SEWARD, NE – Students will soon have the opportunity to benefit from a new partnership between Concordia University, Nebraska and Northeast Community College. The presidents of the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Tuesday on Concordia’s campus here to solidify financial and educational commitments of their new partnership, effective immediately.

Rev. Dr. Brian Friedrich, Concordia president, said a partnership with Northeast provides opportunities for students who may not have otherwise considered completing a bachelor’s degree. “Concordia and Northeast already have a long history of supporting each other’s efforts to provide excellent educational opportunities for Nebraska’s students. We are pleased to put that partnership on paper in a way that helps our students put a bachelor’s degree from a Christian, private university within reach.”

Dr. Michael Chipps, president of Northeast, said he has known many students who have highly desired to obtain a liberal arts education at a place like Concordia University.

“There have been numerous students who have crossed my pathway who wanted to attend a private institution, but never considered it a viable option. Many students desire a private, liberal arts education but do not consider it, based largely on the cost,” said Chipps. “These are usually highly academically motivated students who end up going elsewhere, but throughout their lives they always wonder what if they had attended a place like Concordia. When a partnership like this one comes along, students are excited and encouraged and it becomes a reality.  As senior leaders, we have a responsibility to open avenues for them to fulfill their hopes and dreams.”

Graduates of Northeast who have earned an associate’s degree and who choose to enroll full-time at Concordia will be awarded no less than $12,000 annually in institutional aid as they pursue their bachelor’s degree at Concordia. In addition, those students will receive a New Horizons Scholarship of $2,000 that stacks in addition to all other Concordia grants and academic or performance scholarships.

Another big plus for Northeast’s Phi Theta Kappa students is that they qualify for $14,000 in academic aid as a New Horizons scholarship recipient, which boosts the $12,000 base award by $2,000, and allowances to receive other institutional aid.

“While many Northeast students will qualify for aid packages larger than $12,000, the Northeast Partnership Guarantee ensures that they will receive a significant amount of financial help toward their four-year degree,” said Friedrich. “We are also pleased to offer the $2,000 scholarship on top of their other aid, making it that much easier to explore the new horizons that will be available to these students with a bachelor’s degree from Concordia.”

Both the Partnership Guarantee and New Horizons Scholarship are renewable annually if students remain in good academic standing at Concordia with a 2.0 GPA or higher.

The two institutions agree that students who satisfactorily complete an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree at Northeast will have completed all general education requirements at Concordia with the exception of religion and theology credits (nine credit hours).

Transfer students will be required to complete a minimum of 30 post-associate’s degree semester hours at Concordia University, Nebraska and will then be awarded a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from Concordia University, Nebraska, upon meeting academic requirements.

Concordia’s B.A. and B.S. degrees include programs in art, business, church work, communications, education, environmental sciences, criminal justice, health and human performance, psychology, sociology, world and intercultural studies and pre-professional areas, among others.

Dr. Jenny Mueller-Roebke, provost at Concordia University, Nebraska, said, “Transferring from Northeast to Concordia allows students in Nebraska an opportunity to experience a quality private education that will prepare them not only for enhanced career opportunities, but also for life. Our professors are dedicated to enriching students’ lives with engaging programs that prepare our graduates for professional, personal and spiritual success, and now more students from right here in Nebraska can more conveniently receive that kind of educational experience close to home.”

Chipps said one of his primary objectives is to provide local educational opportunities that allow and encourage Nebraskans to stay in rural communities to work, live and raise their families, which corresponds to keeping rural Nebraska alive and well.

“A partnership with Concordia University will open more avenues for Northeast Community College students to achieve their dream of completing additional education at a private university.  The Northeast family is grateful to Dr. Friedrich and his senior staff at Concordia who made this possible,” he said. “This is an exciting journey that will give our students yet another opportunity to pursue additional degrees but through a high-quality private institution. We look forward to working closely with the faculty and staff of Concordia University, Nebraska for generations to come, and our students will certainly look forward to this opportunity of a lifetime.”