Four honorees will receive special awards and 1,238 candidates for graduation will cross the stage during graduate and undergraduate commencement exercises next month in Concordia University Wisconsin's R. John Buuck Field House.
A total of 1,224 graduates will be receiving diplomas, up more than 3 percent from last May. Graduate commencement will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 17, while undergraduate exercises begin at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. That ceremony follows a traditional baccalaureate service for professional church workers at 10 a.m. in The Chapel of The Christ Triumphant, 12800 North Lake Shore Drive, Mequon.
Delivering the commencement address at both ceremonies will be Mr. Todd J. Teske, chief executive officer and president of Briggs & Stratton Corporation in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Rebekah Moran, from Clintonville, Wisconsin, will present the graduate student address on Friday, while Emma Sievers, from Slinger, Wisconsin, will offer the undergraduate address on Saturday. Moran is earning her MBA, while Sievers is receiving a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.
Four honorees will be presented special awards Saturday:
Honorary Doctorate of Divinity Degree
The Rev. Dwayne Lueck, currently serving his 3rd term as President of the North Wisconsin District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, will receive an honorary doctorate on Saturday. A 1973 graduate of Concordia College Milwaukee, Rev. Lueck went on to earn his BA from Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne and his Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year
Mr. Sheldon Cuffie, vice president and chief information security officer at Dell Technologies in Austin, Texas, is the 2019 Alumnus of the Year. For many years, he held the same position for Northwestern Mutual Life in downtown Milwaukee. Prior to coming to Northwestern Mutual Life, he served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard for nine years. His wife, Celeste, is an alumnae of both our undergraduate and graduate programs.
Christo Et Ecclesiae Award
Dr. Karl Kreft, well-known in Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod circles, is being honored for demonstrating a high and unusual interest in advancing Christian education by utilizing in a special way the talents with which the Lord has endowed him. A longtime supporter of both CUW and CUAA, he was instrumental in encouraging and supporting the merger of the two universities. Over the years, he has received numerous awards and honorary doctorates for he and his wife’s unwavering commitment to Lutheran higher education.
The Ronald L. Berg Faculty Laureate
Dr. Don Korte, a 25-year member of Concordia’s faculty and chair of the Department of Natural Sciences for many years, is this year’s recipient of an award named after a revered faculty member. Korte also served as interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences in 2015. A military veteran, he was awarded the U.S. Army Legion of Merit for exceptional performance during Operation Desert Storm in 1994, and also received two Army commendation medals and three Meritorious Service medals.
View full commencement details by clicking here.
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