Higher education
Church Council approves concept of merger T
he ELCA Church Council approved April 6 the concept of a merger between California
Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, and Pacific Lutheran Theo- logical Seminary, Berkeley, Calif. Council members authorized its Executive Committee to “engage in further discussions and document review with CLU and with PLTS, as necessary, for the purpose of final- izing the proposed merger.” They also asked the committee “to bring a recommended action regarding the merger and the final documents to implement it at a spe-
Gettysburg [Pa.] College’s Amer Kobaslija, assistant professor of art and art history, was awarded a 2013 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. Kobaslija was recognized for his paintings focused on the devastation and reconstruction in Kesennuma, Japan, after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. One of 175 awardees, he was chosen from nearly 3,000 appli- cants. “Having grown up in the war- torn Bosnia of the early ’90s, I cannot help but draw parallels between the human-caused destruction in the land of my ancestors and the calamity that befell Japan, with its confluence of natural disaster and human failings,” Kobaslija said.
How can camps better help the youth they serve? In Selinsgrove, Pa., Susquehanna University’s Center for Adolescent Research and Educa- tion (
www.susqu.edu/care) works with the American Camp Association to conduct joint research, develop training content for counselors and
44 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
cial Church Council meeting at a time to be determined.” Through a similar merger in July 2012, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., became the School of Theol- ogy of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. “An ELCA seminary can be fully
an ELCA seminary while merged into a church college,” Jonathan Strandjord, ELCA program direc- tor for seminaries, told council members.
Both CLU and PLTS see the pro- posed merger “as an opportunity to
strengthen the ways in which camp reduces youth risks. CARE direc- tor Stephen Gray Wallace said the two organizations have “mutual mis- sions to enrich the lives of children and young adults while reducing risk behaviors that may derail them from reaching their full potential.” CARE conducts original research on ado- lescent development and decision- making, focusing not only on personal development but substance abuse, sexual behavior, bullying, violence and suicide.
The forensics team at Gustavus Adol- phus College, St. Peter, Minn., made a case for itself by earning its best ever finish at the American Forensic Asso- ciation’s National Individual Events Tournament. The students placed eighth in the Team Sweepstakes on April 8. It’s the fourth year in a row that the team has had a top 10 finish.
A 1965 alumnus made a $10 million gift to Augsburg College, Minne- apolis—the largest in the school’s
advance God’s mission as well as [introduce] cost-efficiencies,” he added.
Strandjord said mergers between seminaries and colleges or universi- ties could enable dual degree pro- grams, where a student could earn, for example, a master’s of divinity degree with a master’s in business administration, education, nonprofit management or social work. Or they could enter a “3+4” degree program of three years of focused undergrad- uate study and four years of semi- nary to earn a bachelor’s degree and a divinity degree, he said.
143-year history. Augsburg will use the gift to help construct a $60 mil- lion academic building for programs including biology, business, chem- istry, computer science, math, phys- ics, psychology and religion. The gift put the project $23 million toward its goal. The donor, who asked to remain anonymous, is a longtime supporter of the college and graduated with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and business administration.
Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, N.C., broke ground on a $4.6 mil- lion chapel in March. With a peaked roof to soar more than 56 feet in the air and a 12-foot-wide rose window to illuminate the altar, the chapel will seat 350 to 450 people and will serve students, faculty and the community. “The presence of this chapel will be a symbol to all as to who we are at Lenoir-Rhyne as a university of the church,” said campus pastor Andrew Weisner. Currently the weekly chapel services are held in the university’s music building.
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