LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 80

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80

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

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the college’s new master plan is being implemented which has given
a much more visible presence on Selma’s main north-south highway,
Broad Street (US 80).
Twenty-one capital improvement projects have been completed at a
cost of $2.4 million.
A capital campaign, with an original goal of $12 million, has produced
$19.7 million to date (2013 Res. 6-01A, “To Promote Financially
Healthy Universities, Seminaries, and Church Workers”).
Significant issues with accreditation status have been repaired. A
10-year accreditation with SACSCOC has been achieved, and the
college’s 5-year interim review is approved by the commission.
The Teacher Education program (Early Childhood and Elementary)
is fully approved by the Alabama Department of Education to grant
licenses—and in fact, the department urges other Alabama colleges
to consult with Concordia on how to develop a program that meets
standards.
School districts in the region seek out Concordia students before they
graduate; as a result, our placement is 100 percent.
The Business program does well in competitions among other HBCUs,
CUS schools, and others.
In the past two years, majors in Criminal Justice, Sociology and
Behavioral Science, and RN to BSN have been added. The additional
offerings provide more choices to potential students.
A President’s Advisory Council has been organized; one of its first
actions was to initiate the strategic planning process.
The college is midway in development of a 5-year Strategic Plan,
accompanied by a 5-year Business Plan that would clarify financial
feasibility. Campus Strategic Solutions, Inc., is the consultant.
In a money-saving endeavor at the recommendation of the President,
the board adopted on December 17, 2015, a motion to discontinue
intercollegiate football as of the 2016–17 school year. Savings are
projected to range from $320,000 to $590,000, depending upon the
number of students who would not be enrolled. (If a football student
does not re-enroll, some money may still be expended as to a nonfootball student, but football expenditures would be reduced.)
During the week of March 1–8, 2015, the college hosted a Civil Rights
Symposium and other activities in conjunction with the City of Selma’s
Bridge Crossing Jubilee commemorating the 50th year anniversary of
“Bloody Sunday” and the signing of the Voters Rights Act of 1965.
The event received national attention. Record numbers of people visited the city and participated in the week-long activities held in the city
and on the college’s campus. The college was also host to a group of
students from different parts of the country who lived on campus and
participated in the activities.
The film premiere of the docudrama of Concordia College Alabama’s
founder, Dr. Rosa Jinsey Young, entitled The First Rosa: Teacher,
Confessor, Church Planter, was held during the June 4–5, 2015, convention of the LCMS Southern District on the campus. Dr. Young
helped found Alabama Lutheran Academy and College in 1922, later
to be renamed Concordia College Alabama. The film was written, produced, and directed by Rev. Dr. Ardon Albrecht. Dr. Young is known
as “the mother of black Lutheranism.” During her lifetime she was
instrumental in starting schools and Lutheran congregations throughout central Alabama. In her autobiography, Light in the Dark Belt, she
demonstrated what was to become her life’s vocation, “service to others.” Through Dr. Young’s untiring efforts and the efforts of those she
inspired, Concordia College Alabama serves as a confessional example of “the joyous praise of the Lord for His glorious gifts and the
salvation of many” (Matt. 11:25; Rom. 15:9ff.; 1 John 1:1–4; 2013
Res. 3-09, “To Continue to Support and Promote Black Ministry in
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod”).

Financial Circumstances and Challenges
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Alabama is ranked 49th among 50 states in quality of education.
Many families in this part of the country still suffer from educational,
as well as cultural, segregation. While the public schools are integrated,
many private schools have been formed—from which blacks are often

2016 Convention Workbook

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excluded. CCA receives applications from graduates of these public
schools.
The Lord has placed us in Selma, Alabama, for a reason. Even though
it is a challenging community in which to attract students, CCA continues to affirm that the Lord has neither abandoned nor forgotten those
born into poverty in this region, and our faithfulness in service provides hope that there is a pathway to hope and service to others.

Alongside efforts expended to accomplish the matters delineated
above in the Progress section, the majority of administrator and board
time is spent on finances. Average annual unrestricted gifts for the
past five years is $4.6 million, with a range of $2.5 million to $7 million needed to operate business at CCA.
Each year Concordia needs an additional $2–3 million of unrestricted gifts to balance its operating budget. The college is extremely
dependent upon such gifts and the Line of Credit. Until these gifts are
greatly increased, the college will require additional financial support.
All the attempts to depend on tuition revenue, as most of the CUS
schools do, is not feasible in Alabama as our student demographic and
economic disparity will not support such a business plan.
Our goal is to connect this great mission post to the LCMS congregations and members so that the mission of the church that started
94 years ago will continue.
Tilahun Mendedo, President

Concordia College–New York
As is our custom, below find Concordia College–New York’s
update to the 2016 triennial Convention of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod.
  I. 
Description: Founded in 1881, Concordia College–New York
(CCNY), an affiliate of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod (LCMS) and member of the Concordia University System (CUS), engages and nurtures a diverse student body in a
Christ-centered, value-oriented, liberal arts education for lives
of service to church and community. Concordia has again
been recognized as a College of Distinction, and is in the top
5 of U.S. News & World Report’s colleges in Ethnic Diversity
in the North Region, retaining its identity as one of the most
diverse colleges in the United States.
II. Goals: In 2015, the college updated its strategic plan, “Advancing the Journey,” with the seven following goals:
a.	Redouble our commitment to our identity as a Lutheran Christian
institution of higher education;
b.	Expand nontraditional and graduate level academic offerings and
strengthen related infrastructure;
c.	Evaluate and strengthen or restructure on-the-ground traditional
undergraduate academic and nonacademic programs;
d.	Build on our existing capacities as a small, diverse, and supportive
institution as a means to increase student enrollment and retention;
e. Improve advancement and development results;
f. Invest in our human resources;
g.	Make targeted capital and operational investments to enhance academic programs, student life, and college infrastructure while
reducing resource allocation in lower priority activities.

III. Assessment of the college’s involvement with the church
and its environment.
a.	Specific ways in which Concordia College–New York has served
and responded to the needs of:
i. Congregations. Several of the college’s faculty serve in congregations
of the Atlantic District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
(AD-LCMS). Moreover, the college works closely with Village
Lutheran Church (VLC), Bronxville, NY, the congregation which
serves as official sponsor to the college’s Wednesday Eucharist service. The college and VLC also share multiple expense and infra-