Cincinnati Christian University (CCU) was a private Christian university in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. CCU was supported by the

Christian Churches and Churches of Christ The group of churches known as the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ is a fellowship of congregations within the Restoration Movement (also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement and the Reformation of the 19th Century) that have no forma ...

, which are part of the

Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone–Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the United States frontier during the Second Great Awakening (17 ...

. The university was accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

(HLC), it was placed on "show-cause" status in the summer of 2019 and given one year to convince the accreditor that it should remain accredited. On October 28, 2019, the university's board of trustees announced the decision to shut down the degree programs at the conclusion of the fall 2019 semester and withdrew from the

Campus

The university's main campus was located in one of Cincinnati's western neighborhoods just a few miles west of downtown, but classes were also offered at extension sites in

Sharonville, Ohio Sharonville is a city largely in Hamilton county in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 13,560 at the 2010 census. Of this, 11,197 lived in Hamilton County and 2,363 lived in the southeast corner of West Chester Township in Butler County. ...

, and in Indianapolis. In 2009, CCU began offering classes in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and in the Greater

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

area. However, these class offerings in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky ceased at an unknown time. Also, beginning in 2018, CCU partnered with

Point University Point University is a private evangelical Christian university in West Point, Georgia. It was founded in 1937 as Atlanta Christian College in East Point. The college announced its name change to Point University in 2011 and relocated its main ...

, which added approximately 30 degree programs to be offered to students online.

Organization

The university was structured into five schools: * Biblical Studies, Arts, and Sciences * Ministry * Education and Behavioral Sciences * Business * Adult Learning

Academics

Cincinnati Christian University offered

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

s and

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s. The university was accredited by the

(HLC) but was placed on "show-cause" status in July 2019 and given one year to convince HLC that it should remain accredited. On October 28, 2019, Cincinnati Christian University announced that they would be withdrawing from the

. The university's accreditation was threatened by alleged conflicts of interest on the part of the university's president who also serves on the university's board of trustees and is an officer in the institution's primary lending bank, Central Bank. CCU was a member of the

Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities The Greater Cincinnati Collegiate Connection (previously, Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities), stylized as GC3, is an organization consisting of all of the accredited colleges and universities in the Greater Cincinnati The ...

, an organization including all of the accredited colleges and universities in the area. This consortium relationship gave students access to course offerings of the other institutions through a cross-registration arrangement as well as access to library resources of the other schools in the consortium. CCU was a member of the Association of Schools of Jerusalem University College (formerly known as the Institute of Holy Land Studies) and was approved to offer the Master of Arts in Counseling program by the Ohio Counseling and Social Worker Board. The Master of Arts in Counseling degree was pre-approved as a qualifying degree for licensure as a professional counselor by the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage & Family Therapist Board. The Department of Behavioral Sciences was approved under The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs ( CACREP).

Athletics

The Cincinnati Christian athletic teams were called the Eagles. The university was a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

(NAIA), primarily competed in the River States Conference (RSC; formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) until after the 2015–16 school year) from 2008–09 to the fall semester of the 2019–20 school year. They were also a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Midwest Region of the Division I level. Cincinnati Christian competed in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports included baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track & field and volleyball; while women's sports included basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include archery and eSports.

Discontinuation

On October 29, 2019, CCU announced that fall semester sports were discontinued since Cincinnati Christian closed at the end of the semester.

Notable alumni

* George W. BonDurant BA 1936, founder and former president of Atlanta Christian College and

Mid-Atlantic Christian University Mid-Atlantic Christian University (MACU) is a private Christian university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It is supported by Christian churches and churches of Christ, which is part of the Restoration Movement. MACU awards bachelor's degrees, ...

. * Terry Bradds BA 1980,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

guitarist. *

Dan Burton Danny Lee Burton (born June 21, 1938) is an American politician. Burton is the former U.S. Representative for , and previously the , serving from 1983 until 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party and was part of the Tea Party Caucus. Ea ...

, member of

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. * Jack Cottrell BA 1959, theologian and author. * David Faust MA, M.Div. (date unknown), author, writer for ''The Lookout'' and seventh president of CCU. * William A. Griffin MA 1979, former president of

. * Rich Mullins, Christian musician. * Michael A. O'Donnell MA 1983, former professor of Family Studies and founding executive director of the Southwest Center for Fathering at Abilene Christian University. * James E. Smith, Biblical scholar and professor at Johnson University Florida. *

Mindy Smith Melinda Leigh Smith (born June 1, 1972, Long Island, New York) is an American singer-songwriter. Her first record deal came after she sang a cover version of the song " Jolene" by Dolly Parton. Music career Smith was adopted at birth by a non- ...

, singer/songwriter. * James D. Strauss, theologian.

Presidents

On November 11, 2015, the Board of Trustees of Cincinnati Christian University announced the appointment of Dr. David Ray as the university's interim president. The Board selected Dr. Ray to ensure a smooth leadership transition to the next full-time president of CCU. Ronald E. Heineman became the final president of the university sometime around January 2019.

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ Association for Biblical Higher Education Universities and colleges in Cincinnati Bible colleges Defunct private universities and colleges in Ohio Educational institutions established in 1924 Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities Educational institutions disestablished in 2019 1924 establishments in Ohio 2019 disestablishments in Ohio Seminaries and theological colleges in Ohio