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Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
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The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities headquarters in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Abbreviation CCCU
Formation 1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Type Non-governmental organization
Headquarters Washington, D.C., United States
Region served
21 countries
Membership
185

Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is an international organization of evangelical Christian colleges and universities. The headquarters is in Washington, D.C., United States.

History

In 1976, presidents of colleges in Christian College Consortium called a meeting in Washington, D.C. to organize a Coalition for Christian Colleges that could expand the objectives of the consortium. Representatives from 38 colleges participated in the founding meeting to establish a new organization to provide a unified voice representing the interests and concerns of Christian colleges to government decision-makers and the general public. The Coalition and the Consortium shared facilities in Washington, D.C. until 1982, when the Consortium relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota and the Coalition formally incorporated as an independent organization. In 1995, the organization changed its name to the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities; in 1999 it changed again to the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. In 2023, CCCU had 185 members in 21 countries.

Leadership

In September 2014, Shirley V. Hoogstra was named the Council's seventh president. Before that, she was the vice president for student life at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after having served for four years on Calvin's Board of Trustees. While at Calvin, Hoogstra also served as a cabinet member who became familiar with team building, campus-wide planning and communications. She was also the co-host of Inner Compass, a nationally televised show on PBS. She has served in a variety of volunteer leadership roles for CCCU institutes and commissions, and is the Council's first female president. The previous president, Edward O. Blews Jr., served from January 1, 2013, to October 22, 2013. William P. Robinson, former president of Whitworth University, was named the interim president before Hoogstra was appointed.

The council has a 17-member board of directors, most of whom are presidents of member institutions. The chair is Dan Boone, president of Trevecca Nazarene University.

Programs

Advocacy

CCCU seeks to provide a unified voice for faith-based institutions of higher learning on policy matters that affect its constituency and to equip members to engage in effective advocacy on the state and local level. The advocacy agenda as of 2019 included concerns about religious liberty, institutional autonomy, student financial aid, immigration, environmental stewardship, and government regulation affecting higher education.

Services

CCCU provides programs and services for presidents and administrators, trustees, faculty, and students of member institutions. These include many professional development opportunities, such as annual gatherings for its college and university presidents, and annual conferences for member Chief Institutional Development Officers; Communication, Marketing and Media Officers; Chief Enrollment Officers; Chief Financial Officers; Campus Ministry Directions, and other leadership development programs. Other member services include webinars, grant-making opportunities for scholarship and research, discipline specific forums, networking communities, a tuition waver exchange program, and an online career center. Members also receive access to the Council's biannual magazine called CCCU ADVANCE, as well as regular news updates, website resources on scholarship, and information related to Christian higher education policy and issues. In 2019 the Council launched an online consortium to allow participating schools to share online courses.

CCCU GlobalEd

The CCCU administers a number of student off-campus study programs around the world through CCCU GlobalEd (formerly known as BestSemester). Its first off-campus program, the American Studies Program, was established in Washington, D.C. in the 1970s. It added a contemporary music program in Nashville and a film studies program in Los Angeles, as well as international study abroad programs in Australia, Latin America, the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Oxford, England, and Uganda. Over 14,500 students and growing have benefitted from these academically rigorous, Christ-centered, experiential education programs for almost 50 years. The Australian and Latin American programs ceased operation in 2020. The Nashville, Los Angeles, Uganda, and Northern Ireland programs have all been acquired by CCCU member institutions. A program in Russia (Russian Studies Program) operated from 1994 to 2010. A program in China (China Studies Program) operated from 2000 to 2016 . A program in India (India Studies Program) operated from 2011 to 2015.

Membership

CCCU institutions are accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities whose missions are Christ-centered and rooted in the historic Christian faith. Most also have curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. The CCCU’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help our institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth. Member institutions are divided into four major categories depending on type of institution, agreement the council's defining commitments, and geographical location.

In 2016, the organization adopted a membership policy that contains a clause affirming its commitment to heterosexual Christian marriage. The policy defined six criteria according to which affiliated schools would be designated as governing members, associate members, or collaborative partners. Schools located outside of the United States or Canada are classified as International Affiliates.

Withdrawals from membership

In 2015, Union University and Oklahoma Wesleyan University withdrew from membership in the CCCU because of a policy change by two member institutions to hire same-sex couples. A potential split within the CCCU was avoided with the announcement on September 21, 2015 that both Goshen College and Eastern Mennonite University, the two colleges that changed their policies to hire same-sex couples, had withdrawn from the council. The council issued a statement affirming the traditional Christian view of marriage as between a man and a woman. A task force was appointed to examine the rationale for the existing associational categories plus address how to remain rooted in traditional Christianity, leading to the announcement of a new membership policy in 2016. Bluffton University also withdrew its membership in the council in December 2015 when it announced a policy change to allow hiring gay and lesbian employees.

