wfn.org | LCMS Colleges and Seminaries Post Record Enrollments

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
Board for Communication Services

LCMSNews -- No. 85
November 8, 2001

Colleges, sems post
record enrollments;
LCMS numbers rise

By Joe Isenhower Jr.

Enrollment totals for Synod colleges, universities and seminaries are at a 
record high and the number of LCMS students at the 10 colleges and 
universities continues to rise, according to reports for the beginning of 
the 2001-2002 academic year.

Total enrollment for the 10 schools and the two seminaries stands at 16,304 
(615 more than a year ago), and the number of Missouri Synod students 
enrolled at the colleges totals 4,763 (90 more than last year).

The Synod's Board for Higher Education/ Concordia University System 
(BHE/CUS) offices in St. Louis compiled enrollment and other data from the 
schools and released it in a "Statistical Report" document last month.

Dr. William F. Meyer, BHE executive director and CUS president, attributed 
the rise in the number of LCMS students primarily to activity in the "For 
the Sake of the Church" emphasis. That effort seeks to double the number of 
Synod students at LCMS colleges and universities in the 12-year period 
ending in 2011.

"It's obvious to me that For the Sake of the Church' continues to be a 
major contributor for the increase of the number of LCMS students at our 
schools, just as it was last year," Meyer said, "and it continues to build 
momentum."

"In the past year," he said, "there has been more intentional effort from 
throughout the church to identify prospective students."

For instance, Meyer noted that 153,000 names of prospective LCMS students 
were gathered from college and university recruiters, pastors, teachers, 
parents, the Lutheran Women's Missionary League and others, and presented 
to this year's Synod convention as part of the "For the Sake of the Church" 
report.

"What a marvelous show of support that was," Meyer said.

This school year, there are 3,043 total church-work students at the 
colleges and universities, five fewer than a year ago.  The number of pre 
seminary students at the schools stands at 446, up 44 from last year and 99 
more than two years ago.

Of the 10 colleges and universities, all but two reported enrollment 
increases. Last year, all showed increases.

Their enrollments (including undergraduate and graduate students) are as 
follows:

Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich, 468 (down 36 from last year); 
Concordia University, Austin, Texas, 937 (up 83); Concordia College, 
Bronxville, N.Y., 672 (up 62); Concordia University, Irvine, Calif., 1,391 
(up 127); Concordia University, Mequon, Wis., 4,810 (up 207); Concordia 
University, Portland, Ore., 1,054 (up 14); Concordia University, River 
Forest, Ill., 1,970 (up 70); Concordia College, Selma, Ala., 758 (up 226); 
Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn., 1,773 (down 155); and Concordia 
University, Seward, Neb., 1,369 (up 3).

The dramatic increase of students for Concordia, Selma, is due in large 
part to five new extension centers the college opened this fall in 
surrounding communities. Evelyn Pickens, the college's director of 
enrollment management, said that those centers offer core courses leading 
to liberal arts degrees.

The current combined enrollment at the two seminaries is 1,002 (14 more 
than a year ago).  Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, reports 
enrollment at 401 (down 15); and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis reports 601 
students (up 29).

Both seminaries have 199 new resident students enrolled in master of 
divinity and alternate route programs -- 29 fewer than a year ago.

The number of church-work students (other than pre-seminary)   enrolled at 
the CUS schools is as follows: Lutheran teacher, 1,878 (up 26); director of 
Christian education, 402 (up 28); director of Christian outreach, 38 (up 
5); deaconess, 28 (down 5); lay ministry, 16 (down 7); director of parish 
music, 16 (down 7); and director of family-life ministry (a new category), 
48.

The current enrollment figures take into account a resolution passed at 
this year's Synod convention specifying that several categories of students 
previously considered to be church-work students should no longer be 
counted as such.  They include parish nurse, social worker and parish 
worker categories.  The "Statistical Report" from the BHE/CUS offices notes 
that 108 students are enrolled in those programs this fall.

"That needs to be taken into consideration when comparing the number of 
church-work students to those of last year," said Dr. Alan Borcherding, 
director of university education for the BHE/CUS.

Those enrolled in the seminaries' programs are: master of divinity, 691 (up 
39 from last year); alternate route, residential, 70 (down 10); alternate 
route by Distance Education Leading to Ordination, 69 (up 18); and graduate 
students, 140 (down 4). An additional 32 seminary students are not enrolled 
in a specific program.

There is a considerable range in comparing tuition and room-and-board costs 
at the CUS schools, according to this year's report. The lowest of the 
costs for both is $10,054 at Selma, and the next lowest is $17,770 at 
Seward.  The highest combined tuition and room-and-board cost is $22,400 at 
Bronxville, followed by $22,066 at irvine.

As in recent years, between 60 and 80 percent of the students at the 10 
colleges and universities receive some type of financial aid, Meyer said.

At the seminaries, Concordia, Fort Wayne's combined tuition and room 
and-board figure is $15,546, and at St. Louis it is $17,566. However, both 
seminaries continue to guarantee financial aid for students so that they do 
not experience debt from tuition costs.

*************************************

LCMSNews is published by the News and Information Division, Board for 
Communication Services, of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Free 
subscriptions to this service are available by sending an electronic mail 
message to mailserv@crf.cuis.edu, containing only the words SUBSCRIBE 
LCMSNEWS in the body of the message. To unsubscribe, send only the message 
UNSUBSCRIBE LCMSNEWS to the same mailserv address. For more information, 
contact Joe Isenhower Jr. via e-mail at joe.isenhower@lcms.org, or by phone 
at (314) 996-1231.

*************************************