LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 86

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86

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
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Vision: The vision of Concordia University St. Paul is to be acknowledged as the leading Lutheran university offering exceptional
opportunities for students from all backgrounds who seek relevant
career preparation and a challenging academic experience coupled
with the insights of Lutheran theology.
Promise to students: Concordia University St. Paul empowers you to
discover and engage your purpose for life, career, and service in a
dynamic, multicultural, urban environment where Christ is honored,
all are welcome, and Lutheran convictions inform intellectual inquiry
and academic pursuits.

• During the triennium, Concordia implemented the first three years
of a five-year strategic plan directed at achieving the mission,
informed by the vision and promise. The planning horizon commenced July 1, 2013, and will end June 30, 2018. Four strategic
goals frame the plan:
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Grow enrollment. During the past three years, total enrollment has
grown by 49 percent, from 2,941 students in Fall semester 2012 to
4,380 students in Fall 2015. Growth has been achieved in all three
categories of students: traditional undergraduate, nontraditional undergraduate, and graduate.
Increase persistence to graduation. During the past three years, retention and persistence to graduation has increased by several percentage
points in each category of students. In the spring of 2015, Concordia
University St. Paul graduated a record 1,263 students.
Strengthen transitions to jobs and graduate school. Improved systems for tracking students’ post-graduation transitions have indicated
increased effectiveness in employment of graduates in their chosen
field, and admission to first and second choice graduate schools. The
university continues to place 100 percent of its mobile minister of religion–commissioned graduates into ministry settings, and 100 percent
of its preseminary graduates have been accepted into their first-choice
seminary.
Grow net assets. During the most recent three fiscal years (2013, 2014,
2015), total net assets grew by 51.4 percent, from $57.1 million at the
end of FY2012 to $86.5 million at the end of FY2015. Growth was
achieved through positive operating results, reduction of long-term
debt, and increased value of invested assets and property.

• Growth in enrollment has been achieved largely through an
increased number of academic programs, aggressive pricing models, and enhanced marketing efforts. Specific financial aid offerings
are provided for members of congregations of The Lutheran Church
—Missouri Synod and include the Lutheran heritage scholarship
for all LCMS undergraduate and graduate students, the Twelve
Disciples Scholarship, a full-tuition scholarship for highly qualified students preparing for a church vocation, and a 50 percent
tuition gift-aid guarantee for any student preparing for a church
vocation who meets the university’s admission requirements.
• Concordia continues to be recognized as one of the most racially
and ethnically diverse Lutheran institutions of higher education in
the world, with 36 percent of total enrollment students of color, and
over 150 international students from 12 countries. The university
houses the Center for Hmong studies on its campus and hosted the
5th biennial International Conference on Hmong Studies in 2014.
• Concordia is recognized as a premier university serving the needs
of veterans and active-duty military personnel. Over 200 students
with military experience are enrolled at the university. In 2015,
Concordia named its veterans resource center the General John W.
Vessey Veterans Resource Center.
• The number of tenure-track faculty grew from 57 to 70 during the triennium, including additions in biology and chemistry,
business administration, education, health sciences and kinesiology, mathematics, music, and theology. Four LCMS-rostered
ministers of religion joined the faculty in Academic Year 2016:
Rev. Mark Koschmann as Instructor in Missiology and Director of
the Hoffmann Institute; DCE Heath Lewis as Instructor of Christian
Education and coordinator of the Director of Christian Education
2016 Convention Workbook

program; Dr. Matt Buns as Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and
Health; and Dr. Marilyn Reineck as Vice-President for Academic
Affairs.
• Concordia launched the following new degree programs during the
triennium:
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Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN)
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science
B.S. in Orthotics and Prosthetics
Master of Science (MS) in Exercise Science
MS in Information Technology
MS in Orthotics and Prosthetics
Master of Business Administration (MBA) with certificate in Cyber
Security
Education Specialist (EDS)
Doctorate in Education (EDD)
Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT)

• Concordia’s women’s volleyball team, led by Head Coach
Brady Starke, won an unprecedented seventh straight NCAA
Division II National Championship in 2013 and the Northern Sun
Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) title in 2015. Among all student
athletes, 16 Concordia athletes were named All-American and 6
were named Academic All-Americans. Concordia graduate Zach
Moore (’14) became the first Golden Bear to be drafted into the
National Football League, and won a Super Bowl ring in 2015 as
a member of the New England Patriots.
• During academic year 2018–19, Concordia University will observe
the 125th anniversary of the founding of the institution in 1893, and
has submitted a memorial to this convention requesting an offering
of praise and thanksgiving for the blessings of almighty God over
the past century and a quarter.
Respectfully submitted,

Thomas Ries, President

Concordia University Texas
Concordia University Texas (CTX), an institution of Lutheran
higher education affiliated with The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod, has been operating since 1926 under its mission of
“Developing Christian Leaders.” Located in Austin, Texas, the school
moved in 2008 from its original downtown 25-acre campus to the west
side of Austin, where it now occupies 400 acres, including a 250-acre
federally protected preserve. The following is a list of highlights that
have built and shaped CTX since the 2013 convention.
• Total enrollment has held steady over this time, with an increase
in the traditional population over the past several years. The current academic year (fall 2015) began with a total of 2,570 students
(1,721 undergraduate/849 graduate).
• The first new structure since moving to the new campus went into
operation January 2016—a softball field. This was the first structure built on the current campus that allowed for something that
was not possible on the historic campus. This structure was partially funded by two very generous donors.
• A legacy gift of $1.5 million was given to the university for the construction of a chapel and place of worship. No plans are in place
yet, but it will be one of the first buildings constructed in the near
future.
• Partnering with an outside vendor, CTX has grown its online student population from 150 in January 2015 to more than 600 in
January 2016. Programs in education, business, nursing, computer
science, and criminal justice are all a part of the online offerings.
• A presidential transition took place in the summer of 2014 as Dr.
Tom Cedel retired after 12 years as president. Dr. Donald Christian
was announced as interim president and CEO by the board in May