Cincinnati Christian University (CCU) was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

university in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio. 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 form ...

, 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 American frontier during the Second Great Awakening (1790–1 ...

. 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 HLC.

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, Ohio, Hamilton County in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 14,117 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Sharonville is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area and located about ...

, and in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. In 2009, CCU began offering classes in

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio Riv ...

, and in the Greater

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

area. However, these class offerings in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky ceased at an unknown time. Also, beginning in 2018, CCU partnered with Point University, 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 Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

s and

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate 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 prac ...

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, 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 (CCU) 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 higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA), primarily competed in the

River States Conference The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Although it was historica ...

(RSC; formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) until after 2015–16) 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 c ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Midwest Region of the Division I level. CCU competed in 17 intercollegiate varsity team: 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. * 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist. *

Dan Burton Danny Lee Burton (born June 21, 1938) is an American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for , and previously the , serving from 1983 until 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party (United Stat ...

, member of

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the 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 Mid-Atlantic Christian University. *

Rich Mullins Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter best known for his contemporary worship music, worship songs "Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step". Some of his ...

, Christian musician. *

Michael A. O'Donnell Michael A. O'Donnell (born June 17, 1956, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) is an American writer and researcher and co-principal investigator of the Adolescent Wellness Research Project, jointly with family strengths scholar Nick Stinnett. Their resea ...

MA 1983, former professor of Family Studies and founding executive director of the Southwest Center for Fathering at

Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Christian research university in Abilene, Texas, United States. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 (High Research Spending and Doctorate Production) institutio ...

. * James E. Smith, Biblical scholar and professor at

Johnson University Florida Johnson University Florida was a Private university, private Christian university in Kissimmee, Florida. It was part of the Johnson University system with its main campus outside Knoxville, Tennessee, and an online campus. It was affiliated wit ...

. * Mindy Smith, 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. 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 in the United States Defunct private universities and colleges in Ohio Universities and colleges 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