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| Concordia University-Ann Arbor Holds 2004 Graduation Ceremonies |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ann Arbor, MI/April 30, 2004 – Ninety-nine seniors and twenty-two graduate students will participate in Concordia University-Ann Arbor’s 2004 graduation activities. On Friday, May 7, the traditional Baccalaureate Service will be held in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity. The Spring Commencement ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 8th at 10 a.m.
Rev. John Arthur Nunes, recipient of the Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree, will deliver the commencement address. Rev. Nunes is a 1985 graduate of Concordia College, Ann Arbor, majoring in Religious Studies. Nunes received a Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Currently he serves as the Visiting Professor of Urban Studies at Concordia College-New York and is the pastor of St. Paul Church (LCMS) in Dallas, TX. He sits on a variety of national boards, including the editorial board of Acton Institute’s Religion and Liberty, Lutherans for Life, and Wheat Ridge Ministries. Nunes authored Voices from the City (1999); he writes and speaks widely on topics of urban mission, social theology and youth ministry. Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, John is married to Monique (nee Odom), a 1997 Concordia University grad. She is an early childhood educator for the Dallas public school system. They have four children.
Rev. Robert Roegner receives the Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree. Rev. Roegner is the Executive Director for the Board of Mission Services (LCMS World Mission). A native of Detroit, Michigan, he attended Concordia Junior College in Ann Arbor, received an Associate Degree in 1974, and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 at Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, graduating cum laude. He is a 1981 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne receiving a Master of Divinity degree and graduating summa cum laude.
Rev. Roegner served as an evangelistic missionary and church planter among the Kisi Nation in Liberia, West Africa. He also served as Missionary Counselor for the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Liberia. In February 1990, Rev. Roegner became Area Secretary for Africa, Europe and the Middle East for the Board of Mission Services of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In December 1995, he became the Executive Director of Lutheran Bible Translators in Aurora, Illinois. On May 1, 1999, Rev. Roegner became the Senior Pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and School in Westwood, New Jersey. He began his duties as Executive Director of the Board for Mission Services (LCMS World Mission) on January 1, 2002. Rev. Roegner was married in August 1975 to Kristi Carol (nee Sandman) and their marriage has been blessed with four children.
Dr. Elizabeth Birr Moje (AA ’83) receives the Distinguished Alumna award. This award honors a graduate of Concordia for reflecting in their life and career the values upon which the college is founded. Dr. Moje is an Associate Professor of Educational Studies in the Literacy, Language, and Culture unit at the University of Michigan, where she teaches courses in literacy, cultural theory, and qualitative research methods.
Moje began her career in education as a high school history and biology teacher. After 7 years of classroom teaching, she obtained an MA in Reading Education (EMU) and a PhD in Literacy and Language (Purdue University). Her first faculty position was at the University of Utah; she joined the University of Michigan faculty in 1997. Moje's research includes the study of literacy as a tool for learning in academic disciplines and, more recently, research on the unsanctioned literacy and other social practices of "marginalized" adolescents in and out of school. Moje's "Making Makin' It Possible" project, funded by the William T. Grant Foundation, examines how young people's literacy learning and practices are situated in social, physical, cultural, and political spaces of a predominantly Latino/a community. In addition, Moje works on the development of scientific literacy practices in collaboration with the Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education (hi-ce), funded by the National Science Foundation. She is the author and editor of two books: Constructions of Literacy: Studies of Teaching and Learning in and Out of Secondary Schools, and All the Stories That We Have: Adolescents' Insights About Literacy and Learning in Secondary Schools. Dr. Moje was recently named Arthur Thurnau Professor at the University of Michigan.
Richard and Nancy Challis will receive the Christus Primus, awarded for lifetime commitment to Christ as exemplified by service to the church and the community.
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Richard Challis served 36 years as an employee of Michigan Bell Telephone. In 1989, he joined the staff of Concordia University – Ann Arbor in development where he contributed significantly to the growth of the institution’s endowment program. Mr. Challis has provided great service to his church in leadership roles in the Michigan District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) including the Mission and Ministry Commission, the Board of Directors, and the Scholarship Committee. He also served as Michigan SE District President of the International Lutheran Layman’s League from 1982-1986, and as a Regional Governor from 1973-1977. Mr. Challis was recognized by the Lutheran Luncheon Club of Detroit as Lutheran Layman of the Year in 1987.
Nancy Challis has also served the church in a number of leadership positions including the Board of Directors of the Michigan District LCMS, and the Michigan District Lutheran Women’s Missionary League where she held the position of President from 1988-1992. She continues to serve as Vice President Large Print and on the Board of Directors for the Lutheran Braille Workers – a ministry for which she and Mr. Challis share a passionate commitment.
Mr. And Mrs. Challis currently reside at The Lutheran Haven in Oviedo, Florida. Their son David and his wife Pamela live in Chicago along with their three grandchildren.
Concordia University – Ann Arbor is a liberal arts institution of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. With a distinctly Christian environment and an academic community dedicated to excellence, Concordia offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its four schools – School of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, Haab School of Business and Management, and School of Adult and Continuing Education. Concordia University is accredited by NCA, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and was among the first colleges to be accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) under the new 2000 standards.
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