LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 71

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

71

elor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, educates 5,000 students annually to serve society and the church.

Engineers (IEEE) contest placed them sixth in the United
States and 314th in the world—in the top five percent—out
of 6,373 teams.

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The Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching has
been awarded to 22 CUC alumni as a recognition of their
exceptional dedication to both their students and schools.
The related Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program is designed to help place top teachers into high-needs schools—
more than 30 CUC students and alumni have been named
as scholars.

Lutheran identity is enshrined in our hiring practices, as
every faculty and staff member is a professing, practicing
Christian. Each full-time hire is interviewed for fidelity by
the Chief Mission Officer, the Rev. Dr. Steven Mueller, who
also oversees Human Resources. 65 percent of our full-time
faculty are members of LCMS congregations; 39 percent of
full-time faculty are called church workers of the LCMS.

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Founded in 1864 with earlier roots traced to 1857, CUC was
the first Concordia and remains faithful to its mission as it
looks forward to its 160th anniversary in 2024. The institution is dedicated to serving the Synod in its mission of education and, through that mission, our Lord’s Great Commission. At the center is Jesus Christ, the Savior of all the world.
Here, His blessings abound.

All full-time faculty complete Vision-Mission-Vocation
(VMV), a Lutheran higher education orientation program.
VMV has proven so important to enshrining our Lutheran
identity and culture that Concordia is now building a VMV
training program for all staff.

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Concordia has recently launched new BS degrees in Engineering and Computer Science, a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, and established the Servant Leadership Institute to provide Lutheran Christian character and
leadership formation for education leaders from public and
private schools.

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Concordia recently completed a brand discovery process that
undergirds a new marketing and communication strategy to
communicate our Lutheran Christian identity more boldly,
clearly, and widely. This brand research also informed our
new 8-year strategic plan: Developing “wise, honorable,
and cultivated citizens”: 2023–2030. This quote, included
in our mission statement, comes from Luther’s letter written
in 1527: “To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany That
They Establish and Maintain Christian Schools.”

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In 2020, Concordia celebrated the completion of a 7-year
comprehensive campaign: “Forward in Faith,” with 3 goals:
(1) grow the permanent endowment, (2) enhance student aid
and scholarships, and (3) build a building dedicated to Theology and Music. The goal of $85 million was shattered.
Thanks be to God! $100 million total!

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The opening of the 38,500 square foot Borland-Manske
Center in 2019 enables us produce exceptional music. This
has led to a partnership with PBS-SoCal and national PBS
syndicates to produce “A Concordia Christmas.” Since
2021, Concordia has created three, award-winning broadcasts, sharing the gospel through music and spoken word,
which have reached audiences in the millions throughout the
U.S. Thanks be to God for this partnership!

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Concordia is embarking on the construction of Phase II of
our campus master plan. This plan calls for the construction
and renovation of four projects: Renovating the CU Center
for Worship and the Performing Arts (adding 300 seats, for
a total of 800) and the Nelson Amphitheatre; and building
the Golden Eagle Athletics Complex and a new softball stadium. These projects are estimated to cost between $32–36
million, yet Concordia has already raised $28 million in
gifts and pledges!

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Concordia remains financially very strong. Our current
asset to debt ratio is less than 0.25. In 2022, our financial
strength was reviewed independently. We received an investor-grade bond credit rating of BBB+ from Standard and
Poor’s. Goldman-Sachs Wealth Management’s non-profit
team now manages our ever-growing permanent & quasi
endowments, valued at more than $55 million.

Russell P. Dawn, President
R14.2

Concordia University, Irvine
Mission Statement: Concordia University, Irvine, a comprehensive Lutheran Christian university guided by Christ’s Great
Commission, develops wise, honorable, and cultivated citizens to
serve society and the church.
Core Convictions & Values: Concordia University, Irvine,
serves our students, colleagues, and community by being:
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Gospel-Centered: The faculty and staff, guided by God’s
Word and the Lutheran Confessions, welcome all students
who are both willing and able to engage with its mission and
proclaim God’s grace in Christ to each person.

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Faithfully Relevant: Concordia offers exceptional, rigorous, holistic, and sought-after programs in the liberal arts
and professional studies, rooted in the Lutheran intellectual
tradition, that prepare servant leaders who proactively address the contemporary needs of the church and the world.

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Sustainably Excellent: Concordia invests its finite resources
of time, talent, and treasure in wise and sustainable ways by
empowering each faculty, staff, and student to live out their
vocations and to support the ongoing excellence and fulfillment of the university’s mission.

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Courageously Loving: At Concordia, all are called to love
one another, forming a community that faithfully cultivates
humility and responsibility, fosters honest and charitable
conversations, and offers a path to personal growth that
equips students for lives of service in a diverse world.

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Relentlessly Hopeful: Concordia is ever hopeful as it carries out its mission in the face of the world’s challenges. Our
hope is rooted in the confidence that God in Christ has reconciled the world to Himself and that Christ is the Lord of
all creation.

University Updates: Concordia University, Irvine, as a faithful
and thriving university of the LCMS, is grateful to our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ for innumerable blessings and are excited to
report the following updates:
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Concordia, as a comprehensive university offering bach-

2023 Convention Workbook