# Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

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 includes concerns about religious liberty, institutional autonomy, student financial aid, immigration, environmental stewardship, prison education, 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. 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 a sexual ethic committed to heterosexual marriage, 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 |