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Concordia University of Edmonton

Coordinates: 53°33′32″N 113°26′38″W / 53.559°N 113.444°W / 53.559; -113.444
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For other similarly named institutions, see Concordia University (disambiguation).
Concordia University of Edmonton
Former names
Concordia College (1921–1995); Concordia University College of Alberta (1995–2015)
MottoInitium Sapientiae Timor Domini
Motto in English
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
TypePublic Independent
Established1921
ChancellorStephen Mandel
PresidentDr. Tim Loreman
Students2,333
Undergraduates1,822
Postgraduates289
Location
Edmonton
,
Alberta
,
Canada

53°33′32″N 113°26′38″W / 53.559°N 113.444°W / 53.559; -113.444
CampusUrban Residential
Coloursblue   and gold  
AffiliationsAUCC, ACAA
MascotThunder
Websitehttp://concordia.ab.ca

Concordia University of Edmonton, is a publicly funded independent academic institution[1] in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; accredited under the Alberta Post-secondary Learning Act.[2] Concordia offers arts, science, and management undergraduate degree programs, as well as graduate degree programs in education, information technology, information security, and psychology. Concordia is primarily funded by tuition and private donations and as of 2022, receives nearly one third of its funding from the government of Alberta.[3]

History

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Concordia University of Edmonton was founded in 1921 as Concordia College by the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod to prepare young men for preaching and teaching in the Christian church. It was essentially a high school for many decades. It introduced co-education in 1939, offering general study courses and an accredited high school program. In 1967, Concordia began offering first-year university courses in affiliation with the University of Alberta. Affiliation for second-year courses began in 1975.[4] The university graduated its first cohort of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science three-year degrees in 1988, gradually expanding to other disciplines and four-year programs. A formal separation between the high school and college (degree granting) was initiated in 1994.

The affiliation with the University of Alberta officially ended in 1991 by mutual agreement. Concordia College operated as a denominational college affiliated with the public sector until 1987, when the Province of Alberta allowed Concordia to start operating as a private degree-granting university college.[5] Concordia changed its name from Concordia College to Concordia University College of Alberta in 1995. The high school program that had run within Concordia since 1939 separated into an independent institution called Concordia High School in 2000. Both institutions shared the same campus until July 2011.[6] In 2014, the Alberta government announced that Concordia would be allowed to drop the word "college" from its name, allowing Concordia to call itself a university.[7] On May 1, 2015, Concordia University College of Alberta was renamed Concordia University of Edmonton.[8]

Although the university had indicated its intention to continue relationships with Lutheran organizations and alumni, in November 2015 Concordia removed references to Christianity from its mission statement, effectively self-identifying as a secular institution.[9] Concordia's religious constituency had not fully funded the school since 1978, and in 2015, with religious financial support at 0.1 per cent of the school's $30 million budget, the board decided to secularize.[10] The secularization was formally announced in April 2016.[10]

On January 4, 2022, the Concordia University of Edmonton Faculty Association (CUEFA) began a strike over concerns surrounding pay and workload.[11] This was the first strike by an Albertan faculty association since they had gained the right to do so under the Labour Relations Code in 2017.[12] The strike lasted for 11 days, with CUEFA and the university reaching a four-year collective agreement on January 15.[13] As a result of the strike, the start of the 2022 winter semester was delayed until January 19.

On June 2, 2024, the union representing Concordia's faculty stated it did not have confidence in either school president Tim Loreman or board chair John Acheson, citing a dysfunctional workplace, ongoing leadership problems, and an excessive use of disciplinary measures against faculty members. Faculty members also expressed concerns about a lack of transparency from administration, recent staff restructuring, the financing of new buildings, and a fear of retribution if they speak out. The school's board of governors replied that it had full confidence in the president.[14]

The university also recently faced criticism for the use of its public funding dollars in the $1.75 million purchase of the historic Magrath Mansion in 2021.[15][failed verification]

Programs and faculties

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The university has five faculties and two schools: Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Management, Faculty of Science, School of Physical Education and Wellness, and School of Music. The university offers 45 majors and minors in the fields of arts, science, and management; two after-degree programs, three master's degrees, and several graduate certificates and diplomas. The University of Lethbridge had a small extension campus at the university from 2012 to 2015.[16] Bright Horizons Childcare and the Concordia Lutheran Seminary also share the university grounds.

