Concordia University Wisconsin (Mequon, Wis.)

<p>Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin. The school is an affiliate of the eight-member Concordia University System operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.</p>

<p>The university is a coeducational institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, offering 78 undergraduate majors and minors, 17 graduate programs, eight accelerated adult education programs, and three doctoral/professional programs, as well as accelerated evening and e-learning programs. Doctoral degrees are offered in pharmacy, physical therapy, and nursing practice. CUW also has 10 classroom centers providing community outreach with full adult education and post-graduate programs. CUW's School of Pharmacy is one of three pharmacy schools in Wisconsin—the others being University of Wisconsin–Madison and Medical College of Wisconsin.</p>

<p>The university is organized into five schools or colleges: the School of Education, the School of Business and Legal Studies, the School of Human Services, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Adult and Continuing Education.</p>

<p>Concordia University Wisconsin is known for its breathtaking views of Lake Michigan, and in fact, many students will say the campus’ location played a big role in their decision to enroll. But a large percentage of Concordia alumni living today—and even a few current faculty—will recall making a very different commute to school.</p>

<p>That’s because Concordia’s original campus was located in downtown Milwaukee on 31st Street, between State and Highland Streets. From the school’s inception in 1881 to 1983, students who attended CUW (then called Concordia College) did so in the city. The inaugural class of Concordians, which was comprised of 13 students, met in the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee. The next year, the 31st Street property was purchased to start Concordia’s first permanent campus.</p>

<p>For the next approximately eight decades, Concordia College offered high school and the first two years of a liberal arts college program, providing classical, technical, and religious instruction for students who desired to prepare themselves for the ministry of the Lutheran Church. In 1978, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod authorized Concordia to become a four-year accredited college that would provide instruction in teacher education, nursing, medical assistant, social work, and engineering.</p>