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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 436

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

436

resulting decisions leading to the substantial and material reduction
of operations of the Ann Arbor campus; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct that an
independent committee be established, under the oversight of the
Board of Directors, to conduct a project postmortem analysis of the
contractual agreements involved in the acquisition of Concordia
University Ann Arbor (CUAA) by Concordia University
Wisconsin, audited financial statements, and the processes involved
in decisions pertaining to the acquisition and subsequent
downsizing of the Ann Arbor campus and its programs; and be it
further
Resolved, That the independent committee’s membership
include, at a minimum, those district presidents representing all
former and current Concordia universities, excluding those districts
associated with a Concordia university involved in any current
litigation with the Synod; and be it finally
Resolved, That the findings of this committee be made available
to the Synod and to all district presidents.
Michigan District
Ov. 7-29

To Request Transparency from Concordia
University Wisconsin—Ann Arbor
WHEREAS, The common goal of the Concordia University
System (CUS) is to develop Christian leaders for the church,
community, and the world; and
WHEREAS, Concordia University Wisconsin—Ann Arbor
(CUWAA) has been developing Christian leaders for the church,
community, and the world since 1963; and
WHEREAS, In a report dated Feb. 1, 2024, CFO Colleague, a
financial consultancy for higher education institutions, analyzed
recent financial performance for the university and concluded:
The structural deficit for the combined entity of CUW and
CUAA requires immediate and substantial attention. … It is
difficult to see a way forward for CUAA, given its enormous
deferred maintenance needs, inadequate [net tuition revenue] per
student and the use of net tuition to fund athletic costs. … The
time is now to craft a multi-year plan that addresses these clear
challenges. (CUAA Task Force Report, May 31, 2024, 6–7)
and
WHEREAS, Synod Bylaw 1.5.3.4 states, “All mission boards,
commissions, and governing boards may appoint standing
committees of specialists to provide professional or technical
assistance to the board or commission and may delegate certain
responsibilities to such committees while retaining supervision.
Standing committees may be made up of or include non-board or
commission members. The creation of standing committees shall be
reported to the President and the Board of Directors of the Synod”;
and
WHEREAS, In response to the CFO Colleague Report, the
CUWAA Board of Regents, on Feb. 29, 2024, adopted a resolution
for “a special subcommittee to explore the possibility of the Ann
Arbor campus applying for self-governance within the Concordia
University System” (CUAA Task Force Report, May 31, 2024, 7);
and
WHEREAS, Members of the special subcommittee reported that
their work veered outside of the scope of the board’s resolution; and
2026 Convention Workbook

WHEREAS, Members of the subcommittee were either required to
sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or were removed from the
special subcommittee; and
WHEREAS, Synod Bylaw 1.5.3.5 states, “All agencies of the
Synod shall develop policies and procedures for making available
official minutes of their meetings. All mission boards and
commissions shall develop policies and procedures to make
available upon request and at a reasonable price a verbatim copy of
the official minutes of their meetings except for executive sessions.
Any member of the Synod may request a copy of any official
minutes of mission boards or commissions by submitting a written
or electronic (via email) request to the Secretary of the Synod, who
shall provide such minutes according to the policy of the Board of
Directors”; and
WHEREAS, Synod Bylaw 3.10.6.1 (o) states, “In fulfilling its
commonly understood fiduciary duties owed to the institution, and
its governance responsibilities, the board of regents shall: maintain
effective internal controls and operate with financial transparency,
annually reviewing and approving the institutional budget and
providing, within 30 days of board acceptance and final issuance of
the institutional audit, audited financial statements and other
information as specified in the policies of the Synod Board of
Directors and to congregations of the Synod upon request”; and
WHEREAS, Congregations of the Michigan District have
requested these financial statements and have not received them
from the CUWAA board; and
WHEREAS, The congregations of the district desire to bear with
CUWAA in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace (Eph. 4:1–5); and
WHEREAS, The congregations of the district desire to walk as
children of light and expose things done in secret to the light so that
Christ would shine on all things (Eph. 5:8b–14); and
WHEREAS, The 2025 Michigan District convention directed
formal requests to the CUWAA board to:
• rescind the NDAs signed by the special subcommittee
members as a sign of good faith and to restore the sacred
trust and confidence in the process;
• make available the verbatim copies of the official minutes
and the video recordings of the meetings of the special
subcommittee to the district presidents for the benefit of
building national consensus on this issue; and
• respond to the previous and all subsequent congregational
requests for audited financial statements;
therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention encourage transparency
in the financial states of the CUS schools and the Synod at large.
Michigan District