In the fall of 2006, I approached the 125th anniversary of Concordia College with a great sense of awe and admiration.

To find an educational institution thriving after a century and a quarter is a testament to much more than mere physical survival. It is a testament to the people—faculty, staff, Lutheran supporters, students, and parents—who for 125 years have through faith, fellowship, perseverance, and just plain hard work constantly renewed the vision of this small Christian College.

After a couple of false starts—first in Lower Manhattan and again in nearby Hawthorne, NY—Concordia joined its future with that of a developing suburb, Bronxville. Here it took root, through wars, the Great Depression, and changing religious and societal values. Here it flourishes today.

Patterned originally on the German gymnasium educational model of four years of high school and two of college, Concordia evolved in the 1930s into a separate high school/prep school and a two-year junior college. Then some 30 years ago, Concordia realized a long-standing dream and became a four-year college. Graduates of all three iterations of Concordia continue to be loyal alumni today. Other significant changes Concordia has embraced over the decades include:

• Growth from a school founded by German immigrants to a college that year-in and year-out enrolls about 12% of our students (three times the national average) from countries all over the world     
• Growth from an all-boys school to the coed institution we became in 1939
• Growth from our first black student in 1911 to the richly diverse campus Concordia has been for decades
• Growth from a Lutheran pre-seminary religious training school to a liberal arts college welcoming students of all faiths, which still also prepares students for church service.

Concordia has a proud heritage, a glimpse of which you will find when you visit campus, speak with our students and faculty, and explore the pages of our website. But most important today are the people whose shared vision propels us toward a future filled with promise. We take assurance in the fact that the God of ages, who has been with us from the beginning, will be with us for the years to come.

Viji George, Ed.D.
President