Five years after Concordia College New York closed its doors in Bronxville, the institution's Board of Regents received a formal expression of thanks from the national church body that sponsored it for more than a century.

Delegates to the 69th Regular Convention of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod voted Sunday, July 19, to adopt Omnibus Resolution C, which included commendations for the Board of Regents of Concordia College New York, the LCMS Atlantic District, and the Concordia Center for the Family. The resolution passed with 97.06% support at the Phoenix Convention Center, according to the LCMS Reporter.

The omnibus resolution "provides for the recognition of efforts deserving of the church's appreciation and gratitude," the LCMS said in its convention coverage.

The specific rationale for thanking Concordia's Board of Regents was not detailed in available convention coverage. The full text of Omnibus C has not been publicly released beyond the summary in the LCMS Reporter.

A 140-year Bronxville presence

Concordia College occupied 14 acres in Bronxville from 1910 until its closure in 2021. Founded in 1881 in Manhattan as part of the Lutheran Church of St. Matthew, the college moved to Bronxville after purchasing its campus for $52,383. At the time of its closing, Concordia had total enrollment of 1,037 students and 50 faculty members, with a student-to-professor ratio of 13 to 1.

The college announced on Thursday, January 28, 2021, that it would cease offering classes as of the fall 2021 semester. Classes ended in August 2021, with a final conferral of degrees that December.

Iona University purchased the campus, which now houses the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, established after a $20 million gift from NewYork-Presbyterian.

Convention context

The LCMS convention ran Saturday, July 18, through Wednesday, July 23, under the theme "Christ Is Risen Indeed." Delegates addressed hundreds of resolutions over five days, with 464 overture submissions covering 374 unique topics.

The Board of Regents recognition was one of three commendations bundled into the omnibus package, a procedural format the LCMS uses to group non-controversial items for a single up-or-down vote. The 97.06% approval rate reflects that consensus approach.