Concordia News

The 2012 Homecoming and Alumni Reunion celebration at Concordia was Oct. 12-14. Aside from hundreds of former Concordians returning to Seward, most activities were open to the public as well. Visit cune.edu/homecoming for more information.

Molly Fitzke, Concordia’s assistant professor of nursing, was honored as a recipient of the “40 under 40” award by the Nebraska Action Coalition at a reception on Sept. 13, held at Bryan LGH Health Center in Lincoln, Neb.

Very few people understand the horror that Andrew Bowers has seen. In a few minutes this summer he witnessed actions so dark they are almost unimaginable. On July 20, a gunman opened fire inside an Aurora, Colo., movie theater in which Bowers, a Concordia men’s basketball student-athlete, sat down with his girlfriend and two friends to watch the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. The tragic shooting left 12 dead, 58 injured and many more with emotional scarring.

Music faculty at Concordia performed in the fall Faculty Showcase Recital on Sept. 23. The concert, held in the recital hall in the Music Center, featured a variety of musical styles, vocal and instrumental performances.

Concordia’s art department is offering Saturday morning sessions for elementary students to learn about and create art. The sessions are taught by students majoring in elementary education and art department staff.

Concordia hosted “Judgment and Grace: The Story of Noah from the Collection of Carl Rehwaldt” in the Marxhausen Gallery of Art Sept. 30-Nov. 2, with an opening reception Oct. 7.

The IMPROVables are at it again with a whole new grab bag of laughs. Concordia’s improvisational comedy troupe gave its first performance of the fall semester on Friday, Sept. 28.

On Sept. 28 many Concordia students gave up the comfort of their beds to sleep outside and provide a bed net to someone at risk of contracting malaria in another part of the world. The night under the stars, known as “Fight the Night,” kicked off a Lutheran Malaria Initiative campaign on Concordia’s campus.

Two students from Concordia traveled to Tanzania, Africa, July 23 - Aug. 1, as part of Lutheran World Relief’s Lutheran Malaria Initiative.

Nearly 10,000 children and adults from across the Midwest celebrated reading as part of the 17th annual Plum Creek Children’s Literacy Festival Sept. 20-22 on the Concordia campus. The festival connected youth and adults with nationally acclaimed authors and illustrators to encourage literacy and education.

The Concordia Board of Regents welcomed two new members Aug. 7. Rev. Eugene Gierke of Seward and Dr. Andrew Stadler of Columbus were elected to serve on the board during the Nebraska District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod convention in June.

The celestial bodies were visible through Concordia’s Osten Observatory during its three open houses this fall. The observatory was open to the public the evenings of Sept. 6, Oct. 4 and Nov. 1.

Concordia’s “Weekend of Welcome” for new students, part of the orientation program at the university, took place Aug. 24-26. The weekend was designed to help students get to know each other, the Concordia community and Seward.

The 119th academic year of Concordia University, Nebraska officially began at an evening worship service on Sunday, Aug. 26, at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward.

The Plum Creek Literacy Festival at Concordia hosted “The Original Art Show: Celebrating the Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration” Aug. 27-Sept. 28, at the Marxhausen Gallery of Art on campus. An opening reception for the exhibit was held Sept. 9.

A group of nearly three dozen Concordia students, alumni and friends embarked on a 15-day study tour to the Holy Land June 6. The tour, led by Dr. Mark Meehl, professor of theology, included visits to Galilee, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem.

A group of Concordia students traveled north to Canada as part of an Arctic study tour June 13-25. Led by Dr. Joseph Gubanyi, professor of biology, the group examined northern ecosystems and studied plants and animals of the region.

“Darkness Broken,” a nine by nine-foot stained glass window, traveled to Baltimore, Md., from Seward, Neb. The Center for Liturgical Art at Concordia worked for more than a year on the window, which was installed on the top floor of the Lutheran Center, six stories off the ground.

Concordia introduced The Concordia Graduation Commitment, a program to help students graduate within four years or on a timeline they help set. If students follow their personalized graduation plans but are unable to graduate on time, Concordia will cover the cost of any additional courses they need to graduate.

Concordia’s P.E. Building, used before the $24 million Walz Human Performance Complex was dedicated in 2009, underwent major renovations this summer.