12.13.2006 LCMS News
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod
December 13, 2006 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 83
Graduate programs push 'headcount' at Synod colleges to record high
By Paula Schlueter Ross
Thank God for graduate programs, which are continuing to draw ever-increasing numbers of students to the Synod's universities with each passing year.
This fall's total undergraduate and graduate enrollment of 20,091 for the 10 Concordia University System (CUS) schools nationwide sets another record and represents an increase of 1,522 students, or 8 percent, since last fall.
Like previous records set every year since 2002, this year's figure is due to the schools' burgeoning graduate-student enrollment -- 6,661 this year, an increase of 1,750 students or 36 percent.
In fact, without the graduate students, the total CUS headcount would be down, primarily because of demographics as the pool of college-age young people in the United States continues to shrink.
Total CUS enrollment for undergraduate students this fall stands at 13,430 -- a drop of 228 students, or 1.7 percent.
Dr. Kurt Krueger, executive director of the Synod's Board for University Education and president of the CUS, said he considers this year's enrollment news as "basically good."
"I'm very pleased with how our schools are growing and improving in the quality of the education they provide for our students," he said. "And I think we can look for even more growth and more improvement in years to come."
As far as attracting more students, offering graduate-level courses seems to be the key, Krueger said. Eight of the 10 CUS schools offer graduate programs and all saw increases in their graduate-student enrollment. Undergraduate enrollment fell in four of the eight schools, though.
"Having all these graduate students does give us a chance to promote our values and our Christian world view," Krueger noted. All CUS professors are Christian, he said, and he knows many have influenced their students -- both graduate and undergraduate.
All CUS undergraduate students are required to take theology courses, although graduate students are not, and those classes often pique a student's interest in Christianity, he said. Krueger pointed to a letter he received recently that was written by a former CUS student, a non-Lutheran, who is now serving as a missionary overseas.
"Because of those [CUS] theology classes, I reconsidered my faith and recommitted myself to Christian service," the former student wrote.
"These students are going to go someplace anyway [to earn their degrees]," Krueger added, "and if we can attract them to taking classes from Christian people, from a Christian university -- where they know full well what the mission is -- I think we can add value to their lives beyond their professional development and also have a hand in their spiritual development."
Leading the way in graduate programs among CUS schools is Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., which reported two enrollment records this fall -- 3,710 in total enrollment (a 33 percent increase) and 2,636 in graduate-student enrollment (up 50 percent).
In contrast, the school's undergraduate enrollment of 1,074 rose by just 4 percent.
Its graduate program is thriving, according to administrators, because it "takes its classes to the teachers" at more than 60 off-campus sites, mostly public elementary and high schools in the greater Chicago area.
"In other words, we are delivering quality education in a new way," says Dr. John F. Johnson, the university's president.
"This was one factor in adopting the name of 'Concordia University Chicago,''' Johnson said. "It is more descriptive of our sphere of operations and influence."
The CUS school "provides graduate credentials to more public school teachers than any other private college in the state of Illinois," according to Johnson, and plans to expand its "cohort" model to other locations and majors, including adding master's programs in gerontology and counseling.
"All of our graduate programs are consistent with our mission of equipping men and women to serve and lead in a diverse, interconnected, and increasingly urbanized church and world," he said.
But, tempering that rise in the number of graduate students is the dwindling number of church-work students at CUS schools, from 2,613 in fall 2005 to 2,406 this fall -- a drop of 207 students.
Only two of the 10 CUS institutions -- Concordia University, Austin, Texas, and Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn. -- saw increases in church-vocation enrollment this fall. Those increases were 43 students, and 6 students, respectively.
Since 2002, total CUS enrollment in church vocations has fallen steadily each year -- by 79 (2002 to 2003), 76 (2003 to 2004), 116 (2004 to 2005), and 207 (2005 to 2006).
That "steady slide" is the area of "most concern" to Krueger and the Synod's Board for University Education, he said, and will be discussed at the board's next meeting in February.
Why the drop?
One reason is that fewer children of church workers are pursuing church careers, according to Krueger. "Years ago, if an LCMS pastor had three sons, one would likely go into the ministry," he said. "My dad was a pastor and three of us -- out of four kids -- are in church work. That apparently is not happening anymore."
