Concordia Will Have Business School

The trustees of Concordia University voted unanimously Friday to upgrade its business programs into a separate school at the Irvine campus.

“It’s going to have a significant impact on Concordia because it will elevate our business programs to a much higher status of visibility and status within the university,” said Jack Preus, Concordia’s president.

There are 187 undergraduate business students at the Lutheran school and 50 in the master of business administration program. MBA candidates take classes mostly at night and on weekends.

The business division now is part of the School of Arts and Sciences.

The university started its first graduate program in business, the entrepreneurial MBA, three years ago.

Concordia expects about 20% more business students in each of the first two years of the upgraded program, said Doug Fleischli, a university spokesman.

Two faculty members will be added in the next two years, Preus said.

An important component to the program will be Christian principles, he said.

“What we don’t mean is a different way of counting numbers,” Preus said. “What we do mean is our faith informs how we act. In our programs, we’ll give great attention to issues of business ethics, integrity and those kinds of things.”

The business school will start operation in August, the beginning of the next academic year.

Fund-raising is expected to begin soon to pay for a $12-million education and business technology building.

Steve Christensen, Concordia’s executive vice president for university advancement, said the business school is a response to student demand. A survey of the 1,500-student campus found that 40% of undergraduates want to go into business. Another 40% become teachers.

Business schools in Orange County include those at UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Chapman University, Azusa Pacific University and Pepperdine University.