Concordia University Nebraska
Concordia University, Nebraska is a private Lutheran university in Seward, Nebraska, established in 1894. It is affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod as one of eight 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
Founded in 1894 as the Evangelische Lutherische Schulleherer Seminar, the university began as a preparatory teacher's school with its twelve students boarded, fed, and taught in the same building by J. George Weller and his wife. The surrounding community was supportive of a school in their midst, and did much to help the students with extra foodstuffs, funding, and housing. The school granted its first teaching degrees in 1907. During World War I, the school faced anti-German sentiment, which caused the institution to change the language of all its classes to English. The college worked alongside the community to show its patriotism by constructing a flagpole. After the war, the school was accredited as a junior college and became co-ed in 1919.The first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1940, and 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.
Additional educational and housing facilities were added as 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 courses. Graduate programs were added in 1968.
The college became part of the newly established Concordia University System in 1995, and became a university in 1998.
In 1995, the college hosted the first annual Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival. The festival now brings nearly 10,000 school-aged students to campus. It has included famous authors such as Lois Lowry, John R. Erickson, and John Archambault.
New facilities, including the Thom Leadership Education Center and a track-and-field and stadium complex, have been added in recent years. Jonathan Hall, the newest of its 11 residence halls, opened in 2006. The newest building on the campus is the Dunklau Center for Science, Math and Business, completed in 2019.
The current president of Concordia University is Rev. Russ Sommerfeld, acting in an interim capacity.
Campus
The main campus is in the town of Seward, Nebraska, with over 11 academic and administration buildings and 11 residence halls. The newest residence hall—Jonathan Hall—is an apartment-style-living facility. All of the campus's residence halls include internet access and cable telecommunications connections. The university grounds are home to a portion of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum as well as a number of university-commissioned and student-made sculptures.- Brommer Hall was originally built as a student center but was converted to a center for the arts. The building now contains offices, studio space, classrooms, and a computer lab.
- Bulldog Stadium was constructed in 1997 and hosts the athletic events of Concordia's track, football, and soccer teams in addition to intramurals and Seward High School football and soccer games.
- Founders Hall was originally built in 1894. As the original campus building, Founders supplied classrooms and living quarters for the first students, along with their teacher and his family. Currently, the Theatre Program's set-construction workshop operates in the basement. However, no classes meet in Founders Hall.
- Janzow Campus Center was recently renovated and is the hub of campus life. Janzow includes the dining hall and the Doghouse Grill, 10:31 Coffee House, John W. Cattle Conference Room, Student Success Center, game room and lounges, mail room, Student Activities Council Office, and the Bookstore.
- Jesse Hall was originally built as a dormitory but now functions as office space for the business, communication, theology, and social science departments. Several classrooms and a computer lab are also present in the building. The Marxhausen Gallery of Art is located in the building with art visiting, original and archival shows on display. Jesse Hall also is the location for several organization offices including The Sower student newspaper and the Center for Liturgical Art, an outreach program to creates original pieces of ecclesiastical artwork for churches, schools, and religious organizations.
- Link Library houses over 230,000 titles, as well as the Bartels Museum, the Instructional Technology Center, and the Academic Resource Center and Writing Center.
- Music Center is the home for many performing arts studies at Concordia. Offices for the music department are located here as well as a number of practice rooms equipped with pianos and organs. In 2008, a new Casavant Freres pipe organ was installed in the recital hall, Heine Hall, along with a new Steinway piano. A computer lab provides music students with software for composition. A black box theater in the basement of the center serves as a venue for intimate theatrical performances throughout the year.
- The Osten Observatory houses a Meade LX-200 16” telescope in a Sirius Observatories 10-foot fiberglass dome. Students and faculty host regular public viewing in the spring and fall, and use the Meade DSI CCD imager for photography and research.
- The newly-renovated Dunklau Center hosts classes in science, mathematics, and business. The building includes laboratories for physics, biology, and chemistry with state-of-the-art equipment. The building also contains a greenhouse as well as a cadaver lab for the study of human anatomy.
- Thom Leadership Education Center includes many state of the art classrooms along with an auditorium, computer labs, and the offices of the education department.
- Walz Human Performance Complex and the Physical Education Building are home to athletics and the health and Human Performance department. Facilities include locker rooms, weight rooms, laundry and training facilities, a gymnasium and 2,000 seat arena, and a 200-meter indoor track and field house.
- Weller Hall is the administrative center of campus as it houses the business, marketing, admissions, financial service, and human resource departments. The offices of the provost and university president are also located in Weller. An auditorium hosts daily chapel services as well as theatrical productions. Weller also provides several classrooms for instruction.
Academics
The university is organized into three school—the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, and the College of Graduate Studies. Concordia University, Nebraska is a fully accredited institution, accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The teacher education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation ; music programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music ; and the institution's business program is accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education.Undergraduate
Concordia awards bachelor's degrees 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 Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Pre-seminary and pre-deaconess 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 Lincoln, Neb.Student life
Residence halls
There are currently 11 residence halls on the university's Seward campus. These dorms are separated by gender, with the exclusion of Jonathan Hall. The following is a list of the current Residential Halls:The dormitories are supervised by resident assistants and resident coordinators who are overseen by the Student Life Office.
