
for the preseminary student, is also under discussion currently
by the faculty.

During the past biennium the Board for Higher Education
of the Synod joined hands with Concordia in developing and
implementing an Urban Education Ministry project. Direction
is being given to this program by Dr. Lester Bayer, Concordia’s
Dean of Administration. Initial efforts in the four-year schedule
have been directed toward helping to (1) prepare principals for
Lutheran elementary schools in the urban setting; (2) providea
support system for the first year for those who enter urban
education ministries as teachers; and (3) identify and enlist
prospective church work students from urban churches. This
pilot project is receiving praise from the parishes and people
involved and gives promise of strengthening an important
segment of the church’s ministry.

Another program, being carried on this summer, thanks to
a grant from the Aid Association for Lutherans, is a youth
evangelism project. Teams of Concordia students, chosen on
the basis of proven talents and commitment, are working with
youth in churches selected from the Buffalo, Brooklyn, and
Washington, D.C., areas. Itis hoped that the experience gained
in this program can be channeled into the development of a
program for use in other sections of the country, utilizing
students from the Concordias located in their geographical
areas.

Faculty and Staff

The college encourages growth and development of its
faculty. Its members frequently present papers before profes-
sional societies, engage in research, and write for publication.
Advancements in rank during the past two years were achieved
by Merlin Rehm, Ralph Dorre, and Alan Steinberg, named full
professors. Tenure was granted to Kenneth Doka, Thomas
Sluberski, Stephen Roschke, Patricia Shopland, and Thomas
Schmidt.

New full-time appointments were extended to Lester Bayer,
Viji George, Richard Heschke, and Mark Joyce. The following
members of the faculty accepted positions with sister Con-
cordias: Herman Wentzel, Mark Joyce, Manfred Boos. Faculty
members who left for other positions included June Schassler,
Donald Bohl, James Lawer, and Stephen Roschke. Death took
two inactive members of the faculty, Carl F. Weidmann and
Paul Gabbert, whose combined years with the school totaled
73. Clifford Peterson was named dean of the faculty.

Student Body

The college has facilities to serve a larger student body. The
enrollment for academic year 1980—81 was 368 full-time
students. Projected totals for the next several yars based on the
Anderson ’Roethle study are:

1981—82 .......... 398 1983—84 .......... 447
1982—83 .......... 417 1984—85 .......... 491

To reach these goals the college is undergirding its recruit-
ment efforts. Implementation of the ‘Ambassador Plan” will

create in the church constituency generally—and among youth
particularly—living awareness of Concordia for what it is, a
place of genuine academic strength and of caring, student-
centered services. Members of the admissions staff have
developed a procedures manual for more effective communica-
tion. Efforts to make the college better known through the
mass media are being spurred with a revitalized college
relations staff. Special approaches are being made to attract
minority students. Expanded counseling—personal, voca-
tional, career—is provided students considering career
decisions, especially for those interested in enrolling in church
vocation programs.

Though smaller in number, last year’s student body was
more active than usual. In part this renewed interest and
involvement was attributable to centennial activities. Encour-
agement was also given an excellent team of student officers,
who have set an example for others to follow. The music and
fine arts programs continue to be notable strengths of Con-
cordia. The sports program was augmented this past year with
the appointment of a new athletic director, and outstanding
coaches in men’s and women’s sports. In tennis, Concordia
continues to play some of the major colleges and universities in
the nation, and it retained the trophy for its own Concordia
International Tennis Tournament.

Second Century Fund and Finances

The Second Century Fund campaign, under the direction of
the development staff, has passed the $1.6 million mark in cash
gifts and pledges. Encouraged by this support, construction is
proceeding for the long-awaited chapel /performing arts center
being built at the center of the campus.

Operating deficits, however, continue to plague the college’s
plans. With the ever-spiraling inflation, the largest single
factor causing these financial concerns has been the cost of
energy. The price of heating oil soared to more than double the
estimate for these two years and forced the school to spend
thousands of dollars in improving outmoded and inefficient
heating systems. Savings are already being realized, but
renovation costs will have to be amortized over a number of
years.

It was necessary to levy asurcharge on student tuitions and
fees in the spring of 1980 to recover some of the additional
moneys expended for heating dormitories and classrooms.
Energy-saving studies and steps are being taken to insure
maximum use of each dollar received.

Nisi Dominus Frustra

Without the Lord, all is in vain. Under this Latin motto
Concordia has lived and served for 100 years. It reaches for
tomorrow, resilient, sensitive to the changing needs of church
and society, knowing that Christ and His Gospel are its
constant. To the degree that Concordia remains true to Him
and to His bidding, it will live and flourish. Nisi Dominus
Frustra.

Board of Control
Henry G. Appel Sr., Chairman
Ralph C. Schultz, Executive Officer

6-07
Christ College Irvine, Irvine, Calif.

Great Beginnings

Christ College Irvine was founded in 1976 on the Great
Commission of Matt. 28:20 and is dedicated to providing
leadership and training for our church’s foreign and domestic
mission and evangelism efforts. With 84 percent of its students
preparing for full-time ministry, Christ College is completing
its fifth academic year, having been blessed with a 33 percent
increase in student enrollment during the past biennium. All
existing residence hall rooms are filled and the college has
asked the Board for Higher Education and the Board of
Directors for help in constructing a new residence hall. The
new building will bring to 240 the number of students that can
be accommodated on campus. The Board of Control has also™
asked the Synod for permission to proceed with the building of