Faculty and Staff

Zoey the Comfort Dog

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Zoey is the first dog that was hired as a staff member at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon to perform the functions of a comfort dog and serve as a support for people.

The main mission of the Zoey is to promote relaxation as well as decrease stress and depression. In most cases, the interaction takes place in schools, universities, churches, hospitals, and nursing homes. In addition, the Zoey provides assistance and support in various disaster response situations.

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She makes people smile and improves their mood during different stressful events in everyday life.

“I love to see Zoey at CUW, I believe that there is an understanding and communication between humans and animals, they bring comfort to us, ” Harbi said.

Zoey belongs to Lutheran Church Charities. Her membership in this religious organization is even supported by the personal Bible Verse Isaiah 66:13 “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

Due to her great job performance and assistance-providing, Zoey has received a lot of different awards, including LCC Comfort Dog, AKC Canine Good Citizen, and Pet Partners Therapy Dog.

CUW’s Bluff

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CUW’s bluff one of the most beautiful attractions on campus. Students, faculty and individuals in the community enjoy the bluff and all it has to offer.

The bluff’s length is 2,700, overlooks Lake Michigan, and includes more than 200 steps. The path leads to the lake shoreline, including a walkway which is great for those who enjoy walking and running. In addition, a boardwalk and beach are located at the bottom of the bluff.

CUW students enjoy using the bluff during its prime season, summer time, when they can swim, make bonfires and hang out.

According to student Megan Stingle, the bluff includes plenty of things to do.

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“I love the bluff here on campus, as do many others. When the weather is nice, I like to take walks on the bluff, sit on the rocks, and sometimes will watch the sunset. It’s very therapeutic, and as a student we need all forms of therapy we can get. The scenery is absolutely stunning, you have the lake, the trees, and can observe wildlife,” Stingle said.

Also, the university has attempted to maintain the bluff during the last decade. The bluff was eroding, so the university completed a project to stop it. Safety is a concern for university administration, student and surrounding community.

The bluff is a natural beauty for students, faculty and the community. Contact campus safety for more information.

 

Lead Now! Speaker Series

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Education. Entrepreneurship. Innovation. These emerging topics were the focus of the “Lead Now!” talks the university hosted on April 8.

The first of its kind on Concordia University Wisconsin’s campus, the talks were success with more than 190 Lutheran administrators and university faculty and students in attendance, according to the Lutheran Education Association (LEA).

The “Lead Now!” talks are an adaptation of the widely popular online TED Talks series, which features experts speaking in their areas of study on a wide variety of subjects. The series featured speakers from the university’s leadership team, including President Rev. Patrick T. Ferry, Ph.D., Dr. Bernard Bull. Dr. Michael Uden, Gretchen Jameson, and Dr. Dan Sem.

The Friday evening included presenters speaking for 18 minutes on leadership with emphasis on the emerging topics of education, entrepreneurship and innovation.

“We’re focused on the intersection of innovation and leadership, on what leadership looks like. Particularly on the context of 21st century learning and education. But even more significantly on why leadership at every level is an essential element to build truly excellent schools,” CUW Secondary Education Department Chair and event emcee Dr. Jim Pingel said.

The speakers shared advice, research, and personal stories to educate and inspire listeners in different techniques of and roles within leadership.

“Our goal is to build schools where students not only learn, but thrive and excel. And, of course, most importantly where our students come to recognize their unique purpose as children of the Heavenly Father and saints of their Savior Jesus Christ,” Dr. Pingel said.

The LEA organized the “Lead Now!” event. It served as the capstone event of the National Administrators Conference, which is offered to administrators and counselors from across the country to address emerging issues in education.

A recorded version of the conference is available online: follow the link to the coverage.

Dr. Theresa Kenney advocates for the arts

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by Megan Stingle

Dr. Theresa Anne Kenney wants to bring vibrancy back to Milwaukee’s culture.

As a Concordia University Wisconsin professor, Kenney advises graphic design students, maintains art labs, is the liaison for the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and is the university’s art gallery director. She also participates in nonprofit organizations and is the president of the Milwaukee Public Theater.

Kenney said the arts are important for Milwaukee’s culture, and the university’s students are appropriate candidates to contribute to that culture.

“The students that I work with, many come from rural areas or small Lutheran schools. There is not a lot of art in these schools. So, they come in and they’re like ‘Well, I didn’t have that class…’ and they’re very innocent and a little bit naive, but they have talent. And it’s tough to tell their parents that they’re going to go to school for art, and they have to be courageous. They put it all on the line. Once you get them up to speed, and they can see how good they really are and they have the tools to show it, it’s like magic,” Kenney said.

For Kenney, the most important aspect of her university role is to provide students with individual attention. She said she nurtures students so they are ready to function at a high level in the real world.

However, Kenney’s long-term goal for the university’s art department is to gain more recognition.