On November 3, 2015, The Master's College announced their withdrawal from the CCCU due to the college's "concerns about the direction of the CCCU" on issues such as Creation and Evolution and same-sex marriage, stating that "the vast majority of [CCCU] member schools do not accept the Genesis account of creation or the inerrancy of Scripture". Cedarville University and Shorter University also withdrew from the council over concerns that the council's rejection of same-sex marriage was not swift or complete enough.

Governing member institutions

Governing (voting) members must fulfill all six criteria:

  • Christian mission
  • Institutional type and accreditation (must offer a "comprehensive undergraduate curricula rooted in the arts and sciences")
  • Cooperation and participation (dues)
  • Institutional integrity (financial ethics)
  • Employment policies (full-time faculty and administrators must be professing Christians), and
  • Christian distinctions and advocacy (must support the advocacy agenda determined by the Board of Directors, including care for the marginalized and suffering and environmental stewardship).
Institution
name
Location
Denominational affiliation
Year
joined
Abilene Christian University Abilene, Texas Churches of Christ 1982
Ambrose University Calgary, Alberta Christian and Missionary Alliance 2007
Anderson University Anderson, Indiana Church of God (Anderson) 1982
Anderson University Anderson, South Carolina South Carolina Baptist Convention 2011
Asbury University Wilmore, Kentucky Nondenominational 1976
Azusa Pacific University Azusa, California Nondenominational 1976
Belhaven University Jackson, Mississippi Presbyterian Church (USA) 1979
Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, Minnesota Evangelical Lutheran Synod 2017
Bethel University Mishawaka, Indiana Missionary Church 1984
Bethel University Arden Hills, Minnesota Baptist General Conference 1976
Biola University La Mirada, California Inter-denominational 1976
Bluefield University Bluefield, Virginia Baptist General Association of Virginia 2008
Bushnell University Eugene, Oregon Christian churches and churches of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 1981
California Baptist University Riverside, California Southern Baptist Convention 1990
Calvin University Grand Rapids, Michigan Christian Reformed Church 1981
Campbellsville University Campbellsville, Kentucky Southern Baptist Convention 1976
Central Baptist College Conway, Arkansas Baptist Missionary Association of America 2021
Central Christian College of Kansas McPherson, Kansas Free Methodist Church 2001
Charleston Southern University North Charleston, South Carolina South Carolina Baptist Convention 2003
Clarks Summit University Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania Baptist 2021
College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, Missouri Nondenominational 1996
Colorado Christian University Lakewood, Colorado Inter-denominational 1985
Concordia University Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, Michigan Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod 2019
Concordia University Chicago River Forest, Illiniois Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod 2021
Concordia University Irvine Irvine, California Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod 2011
Concordia University Nebraska Sweard, Nebraska Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
Concordia University Wisconsin Mequon, Wisconsin Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod 2019
Corban University Salem, Oregon Nondenominational 1992
Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, Michigan Interdenominational 1991
Covenant College Lookout Mountain, Georgia Presbyterian Church in America 1976
Crown College St. Bonifacius, Minnesota Christian and Missionary Alliance 1997
Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist General Convention of Texas 1984
Dordt University Sioux Center, Iowa Christian Reformed Church 1981
East Texas Baptist University Marshall, Texas Baptist General Convention of Texas 1995
Eastern Nazarene College Quincy, Massachusetts Church of the Nazarene 1982
Emmanuel University Franklin Springs, Georgia International Pentecostal Holiness Church 2011
Erskine College Due West, South Carolina Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church 1981
Evangel University Springfield, Missouri Assemblies of God USA 1976
Faulkner University Montgomery, Alabama Churches of Christ 2014
Fresno Pacific University Fresno, California Mennonite Brethren Church 1981
Geneva College Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America 1976
George Fox University Newberg, Oregon Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends 1976
Gordon College Wenham, Massachusetts Multi-Denominational 1976
Grace College & Seminary Winona Lake, Indiana Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches 1976
Greenville University Greenville, Illinois Free Methodist Church 1976
Hannibal–LaGrange University Hannibal, Missouri Southern Baptist Convention 2010
Hardin–Simmons University Abilene, Texas Baptist General Convention of Texas 2003
Harding University Searcy, Arkansas Churches of Christ 2015
Hope International University Fullerton, California Christian churches and churches of Christ 1994
Houghton University Houghton, New York Wesleyan Church 1976
Houston Christian University Houston Baptist General Convention of Texas 2000
Howard Payne University Brownwood, Texas Baptist General Convention of Texas 2000
Huntington University Huntington, Indiana United Brethren Church 1978
Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, Indiana Wesleyan Church 1976
Jessup University Rocklin, California Nondenominational 2004
John Brown University Siloam Springs, Arkansas Inter-denominational 1976
Judson University Elgin, Illinois American Baptist Churches USA 1976
Kentucky Christian University Grayson, Kentucky Christian churches and churches of Christ 1999
King University Bristol, Tennessee Presbyterian Church (USA) 1979
Lee University Cleveland, Tennessee Church of God (Cleveland) 1981
LeTourneau University Longview, Texas Inter-denominational 1985
Lipscomb University Nashville, Tennessee Churches of Christ 1999
Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, Texas Churches of Christ 2018
Malone University Canton, Ohio Evangelical Friends Church - Eastern Region 1976
Messiah University Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Inter-denominational 1976
Mid-America Christian University Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Church of God (Anderson)
MidAmerica Nazarene University Olathe, Kansas Church of the Nazarene 1978
Milligan University Milligan College, Tennessee Christian Churches and Churches of Christ 1984
Mississippi College Clinton, Mississippi Southern Baptist Convention 2003
Missouri Baptist University Creve Coeur, Missouri Southern Baptist Convention 2005
Montreat College Montreat, North Carolina Inter-denominational 1985
Mount Vernon Nazarene University Mount Vernon, Ohio Church of the Nazarene 1982
Multnomah University Portland, Oregon 2007
North Central University Minneapolis, Minnesota Assemblies of God USA 2010
North Park University Chicago Evangelical Covenant Church 1981
Northwest Nazarene University Nampa, Idaho Church of the Nazarene 1979
Northwest University Kirkland, Washington Assemblies of God USA 1992
Northwestern College Orange City, Iowa Reformed Church in America 1978
Oklahoma Baptist University Shawnee, Oklahoma Southern Baptist Convention 1994
Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma City Churches of Christ 1998
Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, Illinois Church of the Nazarene 1978
Oral Roberts University Tulsa, Oklahoma 1997
Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia, Arkansas Arkansas Baptist State Convention 2018
Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach, Florida Inter-denominational 1982
Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego Church of the Nazarene 1979
Point University West Point, Georgia Nondenominatonal 2018
Redeemer University Ancaster, Ontario Christian Reformed Church 1986
Regent University Virginia Beach, Virginia Inter-denominational 1995
Roberts Wesleyan University North Chili, New York Free Methodist Church 1982
San Diego Christian College Santee, California Nondenominational 2008
Seattle Pacific University Seattle

