Concordia University Texas
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| Concordia University Texas | |
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| Motto: | Developing Christian Leaders |
| Established: | 1926 |
| Type: | Private |
| Religious affiliation: | Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod |
| President: | Dr. Thomas Cedel |
| Students: | Approximately 1,800 |
| Location: | Austin, Texas, USA |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Website: | www.concordia.edu |
Concordia University Texas is a private, coeducational institution of liberal arts and sciences located in central Austin, Texas. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as an Accelerated Degree Program for part-time students and adult returning students at satellite campuses in San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth and Fredericksburg, Texas.
Concordia is owned by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and is a member of the Concordia University System, the ten-member association of LCMS colleges and universities enrolling a total of 19,000 students nationwide. As a Lutheran university, Concordia's stated mission is to develop Christian leaders.
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[edit] History
Concordia was founded in 1926 as Lutheran Concordia College of Texas, a four-year high school that prepared young men for careers in ministry and teaching. The school opened with 26 students on its current site. In 1929, a two-story classroom building, later called the Music Building and now known as College Central, was built.
Concordia was founded by members of Texas' Wendish (or Sorbian) immigrant community. The original main building, Kilian Hall, is named for the Wend John Kilian, founder of the first Texas Lutheran church associated with the Missouri Synod and leader of a large group of Wends who settled in the Serbin area. Today, between 10%-15% of Concordia's faculty, staff, and students are of Wendish heritage.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s many buildings were added to the campus, such as Hirschi Memorial Library in 1949 and Kramer Hall, the college's first fully air-conditioned classroom building, in 1951. Also in 1951, a two-year junior college curriculum was started.
Building developments on campus continued throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The campus received its own chapel with Birkman Memorial Chapel, in 1952, Texas Hall was dedicated in 1953, Studtmann Hall in 1955 and Beto Hall in 1969.
In 1955 Concordia admitted women as students for the first time and the institution changed its name to Concordia Lutheran College in 1965. In 1969, the four-year high school program was disbanded and Concordia’s curriculum expanded to four years after receiving permission to award Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1980.
In 1995, during the Zersen administration, the name of the institution was changed to Concordia University at Austin after joining the Concordia University System, which includes 10 colleges and universities across the U.S. The Accelerated Degree Program (ADP), with sites in Austin, Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio, within the College of Adult Education, was launched in 1995 to offer working adults the opportunity to earn a degree. The Harms dormitory was constructed and the plans for the Beto Adademic Center were developed. The first Graduate program was also begun during this administration.
In 2002, Dr. Thomas E. Cedel was named President of Concordia University at Austin.
In 2007, Concordia University at Austin changed its name to Concordia University Texas.
U.S. News & World Report included Concordia University Texas in its 2007 list of “America’s Best Colleges.”[1]
[edit] New Campus
In 2005, the Board of Regents approved the relocation of the Concordia University Texas campus. Since its founding the school has occupied a 23 acre campus near downtown Austin. The new campus is located in Northwest Austin on more than 350 acres (1.4 km²) of land. Construction will begin in the spring of 2007, and the new campus will open in the fall of 2008.
The site for Concordia’s new campus is the former Schlumberger Austin Systems Center. The site, formerly an R&D facility, currently has six buildings connected by covered walkways encircled by a nature trail. After some renovations, most of Concordia's current academic programs and administrative departments will fit into the existing buildings. New construction to develop the campus will include a gym, athletic fields and student housing.
The campus includes a 250-acre (1.0 km²) nature preserve that has wetlands, caves, dense trees and wildlife, and is home to the Golden-cheeked warbler, a rare species of bird native to Central Texas. A 10-A Federal permit is required and only one other higher education institution carries one.
The inclusion of a nature preserve will allow Concordia to devote time to urban environmentalism in the Austin community.
[edit] Student Body
The student body at Concordia has grown from 1,075 students in 2002 to 1,231 in 2006. The university projects that there will be 1,332 students in attendance by the year 2010.
Student Body, Fall 2006
- Undergraduate: 725
- Graduate: 93
- Accelerated Degree Program: 399
- Dual Enrollment: 38
- Other: 14
- 60% female, 40% male
Freshman Class, Fall 2006
- New Freshmen: 190
- Average High School GPA: 3.21
- Average SAT Composite: 1,507
- Average ACT Composite: 21.7
[edit] Academic Programs
Concordia University Texas offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in 22 majors in the colleges of business, education, liberal arts and sciences, and adult education. The College of Adult Education houses the Accelerated Degree Program (ADP), which has satellite campuses in Austin, Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Fredericksburg, Texas.
The average class size at Concordia has a student to faculty ratio of 19:1. There are 85 faculty members total, with 33 teaching full-time and 52 part-time. Concordia is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of College and Schools[2].
[edit] Campus Life
There are four residence halls. Harms Hall, which is co-ed. Studtmann Hall, a women’s dorm, and Killian and Behnken Halls, the men’s dormitories. The student facilities on campus are: the Beto Academic Center, Birkmann Chapel, Bokenkamp Student Center, Founder's Library, Louise T. Peter Center, Texas Hall Dining Hall and Woltman Activity Center.
Some of the many clubs and organizations that students participate in are: Student Leadership Association, Concordia Youth Ministry Team (CYMT), Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Helping Hands, History Club, Music Harmony Club, Pre-Seminary Club and the Spirit Squad.
The School Newspaper is "The Mullet" it was started in 2006 and has been circulating ever since.
[edit] Athletics
The Concordia mascot is the Tornados and the school colors are purple and gold. Concordia's intercollegiate athletic teams participate in NCAA Division III competition within the American Southwest Conference. They do not award athletic scholarships per NCAA DIII Rules. The athletic programs at Concordia are: baseball, softball, men's basketball, women's basketball, cross country, golf, men's soccer, women's soccer, tennis, volleyball and athletic training.
There is relatively little athletic tradition with the exception of the baseball program which has been regionally and sometimes nationally recognized.
There are four athletic facilities on campus and one off-campus. On Campus: Fascholz-Keller Field (baseball), Bartholomew Park (softball), Pharr Tennis Center, Woltman Gymnasium. Off-campus: St. Francis School (soccer).
The Concordia Men's basketball team has been coached by Stanley Bonewitz Jr. since 2004. He is a former Texas Tech basketball standout. As a player, he was named Texas "Mr. Basketball" in 1995 [1] His father, Stanley Bonowitz Sr., recently retired as a state-championship winning coach at East Central High School in San Antonio.
The Concordia Men's baseball team has been coached by Mike Gardner since 1998.[2]
Dan Darden, a Concordia alum, was hired as the men's soccer coach in 2007.
See also: Concordia Soccer, Concordia Women's Soccer
[edit] Photo Gallery
 Aerial view of Concordia University's new campus in Northwest Austin |
 Wendish bell in front of the chapel on Concordia's campus |
[edit] References
- ^ Concordia University Coaching Staff- asketall. CTX.edu. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
- ^ Concordia University Coaching Staff- Baseball. CTX.edu. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
[edit] External links
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