It’s the time of the year when many students and their parents are finalizing their choice of a college. While some will wait until late August (surprisingly), most families’ preference is to narrow the list of options by Christmas and then weigh the financial aid packages offered by each institution.
Just prior to Christmas I was talking with a young woman who is a sophomore in our School of Business. As the youngest of five children and a father who is an LCMS pastor, she had planned to attend a local technical college and live at home. She never thought that she could consider Concordia, despite the encouragement of an older sister who had.
With the support of her parents, she recalled how she prayed and asked God to guide her choice of where to attend school. After applying at Concordia, she received a significant scholarship because of her high academic achievement. Even that wasn’t enough, though, to make attendance possible. She continued to pray and asked God to make it clear to her where He wanted her.
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It wasn’t long until she received word that she would be the recipient of an endowment scholarship that closed her financial need gap. God is praised and we are blessed to have her as a student and wonderful ambassador, not just for Concordia, but more importantly for our Lord.
When it comes to financial aid and helping families afford a quality, Christ-centered education, we have been incredibly blessed at Concordia University Ann Arbor. During our more than fifty-year history, generous friends and supporters have established named endowments or contributed to already existing endowments. Today, these endowments total more than $8 million and bless hundreds of families each year. Because of the endowment scholarships, students are able to continue to grow in their faith and develop in mind, body, and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world.
While many schools can offer a good education, there are few that can provide excellence in academics in an environment that encourages and supports Christian faith. Without the benefit of endowments, this might not be possible today. But praise be to God who has worked in the hearts of so many supporters through the years to give them the foresight to build endowments at Concordia, in the Michigan District, and in some local congregations. We thank God and these supporters for their generous hearts and willingness to help keep Lutheran education affordable.
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