LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 84

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84

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

regarding the plans, the university’s goals, outcomes, and focuses for
the future include:
Fulfillment of 2015 Strategic Plan

The university’s strategic plan leading up to 2015 included tactics to help Concordia achieve a key outcome: GROW. To meet its
goal, Concordia:
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Expanded efforts to develop new programs and co-curricular offerings
that enabled increased recruitment of students from a wider demographic population with new characteristics and talents.
Collaborated with new partners including Concordia Online Education
and area community colleges.
Adapted to a changing environment by delivering dual-credit programs
to high school students, expanding wireless technology, becoming a
1:1 iPad school in the College of Education, and offering graduate programs completely online.
Remained faithful to our Lutheran faith and commitments while providing a Christ-centered higher education and adjusting to significant
economic changes and challenges.

In January 2015, the Board of Regents launched a new strategic
plan focused on maximizing the momentum gained by the university’s growth over the last five years. The plan, in effect until 2020, also
has a key outcome: THRIVE.
To meet this outcome, Concordia will focus on a new vision to
help guide its steps, direct its energies, and allocate its resources. The
new vision is: “Concordia University, Nebraska will be a thriving
Lutheran university that engages students in dynamic, life-shaping
learning experiences and relationships as they discover, pursue, and
realize their vocational callings.”
Leaders and members of the Concordia community, including
regents, foundation directors, alumni, faculty, staff, and students, are
working on action plans to fulfill the focus areas of the current fiveyear vision.
Progress on 2020 Strategic Plan

Concordia’s total student enrollment for 2015–16 is the largest in
its history, pushing the total head count of undergraduate, graduate,
and dual credit students served beyond 2,600. For the second year in
a row (2014–15 and 2015–16), Concordia has experienced doubledigit growth of its incoming undergraduate class.
Concordia continues to expand its undergraduate programs. In
the last triennium:
• K–12 special education was added as a major. Special education was
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previously only available as an endorsement.
Concordia became the first university in Nebraska to offer a Chinese
teaching endorsement for education students in the Mandarin Chinese
program.
Concordia’s social sciences department expanded the criminal justice
program to offer a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice. The academic area was previously only offered as a minor.
Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL) was added
as a master’s and bachelor’s degree program.

Concordia is developing international partnerships to serve a new
demographic of student with unique undergraduate higher education
needs. The university has also launched an Intensive English Program
to serve students who desire to learn English in order to enter university study in English, or who want to take their English skills to
a higher level.
Concordia aligned its academic programs to enhance its College of
Education. Effective July 1, 2015, the college became the College of
Education, Health, and Human Sciences. The new college is organized
in a way that supports majors, minors, department, and opportunities for students whose call to service is to help people. The college
2016 Convention Workbook

is now one of three colleges, alongside Concordia’s College of Arts
and Sciences and College of Graduate Studies and Adult Education.
The College of Graduate Studies and Adult Education is increasing its delivery options to include on-ground, online, hybrid, and
fast-track options for students. The college offers on-ground classes
at its campus in the Fallbrook area of Lincoln, as well as in Omaha.
It also provides online classes through and is a participating university in Concordia Online Education, a partnership among Concordia
University, Nebraska; Concordia University Portland; and Concordia
College–New York.
The College of Graduate Studies and Adult Education has
expanded its academic programs to include the following degrees,
with dozens of concentrations and endorsements available to students:
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Master of Science in Athletics Administration
Master of Business Administration
Master of Computer Information Systems
Master of Education
Master of Healthcare Administration
Master of Human Services
Master of Public Health
RN to BSN

Concordia continues to equip future leaders and servants for The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod:
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Concordia placed nearly 215 graduates as Lutheran teachers, directors of Christian education and directors of parish music during the
past three years.
Concordia serves approximately 40 to 45 preseminary students each
year in preparation for the pastoral ministry.
Based on 2014–15 statistics, 24 percent of LCMS church workers,
including 21 percent of directors of Christian education and 28 percent of commissioned teachers, graduated from Concordia University,
Nebraska.
Concordia partners with 132 Congregations for Concordia University,
Nebraska (CCUNE). Formerly Nebraska Association of Congregations
for Concordia (NACC), CCUNE equips students from our member
LCMS congregations by enabling them to obtain a Christ-centered,
Lutheran education while preparing for their vocational callings. All
enrolled students from member congregations—regardless of their
academic disciplines—will receive a $1,000 scholarship during the
2016–17 academic year.
Partnerships with LCMS high schools in the Midwest give students
unique benefits to continuing their Lutheran education beyond high
school.
During the year prior to October 2017, the university will host a series
of celebration events to raise awareness of the 500th anniversary of
the Reformation and how it relates to our Lutheran faith and role as a
Lutheran institution of higher education.

The university received tremendous financial support from thousands of alumni and friends who believe in our mission, our students,
and the ministry we are doing every day. We saw this support most
visibly at the conclusion of the 66-month Blessed to be a Blessing
campaign on December 31, 2014, with an amazing 12,000 donors
who made 40,000 gifts and generously provided $42.3 million during the campaign.
Recognition of Progress
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Concordia has attained a top-50 spot in the “Best Regional
Universities—Midwest” category of U.S. News & World Report’s
Best Colleges rankings for the last two years. For 2015–16 Concordia
Nebraska ranked #44 in its category. Concordia has been ranked in
the top tier of the annual report for 13 consecutive years. In addition, Concordia is the highest ranked of all schools in the Concordia
University System.