LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 95

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SYNOD REPORTS
• Our community engagement focus has led to a powerful partnership
with our adjacent neighborhood public school, Faubion School, a
pre-K–8 Title I school serving 432 students, many of whom are
economically and academically challenged. On a solid foundation
of four years of joint programming, we will launch “3toPhD” in
Spring 2013. Age “3toPhD” acknowledges and supports the full
educational continuum, creating an educational corridor and “culture of college” in our own backyard, and will develop a new model
for replication anywhere in the world. Stay tuned.
We are incredibly grateful for the manifold blessings of God’s
grace and for the overwhelming support of our university friends,
alumni, donors, church partners, and community. Thank you for your
partnership in ministry, for being such a valued part of our Concordia
family!
Concordia University Chicago
John Johnson, President
The mission of Concordia University Chicago (CUC) is to equip
men and women to serve and lead with integrity, creativity, competence, and compassion in a diverse, interconnected, and increasingly
urbanized church and world.
Among the highlights significantly contributing to the advancement of this mission during the past triennium were:
• Concordia continued to achieve record enrollments at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels. Total enrollment for this past fall
reached 5,454 students. The 2011 almanac issue of The Chronicle of
Higher Education identified Concordia as the second fastest growing liberal arts college in the United States!
• The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association
of Colleges and Universities and Concordia University Board of
Directors granted approval for the Ph.D. degree.
• Significant partnerships with other educational institutions were
established to meet the increasing demand for flexibility in the
path toward earning degrees. An example is the joint Bachelor of
Science in Nursing degree with Resurrection University School of
Nursing in Chicago. Students in the program are simultaneously
enrolled in Concordia and Resurrection and will earn a degree bearing the name of both universities. Also, Concordia developed a
partnership with the College of DuPage in Illinois enabling students to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Management, Sports,
and Recreation Management, or Visual Arts Administration from
Concordia. All classes are held at the College of DuPage, the
nation’s largest single campus community college.
• The Center for Global Outreach was established to provide leadership and support to the CUC community in order to connect,
collaborate, and experience international cultures. The Center also
initiates international degree programs including the recent joint
MBA program with the Hebei School of Economics in Beijing,
China.
• The National Council of Accreditation for Teacher Education
awarded reaccreditation for all education programs without condition. This distinction puts Concordia in the top two percent of
schools in the country.
• The Early Childhood Education Center was awarded exemplary
status from the National Lutheran Accreditation Commission. The
Center was one of seven schools nationwide recognized for demonstrating innovative leadership through the implementation of “Best
Practice” techniques.
• The music performance wing of Kretzmann Hall was renovated
with funds from the recently completed “Build, Grow, Inspire”
funding campaign.
As Concordia University Chicago marks the 100th anniversary of
its campus in River Forest and anticipates the celebration of the 150th
anniversary of its founding next year, we rejoice in the blessings of

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God and give Him thanks for all of those in The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod who support our mission. Together, we maintain a
community rich in tradition and strong in purpose.
Concordia University St. Paul, MN
Thomas Ries, President
The mission of Concordia University, St. Paul, a university of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, is to “prepare students for
thoughtful and informed living, for dedicated service to God and
humanity, for enlightened care of God’s creation, all within the context of the Christian Gospel.”
• In May 2011, Concordia University, St. Paul (CSP), celebrated the
retirement and 20-year presidency of the university’s eighth president, Robert Holst. In September 2011, Concordia inaugurated
Thomas Ries as the university’s ninth president.
• CSP developed a Promise Statement, articulating what is differentiating, compelling, and true about the University: Concordia
University, St. Paul empowers you to discover and engage your purpose for life, career, and service in a dynamic multicultural urban
community where Christ is honored, all are welcome, and Lutheran
convictions inform intellectual inquiry and academic pursuits.
• Concordia completed a strategic planning process giving direction
to the university for the next five fiscal years (2014 through 2018).
In support of the university’s mission, the plan calls for growth in
enrollment, increased rates of persistence to graduation, measureable improvement in student transition to employment or graduate
school, and growth in the university’s net assets, all while integrating the core values of the Concordia Promise into the overall life
of the University.
• Enrollment reached an all-time high of 2,941 students in the Fall
of 2012, with growth in all three student populations: traditional
undergraduate, adult undergraduate, and graduate.
• Concordia announced a reset of tuition beginning Fall 2013 for all
new and returning traditional undergraduate students, reducing the
published price from $29,700 to $19,700.
• Even under the newly reset tuition plan, CSP strengthened its financial aid program. Included in financial aid offerings is a 50 percent
church work assurance, which ensures qualified students preparing for church vocations in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
receive grant aid totaling half the published tuition price, and a
Lutheran heritage scholarship for both traditional-age and adult
students who are members of LCMS congregations.
• CSP hosted the 4th biennial International Conference on Hmong
Studies in 2012.
• Concordia adopted a new marketing focus with the tagline
“Responsive, Relevant, Real,” which appears in print media, and
on radio and television, social media sites, billboards, and the sides
of a Metro Transit bus.
• CSP launched the following new degree programs:
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BA in Health Care
BA in Public Policy
BS in Orthotics and Prosthetics
BS in Pulmonary Science
BS in Radiological Science
BS in Applied Mathematics (leading to BS in Engineering from the
University of Minnesota)
MA in Education with emphasis in Educational Technology
MA in Human Services with emphasis in Forensic Mental Health
MA in Human Services with emphasis in Health Care Aging
MA in Human Services with emphasis in Public Policy
MA in Special Education with emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorders

2013 Convention Workbook