We're at the Minnesota State Fair

Concordia College and Concordia Language Villages make their debut in the Education Building at the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 27-Sept. 7.

Staff and alumni volunteers at the booth are sharing the great things happening at the college and Villages. Everyone is welcome to stop by, pick up a "world on a stick" and learn to say "hello" in one of 15 languages. An iPod touch loaded with Concordia music and more is given away each day.

The Education Building is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Chinese Students Study on Campus

Students from United International College in Zhuhai, China, were on campus this summer to improve their English proficiency and gain a dose of American culture. The classes and field trips are part of the College Town USA program sponsored by Concordia Language Villages. UIC also has an exchange program with Concordia.

Cultural stops included the Fargo Theatre, RedHawks baseball game and high-tech businesses.

“Our aim is to help these curious students acquire the skills that would be necessary for them to study at Concordia someday,” says program director Dr. Lisa Sethre-Hofstad.

Hu Xizhi, who aspires to be a journalist, believes English is mandatory for success in today’s world. “For my career, I must know English and understand American life.”

Economics major Lai Qilong sees similarities between UIC and Concordia.

“UIC is very innovative,” he says. “All teaching is in English and there is a new approach for educating the whole person, what you call the liberal arts.”

Research Building to Open at Long Lake

This fall, Concordia students will have a unique opportunity to conduct research at a new eco-friendly classroom/lab building at Long Lake, near Detroit Lakes, Minn. The 134-acre property features prairie, lakeshore and forest, making it an excellent location for a variety of research.

The new building, scheduled to open its doors in October, will accommodate about 25 students. In addition to hosting retreats, and art and writing workshops, the building will enable science students to bring in samples from the land and water for examination. A pontoon boat and dock will make water research even easier.

Throughout the summer, Ellen Sobieck '11, Grand Marais, Minn., and Kyle Czech '12, Little Falls, Minn., conducted the first research on site, mapping out the property's plants, grasses and trees with a GPS. The students worked under the mentorship of Dr. Michelle Marko, an aquatic biologist, and Dr. Bryan Bishop, an entomologist, who were both involved in the development of the Long Lake property.

"This is our own little slice of heaven that we will be able to use and develop as educational and research tools for the Concordia and local communities," Marko says.

Read more online at www.concordiacollege.edu/news/longlake.php.

The Forest Opens Year-Round

The Forest International Retreat Center, located near Stillwater, Minn., recently opened for year-round programming in a variety of Concordia Language Village' languages. The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation retreat center has hosted the Spanish Language Village, El Lago del Bosque, for the past five summers, but now will also include other Language Village programs during the academic year.

The Forest will hold field trips for elementary and middle school students, reinforcing and supplementing world language and social studies curricula. Students can also participate in one-week programs during spring break weeks in March and April, as well as attend weekend workshops to help prepare for world language AP tests. In addition, professional development workshops for world language teachers and family and adult weekends are also planned.

"This strategic initiative by the college and the Villages will allow us to reach new villagers and introduce them to our mission," says Martin Graefe, director of yearround programs.