Campus life features a community orchestra, a community choir, a women's choir, a touring choir, and regular drama productions. There are three dormitory buildings on campus: Founders Hall, Eberhardt Hall, and Wangerin House. Two more residences are designated for students taking after-degree or masters' programs. The university has a gymnasium and a large athletic field on campus. In the past the field was sometimes used for spring practice by the Edmonton Elks football team.[17]

Crest

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Concordia's crest was designed in 1921 and was in continual use as a logo until 1991, when it was updated to remove the word "college" from the title. In 2010 the crest was retired as the visual identity of Concordia. It remains in use on legal documents as a seal, and on degree diplomas. A new logo was adopted in 2010. It reflects Concordia's front entrance of the historic Schwermann Hall, built in 1926, which also mirrors the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany, on which Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses, sparking the Reformation. Further, the logo's curved lines represents the shore and waters of the North Saskatchewan River, which lies directly below Concordia in the Highlands neighborhood of Edmonton.[18]

Hole Academic Centre
Concordia campus from Ada Boulevard

Notable alumni

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Athletics

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The Concordia Thunder compete in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (Provincial Level) and the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (National Level). Team sports include: badminton, basketball, curling, golf, hockey, soccer, cross country running, and volleyball. Each sport includes participation by both men and women on separate teams with the exception of hockey, which only has a men's team. Thunder alumni include: Andrew Parker, a basketball player who competes for the Edmonton Energy of the International Basketball League.[22] Another notable Concordia alumnus, Daniel Veenstra, became prominent in the diving world by placing a spot on the 2012 Canadian Olympic team.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Types of Publicly Funded Post Secondary Institutions". Government of Alberta.
  2. ^ "Post-secondary Learning Act". Province of Alberta. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  3. ^ "University Budget". Concordia University of Edmonton. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  4. ^ "History". Concordia University of Edmonton. December 5, 2016.
  5. ^ "University". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. ...in Alberta where, in the late 1980s, the provincial government authorized 3 denominational colleges, previously affiliated with the public sector, to operate as private degree-granting universities (Augustana University College, formerly Camrose Lutheran College; Concordia College; King's University College).
  6. ^ "History of Concordia High School". Archived from the original on December 3, 2014.
  7. ^ Stolte, Elise (July 2, 2014). "Alberta names five new universities". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014.
  8. ^ "Memorandum" (PDF). Lutheran Church-Canada. April 14, 2015. p. 84. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  9. ^ "Concordia University of Edmonton no longer a Christian institution". February 1, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Lee, Kritstine (April 22, 2016). "Concordia University sheds longtime religious affiliation". Edmonton Journal.
  11. ^ "CUEFA : 2022 Strike". www.cuefa.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  12. ^ Cummings, Madeleine (December 7, 2021). "Concordia University of Edmonton faculty association could be first in Alberta to strike". CBC News. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Burgess, Bridget. "Collective Bargaining". Concordia University of Edmonton. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  14. ^ Cummings, Madeleine (June 2, 2023). "Concordia University of Edmonton faculty pass non-confidence vote in school's president". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  15. ^ "Concordia University of Edmonton acquires historic Magrath Mansion - Edmonton | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  16. ^ "U of L officially opens new Edmonton campus - UNews". www.uleth.ca.
  17. ^ "Eskimos QMI". Sun Media. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  18. ^ ""Renewal and change at university college," The Canadian Lutheran 25.4 (July / August 2010): 43" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  19. ^ "Nathan Fillion". Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  20. ^ "Legislative Assembly of Alberta". Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  21. ^ Brian Swane (October 9, 2010). "As awards pour in Lam remains Modest". Edmonton Examiner. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  22. ^ Dushenski, Lawrence (May 24, 2011). "Edmonton Energy: Basketball Saved Andrew 'AGP' Parker". North Pole Hoops. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
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