Concordia University, Nebraska is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

university in Seward, Nebraska. It was established in 1894 and is affiliated with the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

as one of seven schools in the Concordia University System. The university is organized into three schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, and the College of Graduate Studies.

History

Founding and early years

Efforts by four Seward businessmen, including the gift of of land and $8,000, led the district to settle on Seward as the site for the college. The school, then named the ''Evangelisches Lutherisches Schullehrer-Seminar'' (Evangelical Lutheran Teachers' Seminary), was officially dedicated on November 18, 1894. Two days later, classes began with its 13 students boarded, fed, and taught in the same building (now Founders Hall) by J. George Weller and his wife. Students were originally taught for three years before transferring to Addison Teachers Seminary to continue their instruction. The academic programs were expanded in 1905 with the addition of two years of college studies. By 1908, a fourth year of high school was added to the program. Throughout the early years, the local community provided support to "The German College", as it was unofficially termed, including foodstuffs, housing, and funding. While most classes were conducted in German, English was also taught and used. File:Students outside Becker Hall in 1908.jpg, Concordia University Nebraska students in 1908 File:1908 Band.jpg, Concordia Nebraska band in 1908 File:Becker Hall.jpg, Becker Hall housed many activities before being demolished in 1999 File:Tornado Founders Hall.jpg, Tornado damage to Founders Hall - May 14, 1913 File:Football Concordia 20s.jpg, Concordia football team in the 1920s With the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914, the school faced significant

anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is fear or dislike of Germany, its Germans, people, and its Culture of Germany, culture. Its opposite is Germanophile, Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment main ...

by the local populace despite Director Jesse's support as a Four Minute Man. In a demonstration of their American pride, the school changed the language of all its classes to English and constructed a flagpole, said to be the tallest in the county. After the war, the school was

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

as a

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

and became co-ed in 1919 although women boarded with families off-campus. In December 1918, the Lutheran Seminary, as the university was then named, suffered infection during the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, H1N1 subtype of the influenz ...

with at least 15% of the student body being infected and one student dying. The school suffered another less-severe outbreak in 1920.

Concordia Teacher's College

The first

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

s were awarded in 1940. The school became an accredited four-year institution in the late 1940s. In 1959, Concordia became the first of the LCMS schools to be accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. The school was named Concordia Teacher's College, reflecting the largest program until the addition of liberal arts majors in the 1970s. The school was again renamed to Concordia College from 1974 to 1998. The university grew and expanded its programs, including science labs, a large library, and multiple residence halls. Business, art, science, and health-related programs were added to the teaching and pre-

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

courses. Graduate programs were added in 1968. With the increase in enrollment came new programs and professors, many who were housed along Faculty Lane.

Growth into university

The college became part of the newly established Concordia University System in 1995. and became a

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in 1998 and was renamed Concordia University Nebraska. Concordia opened a location in Lincoln's Fallbrook development to house graduate classes. Throughout the 2000s, despite the growth of secular studies, the church-work programs continued to flourish with Concordia having graduated nearly 30% of LCMS church workers by 2019. In 2009, the Walz Health and Human Performance Complex was completed, significantly improving the athletic facilities and performance spaces. The newest building on the campus is the Dunklau Center for Science, Math and Business, completed in 2019. The Dunklau Center added primarily to the sciences while renovating existing spaces for other programs including the new agricultural program. In 1996, the college hosted the first annual Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival. The festival now brings nearly 10,000 school-aged students and teachers to campus to interact with authors and illustrators. It has included famous authors such as

Lois Lowry Lois Ann Lowry (; née Hammersberg; born March 20, 1937) is an American writer. She is the author of many books for children and young adults, including '' The Giver Quartet'', '' Number the Stars'', the Anastasia series, and '' Rabble Starkey''. ...

, John R. Erickson, and Richard Peck. In 2021 the University canceled the Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival two days before the event was scheduled after multiple authors and illustrators withdrew from the event upon learning of the school's opposition to homosexuality for religious reasons. The current president of Concordia University is Dr. Bernard Bull.

Campus

The main campus is in the town of Seward, Nebraska, with over 11 academic and administration buildings and 11 residence halls. Notable buildings include: * The Music Center. Offices for the music department are located here as well as a number of practice rooms equipped with pianos and organs. In 2008, a Casavant Freres pipe organ was installed in the recital hall, Heine Hall. A

black box theater A black box theater is a performance space, typically a square or rectangular room, with black walls and a black, flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interact ...

in the basement of the center serves as a venue for intimate theatrical performances throughout the year. *The Heartfelt Memorial features several sculptures and a garden dedicated to the memory of deceased children. It was completed in 2015. File:Dunklau Center.jpg, Dunklau Center for Science, Math and Business File:TLECCUNE.JPG, The Thom Leadership Education Center File:LinkLibrary.JPG, Link Library

Academics

The university is organized into three schools—the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, and the College of Graduate Studies. Concordia University is institutionally accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

. The teacher education programs are accredited by the

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is a professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It was founded in 2013 as a result of the merger of two predecesso ...

(CAEP); music programs are accredited by the

National Association of Schools of Music The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music. It was founded on October 20, 1924, and is based in Resto ...

(NASM); and the institution's business program is accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE).

Undergraduate

Concordia awards

s in more than 50 undergraduate programs. In addition, the university awards the Lutheran Teacher Diploma, Christian Teacher Diploma, the Director of Christian Education, and Director of Parish Music certificate. Graduates of these programs serve as rostered church workers in the

. Pre-

and pre-

deaconess The ministry of a deaconess is a ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a liturgical role. The word comes from the Greek ...

programs are also available, including the necessary language courses to attend the seminaries of the LCMS.

