A. 1976–2026: 50 Years of Faithfulness Our Lord and Savior continues to bless the ministry of Concordia University, Irvine (CUI)! Called into being as Christ College Irvine, with 38 students, 5 professors, and 1 building, CUI now serves 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students annually by offering 60+ degree programs throughout southern California and beyond. Join us in early October as we celebrate this amazing milestone!
A.1. CUI’s Continued Faithfulness We are proud to report that the formal and informal ecclesiastical accreditation visits by the Concordia University System (CUS), as required by 2023 Resolution 7-04B, have demonstrated CUI’s exemplary commitment to our shared confession as we carry out our specific calling as a university of the LCMS. CUS’ official reports are filled with commendations testifying to how we carry out our mission and inculcate our core convictions and values each and every day, in classrooms, labs, athletic fields, music and theatre venues, residential halls, and online.
A.2. Mission Statement Concordia University Irvine, a comprehensive Lutheran Christian university guided by Christ’s Great Commission, develops wise, honorable, and cultivated citizens to serve society and the church.
B. University Updates CUI, as a faithful and thriving university of the Synod, is grateful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for innumerable blessings and is excited to report the following updates: • As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, CUI will “cut the ribbons” and open several new facilities: (1) the CU Center for Worship and the Performing Arts has been fully remodeled with the addition of 300 seats (for a total of 800); (2) the Golden Eagle Athletics Complex, which includes two new buildings to support NCAA Division 2 athletes and the entire undergraduate student community, adds 20,000 square feet of amenities; (3) a new softball stadium; and (4) a renovated CU Arena. These projects total $45 million (M). As of January 2026, CUI has raised $43M in gifts and pledges towards these projects! Thanks be to God! • •
- In 2025, CUI received a $5M pledge to support the building of new engineering and computer science labs to support the expansion of new concentrations in these two majors, including mechanical, electrical, and bio mechanical engineering, and cyber security and robotics as concentrations in computer science. Thanks be to God for this transformative educational gift! CUI’s partnership between Music and PBS So Cal and national PBS syndicates continues each year to produce a made-for-TV special called “A Concordia Christmas.” Since 2021, CUI has created six award-winning broadcasts, sharing the Gospel through music and spoken word, which have reached audiences in the millions throughout the U.S. During the 2025 Christmas season, CUI led all of higher education in reach and impact by delivering over 750 hours of nationwide programming, outstripping even St. Olaf College and Belmont University, known nationally for music. We were pleased to feature a song in the 2025 show that was filmed and recorded at the LCMS Youth Gathering. As part of our ongoing effort to communicate more boldly, clearly, and widely that CUI is the premier Christian university in Orange County, Calif., the university entered into a 12-year partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Anaheim Ducks and OCVIBE, one of the nation’s largest sports and entertainment locations (over 100 acres) as the “Official Educational Partner.” Throughout this partnership, which includes extensive marketing through digital billboards throughout the complex and inside the Honda Center, CUI will tell our story visually and orally. Additionally, this partnership includes guaranteed annual student internships, performances at new venues, educational offerings for Ducks and OCVIBE employees, and community events, prominently sponsored by CUI. This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce CUI more fully to southern California and, through NHL broadcasts, to the nation.