Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 121

2026 Convention Workbook
86 
OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
2023–25 Enrollment. The statistics for enrollment for the final 
months of the 2023–26 triennium were not available at the time of 
the publication deadline.
C.6. Tuition and Scholarships
Current (academic year 2025–26) tuition is $974 per course. 
The total cost of the eight courses is $7,292 before any scholarships 
are applied. CUEnet has received a generous scholarship grant that 
covers $400 per course for each student in the current academic 
year. Many students also receive scholarship assistance from their 
LCMS district and the ministry in which they are currently serving. 
Additional fees include $50 for the endorsement process and $172 
for the Logos library subscription. Tuition, scholarship amounts, 
and costs are subject to change.
Jamison J. Hardy, President
R14.1
Concordia University Chicago
Greetings and God’s blessings to all of you from Concordia 
University Chicago (CUC), President Dr. Russell P. Dawn, the 
board of regents, the executive cabinet, and other faculty and staff. 
We are grateful to share updates as we work together and rejoice, as 
this year’s theme reminds us, that Christ is risen indeed!
A. Introduction
Steadfast in Jesus Christ as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, 
CUC promotes academic rigor in its liberal arts and professional 
programs; grounds students in objective truth, integrity, and excel-
lence; and practices faithfulness to the confessional teachings of 
the Synod, as it forms students for vocations in church, family, and 
the world.
B. Goals
In alignment with and in support of Synod’s constitutional ob-
jectives (Const. Art. III), bylaw purpose (Bylaw section 1.1), and 
triennial priorities (2023 Res. 4-03, Proceedings , 136–37), CUC 
set the following goals in our strategic plan for 2026–28.
B.1. Enhance CUC’s reputation for academic 
excellence with Christ at the Center to drive 
enrollment and philanthropic engagement 
Critical to driving both enrollment and philanthropy, CUC will 
expand mission-aligned programming by strengthening Lutheran 
school and church pipelines, hosting faith-centered events, and 
integrating vocation-centered curricula and co-curricular support. 
Academically, the university will launch new mission-centric and 
high-demand programs, revise general education curricula to align 
with outcomes, and encourage students to participate in high-im-
pact practices and experiential learning. Concurrently, CUC will 
for church and school leaders to supplement sermons, Bible 
studies, conference presentations, and other educational ac-
tivities. The videos are drawn from five courses in particular: 
Old Testament (Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing and Dr. Mark Mee-
hl), New Testament (Rev. Dr. Michael Middendorf and Dr. 
Mark Meehl), Christian Doctrine (Rev. Dr. Joel Biermann), 
Lutheran Confessions (Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb), and Varieties 
of Belief (Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast and Dr. Adam Francisco). 
Gemstones 2.0 was reintroduced on October 1, 2025, with 
a completely new front end that makes it easier to browse the 
many videos available for viewing. Both searching and browsing 
by lecturer, collection, or topic is now possible. Hundreds of vid-
eos, largely drawn from CUEnet’s flagship colloquy program, are 
available at no cost to the congregations and schools of the LCMS, 
WELS, and ELS after completing an easy sign-up process.
C.5. Enrollment and Recruitment
CUEnet offers courses in a continuous format so that students 
may begin coursework throughout the year. In January 2026, 
CUEnet launched a pilot program offering all eight courses each 
month. This pilot program is designed to make it easier for students 
who may need to step away from coursework due to teaching or 
family obligations to reenter coursework at their convenience. Pre-
viously, they may have had to wait up to a month, or, in one unique 
circumstance, up to four months. CUEnet recognizes that her stu-
dents are busy teaching the children in their classrooms while they 
are taking their courses. This pilot program is one way to increase 
flexibility. The increased flexibility for students in the pilot pro-
gram also means it is now possible to begin teacher colloquy in any 
month the student becomes eligible.
CUEnet partnered with Set Apart to Serve (SAS) of the LCMS 
to develop a webinar on the teacher colloquy process. In October 
of 2025, CUEnet and SAS hosted a live webinar with over 100 par-
ticipants throughout the hour-long presentation. The webinar was 
recorded and is available on the SAS section of the LCMS website. 
CUEnet is exploring opportunities to offer webinars of this nature 
on a regular and ongoing basis. 
In addition to opportunities such as the webinar noted above, 
CUEnet recruits via mailers sent to those serving in Lutheran 
schools who are not on the Synod roster. CUEnet is also regular -
ly present at events for teachers hosted by the Synod, including 
district and Lutheran Education Association functions and others. 
CUEnet leadership meets on an annual basis with the district edu-
cation executives as part of its recruitment strategy.
CUEnet enrollment tends to fluctuate with the time of year, re-
flecting the activities in which teachers are engaged. Nevertheless, 
the average enrollment for CUEnet has remained between 50 and 
60 students per month. CUEnet will be evaluating the effect of the 
pilot program of monthly courses as it relates to enrollment. The 
current course model, with the use of mentors, allows for scaling up 
and down as enrollment fluctuates. CUEnet can always accommo -
date additional students. The chart below provides enrollment data 
for the 2023–26 triennium through January of 2026. Completion 
data is also included.