Why Give to Concordia?

“The credit for the work which [has been done is due] to the loyal pioneers who laid the foundation for this work, to the farmers among the prairies of Minnesota and Dakota, to the fathers and mothers of the students who attended Concordia, to the businessmen and bankers of Moorhead and Fargo, and to the faculty….”
-J.A. Aasgaard
 
In 1925, President Aasgaard reflected on his years of leadership at Concordia College and praised those founders who made it possible to take a small pre-collegiate academy and grow it into a degree conferring college.  The success of those founders was, by no means, a sure thing.  Turn of the century academies and colleges sprang up in Wahpeton, Jamestown, Fergus Falls and other nearby towns.  Almost every one of those institutions fell by the way before Aasgaard finished his term.  The survival of this place is due in large part to those pioneers who lived in sod houses while sending their sons and daughters to Concordia College.

The birth of Concordia College came at the intersection of two centuries -- a time of movement from the 19th century expansion of the country to the heady events of the 20th century.  Now we stand at another intersection and another century.  As we look forward to the global challenges that are presented in an increasingly interconnected planet, we are called to be Concordia’s pioneers in this century.  Seeing our historic mission through into the coming years will not be easy but as the late President Pamela Jolicoeur said in her inaugural address,

“[t]his is our moment. This is our calling. I pledge all of the energy and intelligence I have to this exciting project. But there are parts for everyone here to play. Now is not the time to take a seat on the sidelines….”

Concordia College is poised to prepare today’s students for these complex challenges because of the generous gifts of generations of founders.  Today’s founders are no less prolific in their support for Concordia College and are the inheritors of the legacy left behind by Aasgaard’s loyal pioneers.  

Partner with us to help provide transformative global education to today’s Cobbers.  We are thankful for the successful completion of the 100 million dollar Campaign for Concordia but there is much work still to be done.  The pages in this site describe the many ways you can support the college and we are highlighting two of these ways below. We invite you to learn more about all of these opportunities.

The Concordia Annual Fund

As members of the Concordia family and present day founders, we all have a stake in the college’s success. For this reason, we ask everyone—alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and friends—to support Concordia College by making a gift every year.  These are truly funds to “live by” and provide resources for defraying tuition costs for all students, curriculum development, technology updates and financial aid.

Endowment

As costs associated with educational institutions rise, increasing Concordia’s endowment is one of the College’s biggest needs and highest priorities.  Endowment funds are permanent assets which are invested by college.  Concordia relies on its endowment to provide permanent support for a host of needs, including financial aid, research and faculty development.  Through named permanent endowed funds, a donor may recognize a family member or loved one in perpetuity.

Information For:

current students
faculty and staff		 parents
alumni		 high school students
admitted students