How many students attend Concordia?
Concordia University–Ann Arbor has a population of over 700 students; 65% are traditional undergraduate students. Of the traditional student population, 40% are from Lutheran backgrounds and approximately 20% are studying for church work careers.
Can CUAA be more affordable for the average family? What is Concordia doing to support church work students?
All students are eligible for financial assistance after they have full acceptance to the university. Concordia University–Ann Arbor’s annual tuition, room (double occupancy), and board is $26,290. After financial awards (scholarships, grants and loans), the average amount paid by students is $9,000. The university requires that students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after January 1. (Information based on 2006-2007 rates).
Equivalent costs for some Michigan public universities: Grand Valley State ($11,942), Michigan ($15,231), Michigan State ($12,898)), and Western Michigan ($11,561). Note: Concordia’s value-added features include personalized education (with encouragement by professors, chaplain, administration and staff), daily chapel, numerous spiritual formation and growth opportunities, and on-campus employment that further integrate students into campus life.
Does CUAA provide a distinctively Lutheran, Christ-centered education? Are future church workers given the theology and skills to succeed in ministry?
My courses seek to develop church and lay leaders who are humble people of prayer, continually meditating and contemplating on the Word in order to risk and experience all of life’s challenges, knowing that they are God’s forgiven children. We learn the humility of really listening to the Word, wrestling with how to communicate Christ with all ages and cultures. I view my role as that of an “academic evangelist.” (Rev. Dr. Richard Shuta, professor of Religion)
Concordia offers extensive theology courses – including Teaching the Christian Faith and Office of the Christian Teacher – are reinforced in teaching methods courses. Our personalized education allows us to model ministry, servant hood and good teaching practices for our students. In addition, our students have had 2-to-4 classes and twenty-plus hours of field work before applying to the school of education and the Lutheran Teacher diploma program. (Dr. Dennis Genig, Dean of the School of Education)
The Old Testament course begins with thorough training in principles of Biblical interpretation, involving such resources as CTCR documents and comparisons with other denominations. We then launch into a course I taught at the St. Louis Seminary, equipping students with the ability to know and tell the Old Testament story chronologically. Students will leave this course with a reference notebook and visual-physical memory of salvation history. My Biblical language courses “force” the future church workers to know the text in depth. (Rev. Phillip Penhallegon, professor of Religion)
CUAA recently developed service components and an extensive interview process for pre-seminary students under the leadership of Rev. Charles Schulz (professor of Religion).
