Concordia Language Villages 2015-2016 Annual Report

C ON C O RD I A L A N G UA G E V I LL A G E S a n n u a l report | M a y 1, 2 0 15– A p r il 30 , 2 0 16

Preparing young people for responsible citizenship

in our global community since 1961.

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

David and Audrey Olsen

Eden Prairie, Minn.

Jon and Sophie Pederson

Greg Cash

Spicer, Minn.

Sarah and Scott Bjelde

Lake Elmo, Minn.

Minnetonka, Minn.

Steven Pollei and Solveig Storvick Pollei

John Clemedtson

Tacoma, Wash.

Moorhead, Minn.

Wayne and Beverly (Bev) Thorson

Georg and Reidun Gauger

Bemidji, Minn.

Mound, Minn.

Clinton Gilliland and Mary Turner Gilliland

LEADERSHIP GROUP

Menlo Park, Calif.

Mark Chen

Alfred Harrison and Ingrid Lenz Harrison

Group Director

Wayzata, Minn.

Martin Graefe

Keith and Maria Johanneson

Senior Group Director

Bemidji, Minn.

David Manning

Ilya Katsnelson

Associate Director of Finance

Copenhagen, Denmark

Melissa O. Rademacher

Kent Knutson

Associate Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations

Washington, D.C.

Christine Schulze

Margaret Cuomo Maier

Executive Director

Lattingtown, N.Y.

Warren Schulze

Vivian Mason

Director of Operations

Minneapolis, Minn.

Jennifer Speir-Hearn

Dan and Cynthia Mjolsness

Group Director

Barrington Hills, Ill.

Lisa Steffens

Hugh and Linda Mullenbach

Associate Director of Marketing and Online Services

New Orleans, La.

greetings from

Concordia Language Villages

At the heart of Concordia Language Villages are the villagers, young and old, who are drawn to learn more about the world’s languages and cultures.

Therefore, enrollment is our top priority, both to

communicating an authentic message of program

ensure a sustainable program and to advance a

and cultural content in order to remain closer to

mission of responsible, global citizenship for all

our constituents. Our Village staff circle the globe

ages and backgrounds. In this past year, we grew

and are powerful advocates for the importance of

significantly, welcoming 500 more youth and family

language learning throughout the year.

participants to the 2015 summer sessions compared

Thank you for your commitment to Concordia

to the previous year. In addition, Village Weekends (sessions for school groups during the academic year), reclaimed previous registration levels. Our pre-K offerings in the Twin Cities increased by 60%.

This all goes to say that “language matters!�

Language Villages. Your support underscores the importance of building bridges of understanding through cultural competency and fluency in multiple languages. We are all Concordia Language Villages in spirit and action!

This past year, we embraced the concept of a Language Community-centered organization. We realigned our administrative structure and budgetary

Sincerely yours,

framework to position the programs and staff of each of our 15 Language Villages to be at the center of our decision-making. This shift in thinking creates a stronger emphasis on enhancing the quality of each individual Village. Another example is the

Christine Schulze

redistribution of our marketing dollars so that

Executive Director of

each Language Community can actively engage in

Concordia Language Villages

The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation gave $49,000 in support of the Village Parks Program and Global Quest.

These programs encourage inner city middle school and high school students to

program highlights

explore the linguistic and cultural diversity of Minneapolis.

Eighty-five villagers celebrated five years and eight villagers celebrated ten years of participation across all of the Language Villages.

Summer youth enrollment grew by over 500 villagers, the strongest summer enrollment since 2009.

Concordia College began construction of a $45 million project to update the Ivers and Jones Science Buildings. Facilities will be redesigned to emphasize more engaged teaching methods and “hands-on” learning.

Lesnoe Ozero, the Russian Language Village, celebrated 50 years of language learning.

Al-Wāha, . the Arabic Language Village, celebrated 10 years of language learning.

Colo-Eco at Lac du Bois 100% Funded

A new crowdfunding platform was introduced in cooporation with Concordia College. Successful crowdfunding projects included a French baker’s oven at French Bemidji and equipment for the French Hackensack ecology program, Colo-éco.

The newly renamed Culinary Arts Department showcases the food preparation skills of the Chefs de Cuisine and Sous Chefs in each program.

enrollment

2015–2016

Top Five Languages

400

810 261

3,511

200

4,546 Total

81 26

1,262

62

60

98 36 Swedish

Russian

Portuguese

Norwegian

Korean

Spanish

Italian

0 Arabic

Japanese

Danish

325

160 133

118

Finnish

369

English

Chinese

AND FAMILIES

(Summer Youth and Families)

French 745

4,546

Other Languages

(Summer Youth and Families) German

SUMMER YOUTH

U.S. Geographic Distribution (50 States Represented)

Top Ten States 1. MINNESOTA

6. NEW YORK

2. ILLINOIS

7. TEX AS

3. WISCONSIN

8. COLOR ADO

4. C ALIFORNIA

9. FLORIDA

5. VIRGINIA

10. NORTH DAKOTA

.

