LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 257

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PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 257

6-11

Concordia College, River Forest, II].

Concordia College, River Forest, Ill., has served The Luther-
an Church—Missouri Synod for 119 years. During these years
the college has educated thousands of consecrated teachers
who by their faithful service have been a great blessing to the
kingdom of God. Recruitment and education of able men and
women for church professions still remains the top priority of
the college. Concordia now also educates young men in the four
years of their preseminary education. In addition, the Synod
has assigned to the college the deaconess program of the
Synod. The first class of six deaconesses will graduate in May
1983. Beyond this Concordia offers a strong program for
training of social workers who will be engaged in the church’s
social agencies.

The liberal arts programs of the college also continue to
grow steadily in response to the interest of young men and
women in coming to a Christian college. The college recognizes
the value of a laity well trained in Christian higher education
and gladly enrolls students in a wide variety of liberal arts
programs. It is possible for young people to come to Concordia
and to do work in many fields of study, including prelaw,
premedical, music, nursing, business administration, and
computer science. The college operates a large computer science
center which serves many parishes and other organizations.
The center provides exceptionally strong laboratory experi-
ences for young men and women who are interested in
computer science.

National and Regional Accreditation

The 1981—82 school year was a busy and exciting vear for
Concordia, River Forest. Three major reviews were made by
outside visiting groups. In September a team of 10 conducteda
3-day visit for the Board for Professional Education Services.
In February The North Central Association of Colleges and
Schools (NCA) conducted its regular 10-year-review visit. In
March a team of 11 representatives of the National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) spent three days
on campus examining Concordia’s programs in education.

NCA. through its Commission on Institutions of Higher
Education, voted that ‘the accreditation of Concordia College
be continued at the master’s-degree-granting level; that the
next comprehensive evaluation be scheduled in ten vears,
1991—92." The NCATE national office informed the college
that it has ‘accredited all professional education programs
submitted for NCATE review.”

The official evaluation reports were highly complimentary.
The NCA report characterized Concordia’s faculty as people
“who genuinely care about their students and student growth
and development.’ Summarizing its general conclusions, the
NCATE report said: “The team could only conclude that here
was one of those almost-extinct institutions of higher educa-
tion: a small, intimate, concerned college in a setting of beauty
near a large metropolitan area.” Concordia College is proud of
its long tradition of excellence in education, and we are grateful
tothe Lord for making it possible to carry this tradition into the
future.

The college continues to remember its Lutheran heritage
and is committed unswervingly to remaining a thoroughly
confessional Lutheran school, loyal to God and to the work
which He has given us to do for the church and for our nation.

Physical Plant

Concordia is located on 40 acres of prime property in the
heart of suburban River Forest. Ill. The location provides the
pleasantness of a small town atmosphere in immediate
proximity to metropolitan Chicago with its magnificent
resources of great libraries, universities. museums, dramatic
and musical productions, and other cultural assets. The
campus is well balanced as to the resources which its buildings
provide for academics and social activities. as well as its
residence halls.

The Forward in Remembrance contributions of the people
of God in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod have proved
a great blessing for the college. Several of the older buildings

here were in need of repairs in order to catch up on deferred
maintenance. Moreover, Forward in Remembrance funds
provided for many energy-conserving modifications in the
buildings which will pay dividends for years to come. Major
Forward in Remembrance projects include roof replacements,
tuckpointing, updating fire alarms, installation of storm
windows and triple-pane glass in various buildings, emergency
lighting, sewer correction, tennis courts repair, electrical
rewiring, heating pumps and controls, as well as a major
structural repair in the Koehneke Community Center.

A major federal grant from the Department of Energy is
making possible the installation of a wastepaper incinerator
which will contribute to the energy balance of the college.

The college has other needs and is looking forward to a
major fund drive which it deferred in order not to conflict with
Forward in Remembrance. Two of the older buildings go back
to 1913 and architectural study indicates that their life
expectancy is limited. Thus, it appears a better investment
would be to demolish and replace these buildings. They are
known as the East and West Annexes. Plans for the fund drive
are in the early stages and will be presented to the Board for
Professional Education Services and the Board of Directors in
the near future.

Finance

The college has operated in recent years with a balanced
budget. However, as accreditating agencies noted in their
reports, a major part of the balance has been due to the
sacrificial salaries of faculty and staff. A combination of
decreasing percentage support from the Synod and low tuition
rates made necessary by the fact that the majority of our
students are preparing for church service have made it
impossible to keep pace with inflation in the area of salaries.

The college is essentially in good financial condition.
However, as the Synod assesses the necessity of supporting its
educational institutions it must be aware of the fact that it has
a sacred responsibility not only to keep the seminaries operat-
ing, but also in an equitable fashion to provide continued fiscal
support for its colleges, which prepare men and women for the
teaching profession, entrance into the seminaries and other
church professions. It would be a tragedy if the Missouri Synod
were to neglect the proper training of its teachers for its parish
elementary and its secondary schools. Moreover, historically
the colleges have provided a source of well-trained men for the
seminaries. The future of our ministries and of our Lutheran
school system depends on the fact that this essential role
remains foremost in our minds.

Students

The Lord of the church has continued to bless Concordia
College, River Forest, Il]., with a stable enrollment and partic-
ularly with young men and women who are dedicated to the
service of the Kingdom. In its most recent academic year
Concordia experienced an increase of three percent in its
enrollment. At the time of the writing of this report it appears
that the 1983—84 academic year will show another increase.
The built-in competition for church workers from surrounding
former junior colleges which the Synod recently promoted to
four-year status naturally has had effect on the percentage of
church workers at the college. Nevertheless, 6 out of every 10
students at the college are preparing for service as a Lutheran
pastor, Lutheran teacher, or deaconess. The great majority of
the students in other programs are members of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod and are future leaders of the church.
They also provide a potential pool of recruits for future church
workers.

The difficult economic times America is experiencing plus
cutbacks in federal and state aid make it difficult for students
to meet the cost of attending college. The college has. however,
received considerable support from many donors. Concordia
operates with the principle that every student’s fiscal need will
be met through a combination of grants, work-study aid, and
student loans. The continued interest of individuals, congrega-
tions, and organizations of the church in student aid is of vital
importance.