Free Methodist

1976
Simpson University Redding, California Christian and Missionary Alliance 1976
Southeastern University Lakeland, Florida Assemblies of God USA 2002
Southern Adventist University Collegedale, Tennessee Seventh-day Adventist Church 2022
Southern Nazarene University Bethany, Oklahoma Church of the Nazarene 1978
Southern Wesleyan University Central, South Carolina Wesleyan Church 1978
Southwest Baptist University Bolivar, Missouri Southern Baptist Convention 1995
Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor, Michigan Free Methodist Church 1978
Sterling College Sterling, Kansas Nondenominational 1980
Tabor College Hillsboro, Kansas Mennonite Brethren Church 1979
Taylor University Upland, Indiana Nondenominational 1976
Toccoa Falls College Toccoa, Georgia Christian and Missionary Alliance 2008
Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, Tennessee Church of the Nazarene 1980
Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, Illinois 1980
Trinity International University Deerfield, Illinois Evangelical Free Church 1976
Trinity Western University Langley, British Columbia Evangelical Free Church 1986
University of Mary Hardin–Baylor Belton, Texas Baptist General Convention of Texas 2008
University of Northwestern – St. Paul Roseville, Minnesota Nondenominational 1980
University of the Southwest Hobbs, New Mexico Nondenominational 2008
Vanguard University Costa Mesa, California Assemblies of God USA 1981
Walla Walla University College Place, Washington Seventh-day Adventist Church
Warner University Lake Wales, Florida Church of God 1982
Wayland Baptist University Plainview, Texas Baptist General Convention of Texas 2021
Westmont College Montecito, California 1976
Wheaton College Wheaton, Illinois Inter-denominational 1976
Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee, Wisconsin Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod 2015
York University York, Nebraska Churches of Christ 2012

Associate member institutions

Associate members must meet all the same criteria as governing members except institutional type and accreditation. Thus, institutions that do not offer a comprehensive undergraduate program (including Bible colleges or seminaries) can be associate members.

