The Lutheran Advantage

News from our Concordia Universities

Welcome to "The Lutheran Advantage," an e-journal of the latest news across the Concordia University System.

Russell P. Dawn, President of

Concordia University, Chicago

A Mission-Driven

Lutheran University

Concordia University Chicago is a Christ-centered Lutheran university where truth, freedom, and vocation form students for lives of influence and service for the common good.

This vision statement has been guiding the footsteps of Concordia-Chicago since 2020. It fundamentally informs our lives together, from the chapel to the playing field, and from the classroom to the dorm room. Every Concordia-Chicago student should graduate having been formed by the pursuit of truth, equipped for a life of responsible freedom, and inspired to live for others in vocations of service.

We are the original Concordia, and at the core of our Lutheran identity is that we are an agency of the Synod whose central task is to train workers for the Church. With that core in mind, we recently introduced the Prepared to Serve Church Professional Guarantee. This program guarantees a ceiling of $5,000 in annual tuition and required fees for all new church work students. Whether the student selects our Pre-seminary program, our Director of Christian Education major, our Director of Parish Music program, the Synod’s only undergraduate Deaconess Studies program, our 161-year-old Lutheran Teacher Education major, or our one-year-old Classical Lutheran Educator program, the guaranteed annual maximum for tuition and fees is $5,000. Check it out at cuchicago.edu/prepared-to-serve.

Concordia-Chicago’s Christian mission is also fundamental to who we are and what we do. Beyond church work, we offer over 40 undergraduate and 60 graduate majors across four colleges. About 4,500 students engage in the formation and preparation we offer at the Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral levels, and 400 of those students partake of the character formation available through our 19 men’s and women’s athletics programs. We delight in the Lord’s work through us as a mission school, bringing the light of biblical and natural truth to young people from Cook County, across the country, and around the world.

We provide many students with their first ever exposure to Scripture and the Western intellectual tradition. God brings His harvest into our midst, and our outstanding faculty and staff step into the mission field every day. Indeed, our faithful students wake up in that mission field each morning. To better equip those students to give reason for the hope within them, we’re excited to inaugurate our Apologetics Boot Camp this August. You can learn about it here.

And finally, no introduction to Concordia-Chicago would be complete without a mention of our music programs and ensembles. Our heritage in church music is unrivaled, boasting such luminaries of liturgy and hymnody as Hillert, Schalk, and Starke, to name only a few. Our ensembles continue to inspire, bringing harmonic beauty and the eternal goodness of God’s Word together for audiences near and far.

This is Concordia University Chicago, or at least a thumbnail sketch of it. For almost six years, it has been my daily honor to be part of the exciting work that God is doing here. It’s a great time to be at Concordia-Chicago. Join us and see for yourself!

Russell P. Dawn, DPhil, JD

President, Concordia University Chicago

From our Campuses

Concordia University Chicago

Dr. Bayens Publishes Children's Book

The Nicene Creed: Illustrated for Families is a children’s book that teaches the words of the Nicene Creed through simple explanations and beautiful illustrations.

Learn More

Patriotic Pops Concert

The entire community is invited to the University Band's annual Patriotic Pops outdoor summer concert. This is a family-friendly event featuring pop hits, Broadway and movie favorites, and a patriotic sing-along. Don't miss this summer CUC tradition!

The University Band is conducted by Dr. Richard Fischer. Please bring your own chair and picnic supplies.

June 28, 6:30 PM - The Pillars Lawn
Free admission
Free parking - Parking structure on Bonnie Brae Place
More information.

Jump Start Orientations Begin in June

Download the Jump Start Brochure

Concordia University Irvine

Theology at the Bedside: CUI Trains Nurses in Holistic Healing

For nurses, medical care often involves spiritual questions and ethical considerations. To better equip them for the reality of interacting with patients and their families, Concordia University Irvine includes an extra dimension of theological and ethical training to its popular Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program through three required courses: Bioethics, Foundations of Christian Theology, and History and Literature of the New Testament.

The result: nursing professionals who serve patients with greater confidence and spiritual depth in critical moments.

“A nurse is right in between a physician and a pastor, is how I put it,” says Dr. Mark Brighton ’81, who designed two of the three required courses. “What I try to accomplish with these courses is to give students a sense of vocation under Christ; to be involved in the healing and strengthening of their patients; to give them a larger worldview of what they do — not just taking blood pressure and giving shots and being a doctor’s assistant, but understanding that they as a nurse are involved in holistic healing.”

Read the Full Article

Concordia University, Nebraska

Concordia Nebraska Launches Targeted Teacher Recruitment Initiative

To address the nationwide teacher shortage and fulfill accreditation requirements, the Concordia University, Nebraska education department recently launched a targeted teacher recruitment initiative.

