LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 91

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SYNOD REPORTS
The networks created through the collaboration enhance communication and support across the system.
Because higher education in the U.S. is so competitive, in the
last three years, CUS institutions have increased their efforts to
raise scholarship dollars and grow their endowments, to offer programs which appeal to traditional and non-traditional students, and
to position themselves strategically in local and regional markets. To
remain competitive and to continue to produce outstanding graduates, CUS institutions must continue to identify talented, dedicated
faculty, administrators, and regents who understand the complexities
of higher education and who are able to work together to achieve the
mission of the colleges and universities of the LCMS.

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• On May 18, 2012, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Board
of Directors and the Board of Regents of both Concordia University
Wisconsin (CUW) and CUAA approved an academic alliance to
revitalize the 187-acre Ann Arbor, Michigan, campus and its academic programs. This new relationship will position CUAA for
even greater ministry opportunities than ever before.
• On December 4, 2012, Lonnie Pries was named new Athletic
Director and Head Football Coach. Pries was named 2012 Northern
Athletics Conference Coach of the Year in November while at
Concordia University Chicago.
• In December 2012, Frankenmuth and Dearborn, MI, were
announced as locations for the University’s new Accelerated
Learning Centers.

CUS Goals for the Next Triennium

• Assist CUS institutions in the identification and recruitment of
highly qualified Lutheran faculty.
• Assist CUS institutions in recruiting LCMS students and church
work profession students.
• Support efforts of the CUS institutions to increase For The Sake
Of The Church endowment fund contributions, pledges, and estatedesignated gifts.
• Intensify efforts to identify and train individuals for positions of
leadership at CUS institutions.
• Provide for education and training of regents, especially in the areas
of finance and higher education administration.
Significant Achievements: Individual Campuses
Concordia University Ann Arbor (CUAA), Ann Arbor, MI—
Patrick T. Ferry, Interim President
Concordia University Ann Arbor was dedicated as a junior college in 1963. Fifty years later, the university’s dedicated and caring
faculty continue to espouse ethics and values in the classroom, reinforcing what students, faculty, and staff hear in the Chapel of The
Holy Trinity every day.
With that in mind, listed below in no particular order are some of
the accomplishments at CUAA over the past 30 months.
• Expansion of the Haab School of Business and Management
resulted in nine new undergraduate programs and eleven concentrations in the M.S. in Organizational Leadership degree.
• The university received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department
of Education in October 2010 to aid in student retention. Three
new positions were created by the grant that was to be paid out in
$400,000 installments over a 5-year period.
• The university’s Web site was totally redesigned beginning in the
spring of 2012. The project was nearing completion by the time the
first semester began in late August.
• The Lady Cardinals basketball team won its first-ever Concordia
Invitational Tournament championship in February 2011 and followed that a month later by qualifying for the NAIA Division II
Tournament for the first time in school history.
• A new program in Liberal Arts, Business, and Entrepreneurship
was initiated in 2011 to enhance the experience of those students
majoring in Liberal Arts.
• In May 2012, extensive landscaping and major renovations to the
residence halls and cafeteria got under way. New sidewalks and
parking lots, along with an outdoor patio, were in place by the time
students arrived on campus in August.
• The university marked its 50th academic year on August 27, when
Acting President Randall W. Luecke officially opened school during the traditional Opening Service. Luecke served in that important
capacity until February 15, 2013, when he and his wife moved to
Florida.

Concordia University Texas, Austin, TX
Thomas Cedel, President
Concordia University Texas' mission is to develop Christian leaders. Since its founding in 1926, Concordia has sought to prepare
students for lives of service in the church and community. In 2008,
the university moved from its original campus in downtown Austin
to a new location that has allowed it to expand that mission to even
more students.
• Enrollment has reached nearly 2,600 students in all areas including undergraduate, graduate, and online programs, an increase of
approximately 20 percent since the fall of 2009.
• In November 2011, Concordia University Texas (CTX) completed
its latest strategic plan “Toward 2020.” Over one hundred members of the faculty and staff were involved in six committees. The
plan supports Concordia’s mission of developing Christian leaders
and the desired outcome for our graduates to be men and women
who transform communities by seeking out leadership opportunities and influencing people for Christ.
• Concordia responded to the growing demands of the health care
field in 2010 when it launched its nursing program at full capacity. In May 2012, the university graduated 100 percent of its first
nursing class. All of those students passed their licensing exam and
were offered employment.
• The Concordia Master’s in Business Administration enrollment
has tripled since its inception in Fall 2010, adding cohorts in San
Antonio, in Fall 2011, and Dallas-Fort Worth, for Spring 2013. The
first cohort graduated in August 2012.
• Concordia provides scholarships to students on merit and needbased criteria. Eighty percent of students receive some kind of
financial aid including scholarships and grants; and Concordia students graduate with student loan debts that average 11 percent lower
than peers at area public schools and 30–40 percent lower than
peers at area private institutions.
• Concordia’s graduates across all programs meet or exceed national
peer benchmarks in academic core competencies based on a nationwide assessment using the Collegiate Assessment of Academic
Proficiency.
• Concordia offers overseas studies through several consortia and
partner institutions in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Central
America.
• Three athletic teams (cross country, women’s basketball and baseball) earned American Southwest Conference championship titles,
ranking second for the most championship titles earned in a year
among the 15-member institutions.
• Concordia is the proud steward of the 285-acre Concordia Preserve
and the Friesenhahn Cave site in San Antonio. The preserve is home
to 28 archeological sites, 13 of which have been included within
the National Register of Historic Places. The university holds the
distinction as the only university in the United States whose campus is adjacent to a nature preserve.
2013 Convention Workbook