LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 87

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
2014 and assumed the position on August 1 of that year. On June
12, 2015, the board of regents, working closely with the Concordia
University System Board of Directors, removed the interim title and
elected Dr. Christian as the 12th president and CEO of CTX.
• CTX completely and fully passed the five-year review of its accreditation body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in May 2013. This rigorous review sets it up for its reaffirmation of accreditation in spring
of 2018.
• Under its new leadership, CTX went through a lengthy strategic
planning process over the past year. Its new vision is that by 2026,
Concordia University Texas will be the premier university where
the adventure of faith, learning, and life-changing experiences
leads to meaningful work. As a result, the newly named Center for
Vocation and Professional Development has received several grants
that will allow focused work with individual students to help determine vocation and career paths. There, students can also receive
mentoring from alumni and community leaders.
• In 2013, the CTX faculty adopted a new core curriculum which
helps students focus on the question of identity with God, self,
others, and the world. One special factor in the curriculum points
toward the students’ engagement with nature, focusing on the 400acre preserve that surrounds the CTX campus.
• After having received approval from both SACSCOC and the CUS,
Concordia University Texas will offer its first-ever doctoral program beginning in fall of 2016. The EdD will provide several tracks,
including curriculum and instruction and educational leadership.
• CTX hosted the Concordia-wide Beautiful Feet Mission Conference
in the fall of 2014 with more than 200 students in attendance. In
November 2015, CTX sent more than 50 students to Seward,
Nebraska, for that year’s Beautiful Feet Conference.
• In the area of athletics (NCAA Division III), the CTX men’s basketball team won the American Southwest Conference (ASC)
tournament in 2013; Jack Cersosimo won the men’s golf ASC
individual championship in 2015; Connor Bertsch (baseball)
was named ASC Male Athlete of the Year in 2015; and in 2014,
CTX baseball player Ryan Ullman was drafted by the Washington
Nationals and made it to AA ball before being released 18 months
later.
• In January 2015, the university undertook a Culture Change
Initiative in which it surveyed its full-time employees (with a 94
percent response rate) and determined to move toward a strong constructive culture. Since then, multiple forums have been held and
new structures have been put in place to make this happen. A follow-up survey will occur in January 2017.
• Concordia student Hannah Boeck was selected as a Fulbright
Scholar in spring of 2013 and spent the year in Malaysia teaching
English. Hannah is CTX’s first-ever Fulbright Scholar.
• Long-time Concordia faculty members Rev. Dr. Clyde Duder and
Dr. Debra Allen (both rostered workers of the LCMS) passed away
during this triennium. Together, the two of them gave many years
to Concordia University Texas, with Dr. Duder having also served
at Concordia University Chicago.
• The Concordia University Texas choirs perform a Masterwork
Series every spring, including community members and a professional orchestra. Works over the past four years include Mozart’s
Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, and
Brahms’s Requiem.
• The Annual Christian Leadership Gala regularly recognizes a
community leader who exemplifies Christian values and provides
leadership in the greater-Austin area. The 2014 gala recognized
Tom and Penny Cedel for their years of service to both Concordia
and the Central Texas Region. More than 500 people packed the
Four Seasons Ballroom and raised over $140,000 for scholarships
at CTX.

87

• Concordia was the recipient of a pay-for-success grant from the
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation that provided two full-time
success coaches for more than 200 students who exhibited at-risk
factors. This grant was done in conjunction with College Forward,
a local nonprofit which focuses on helping first-generation college
students successfully transition from high school to college.
• Graduating students all take the College Assessment of Academic
Proficiency (CAAP) exam, which shows each year that CTX students meet or exceed the national benchmark in areas of critical
thinking, reading, writing, science, and mathematics.
• In partnership with Water to Thrive, a local nonprofit that builds
wells in Africa, Concordia students, faculty, and staff have now
raised enough funds to build 13 wells. The 10th well (built in 2014)
was named in honor of Tom and Penny Cedel for their service to
Concordia University Texas.
• In 2015, 100 percent of graduating nurses passed the NCLEX, putting the Concordia Nursing Program in the top 10 percent of Texas
nursing schools.
• Two 2014 graduates of Concordia, Heath and Alyssa Padgett, have
been featured on Fox News, Huffington Post, People Magazine,
Good Morning America, and many other news outlets for their 50
states/50 jobs RV adventure and their ensuing documentary, Hourly
America.
• After a year of study and feedback, Concordia published its
Lutheran Distinctive Document in January 2013, a work that
describes the Lutheran ethos of the CTX community. This document serves as an introduction to how we teach, learn, and live
together as an institution of Lutheran higher education.
Donald Christian, President and CEO

Concordia University Wisconsin
Concordia University is a Lutheran higher education community
committed to helping students develop in mind, body, and spirit
for service to Christ in the Church and the world.
Report to the 66th Convention
of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod | July 2016
As of the fall 2015 census, Concordia University serves 9,168 students at two residential campuses in Mequon, Wis., and Ann Arbor,
Mich., online, and at ten extension campuses.
The University’s six schools of study offer 70 undergraduate
majors and programs, 37 graduate/master’s degrees and programs,
four doctoral/professional programs, nine associate degrees, and 35
certificates and licenses. The largest programs area include Business,
Education, Family Life, and Health Professions. The University
educates a strong percentage of the church career professional undergraduates in the Concordia University System, 341 as of fall 2015.
Concordia University’s strategic effort is framed by four Mission
Vision Themes: Faith and Learning Centered, Purposeful Growth,
Impact through Service and Leadership, Access and Opportunity.
————————————————
A Faith and Learning Centered Community

Concordia is Christ-centered, learner-focused institution driven
by rigorous academics and a commitment to excellence in teaching.
Learner Profile
Enrollment (2015-2016)
38% Traditional Undergraduate
18% Accelerated Learning/
Non-Traditional

Explore the highlights of
Concordia University at
www.concordia.report.

2016 Convention Workbook