Concordia University Chicago

Concordia University Chicago
Established	1864
Type	Private
Religious affiliation	Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
President	John F. Johnson
Students	5,134[1]
Undergraduates	1,451
Postgraduates	3,683
Location	River Forest, Illinois, United States
Campus	Suburban, 40 acres (16.19 ha)
Colors	Maroon and Gold
Nickname	CUC
Mascot	Cougars
Affiliations	Concordia University System, Northern Athletics Conference
Website	http://www.cuchicago.edu/

Concordia University Chicago is an American private, Lutheran liberal arts university located in the Illinois suburb of River Forest, 10 miles west of Chicago.

Description

Concordia serves over one thousand undergraduates and three thousand graduate students through its four colleges: The College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, and College of Business, and College of Graduate and Innovative Programs. Many of these attend classes at sites around the Chicago metropolitan area, rather than on its River Forest campus. Concordia is a member of the Concordia University System, a network of ten American colleges and universities affiliated with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

Concordia's athletic teams are called the Cougars. They compete in the NCAA Division III. The school colors are maroon and gold.

History

In 1855, Lutheran ministers Friedrich Johann Carl Lochner and Philipp Fleischmann established a private "teachers' seminary" in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to train day school teachers for Lutheran schools. In 1857, responsibility for the operation of the school was taken over by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. The Synod moved the school to Fort Wayne, Indiana, uniting it with a theological seminary that had been founded there by followers of Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe. In 1861, the theological seminary was moved to St. Louis (and later to Springfield, Illinois and then back to Fort Wayne), and in 1864, the teachers' seminary was moved to Addison, Illinois.

Concordia University marks its foundation with the 1864 move to Addison, Illinois. Originally called Concordia Teachers' Seminary, then Concordia Teachers' College, the institution is the oldest in the Concordia University System. The original building is gone, but a monument still stands on the site of the seminary in Addison.^[2] In 1913 the college moved to its present campus in River Forest. In 1979, the institution expanded its education-centered program to become a full liberal arts institution and changed its name to Concordia College. In 1990, having experienced tremendous growth in its graduate offerings, the school reorganized and changed its name to Concordia University. The university was unofficially known as "Concordia University, River Forest" (CURF) until 2006, when the current name was adopted.

In 2006, CURF was the only university in the ten school system to achieve the top tier rank on U.S. News and World Report's Best Colleges list. They were also awarded this ranking in 2010.

Education is still Concordia's largest academic program. Others include Business, Communications, Music, Theology, and many other undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Many students plan on becoming professional church workers.

Music

Concordia University Chicago has a prominent and prestigious music department among schools of similar size. The current chair is Dr. Steven Wente. Dr. Richard Fischer is Director of Bands, where he conducts the Wind Symphony and University Band, teaches conducting and music education. The Wind Symphony, Concordia's premiere instrumental ensemble, has performed in 43 states, Europe and Asia. The group has just released its eleventh recording of sacred wind music. The ensemble has given many premiere performances, recently including Dr. Bradley Genevero's transcription of "Bogoroditse Devo" from Rachmaninoff's "All-Night Vigil," Concordia alumnus Nicholas Stark's "Reformation Fanfare" based on the hymn tune "A Mighty Fortress," and Jacob Bancks' setting of "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing." Under the direction of Dr. Charles Brown, Kapelle, the university's premiere choral ensemble, has performed around the U.S., Europe, and South America. The ensemble also has four recordings to its credit. Other groups include Schola Cantorum (Chapel Choir, conducted by Jonathan Kohrs), Chamber Orchestra (Maurice Boyer), Mannerchor (Men's Chamber Choir with Charles Brown), Laudate (Women's Chamber Choir with Maurice Boyer), Jazz Band (Kirk Garrison), University Handbells (Maurice Boyer), Cougar Band (student-led pep band), and other ensembles.

Mission statement

"As a distinctive, comprehensive university of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ and based in the liberal arts, Concordia University equips men and women to serve and lead with integrity, creativity and compassion in a diverse, interconnected and increasingly urbanized church and world."

Alma mater

"Hail to thee our Alma Mater; Hail to thee maroon and gold! Here we stand thy sons and daughters, thinking back to days of old. Days of joy and happy meetings, days of friendship and of love. As we stand before thy pillars, hail Concordia hail!" -- Paul Manz

Notable alumni

• Paul Manz – composer, organist, conductor, and professor of music
• Carl Schalk - composer, professor of music
• Jim Platt – basketball coach

References

1. ^ "CUS enrollment hits new record high of 28,421". http://reporter.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=19358. Retrieved 28 October 2011. 
2. ^ Lutheran Teachers' Seminary Monument. Addison Historical Museum Web site. http://addisonadvantage.org/History/docs/monument.htm. Accessed 28 May 2009.

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Campus map
• Aerial photograph from Google maps