Road, Highway, Street, Summer, Sunrise - Dawn Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor's extended campuses offer an opportunity to start or finish your degree.
Concordia’s Extended Campuses offer great opportunities
The Easter season is all about fresh starts. As the season ends, far too many of us treat the Easter message as an ending. We made an appearance at church; we found all of the eggs, and we cleared out all the candy from the baskets. Honestly, we already returned to the habits we gave up for Lent.
We often see Easter as an ending. If that is simply all Easter is, we fail to embrace the revolutionary concept of Easter. We not only miss the promise of a new life in Christ, but we also miss the impactful call to “rise again” in all aspects of our current life.
A fresh start at our extended campuses
Some students needed to put their college degrees on hold, and many were unable to start their degrees. The Extended Campuses of Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor offer a wonderful opportunity to get back on track!
There are a lot of good reasons why some of us haven’t started or haven’t finished our degrees. It may be a result of our own mistakes and failures. It may be rooted in the ever-present obstacles of life that arise by no fault of our own.
Life circumstances interrupted many students’ degree pursuits. The pandemic presented new challenges. The economics of higher education have changed offerings, degrees, and delivery of programs. Personal circumstances change and sometimes, the nature of completing a degree has changed.
Changing methods with the same mission
Dr. Michael Uden, Concordia’s Vice Provost of Student Enrollment and Engagement, reminds students that while the methods of education may adjust, the mission of Concordia remains the same:
“The mission of Concordia University is a dynamic and engaging one, as we commit to helping students develop in mind, body, and spirit throughout their lives. Just like a book has more than one chapter, so also each of our lives can include multiple opportunities to learn, grow, and develop.”
Extended Campus changes mean more robust online and virtual options
One specific example of this is that in recent years Concordia has closed some of the Extended Campus Centers throughout the Midwest. This has not changed the mission or the opportunity for impacted students to continue their academic journeys. Rather than an ending for these students, Concordia’s pivot to more robust and livelier online and virtual classes throughout the challenges of a global pandemic has provided hope and opportunity to rise again. It does not have to be an ending.
Andrew Hisserich of Bridgeton, MO, recently completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management after a long journey of starts and stops in his pursuit. Hisserich reported:
“I was shocked, like I suspect many others were as well. It felt odd that Concordia had to close a branch location that you could see from the LCMS headquarters building nearby. To start again at a different university wasn’t a practical choice for me. I accepted online classes were going to be more difficult for me in some ways, such as time management and avoiding distractions at home and online, however the realization that earning my degree wasn’t ever going to get easier, spurred me to finish.”
And as Andrew rose again on his academic journey, was it worth it?
“Now that I’ve graduated and finally have my degree, I’m excited how many possibilities have opened up for me. I don’t have to think about what happened in the past because I’m planning for a better future that is now here. I can move on from just having a job and start having a meaningful career and put my talents to use. I’ll avoid the old trap that I should have done this sooner (although it certainly was true in my case) and instead I’ll say that I’m glad I finished and can now begin to enjoy the positive results of all that hard work.”
Embrace something new this Easter season
Easter reminds us that Jesus will return and with him we can rise again! And in Jesus, we can have a fresh start in this life and in all of its endeavors
Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven. (1 Peter 1:3-4 The Message)
For the followers of Jesus who were with Him up until his death, what seemed like a death and burial had led to an end. They huddled and hid. They gave up. But when they saw the resurrected Jesus, everything changed. Easter was the beginning of a revolution. They had purpose and excitement again. They had everything to live for, in this life and in the future.
While I pray that each of us feels the excitement of Easter, be encouraged by the messages of renewal through the many reminders God provides through His creation -each new morning, the blossoms of spring, and the opening up of a society shut down by a virus. In every aspect of life we are called to rise up when we have been knocked down or delayed.
How Concordia can support you
For students who have put their degree on hold or if your center location closed, Dr. Uden sums up how Concordia can support you:
If you needed to pause your degree due to life circumstances:
“We desire to connect and continue to support your educational journey, as you are always a Concordian. Our Admission Team can review the academic work you have completed and help you chart your new path to future success, perhaps in a program you had not even considered previously.”
Uden continues: “Moreover, Concordia’s fully online academic programs can be customized to fit your needs and schedule. Let us help you find new ways to learn, grow, and serve your community through a Christian higher education.”
Want to know more about our Extended Campus options?
Contact Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor’s Accelerated Admissions for assistance in discovering the exciting options available to you. While programs and locations changed, Concordia’s mission has not! You can truly rise again!
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