History

Concordia University was founded in 1893 to provide a Christian learning environment for high school students preparing to enter the professional ministries of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In the ensuing decade, Concordia continued to grow, adding a fourth year of high school and by 1921 had added the freshman and sophomore college years. The change made it possible for Concordia High School students to remain at their high school alma mater to complete their first two years of college work before transferring to a Concordia senior college where they would finish their studies in the church professions or teaching.

Concordia College admitted its first class of female students in fall 1950 – much to the delight of the young men on campus and to the dismay of coeducational opponents who predicted a significant drop in academic achievement. Despite this new "distraction," students continued to excel in their studies. Concordia entered a decade of intense expansion and growth. The college began granting Associate in Arts degrees in 1951 and earned accreditation as a two-year college in 1959.

Concordia expanded its curriculum in 1962 to include a four-year college degree and awarded its first Bachelor of Arts degrees two years later. By 1967, Concordia had earned accreditation for its four-year liberal arts program, which allowed the college to join the Minnesota Private College Council. At this time, Concordia High School officially separated itself from the college, moved to its suburban location and adopted its new name, Concordia Academy.

Concordia responded to a growing need for minority teachers in the public schools by forming Metropolitan Teacher Education Program Selection (M-TEPS), which enrolled African-American and other under-represented students in a program designed to supplement the curriculum with scholarship support, personal counseling, tutoring as needed, academic planning and similar services. The program was reformed in 1983 as the Southeast Asian Teacher (SEAT) Licensure Program, which serves Hmong and other minority populations in a similar fashion.

A major curricular development in 1985 changed the Minnesota education landscape forever with the formation of a pioneering program that allowed students to complete their B.A. degree in an accelerated format. In 1990, an accelerated M.A. program was added. The first of its kind in Minnesota, accelerated B.A., M.A. and M.B.A. programs represent more than half of the institution's enrollments.

As Concordia moved into the new millennium, the institution implemented a number of important changes that would reflect the changing needs of the students, the church and the community. Foremost among these was restructuring that enabled Concordia to become a university. In 1997, Concordia College became Concordia University, St. Paul, and adopted the semester system.

The University also developed its current mission and vision statements and refined its strategic priorities. Today, four colleges comprise Concordia University: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Organizational Leadership, College of Education, College of Vocation and Ministry.

In 1999, Concordia became the state’s first private university competing in NCAA Division II. Concordia University also was Minnesota’s first private, four-year institution to become a "laptop campus," providing a laptop computer to all full-time traditional students.

Concordia University continues to grow to meet the needs of students, the church and the community, while at the same time holding steadfast its historical values and mission.

Please contact Jody Ragan about content on this page last updated on September 24 2008.