Krueger says these young people might be discounting church-work careers because they've seen their parents' work-related stress, or they view church vocations as low-paying professions.
Or, they choose a state college because they don't think they can afford the $18,000 to $21,000 per year tuition of a CUS school.
But "very few people pay $20,000 for tuition [at a CUS school] -- especially church-work students," says Krueger. "There are all kinds of scholarships available for students studying for church professions. And often times, attending a Concordia is as cheap as -- or cheaper than -- attending a four-year flagship state school, because of the scholarships available."
This year's 2,406 church-work students include 1,302 teachers (down 137), 368 pre-seminary (down 58), 420 directors of Christian education (up 16), 29 directors of Christian outreach (down 5), 27 deaconesses (down 6), 169 lay ministers (down 13), 31 directors of parish music (down 7), and 60 directors of family life ministry (up 3).
Also down is the number of LCMS students attending CUS schools -- that figure fell from 4,996 in 2005 to 4,878 this year, a drop of 118 students or 2 percent. The number of "other Lutherans" rose, though -- from 1,176 to 1,261, an increase of 85 students.
This fall's enrollments (including undergraduate and graduate students) at individual CUS schools are as follows:
* Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., 736 (an increase of 136 students, or 23 percent, over fall 2005).
* Concordia University at Austin, 1,266 (up 45, or 4 percent).
* Concordia College, Bronxville, N.Y., 752 (up 44, or 6 percent).
* Concordia University, Irvine, Calif., 2,317 (up 225, or 11 percent).
* Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, 5,574 (up 156, or 3 percent).
* Concordia University, Portland, Ore., 1,598 (up 92, or 6 percent).
* Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., 3,710 (up 927, or 33 percent).
* Concordia College, Selma, Ala., 841 (down 3, or .4 percent).
* Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn., 2,046 (down 23, or 1 percent).
* Concordia University Nebraska, Seward, 1,251 (down 77, or 6 percent).
Seminary enrollment
Total enrollment at the Synod's two seminaries combined is down slightly -- 1,181 last fall to 1,164 this year, a drop of 17 students, or 1 percent.
The total number of students enrolled in programs leading to ordination at both seminaries also has fallen -- from 893 last fall to 870 this year, for 23 fewer students or a 3 percent drop.
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, reported a total enrollment of 781 students (28 fewer than in 2005), with 574 students in master of divinity (M.Div.) and alternate-route programs leading toward ordination, a drop of 16 students.
Included in the total headcount at the St. Louis seminary are 494 M.Div. students, 80 "alternate-route" pastoral students, and 18 deaconesses.
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., reported a total fall 2006 headcount of 383 students (11 more than 2005), with 296 enrolled in programs leading toward ordination (seven fewer than last year).
Its student body includes 271 M.Div. students, 25 in alternate-route pastoral programs, and 27 deaconesses.
Dr. L. Dean Hempelmann, executive director of the Synod's Board for Pastoral Education, said the drop in the number of men studying to become pastors is "no cause for alarm" because the numbers do tend to fluctuate from year to year.
But he acknowledged that "there is a continuing need for more men to study for the pastoral office."
"With a zero growth factor, we need between 300 and 350 pastors per year to replenish those who leave the office" through normal attrition, such as deaths and retirements, he said.
By next June, the Synod's two seminaries are expected to certify a total of 248 new pastors -- 170 from St. Louis and another 78 from Fort Wayne -- according to Hempelmann.
"We need pastors," he said. "Recruitment and retention of church workers needs our prayers and our continuing support to identify people who might study for the pastoral ministry."
Hempelmann encouraged congregations to "maintain an environment in which we can retain those who have been prepared" for ministry.
And he urged current church workers and others involved in recruitment to relate the "joy that comes from service to God."
"There is tremendous joy that the Lord gives to us as we carry out our vocations to preach and teach the Gospel," he said. That "joy and happiness" can influence young people, he added, as they think about what they want to do with their lives.
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If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release, contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org <mailto:joe.isenhower@lcms.org> or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org <mailto:paula.ross@lcms.org> or (314) 996-1230.
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