Percentage of Total Distribution 71%

16%

8% 4%

.

ACADEMIC YEAR

9,818

5,272

AND OTHER SUMMER PROGRAMS

Total 2015 Enrollment

Top Five Languages

Other Languages

(Academic Year and Others)

(Academic Year and Others) German

4,956 5,272 Total

200

2,831

125

Spanish

971

53

45

French

12 Finnish

Chinese

Arabic

0

*Multi refers specifically to Educator sessions for K-16 teachers who represent a number of languages, including most of the languages offered by Concordia Language Villages and additional critical-need languages of the U.S. government.

37

44 Swedish

225

Japanese

173

Italian

*Multi Norwegian

400

756

Academic Year (and other summer programs) Enrollment Totals Concordia Language Villages has become a leader in providing a variety of programming for adults, families, school groups, educators, and the youngest of language learners.

3,217

304

232

443

903

173

Village Weekends

Adults

Families

Pre-K

Twin Cities Day Camps*

Educators

*Twin Cities Day Camps take place during the summer.

2015–2016

financials

GIFT INCOME

OPERATING FUND*

Business Support $46,219 Foundation Support $326,303 Organizational Support $5,889 Foreign Entities $210,000 State of Minnesota/Federal $85,277 Individuals $413,329

Tuition and Fees $9,461,869 Charter School $459,796 Retail $274,897 Transportation $489,156 Gifts, Grants and Endowment $55,670

TOTAL $1,087,017

TOTAL $10,741,388

Allocation of Gifts

Expenses

Current Operations/Village Vision (Village Restricted Other) $237,282 Leadership Funds (Village Unrestricted) $49,618 Endowment Funds (Village Endowment) $36,699 Plant Funds (Village Capital) $274,919 Scholarship (Village Restricted Budget Relvg) $488,499

Salaries $4,174,059 Fringe $1,036,460 Services $2,670,613 Supplies $493,883 Cost of Sales $923,960 Equipment $145,385 Utilities $350,822 Maintenance $158,878

TOTAL $1,087,017

Balance of Revenue Over Expenses

Source of Gifts

*This schedule is not part of the Audited Financial Statements of Concordia College, and is presented for Management purposes only.

Revenue

TOTAL $9,954,060 $787,328

DISPOSITION OF NET REVENUE Unallocated Revenue (to College) for Capital Debt/Maintenance Unallocated College Services

$387,328 $400,000

2015–2016

staff profile

T

he staff who work in Language Villages programs are drawn to the mission of the Villages and the opportunity to share their language and cultural expertise with young and not-so-young villagers.

Staff typically participate in a week-long orientation where they develop the skills and techniques critical to helping villagers learn in a safe, fun environment.

6

North America

British Virgin Islands

1

758

Canada 6 Costa Rica

1

Mexico 7 United States

758

South America

1

7

Argentina 18 Brazil 4 Colombia 1

1

Ecuador 1

3

Venezuela 3

Europe

Austria 2 Denmark 1 Finland 9

1

Africa

Senegal 2 Tunisia 1

Germany 16

Asia

Norway 1 Russia 8 Spain 8 Sweden 11 Switzerland 3

4

Egypt 1

France 3 Italy 4

1

China 6 Japan 3 Republic of Korea

Australia

New South Wales

10

1

18

890 Total Staff 132 International Staff 28 Countries 6 Continents

1

11

9 8

2 1

8

16 3 1 3

10 2 4 2

3

10

1

6 1

1

2

International Staff Spotlight

Valya and her husband Boris (not pictured) have been Lesnoe Ozero’s beloved babushka and dedushka (grandmother and grandfather) since 2008! Valya brings years of experience as a longtime camp director and orphanage administrator in Russia, and she is overjoyed to share her culture with our villagers. Boris has spent his life both as a biology and ecology teacher at a school for the deaf in St Petersburg and as a wilderness skills trainer for camp counselors in the St. Petersburg region.

The villagers love the knowledge and activities he offers to the program.

1

donor spotlight

GARY and JENETTE NELSON

Ann Nicole Nelson, a Stanley, N.D. native and former Norwegian villager, was a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald at the World Trade Center when she was killed in the 9/11 attacks.

Among Ann’s possessions was a computer. Several years after her death, Ann’s parents, Gary and Jenette Nelson, opened the computer and found a list titled Top 100.

“Learn a foreign language,” was number nine on the list.