Graduate

Concordia University offers several master's degrees. These programs offer a majority of their courses online. Most face-to-face classes meet in Seward, Neb.

Student life

As of August 23, 2022, the student body included 1,124 undergraduate students. 52% of students are male and 48% are female. Students are expected to uphold biblical practices in line with LCMS doctrine including sexual relations between heterosexual, married couples.

Residence halls

There are currently 11 residence halls (

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

) on the university's Seward campus. These dorms are separated by gender, with the exclusion of Jonathan Hall.

Extracurricular activities

Over 30 clubs and organizations exist on campus, ranging from service-oriented groups to intramural teams to academic support groups to honorary societies. ''The Sower'' is the university's bi-weekly newspaper. ''The Tower'' is the title of the institution's

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...

. ''The Curtain Club'' performs drama. The Student Activity Committee (SAC) organizes concerts, comedy shows, free movies, bowling nights and the popular Spring Weekend. Concordia also has a Speech and Debate team.

Visual arts

Concordia's art students exhibit their artwork at the on-campus Marxhausen Gallery of Art. The Marxhausen Gallery also intermittently hosts visiting artists from around the country who give presentations and display their art. The university's permanent collection of more than 300 works, the Koenig Collection, contains screen prints, etchings, lithographs and other original prints by nationally and internationally recognized artists. The Center for Liturgical Art at Concordia seeks to encourage and assist the Church in its ministry through the visual arts by promoting its use in worship. Students work alongside faculty and visiting artists to create a variety of pieces.

Homosexual lifestyle prohibition

Concordia University's handbook prohibits "active involvement in a homosexual lifestyle" and specifies disciplinary action against students breaking this rule. This is one of several matters related to sexuality that the handbook holds to be

sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

ful. Concordia previously published a journal, ''Issues in Christian Education'', that often contained writing about the sinful nature of homosexuality. The journal has not released any new issues since Fall 2017. In 2021, the Plum Creek Literacy Festival at Concordia was cancelled because authors withdrew their participation in the festival in protest of Concordia's LGBT prohibition. The festival had excluded books with LGBT characters by Eliot Schrefer and another author.

Athletics

The Concordia–Nebraska athletic teams are called the Bulldogs. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 1969–70 academic year. The school mascot is the

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...

. Concordia–Nebraska competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, powerlifting, soccer, tennis, track & field, and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, dance, golf, powerlifting, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include eSports and shooting sports.

Accomplishments

The Bulldogs have won three NAIA National Championships: men's outdoor track & field (2015), women's outdoor track & field (2016), and women's basketball (2019). Concordia's softball team appeared in two

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States and is held annually in Oklahoma City, OK. The event is held at Devon Park (stadium), Devon Park loca ...

in 1970 and 1971. The university also has many

intramural sports Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' m ...

Facilities

Concordia Nebraska's teams use the newly constructed Walz Human Performance Complex, Bulldog Stadium, and Plum Creek Park baseball and softball fields for competitions.

Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT)

Since 1950, Concordia has competed in an annual men's basketball tournament against other LCMS universities. A women's tournament was added in 1965. Throughout the history of CIT, Concordia Nebraska holds the best aggregate record in both the men's and women's tournaments. Since 2001 the teams are: Concordia University, Nebraska, Concordia University Wisconsin,

Concordia University Chicago Concordia University Chicago is a private university in River Forest, Illinois, United States. Formerly a college exclusively for educating teachers for parochial schools, Concordia-Chicago now offers more than 100 undergraduate and postgraduat ...

and Concordia University, Ann Arbor.

Notable people

Alumni

* Dan Cloeter - Runner including winner of the 1977 and 1979 Chicago Marathon * Jeanne Combs - Nebraska state representative from the 32nd District from 2003 to 2007 * Toby Down - Professional soccer player * Gris Grimly (Steven Soenksen) - Illustrator and author * Mary Ann Hanusa - Iowa state representative from 2011 to 2021 * Alice Hausman - Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 1989 * Amanda Husberg - Composer of hymns * Kenlon Johannes - Businessman and CEO of Kansas Soybean Commission and Association * Frederick C. Luebke - Historian * David Morgan - Professor and scholar * Brian Mueller - President of

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. The university offers degrees in over 200 areas of study and is administrativel ...

* Tom Mueller - College football coach * Brian Naber - College football coach * John Seevers - College football coach * Roby Smith - Treasurer of Iowa and former Iowa state senator from the 47th District from 2011 - 2022 * Annette Sweeney - Iowa state senator from the 25th District since 2018 and member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013 *

Robert Sylwester Robert Alfred Sylwester (January 5, 1927 – August 5, 2016) was an Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Oregon in the United States.University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

and recipient of awards for cognitive neuroscience research * Andrea von Kampen - folk singer and songwriter

Faculty

* Bernard Bull - University president and scholar * Ron Harms - College football coach * Alan Harre - University president and administrator * Reinhold Marxhausen - Artist * Ralph Starenko - College football coach

Notes

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Universities and colleges affiliated with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Great Plains Athletic Conference schools Education in Seward County, Nebraska Buildings and structures in Seward County, Nebraska Private universities and colleges in Nebraska Universities and colleges established in 1894 1894 establishments in Nebraska Council for Christian Colleges and Universities