Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

In 1976, presidents of colleges in the 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.[2] 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.[2]

The CCCU is headquartered in the historic district of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The Council also owns facilities in Oxford, England, for its Oxford student programmes and San Jose, Costa Rica, for its Latin American Studies Program. The CCCU leases spaces for the remaining Best Semester student programs around the world (see below). In 1989, the Council purchased the townhouse adjacent to The Dellenback Center for guest housing in its Capitol Hill location. In 1999, the Council purchased and renovated an existing townhouse to use as its main headquarters. The original two-story townhouse was constructed in the 1850s and is one of the few remaining wooden clapboard structures on Capitol Hill.[3]

In September 2014, Shirley V. Hoogstra, J.D., was named the Council's seventh president.[4] Before that, she was the vice president for student life at Calvin College 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.[5] She has served in a variety of volunteer leadership roles for CCCU institutes and commissions, and is the Council's first female president.[6] The previous president, Edward O. Blews Jr., served from January 1, 2013, to October 22, 2013.[7][8] William P. Robinson, former president of Whitworth University, was named the interim president[7] before Hoogstra was appointed.

The council has a 17-member board of directors, most of whom are presidents of member institutions.[9] The chair is James H. Barnes III, president of Bethel University.[10]

The CCCU's membership includes more than 150 in the U.S. and Canada and nearly 30 more from an additional 18 countries. All members self-identify as having a Christian identity and mission. Most institutions are accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with 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.

Following a dispute in 2015 about same-sex marriage that led to eight institutions withdrawing from the council, the CCCU adopted a new membership policy that was announced in 2016 and went into effect in July 2017.[17] The policy defined six criteria according to which affiliated schools would be designated as governing members, associate members, or collaborative partners.[18] Schools located outside of the United States or Canada are classified as International Affiliates.

In 2015, Union University[25] and Oklahoma Wesleyan University[26] 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.[27] 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.[32] 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.[28]

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".[29] 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.[30]

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