Concordia University System

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For other similarly named educational institutions, see Concordia University (disambiguation).
Concordia University System
AbbreviationCUS
Formation1992; 30 years ago (1992)
PurposeLutheran higher education
HeadquartersSt. Louis, Missouri, United States
Parent organization
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
Websitecus.edu

The Concordia University System (CUS) is an organization of seven colleges and universities and one satellite campus in the United States that are operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). All of the institutions are named "Concordia"—a reference to the Latin title of The Book of Concord, the collection of Lutheran confessions—and all include professional church work programs as part of their curricula. The CUS was formed in 1992. As of 2011, 28,421 students attend Concordia University System institutions.[1]

Each Concordia except the one in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is independent and has its own president, faculty, and board of regents; Concordia University Ann Arbor is now a satellite campus of Concordia University Wisconsin. At the same time, the schools interact with one another and share some resources and services. One service offered by the CUS, the Simultaneous Enrollment Program, allows any student enrolled at one Concordia to attend another CUS college for up to a year as a "visiting student". During that time, visiting students are considered to be enrolled at both CUS institutions simultaneously.

The 2019 convention of the LCMS passed Resolution 7-03 to create a new governance model for the schools. In February 2021, a committee appointed the synod's board of directors tentatively proposed a new model under which each school's board of regents and administration would be responsible for its own property and business matters, while the CUS would be replaced with a Commission on University Education which would the "ecclesiastical functions and connections of the schools" and would establish "ecclesiastical accreditation process". The plan is not complete and the committee is receiving comments from interested parties in the LCMS.[2]

Member institutions[]

The seven campuses in the Concordia University System are:

Concordia University Ann Arbor merged with Concordia University Wisconsin in 2013. Several former members of CUS have closed: Concordia College Alabama, in Selma, Alabama, closed in 2018,[3] Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, closed in 2020,[4] and Concordia College–New York in Bronxville, New York, closed in 2021.[5]

Non-member institutions[]

There are several educational institutions named "Concordia" that are not part of the Concordia University System. For example, neither of the LCMS seminaries (Concordia Seminary and Concordia Theological Seminary) are part of CUS. The non-accredited Concordia College and University is in no way affiliated with the Concordia University System or its nine campuses.

The educational institutions of the Lutheran Church–Canada are not part of the CUS even though that church body was originally part of the LCMS and remains associated with it. Those institutions are Concordia University of Edmonton and Concordia Lutheran Seminary, both in Edmonton, and Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines (which is affiliated with Brock University).

Other Concordias that are affiliated with neither the CUS nor the LCMS include Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and Concordia University in Montreal.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "CUS enrollment hits new record high of 28,421". Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  2. ^ Str, David (March 8, 2021). "BOD advances new CUS governance model". Reporter. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Suggs, Ernie. "Concordia College Alabama is latest HBCU to shut its doors due to poor finances". ajc. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Manning, Jeff; Ryan, Jim (February 10, 2020). "Portland's Concordia University will close at end of spring semester". oregonlive. Retrieved May 5, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Concordia College New York to Close". Concordia College New York. January 28, 2021. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.

External links[]

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