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	October 31, 2005 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 72

	'Headcount' at Synod colleges hits new record

	By Paula Schlueter Ross

	Total enrollment at the Synod's 10 Concordia University System
(CUS) schools continues to climb, and this fall's 18,569 for both
undergraduate and graduate programs sets a new record high, with nearly
1,000 more students than last fall.

	Like last fall's enrollment increase of about the same number of
students, this year's growth is due to the popularity of CUS graduate
programs, primarily for teachers. While the number of undergraduate
students rose by just 12 to 13,658, the number of graduate students
jumped by 971 to an unprecedented total of 4,911 -- an increase of 25
percent.

	Dr. William Meyer, retiring executive director of the Synod's
Board for University Education and past president of the CUS, calls the
trend a "national phenomenon."

	Undergraduate enrollments in the United States are expected to
continue falling through 2010, Meyer says, because of demographics --
there are simply fewer college-age young people. At the same time, the
number of graduate students keeps climbing, he said, because of a "shift
in emphasis in American education. Today, an undergraduate degree is not
enough. People -- and employers -- believe more education than high
school and college is needed. Subsequently, graduate education has
really increased."

	With advanced teaching degrees in demand, Meyer says the
Concordias are in an ideal position to fill the need "because we're
recognized for teacher education -- that's one of our main emphases."

	Concordia University, River Forest, Ill., saw a 20-percent
increase in students in fall 2004 -- after a 100-student drop the year
before -- because of a major push to recruit graduate students. In the
past year the school's enrollment has grown from 2,056 to 2,783 -- an
increase of 727 students, or 35 percent. It is the largest enrollment in
the school's 147-year history, say administrators.

	That dramatic growth -- nearly twice as many additional students
as all the other CUS schools combined -- is due to its wildly successful
graduate program, which "takes its classes to the teachers" at more than
40 off-campus sites, mostly public elementary and high schools.

	As a result, the number of students taking graduate courses
through the university has almost doubled -- from 922 last year to 1,751
this fall, an increase of 90 percent. Many are earning degrees that will
enable them to serve as administrators in public elementary and
secondary schools in Illinois.

	Concordia, River Forest, is the largest trainer of school
administrators in the state, according to President John F. Johnson. "We
feel that this successful program will benefit education in all of
Chicagoland as so many future administrators are being prepared by
Concordia," Johnson said.

	The growth in CUS graduate programs is "not only good but
necessary, if you want to remain viable," says Meyer. Another plus is
the "influence the schools have on American society," he says, since CUS
graduate programs require students to take religion. Because many of
those graduate students received their teacher certification at public
universities, they may be getting their very first lessons in
Christianity, making the graduate programs bonafide outreach tools,
according to Meyer.

	CUS schools also are looking at offering more courses online --
particularly those in the graduate programs -- and leaders from each of
the schools are expected to discuss how they can work together to
further that prospect during their annual meeting in early November,
Meyer said.

	Among other noteworthy aspects of this fall's CUS enrollment
figures:

	* The number of students studying for church careers is down by
137, or 5 percent, since fall 2004, continuing a four-year trend. This
year's 2,613 church-work students include 1,439 teachers, 426
pre-seminary, 404 directors of Christian education, 182 lay ministers,
57 directors of family life ministry, 38 directors of parish music, 34
directors of Christian outreach, and 33 deaconesses.

	Meyer cites the shrinking pool of high-school students in
general, combined with a reluctance on the part of today's young people
to choose what are typically low-paying careers in a "church body that
is divided by conflict."

	"Students are perceptive," he said. "When there's conflict in
the church, they're not about to gamble with something as vital in their
life as their future."

	* The number of LCMS students is down by 234 (5 percent) -- from
5,189 in fall 2004 to 4,955 this year. Again, Meyer cites demographics,
the declining ranks of young people. On the bright side, the number of
"unchurched" students grew in the past year, from 340 to 441 (up 101, or
30 percent), evidence that even non-Lutherans appreciate the value and
diversity of today's CUS schools, he said. Besides teacher education and
church careers, the Concordias offer degrees in business, science,
nursing, and other fields. The schools, once known strictly for their
church-work programs, are increasingly seen as "full-fledged
liberal-arts programs that also offer church-work programs," he said.

	This fall's enrollments (both undergraduate and graduate) at the
CUS schools are as follows:

	* Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., 600 (an increase of 3
students, or 1 percent, from fall 2004);

	* Concordia University at Austin, Texas, 1,221 (up 59, or 5
percent);

	* Concordia College, Bronxville, N.Y., 708 (down 15, or 1
percent);

	* Concordia University, Irvine, Calif., 2,092 (up 257, or 14
percent);

	* Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, 5,418 (up 23, or less
than 1 percent);

	* Concordia University, Portland, Ore., 1,506 (up 102, or 7
percent);

	* Concordia University, River Forest, Ill., 2,783 (up 727, or 35
percent);

	* Concordia College, Selma, Ala., 844 (down 61, or 7 percent);

	* Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn., 2,069 (down 148, or 7
percent);

	* Concordia University Nebraska, Seward, 1,328 (down 4, or less
than 1 percent).

	Tuition, including fees, varies among the schools -- from a low
of $9,200 at Concordia, Selma, to a high of $21,312 at Concordia, St.
Paul.

	Seminary enrollment

	Preliminary enrollment figures for the Synod's two seminaries
combined is down slightly -- from 1,216 last year to 1,181 this fall, a
drop of 35 students, or 3 percent.

	Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, reported an enrollment of 809
(down 18, or 2 percent). Included in that figure are 142 new students:
104 in the master of divinity program, 14 "alternate-route" pastoral
students, six deaconesses, and 18 Distance Education Leading to
Ordination (DELTO) students.

	At Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, total enrollment
is 372 (down 17, or 4 percent). Included are 85 new students: 64 M.Div.,
eight alternate-route, 12 deaconesses, and one DELTO.

	Dr. L. Dean Hempelmann, executive director of the Synod's Board
for Pastoral Education, characterized this year's seminary enrollments
as "steady" and said the slight drop is no cause for concern. "We have
again this year received a plentiful harvest of workers to study at our
seminaries in order to supply pastors for our church," Helmpelmann said.
"It continues to be a healthy picture. We thank God for His gifts."

	Tuition, with fees, stands at $18,900 per year for St. Louis,
and $15,411 for Fort Wayne. Both seminaries provide financial aid to
offset student-tuition costs, and most students receive aid from other
sources as well.

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

	If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release,
contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org or (314) 996-1231,
or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org or (314) 996-1230.

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

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