History of Concordia
Concordia University, Nebraska has been equipping students for service in God's church and world since the doors opened on Nov. 18, 1894, with one professor, 13 students and a three-year high school curriculum. More than 125 years later, Concordia has grown into a fully accredited, coeducational university offering more than 75 programs and has granted degrees to tens of thousands of students.
Founding and Early Years, 1894 - 1924
In 1893, a resolution by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod authorized the establishment of a teacher education facility in Nebraska. Several towns vied for the honor of hosting the school. However, four individuals from St. John Lutheran Church in Seward, Nebraska—Hermann Diers, O. E. Bernecker, J. F. Goehner and Peter Goehner—successfully advocated for Seward's selection by the synod. Their persuasion included an offer of 20 acres of land and $8,000.
On the afternoon of November 18, 1894, the newly established "Evangelische-Lutherische Schullehrer-Seminar" (the Evangelical Lutheran School Teachers Seminary) was dedicated. J. George Weller, the pastor of the Lutheran church in Marysville, Nebraska, was appointed as the inaugural director and instructor. Classes commenced on November 20 with 13 students, boarded, fed and taught within the sole campus building (now known as Founders Hall).
Initially, students received three years of high school instruction. In 1905, the academic curriculum expanded with two more years of college studies. By 1908, a fourth year of high school was integrated into the program.
With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the school, which taught classes primarily in German, faced significant anti-German sentiment by the local populace. In a demonstration of their American pride, the school changed the language of all its classes to English and constructed a 100 ft flagpole, said to be the tallest in the county.
After the war, the school was accredited as a junior college and became co-ed in 1919 although women boarded with families off-campus.
Concordia Teachers College, 1924 – 1998
Look long enough and you may still find the initials CTC stamped on objects around campus. Concordia Teachers College was the school’s official name for more than 50 years. The “Teachers” was gradually dropped from recruitment materials as the curriculum expanded to include DCE and pre-seminary program.
The first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1940. The school became an accredited four-year institution in the late 1940s. In 1959, Concordia became the first of the LCMS schools to be accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.
The university continued to grow and expand its programs and building, including science labs, a large library and multiple residence halls. Business, art, science and health-related programs were added. Graduate programs were added in 1968.
Concordia University, Nebraska, 1998 - Present
The college became part of the newly established Concordia University System in 1995, and became a university in 1998.
With the launch of innovative new programs, state-of-the-art buildings and an ever-present dedication to the mission established in 1894, Concordia continues to grow and thrive.