“We have a nice department, but I don’t think it’s valued and put out there in terms of marketing. Our students have an excellent employment rate. More so than a lot of other schools. To the point that close to 95% of our students actually work in the arts. That’s huge. And it’s because we take so much time to make sure that they are prepared. I think a lot of students could benefit from what we’re doing, if they just knew about us,” Kenny said.

Despite lack of advertising, Kenney continues to push the art department and promote its programs.

“It’s difficult for the arts. But, is that saying that we shouldn’t have Christian artists out there? Of course we should. This is what life is all about,” Kenney said.

Study Abroad in South Africa

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Concordia University of Wisconsin chose South Africa for their Spring 2017 semester study abroad destination. CUW alternates between Europe and Non-Traditional countries each year, and this year they have decided on South Africa.

Studying abroad in South Africa may be one of the most valuable experiences for CUW college students. By studying abroad in South Africa, students have the opportunity to study in a foreign country and are able to immerse themselves into a new culture and way of life. Students will experience a brand-new country (a new continent none the less) with incredible new outlooks, customs and ways of life.

According to CUW’s Coordinator of Study Abroad, Christopher Reeder, the benefits of studying abroad are limitless. Students will be studying at a new school, meeting new people and exploring the country (museums, landmarks and popular areas) of the host nation. There will be Cultural events will be a weekly program that include vineyard tours, rugby matches, visits to Robben Island, the Cape of Good Hope, and concerts.

Choosing a University that fits CUW’s mission and provides objective material for courses is important.

“Students will study at one of South Africa’s finest Universities, Stellenbosch University. Students can take two to three CUW faculty courses and two to three of the new Universities courses. Concordia University of Chicago and Portland will be sending two of their finest professors for this occasion so students can interact with other professors nationwide. There’s a great variety of classes for students to choose from while studying abroad in South Africa. Some course choices are: religion, language, social science, political science, and art,” Reeder said.

Cost is a factor as a college student, but surprisingly, the tuition for this trip is rather low. Studying Abroad in South Africa will cost students $13,750. Now that still might seem like a lot of money, but this includes, tuition, housing, and excursions. CUW offers a Study Abroad Grant for the semester program available that students may apply for.

CUW encourages students to study abroad in South Africa and take hold of this once in a lifetime opportunity.

First Comp Sci/IT Women’s Group in State

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In early February, Concordia became home to the first officially chartered women’s computer science group at a private university in Wisconsin.

Chartered under the Association of Computing Machinery for Women (ACM-W), a national organization, the group is called GRACE, which stands for “Girls Rocking Algorithms, Computers, and Engineering”.

“This group is about empowering and providing events and information to help women experience things in the computing field and network for future jobs,” club treasurer and computer science student Alexis Rolenc said.

GRACE’s mission is to empower female students in computer science and information technology fields, or any female student or faculty member with interest in these areas.

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“This is such a big opportunity not only for our Computer Science department but also for Concordia University as a whole,” GRACE’s faculty sponsor Professor Antoinette Spencer said.

CUW is the third Wisconsin university to host an ACM-W chapter, in addition to UW-Eau Claire and UW-Madison, and is the first private school in the state of Wisconsin with a chapter.

GRACE offers monthly events for interested students and faculty. Past events included a ‘Take-Apart-A-Computer’ day, an hour of coding competition, and a robotics night. Additionally, the club hopes to organize study groups for interested students in Computer Science and IT courses.

“We have such a great team that I know for sure that we will do great things under the Lord’s,” Spencer said.

The group aligns it mission to the Bible verse Genesis 1:27 that says “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” GRACE is committed to helping its members embrace their God-given vocations as they live the university’s mission and retains Christ at the center of the club’s mission.

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For more information on GRACE and its upcoming events, contact Professor Spencer or check the group’s Facebook page.

The Growing Population of International Students

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The population of international students at Concordia University Wisconsin has grown steadily during the 2016 school year due to affordable tuition and good programs.

Coordinator for Asia/Pacific Student Programs, Kelly Kunesh-Barnett has been working for CUW for eight years. She started in the school of nursing and transferred to the international center a little over a year ago.

“It was the best thing I’ve ever done,” Barnett said.

Barnett transitioned roles to the specific role of the Asia Pacific student program coordinator because of its rapid growth.

Currently, CUW has about 380 international students from 22 different countries—with the majority being from India. A flag represents each country in the Katherine atrium.

Whether the students can study in America or not depends on multiple factors—the economy being one of them.

“Directly enrolled numbers [of international students] tend to fluctuate with global economy trends,” Barnett said.

Dimitri Patarroyo Rojas, an international student from Bogota, Colombia, was fortunate to find out about CUW from recruiters that were at a local event in his city.

“[CUW] had good programs to choose from and I wanted to study abroad. It was more affordable than Colombia and other states,” Rojas said.

The international center is expanding their local partnerships and as well as their department in regards to the recruitment of students from around the world.

“Our international student population has steadily grown and we expect it to continue to do so,” Barnett said.