Institution Location Denominational affiliation Year Joined
Arizona Christian University Phoenix, Arizona Nondenominational 2006
Asbury Theological Seminary Wilmore, Kentucky Inter-denominational 2002
Briercrest College and Seminary Caronport, Saskatchewan Inter-denominational 2000
Cairn University Langhorne, Pennsylvania Nondenominational 1996
Columbia International University Columbia, South Carolina Nondenominational 2000
Crandall University Moncton, New Brunswick Canadian Baptist 1999
Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas, Texas Nondenominational 2007
Denver Seminary Littleton, Colorado Nondenominational 2019
Fuller Theological Seminary Pasadena, California Nondenominational 1996
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary South Hamilton, Massachusetts Nondenominational 2016
Johnson University Knoxville, Tennessee 2007
Kuyper College Grand Rapids, Michigan 1999
Life Pacific University San Dimas, California International Church of the Foursquare Gospel 2014
Lincoln Christian University Lincoln, Illinois Christian Churches and Churches of Christ 2006
Martin Luther College New Ulm, Minnesota Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod 2022
McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario 2007
Mid-Atlantic Christian University Elizabeth City, North Carolina Christian Churches and Churches of Christ 2016
Moody Bible Institute Chicago, Illinois 2001
Ohio Christian University Circleville, Ohio Churches of Christ in Christian Union 2017
Ozark Christian College Joplin, Missouri Christian churches and churches of Christ 2019
Prairie College Three Hills, Alberta Inter-denominational 2004
Providence University College and Theological Seminary Otterburne, Manitoba Inter-denominational 1996
Southwestern Christian University Bethany, Oklahoma International Pentecostal Holiness Church 2015
The King's College New York City, New York Nondenominational 1986
The King's University Southlake, Texas Inter-denominational 2021
Tyndale University Toronto, Ontario Nondenominational 1997
University of Valley Forge Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Assemblies of God 2003

Collaborative partner institutions

Collaborative partners must meet the first four criteria set for governing members (Christian mission, institutional type and accreditation, cooperation and participation, and institutional integrity), but may depart from last two: employment policies and Christian distinctions and advocacy. Institutions that do not require all of their faculty to be professing Christians and/or do not agree with all elements of the CCCU's advocacy agenda, but nevertheless wish to take part in the council's programs and partnerships, may be collaborative partners.

Institution Location Denominational affiliation Year Joined
Baylor University Waco, Texas Baptist General Convention of Texas 2004
Booth University College Winnipeg, Manitoba Salvation Army
Campbell University Buies Creek, North Carolina Southern Baptist 1979
Friends University Wichita, Kansas Nondenominational 2014
LCC International University Klaipėda, Lithuania 1997
Pepperdine University Malibu, California Churches of Christ 2010
Samford University Homewood, Alabama Southern Baptist 2010
Warner Pacific College Portland, Oregon Church of God (Anderson) 1982
Whitworth University Spokane, Washington Presbyterian Church (USA) 1981

International affiliates

The CCCU has more than 30 colleges and universities in countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

Institution Location Denominational affiliation Year Joined
Africa International University Nairobi, Kenya 2005
Africa Nazarene University Nairobi, Kenya Church of the Nazarene 2002
Alphacrucis College Parramatta, New South Wales Assemblies of God 2005
Avondale University College Cooranbong, New South Wales 2010
Central University College Accra, Ghana International Central Gospel Church 2001
Baekseok University Cheonan, South Chungcheong, South Korea 2019
Christelijke Hogeschool Ede Ede, Netherlands 2003
Christian Heritage College Brisbane, Australia 2013
Christ's College Taipei, Taiwan Presbyterian Church in America 1999
CSI Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Sciences Coimbatore, India Church of South India Trust Association 2001
Daystar University Nairobi, Kenya Non-Denominational Christian 2022
Eastern College Australia Melbourne, Australia 2019
Emmaus University of Haiti Cercaville, Acul du Nord, Haiti Wesleyan 2019
Excelsia College Macquarie Park, New South Wales 2000
Handong Global University Pohang, South Korea 2001
Jerusalem University College Jerusalem, Israel 1998
John Wesley Theological College Budapest, Hungary 2003
Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary Budapest, Hungary 2014
Laidlaw College Auckland, New Zealand 2000
LCC International University Klaipėda, Lithuania 1997
Liverpool Hope University Liverpool, United Kingdom 2020
Morling College Macquarie Park, New South Wales 2020
North Haiti Christian University Limbé, Nord, Haiti American Baptist 2005
Queensland University Port-au-Prince, Haiti 2003
Sheng-te Christian College Taoyuan City, Taiwan 2000
Tabor (Australia) Adelaide, Australia, Australia 2020
Tokyo Christian University Inzai, Chiba, Japan 1995
Tunghai University Taichung City, Taiwan Nondenominational 2021
Uganda Christian University Mukono, Uganda 2000
Universidad Nacional Evangelica Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 2015
Universitas Pelita Harapan Banten, Indonesia 2003
University of the Holy Land Jerusalem, Israel 2017
Wycliffe Hall Oxford 2006

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Consejo de Colegios y Universidades Cristianas para niños

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