RIP Concordia University

115 years later ...

Portland’s Concordia University will close at end of spring semester

In addition to declining enrollment, sounds like millions invested in online schooling and moving athletics to NCAA DII level didn’t help.

 

That's gonna cost some kids a scholarship.

 

Tuition was $31,000... Jesus.

Higher education has painted itself into a nasty little corner.

 

My first reaction on seeing the thread title was "Which one?"
I think there are about 20 schools named Concordia University/College scattered around the country.

 

The continuing rise in tuition is one of those things that prompted several small liberal arts schools to get into intercollegiate sports. Students figure if they're paying big school money they should at least get a full college experience and not feel like they're going to a community college.

And I'm pretty sure at least 30 small liberal arts colleges have shuttered across the country in the last three years alone. It's why you see more colleges offering more specific career training programs.

 

Just 30 seconds on Google gives you California, Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas and Chicago in addition to Portland (RIP).

 

There is a Concordia University in Montreal too.

 

I thought that small liberal arts colleges were adding sports as a way to recruit students. Perhaps two percent of high school football players get a scholarship. But a lot of kids want to continue playing sports. So they take out loans or talk their parents into forking up extra dollars to go to a school where they think they can play.

Frequently when the kid gets there he finds out he/she is not good enough but if the kid likes the school then the kid stays.

 

There is (or was) one in Alabama, too. I think they had some financial issues as well, and might have either closed or dropped athletics to try and save some money.

 

Concordia-Austin is Lutheran, I believe. What are the affiliations of the others?

 

They are all Lutheran.

Have several good friends who went to Concordia-Moorhead, MN., who played on an NAIA national-championship women's BB team. It's an outstanding school.

 

Is there also a chain of Trumpist for-profit pseudo colleges named Concordia?