“Learn about other cultures,” was number 31.

After reading Ann’s list, Gary and Jenette decided to sponsor a garden in memory of their daughter at Skogfjorden, the Norwegian Language Village. Ann was a six-year villager at Skogfjorden and had an affinity for learning foreign languages. “Not only did Ann study Norwegian, but she also studied Spanish,” said Gary.

“She was partial to Norwegian because her heritage was Norwegian. It was a highlight of her life being at Skogfjorden.”

On July 3, 2015 the Syv Søstre garden was dedicated at Skogfjorden. The Syv Søstre is a symbolic portrayal of the Seven Sisters mountain range on the western coast of Norway. The garden has seven circles, one for each sister.

There is a circle for gathering and looking inwards, and another circle with a tree around which people can sit

and look out. The garden’s three middle circles are linked to form a ship with a raised bow and swirling tail. In the middle of this ship, where a mast might be, is the home of a future sculpture that will encourage people to look up. “The Syv Søstre is a place for exploring, learning a new language and being inspired to take the best of our Skogfjorden experiences out into the world, “ said Tove Dahl, dean of Skogfjorden.

Gary and Jenette say that it is Ann’s spirit that they want remembered, a spirit that is an antidote to terrorism through the promotion of peace and understanding, compassion for others, and care for our world. According to Gary, “Ann was a dynamic young lady. She was very resourceful and true to her convictions of wanting to help others. She wanted people to find success in their own lives.” Everyone who has visited the garden has helped to fulfill this mission. “Skogfjorden villagers, parents, staff and friends have truly taken the story of Ann and of Syv Søstre to heart and infused the garden with life,” said Tove.

foundation spotlight UNITED-STATES JAPAN FOUNDATION

In 2014, Concordia Language Villages was awarded a multi-year grant from the United StatesJapan Foundation. The purpose of the grant is to increase the number of students studying Japanese in the Midwestern area of the United States and to enhance high quality Japanese learning experiences in the country as a whole.

The grant provides scholarships for two-week language and cultural immersion sessions at the Japanese Language Village, Mori no Ike. The scholarships help to encourage enthusiastic young people to attend Mori no Ike and to actively promote the importance of learning Japanese as a world language in their school communities. In addition, an online community was established for Japanese villagers to prepare for their Village experience in advance of the summer sessions. Villagers were able to then sustain their connections and interest after the Village sessions ended through the online community.

The United States-Japan Foundation was established in 1981 with a gift from Ryoichi Sasakawa and is the largest private American Foundation with a mission to build understanding between Americans and Japanese.

According to David Janes, Director of Foundation Grants and Assistant to the President for the United States-Japan Foundation, “Mori no Ike is one of the top places for young Americans to learn Japanese language and culture.

The United States-Japan Foundation is pleased to provide scholarships for students from the Midwest to participate in the program.”

Japanese has been offered by Concordia Language Villages since 1988. Since that time, approximately

10,000 students have enrolled at Mori no Ike, with many returning summer after summer and eventually serving on staff. At Mori no Ike, villagers live the language and culture of the Japanese-speaking world with others who share their interest in Japanese language, music, fashion, martial arts, anime, traditional arts, history and more.

Concordia Language Villages is one of the very few pre-collegiate programs to provide instruction and high school credit in three Asian languages: Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Kayla McVeigh, a four-year villager, attended Mori no Ike thanks to a scholarship from the United States-Japan Foundation. “While it started out as curiosity fueled by my deep respect for Noam Chomsky and the field of linguistics, Japanese is now very personal to me.

I’ve become vested in the language and the culture that surrounds it.” Kayla entered college a year and a half early and is now studying Japanese at her university.

“Concordia’s programs opened doors and gave me the confidence to pursue language opportunities not only with Japanese but with Italian and Arabic studies as well. I am grateful for what I learned while at Concordia Language Villages.”

In 1960, Gerhard Haukebo, a Concordia College faculty member, suggested the College initiate an experimental program using immersion techniques to teach language. The intent of the program was to teach young people about other languages and cultures, while giving Concordia students the opportunity to gain practical teaching experience.

Concordia College sponsored the project in the summer of 1961. The College rented Luther Crest Camp, north of Alexandria, Minn., for the first two-week German session. “Camp Waldsee,” which was limited to 72 campers aged 9–12, was a resounding success.

Interest in the program increased steadily and more “Villages” were added. The seven architecturally authentic sites on Turtle River Lake (near Bemidji, Minn.) support year-round programming for thousands of youth, adults and teachers every year.

901 8th St S Moorhead, Minn., 56562 (800) 222–4750, clv@cord.edu

� 2016 Concordia Language Villages, Moorhead, Minnesota, 2262/600/1116