The year 2019 again saw its share of celebrations for Concordia University Wisconsin, including a grand opening of a new building, new programs launched, and new graduates commencing out into the mission field.
With another year coming to a close, the Strategic Communications team took a moment to round up the top 9 most-read stories of 2019. Here are the news stories Concordians loved the most this past year.
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9. Coming Soon: State-of-the-art Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic at Concordia University Wisconsin
After three years of careful planning, Concordia University Wisconsin’s Department of Speech-Language Pathology officially opened a Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic on campus this year. At this point, the clinic has blossomed into offering a full spectrum of services to patients of all stages of life.
8. Concordia’s sonography students in pursuit of new ultrasound machine
In October, Concordia’s senior sonography students took it upon themselves to enter a Facebook contest to win an ultrasound machine on behalf of the university—and thanks to everyone who “liked” the Tenvision Ultrasound page, they won! The machine arrived on Monday, Dec. 16.
7. 5 questions to ask your roommate within the first week of living together
Who better to give rooming advice than Concordia’s RAs? Some of our freshmen resident assistants offered some insightful questions to get the conversation started and help clarify expectations for the year.
6. Concordia professor fulfills calling as a champion for the underserved
Dr. Steve Gerner found himself in unfamiliar territory 25 years ago when he was called to teach in Reno, Nevada at a school with a predominantly Latino population—and he loved it. In line with his passion for serving in underprivileged settings, our dean of students stepped into a new role with the Center for Urban Education Ministries. As head of the organization that will now call CUW its home, Gerner will be able to fulfill his love of service while continuing to be a part of the Concordia family.
5. Home sweet home: Concordia-Bethesda friendships thrive beyond graduation
After graduating last spring, Bethesda students Dakota Purnell and Kalindi Drewry and Concordia student and Bethesda College Resident Assistant Megan Wirtz decided to keep the party going and move in together. They now share a 4-bedroom house in Cedarburg. These three, along with three other Bethesda/Concordia households in the area are a testament to the success of our Bethesda program and the dedication of those who support it.
4. Wisconsin’s only Teacher of the Visually impaired program begins January
Concordia announced earlier this month that it will soon launch the sole visually impaired teaching licensure program in the state of Wisconsin. At the request of the chair of the State Superintendent’s Blind and Visual Impairment Education Advisory Council, Concordia’s head of graduate special education, Wanda Routier, moved forward with developing the online program, which is scheduled to begin already in January.
3. Take your own self-guided tour of the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center
Maybe the most exciting event of 2019, CUW opened the doors to our new business and health sciences building in August. At the grand opening the community was welcomed to explore the space. Complete with 3D printers and an analytics lab, the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center is a symbol of Concordia’s growth and the support of our donors.
2. History repeats itself as CUW grad steps into father’s first classroom
Same name. Same subject. Same school. Josh Pingel graduated a couple of weeks ago and will soon begin his role as a contracted history teacher at Mayer Lutheran High School, where his dad, Dean of Education Dr. James Pingel II, had his start 25 years ago.
1. CUW teachers called into ministry
Concordia University Wisconsin is proud to continue to play a role in training educators to answer the call to proclaim Christ within the nearly 2,000 Lutheran schools throughout the nation. This past May, CUW celebrated another cohort of Lutheran Teacher Degree (LTD) recipients.
— Madelyne Arrigoni is a senior studying English, Mass Communications, and Photography. She plans to graduate in 2022.
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