Concordia University (Oregon)

Concordia Academy was founded in 1905 by a growing Lutheran community in the Pacific Northwest to meet the need for pastors and parochial school teachers. The school added a junior college by 1950 and women were first admitted to then Concordia High School in 1962. Concordia became accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges in 1968. In 1977, an association of local Lutheran churches, the Portland Lutheran Association for Christian Education, assumed ownership and management of the high school as Portland Lutheran High School. At that time, Concordia separated from the high school and became a four-year institution, graduating its first baccalaureate students in 1980. Concordia College became Concordia University in 1995 and converted to the semester calendar. The next year the school added master's degrees in teaching and education, followed by a Master of Business Administration program in 2001. The university added a bachelor's degree in nursing in 2005 and then started the College of Health and Human Services in 2007. The nursing program was the first new such program in the state in 40 years. In 2009, Concordia started a program for conferring a bachelor's degree in music. By 2012, enrollment at the private school was about 3,100, almost doubling its enrollment over the past five years. The Concordia University School of Law was located in Boise, Idaho, and graduated its first class of students in August 2015. Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Cathy Silak was the dean of the law school. In February 2020, Concordia University's parent entity, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, decided not to provide continued financial support, and the university announced its plan to close after the completion of the spring 2020 semester, with a shut down as of April 25. The university's board of trustees voted to close the university "after years of mounting financial challenges, and a challenging and changing educational landscape". In 2022, the University of Oregon opened The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health with its first students enrolling in fall 2023. ==Campus==

Located in Northeast Portland in the Concordia neighborhood, the university sat on a campus near U.S. Route 30 Bypass (Lombard Street). Other amenities on the campus included a tall bell tower and the Concordia Place Apartments, a residence hall. ==Academics==

Concordia University contained four undergraduate colleges: College of Education, School of Management, College of Health and Human Services, and College of Arts and Sciences. Through these colleges the university offered a total of 18 majors and 20 concentrations. In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked Concordia as 80th best among the regional universities in the west. Concordia University was accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. ==Athletics==

The Concordia athletic teams were called the Cavaliers. The university was a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), The Cavaliers previously competed in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1993–94 to 2014–15. The official school colors were navy and white. Concordia competed in 14 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports included baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports included basketball, soccer, cross country, golf, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. The track and field program included throwing (discus, hammer throw, javelin, and shot put) coach Jarred Rome, a two-time U.S. national champion and two-time Olympian, who ran the Throw Center. Facilities In 2012, Concordia opened a new athletic complex, Hilken Community Stadium, which was built at a cost of $7.5 million. The stadium was referred to as "Tuominen Yard" (for NAIA All-American Jarkko Tuominen) when set up for soccer usage and as "Porter Park" for baseball and softball. ==Notable alumni==

• Don Benton - former member of the Washington State Senate; former Director of the Selective Service System • Dave Reichert - former representative from Washington's 8th congressional district; former King County sheriff • Charles Sams director of the National Park Service and member of the North West Power Planning Council • Paul Simon - late U.S. Senator from Illinois • Gregory N. Todd - 20th Chaplain of the Marine Corps • Jay Ellis - actor, Insecure ==References==