Student government
The university's student senate is composed of one senator elected by their floor peers to represent their respective dorm floor. A proportionate number of senators are elected to represent students who live off campus, and a representative for the Student Activities Committee and Student Worship Committee. The president, vice president, secretary and treasurer are elected at-large from the entire student body. All official student groups also have a vote and their university funding is tied to attendance at the weekly meetings.Extracurricular activities
Over 30 clubs and organizations exist on campus for students to participate in, 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. The "Curtain Club" provides students with a medium of expression through drama. The Student Activity Committee organizes multiple events for the student body throughout the year, including concerts, comedy shows, free movies, bowling nights and the popular Spring Weekend. Concordia also runs a Speech and Debate team coached by Joesph Davis as of October 2018.Traditions
Concordia hosts a number of traditions throughout the year.- Christmas at Concordia is an annual worship service during the first weekend in December. University musical ensembles perform as well as joining the congregation of St. John Lutheran Church in Seward, where the event is held. Four services are held throughout the weekend and tickets are required, but free.
- LAUNCH is the orientation period for new students held in August. It features the "O-show", in which particulars of Concordia life are satirically portrayed.
- The "Naked Man" Run is an annual tradition held on the first snow of the year or early winter, during which students gather in Dorcas Hall and run wearing minimal clothing to the Son of Man, Be Free sculpture, or "The Naked Man," at the center of campus. Once there, the students form snow angels before retreating.
- Spring Weekend is the most prominent weekend at Concordia. The Student Activities Council organizes events in which teams compete. Historically, mud-volleyball and bed racing were part of the events but have since seen many changes. Popular events include the Lip-sync and sync-swim, in which students perform choreographed programs in child-sized pools.
- The Winter JazzFest and The Spring JazzFest are annual concerts featuring the Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz Vocal Choir. Various styles from the twentieth century are featured in the concert, from 20s jazz to 70s funk.
- Concordia Nebraska also hosts the "Gathering of the Talents" festival for elementary and middle school students from across the nation to experience artistic workshops.
The arts
Music
Concordia has more than a dozen vocal and instrumental faculty-led ensembles open to students:- The University A Cappella choir, directed by Dr. Kurt von Kampen, was founded in 1939. The 70+ member choir performs both sacred and secular pieces of music and regularly makes national and international tours.
- Chamber Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensemble are 16 member choirs composed of students selected from the A Cappella choir. The choir regularly tours and sings a diverse array of music. It is directed by Dr. Kurt von Kampen.
- University Symphonic Band is composed of wind and percussion students through audition. It performs multiple times a semester at schools, churches and performance halls. The group is directed by Dr. Andrew Schultz.
- Male Chorus is a male vocal ensemble directed by Paul M. Soulek. The group performs several times a semester at chapel and church services as well as a culminating concert ending each semester. The group does not require an audition for entrance but uses one for placement for TTBB pieces.
- Women's Chorale, like the Male Chorus, performs throughout the semester both secular and sacred music and is directed by Dr. Jeffrey Blersch.
- University Jazz Ensemble conducted by Dr. Andrew Schultz is dedicated to the performance of instrumental jazz music. The group performs throughout the semester providing a winter and spring concert as well as swing music for the homecoming dance in October. Entrance is by audition.
- Concordia Brass Ensemble rehearses several hours each week and is directed by Dr. Wendy Schultz.
- Handbell choirs are directed by Jessica Kite and offer both Beginning and Advanced sections to students depending on experience and ability.
- Chamber Orchestra was restarted in 2011. The group includes strings, wind, brass and percussion students and community members desiring to play a classical repertoire.
- University Praise Bands perform contemporary Christian music at chapel services and makes trips to various special events.
- Bulldog Band is the university's pep band ensemble. It performs at home football, basketball and spirit events and travels for the annual Concordia Invitational Tournament. It is directed by Dr.. Andrew Schultz.
Theatre
Visual arts
Concordia's art students publicly exhibit their artwork at the on-campus Marxhausen Gallery of Art for both the Annual Student Art Exhibition and the Bachelor of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition. 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.Athletics
Concordia Nebraska athletic teams are known as the Bulldogs, and are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field, and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, dance/cheer, cross country, dance, golf, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. The university also has many intramural sports.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 and Concordia University, Ann Arbor.The school mascot is the Bulldog.
Softball
Concordia's softball team appeared in two Women's College World Series in 1970 and 1971.Notable 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
- Mary Ann Hanusa - Iowa state representative from the 16th District since 2011
- Alice Hausman - Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Amanda Husberg - Composer of hymns
- Robert Sylwester - Emeritus professor of education at the University of Oregon and recipient of awards for cognitive neuroscience research