PRESIDENT'S
message
Greetings from the President
“This magazine exists to tell the stories of our current students, our faculty and staff, and our alumni as they engage in their multiple vocations.”
Upon assuming the role of President and CEO in August of 2014, I thought I knew what I needed to know to do this job. The saying that “you don’t know what you don’t know,” however, is true. During these past months, there has been a lot of transition at CTX: a new executive team, new people as heads of some departments, a new (and almost completed) strategic plan, a wide-spread culture initiative, changes to how we think about our work, and the building and completion of our first-ever softball field. What I have come to realize is that we will always be in transition, both at Concordia and in our own personal lives. In the midst of new roles, in the midst of transition, and in the midst of life, we believe and trust that God is there beside us, even if we do not notice Him. The prophet Isaiah records God telling His people that when we walk through floods and fires, He will be with us, because He is the Lord our God and our Savior (Is. 43:2-3). Note the word when, not if. Concordia recently lost one of its longtime faculty as cancer took the life of Dr. Debra Allen, professor of history since 1993. Those students who had Dr. Allen as a professor remember her as someone with rigorous standards, high expectations, and as one who cared deeply about her students, their success, and their faith in Jesus Christ. We believe and trust that God was there, walking with her through the floods and fires, just as we believe that God is present in all of our lives. Concordia’s vision of being ‘the premier university where the adventure of faith, learning, and life-changing experiences leads to meaningful work’ assumes that the adventure will have its share of floods and fires. This magazine exists to tell the stories of our current students, our faculty and staff, and our alumni as they engage in their multiple vocations. We pray that you will join us by supporting the various programs and scholarship opportunities that allow more and more students to experience the adventure in a way that gives glory to God and serves the neighbor in our communities and churches. May God bless you on your own personal roller coaster of life.
Donald Christian PRESIDENT AND CEO
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CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY TEXAS