“Research and student feedback consistently demonstrate the profound influence of former teachers on career choices, particularly during the formative middle school years. Recognizing this, we developed a program to encourage students in Lutheran schools to consider teaching as a vocation,” said Dr. Keith Kerschen, associate professor of education and director of data and assessment for Concordia Nebraska.

To date, this program has involved sending personalized "here’s why you’d make an incredible teacher" notecards to middle school teachers in Lutheran schools across eight states—Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado and Kansas. The notecards, designed for both male and female students, include space for teachers to write personalized messages highlighting each student's potential as an educator. In the first phase of this initiative, materials were distributed to 89 schools, reaching 258 teachers and 516 students.

“Our department has been looking at different ways to recruit and encourage more students to consider teaching as a vocation,” added Kerschen. “Currently, there is a national teacher shortage in both public and Lutheran schools. During interviews with our students on this subject, we have found the important role that their former teachers play in encouraging them to consider becoming a teacher themselves.”

The teacher recruitment program has received positive feedback from participating teachers, many of whom are Concordia University, Nebraska alumni. This initiative aligns with the university’s Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) requirements, which mandates a data-driven recruitment strategy that reflects the university’s mission.

“By analyzing data from our current education students and national research, we created a program designed to encourage the next generation of educators. Our goal is to continue this program and explore expanding it to Lutheran schools in additional states,” said Kerschen. “Many of our students can name a teacher who either inspired or encouraged them to become a teacher too. Using this information and our Lutheran school partners, we decided to build on these findings. Our hope is that through this process, we can build on the important role teachers in the field play in recruiting and mentoring future educators.”

Concordia University St. Paul

Degrees Conferred

Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, conferred degrees upon more than 1,050 graduates during spring commencement ceremonies in St. Paul, Portland, and Denver. The University also conferred honorary degrees upon Rev. Dr. Mike Middendorf, Trabuco Canyon, California, and Rev. Dr. Nabil Nour, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In honor of their contributions to the Church, CSP presented its Aeterna Moliri award to Rev. Jim & Karen Laatsch of Lodi, Wisconsin.

Concordia University Wisconsin

Concordia’s School of Pharmacy Once Again Surpasses National Residency Match Rates

Concordia University Wisconsin’s School of Pharmacy (CUWSOP) continues its tradition of excellence with its latest residency match rates data surpassing national averages for the eighth year in a row.

For Phase I of the 2025 residency match, 88 percent of CUWSOP students who pursued Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) residencies successfully matched, outpacing the national PGY1 match average by seven points. Additionally, CUW’s Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) candidates achieved an impressive 90 percent residency match rate, well above the national PGY2 average of 76 percent.

“These results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, as well as the unwavering commitment of our faculty and staff to prepare them for real-world success,” said Erik Jorvig, PhD, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “We are proud to see our graduates continually rise to meet and exceed national expectations, earning placements at top-tier residency programs across the country.”

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) oversees the National Resident Matching Program, which pairs pharmacy graduates with postgraduate residency programs. The process provides an impartial and balanced system for applicants and programs alike, ensuring an equitable match based on mutual preference.

The benefits of residencies

Pharmacy residencies are optional but highly sought-after postgraduate experiences for licensed pharmacists. These programs provide advanced training in patient care, project management, leadership, and teaching under the guidance of seasoned pharmacy professionals. Residencies, which typically last one to two years, are increasingly viewed as essential for pharmacists who aspire to serve in clinical roles, leadership positions, or specialized practice areas.

CUWSOP students not only outperformed the national average, they demonstrated a strong commitment to serving local communities. A significant portion of Concordia’s 2025 residency matches will see graduates remain in Wisconsin, with the remainder accepting placements at programs spanning across the Midwest and beyond.

Match rates pad accomplishments

These match results build upon CUWSOP’s growing list of accomplishments. Concordia’s graduates consistently post above-average scores on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), demonstrating the program’s ability to prepare practice-ready pharmacists who excel both academically and professionally.

This year, 82 percent of Concordia pharmacy students passed the NAPLEX on their first attempt, which puts CUW in the top third of schools nationally. The CUW class of 2024’s NAPLEX pass rate was above that of multiple pharmacy schools in the region, including six out of seven programs in Illinois, Purdue University in Indiana, University of Iowa, and University of Minnesota Twin Cities. CUW also beat out its local competitor, The Medical College of Wisconsin.

“We are blessed to be part of a university that supports a mission-driven, student-focused approach to healthcare education,” added Jorvig. “Whether our graduates pursue residencies, community practice, or leadership roles, we are committed to helping them realize their God-given purpose in service to patients and communities.”