Concordia Senior College was a

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

located in Fort Wayne,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, and affiliated with the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The L ...

(LCMS). It was founded in 1957 and closed in 1977. The senior college was a new type of institution for the LCMS. It provided future

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

s with training before they attended a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

, during their third and fourth

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

years of college. Concordia Senior College was by-and-large an all-men's institution with no female

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument) A faculty is a legal in ...

, although there were a small number of female students who were housed in a separate dormitory. In 1977, the function of Concordia Senior College was transferred to other LCMS colleges, the

Concordia University System The Concordia University System (CUS) is an organization of seven colleges and universities and one satellite campus in the United States that are operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). All of the institutions are named "Concordi ...

. Today those colleges are responsible for much of the undergraduate training of future LCMS pastors. The campus became the home of the

Concordia Theological Seminary The Concordia Theological Seminary is a Lutheran seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It offers professional, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees affiliated with training clergy and deaconesses for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). ...

as that institution relocated from

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

Athletics

The Concorida Senior College's athletic teams were called the Cadets. The college was a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stud ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

Mid-Central College Conference The Crossroads League (formerly the Mid-Central College Conference) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its members are private Christian colleges in Indiana, Michigan, an ...

(MCCC; now currently known as the Crossroads League since the 2012–13 school year) from 1959–60 to 1971–72, and then as an independent until the school's closure.

Notable people

David Benke David Benke is a Lutheran pastor and the former president of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, or LCMS. After the 9/11 attacks, Benke participated in an interfaith event with people of other faiths, including Muslims ...

- Lutheran pastor and the former president of the

Atlantic District The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

of the LCMS *

Clifford Flanigan Clifford Flanigan (August 2, 1941 – October 27, 1993) was an American professor of English, medievalist, and theatre historian. Life and career Charles Clifford Flanigan grew up as an only child in Baltimore, Maryland, in a family descended f ...

- American professor of English, medievalist, and theatre historian *

Alan Harre Alan F. Harre (1940–2020) was the seventeenth president of Valparaiso University, a post he held for 20 years from 1988 to 2008. He was succeeded by Elizabethtown College alumnus, Mark A. Heckler. Harre was designated President Emeritus '' ...

- eighteenth president of

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universi ...

* Joel D. Heck - professor of theology at

Concordia University Texas Concordia University Texas is a private university in Austin, Texas. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and online degrees as well as an adult degree program for part-time and returning students. Concordia University Texas is affi ...

Ralph W. Klein Ralph Walter Klein (1936 – December 29, 2021) was an American Old Testament scholar. He was Christ Seminary-Seminex Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Klein was born in Springfield, Illinois, an ...

- American Old Testament scholar *

Robert Kolb Robert Kolb is professor emeritus of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, and a world-renowned authority on Martin Luther and the history of the Reformation. Biography and education Robert Kolb was born on June 17, 1 ...

- professor emeritus of Systematic Theology at

Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary is a Lutheran seminary in Clayton, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). Founded in 183 ...

, *

James F. Laatsch James F. Laatsch is a former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Laatsch was born on April 16, 1940, in Tigerton, Wisconsin Tigerton is a village in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 741 at the 2010 c ...

- former member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms ...

Donald K. Muchow Donald K. Muchow (born October 20, 1937 in Framingham, Massachusetts. He graduated from Concordia Senior College and Concordia Theological Seminary.) is a former Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral and Chief of Chaplains of the United States ...

- former

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

and

Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy The Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy (CHC) is the highest-ranking military chaplain in the United States Navy and head of the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. As part of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and Department ...

Richard Pervo Richard Ivan Pervo (May 11, 1942 – May 19, 2017) was an American biblical scholar, former Episcopal priest, and Fellow of the Westar Institute. He was best known for his works on the New Testament book of '' Acts of the Apostles''. In 2001, Per ...

- American

biblical scholar Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 F ...

Norbert Schedler Norbert O. Schedler (March 30, 1933 - May 26, 2019) was a Distinguished Emeritus University Professor of Philosophy and Founding Director of The Honors College at the University of Central Arkansas. Education Schedler received a B.A. in Class ...

- faculty member (associate professor, 1963-1967; chair of the Department of Philosophy, 1968-1969) *

Paul W. Schroeder Paul W. Schroeder (February 23, 1927''International Who's Who 2000'', Vol. 63 (Europa, 1999: ), p. 1391. – December 6, 2020) was an American historian who was professor emeritus at the University of Illinois. He specialized in European intern ...

- American historian *

Ronald Frank Thiemann Ronald Frank Thiemann (1946 – November 29, 2012) was an American political theologian and Benjamin Bussey Professor of Theology at Harvard Divinity School. His research in large part focused on the role of religion in public life. He was dea ...

- American political theologian

External links

*
Saarinen's Village: The Concordia Campus Through Time
' {{authority control Eero Saarinen structures Educational institutions established in 1957 Defunct private universities and colleges in Indiana Education in Fort Wayne, Indiana Universities and colleges affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Buildings and structures in Fort Wayne, Indiana Educational institutions disestablished in 1977 1957 establishments in Indiana 1977 disestablishments in Indiana Lutheranism in Indiana