Campus clips: Building for the future

(From left) Dr. Jonathan Butterfield, Lutheran High School South, St. Louis, head of school; Kevin Friel, theater and choir student; Melissa Markwort, Lutheran South graduate and executive director of the Darren Jubel Charitable Foundation; and the Rev. Chris Sommer, campus chaplain, cut the ribbon during the grand opening for the Jubel Center for the Arts at Lutheran South on Feb. 27. (Lutheran High School South)

This monthly column includes brief reports submitted by LCMS schools, campus ministries, universities and/or seminaries.

Building for the future

Lutheran High School South (LuSo), St. Louis, celebrated the grand opening of its $20 million Jubel Center for the Arts this spring, named for Darren Jubel, a LuSo grad who left his estate to the school. Hundreds of students, faculty, alumni and donors attended the ribbon cutting on Feb. 27, which was followed by a concert that evening.

The new addition includes a 626-seat theater, which will be available for community use; a coffee shop and spirit store; a green room, music hall and art studio; administrative spaces; and a new front entrance.

This is the first of three construction phases at LuSo. The second phase is a new STEM center, which will include a second story dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math, as well as an innovative common area. The third phase will be dedicated to athletics, with a new fitness center and renovation of the school practice gym.

Enrollment at LuSo is expected to reach 600 next year, the highest in over a decade.

“The Jubel Center for the Arts has provided an amazing environment for our artists, musicians, technicians and actors to shine,” said Phylan Peters-Bahkou, LuSo director of theater arts. “The state-of-the-art facilities will continue to be a place for Lutheran South students to be who they were created to be. We are blessed to raise the bar for students to learn and grow.”

Wanted: Lutheran teachers

To help address the nationwide teacher shortage, Concordia University, Nebraska, Seward, Neb., has launched a targeted teacher recruitment initiative focused on middle school students in Lutheran schools. The program encourages teachers to identify and affirm students’ potential as future educators by sending personalized notecards designed to inspire them to consider teaching as a vocation.

In its first phase, the initiative reached 516 students across 89 schools in eight states. Grounded in research and student interviews showing the influence of former teachers on career decisions, the goal is to continue this program and explore expanding it to Lutheran schools in additional states.

Service recognized

Lonnie Lee, director of the Moon International Center at Concordia University Irvine (CUI), Irvine, Calif., was recently selected as the California State Senate’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month Honoree for Senate District 37. Lee was recognized by California State Senator Steven Choi at a May 30 ceremony on the CUI campus.

Lee came to the United States from South Korea as a young girl. She has served CUI and its students for over three decades, focused on recruiting, welcoming, orienting and assisting international students during their time at CUI. She also supervises CUI’s study abroad opportunities for domestic students and assists with international trips led by faculty and administrators, the most recent being a two-week concert and companion tour to South Korea and Japan for music students and friends of the university.

CUI Provost Rev. Dr. Scott Ashmon said, “Lonnie is … committed to drawing international students to CUI to experience the good gifts that God has in store for them through their coursework and through the people they encounter at [CUI] and in the surrounding community. … Lonnie embodies and champions CUI’s mission and international tradition, and we congratulate her for this recognition.”

New Testament prof

The Rev. Dr. Kendall Davis has accepted the call to serve at Concordia University, St. Paul (CSP), St. Paul, Minn., as assistant professor of New Testament. Davis received his M.Div. and S.T.M. in Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He then earned his Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Edinburgh. Davis will be ordained and installed at CSP in September and begin his teaching career this fall.

Faith and policy

Launching this fall at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), Mequon, Wis., the new Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) program invites undergraduates to explore how faith, policy and economic systems shape society. Rooted in Lutheran values, this interdisciplinary major equips students to think critically, engage in meaningful dialogue and lead with integrity in a complex world.

A well-established degree in the U.K. — and increasingly popular in the U.S. — PPE blends the study of moral philosophy, political theory and market dynamics to foster informed, ethical decision-makers. Students will grapple with questions of liberty, justice, governance and human flourishing, guided by faculty experts from CUW’s Batterman School of Business and School of Arts and Sciences.

Graduates will be prepared for careers in law, public service, business journalism, nonprofit leadership and more. The program also offers an accelerated 3+3 Pre-Law Pathway with Marquette University Law School.

Learn more at blog.cuw.edu.

Teaching the Nicene Creed

The Rev. Dr. Patrick Bayens, professor of theology at Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., recently authored The Nicene Creed: Illustrated for Families, a children’s book that teaches the words of the Nicene Creed through simple explanations and illustrations by Nicole Choi. The book, published by Concordia Publishing House, allows children to access, learn, understand and appreciate the words of the Nicene Creed — one of the best summaries of Christian teaching.

Bayens pairs individual phrases from the Creed, such as “I believe,” “in one God, the Father Almighty” and “maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible” with full-page illustrations and simple summary statements. Additionally, the beginning of the book offers articles on “Why We Say the Creed” and “Its History and Significance” to offer some context for the Creed’s importance. The book’s release coincides with the 1,700-year anniversary of the Nicene Creed.

Egger reappointed

The Board of Regents (BOR) of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL), has appointed the Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Egger to a second five-year term as CSL president. Egger, who has served in the role since 2021, was reappointed following a formal review process mandated by the LCMS Handbook. The review, organized and led by BOR Vice-Chairman Dr. Michael Staub, included input from both internal and external stakeholders. According to Synod policy, seminary presidents are evaluated regularly.

Changing roles

The Rev. Dr. Michael Salemink and Deaconess Susan Knowles have accepted calls to serve at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW). Salemink, former executive director of Lutherans for Life (2015–2025), will be serving as assistant professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions. Knowles, who earned her deaconess certification from CTSFW in 2024, will serve as director of Deaconess Formation, assisted by Associate Director Rose Adle (formerly assistant director). In addition, the Rev. Dr. Todd Peperkorn has been appointed vice-president of Spiritual Formation. Peperkorn will continue to serve as director of the Vicarage and Internship and Residential Formation Programs while he oversees the spiritual formation of all CTSFW students.

Posted June 23, 2025