This January marked three years since I was asked to serve as vice president of administration on the Ann Arbor campus.
This January marked three years since I was asked to serve as vice president of administration on the Ann Arbor campus. I followed in the footsteps of the excellent and committed Curt Gielow, who retired in December 2018. At the time, I shared that my focus has always been and would remain in our Christ-centered mission. Personally, that mission has shaped my life in profound ways. I summed up my job description simply as “a key collaborator for Concordia, working closely with the Church, the Michigan District, and with many different programs, people, departments, and friends to share our uncommon mission, and open more doors of faith and opportunity for our students.”
More than three years later I’m still energized by our mind, body, and spirit mission; our vibrant community; and my awesome opportunity to welcome as many people as possible to our campus. It is on our campus where many will undoubtedly witness our faith in action, and experience the palpable fullness of hope and joy that is granted to us by the Holy Spirit.
Our campus will be especially busy this summer as we host the English District, Ohio District, and Michigan District Conventions. We are the Church’s school. We remain committed to our Lutheran identity. We have an incredible story to share. We are stewards of a beautiful physical campus. For these weeks in June—and every week we have the privilege of serving students—we give thanks for the blessing Concordia has been, is today, and will continue to be in the years ahead. As many have sung, “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.” We are people of hope!
REV. DR. RYAN PETERSON
Vice President of Administration
Chief Liaison to the Office of the President
Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the spring 2022 issue of Hearts Together, a Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor Special Magazine edition. The fall/winter issue hit mailboxes in early October. View a PDF version of the magazine here. If you are not on our mailing list, but are interested in receiving a free copy, email Jennifer.Hackmann@cuaa.edu.
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