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42-405: CCU's heritage dates back to the formation of Denver Bible Institute in 1914. By 1919 the institute had grown immensely, and the first permanent home location was purchased by Denver businessmen. In 1945, Denver Bible Institute was granted a state charter to become a four-year Bible college known as Denver Bible College. Expansion continued with the formulation of three main academic schools, including

84-478: A "Lifestyle Covenant" to attend Colorado Christian University. The Lifestyle Covenant states a commitment "to educate men and women in the process of integrating their faith and education. This agreement also expresses our commitment to providing an atmosphere for study, personal exploration, involvement in interpersonal relationships, spiritual life, and growth that is conducive to students achieving goals, while enjoying living and learning in community". Those who sign

126-505: A 2002 report by George C. Leef and Roxana D. Burris of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) argued that the system does not ensure or protect educational quality, while still imposing significant costs. In a 2006 "issue paper", Robert C. Dickeson wrote that a lack of transparency, low and lax standards, and outdated regionalization were among the problems with regional accreditation. Others, such as Edward M. Elmendorf of

168-452: A four-year period, 180 chapel credits are required to obtain clearance to graduate. For transfer students, or students who will graduate in less than four years, 45 credits per year of attendance at CCU is required. CCU requires traditional undergraduate students to be involved in giving back to the community. In order to graduate from the traditional undergraduate college, every student must complete an average of 45 ministry hours per year for

210-481: A living room, full sized kitchen, and washer and dryers. On August 24, 2017, the Anschutz Student Center opened. It is located at the center of CCU's campus and has 55,000 square feet of space, including food services, offices, and a gym. The Anschutz Student Center's upper floor is a hangout space for students and includes a game room, along with Student Life and Student Activities offices. The main floor of

252-425: A new campus near Ken Caryl, Colorado , after attempting to develop their Foothills Campus near Morrison, Colorado . For over 40 years, CCU held classes on the 53-acre site, which the university shared with Christian radio station KWBI (later purchased by K-Love ). Plans failed to rezone additional property at the site for future use, and it has since been abandoned and demolished. Colorado Christian University

294-718: A new endowment fund for need-based student scholarships. The new academic building, Leprino Hall, was opened in Fall 2014. This building is the first of the CCU renovation. The 43,000 square foot building cost $ 30 million to build and was completed in the summer of 2014. CCU opened a new residence hall to students in August 2015. The new housing has been named "Yetter Hall" after the president of Rockmont College from 1954 to 1963, Archie Yetter. The residence hall houses around 300 students in 53 apartment units. Each unit includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms,

336-501: A religious viewpoint and may require students and/or faculty to subscribe to a statement of faith. Additionally, as of 2009, 20 U.S. states and Puerto Rico had some form of exemption provision under which religious institutions can grant religious degrees without accreditation or government oversight. Since 2001, the use of the top-level internet domain , .edu has been restricted to accredited institutions, but non-qualifying institutions can still use .edu domain names obtained before

378-521: A specific program of professional education or training, but in some cases they cover the whole institution. Best practices are shared and developed through affiliation with the Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors. Both the US Department of Education and CHEA maintain lists of recognized US programmatic accreditors: For broad resources on how programmatic accreditation is managed in

420-402: A total of 180 hours of service through a local or international ministry, non-profit organization or business during his or her college career." Colorado Christian University sponsors several service-based, short-term mission trips through its CCU2theWorld organization. The affluence of the countries visited is wide-ranging, though emphasis is typically placed on helping the underprivileged. Over

462-620: Is currently undergoing a major campus renovation of their Lakewood, Colorado location. The renovation is scheduled to take 7–9 years to complete at a cost of over $ 120 million. In 2012, former CCU President William Armstrong spearheaded the campus renovation project. The university created the Armstrong Legacy initiative as an effort to secure $ 30.2 million for the Armstrong Center, and $ 19.2 million for our second new academic building. An additional $ 50 million will also be pursued to provide

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504-1111: Is now Colorado Christian University. CCU hosts the Western Conservative Summit in conjunction with their think tank The Centennial Institute. The main campus of Colorado Christian University is located near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Lakewood, Colorado , a suburb 10 miles (16 km) west of Denver . The Lakewood campus houses CCU's college of undergraduate studies for traditional students as well as options for married student housing and graduate students. The university's college of adult and graduate studies has regional learning centers throughout Colorado: Denver Tech Center and Global Online Center ( Englewood ), Lakewood Center ( Lakewood ) Northern Colorado Regional Center ( Loveland ), Southern Colorado Regional Center ( Colorado Springs ), Sterling Center at Northeastern Junior College ( Sterling ), Western Colorado Regional Center ( Grand Junction ). In 2002, CCU began searching for

546-464: Is that the traditional system is limited to measuring "input" factors, such as adequate facilities and properly credentialed faculty, rather than the quality of a school's educational output. In his 1996 book Crisis in the Academy , Christopher J. Lucas criticized the accreditation system as too expensive, onerously complicated, incestuous in its organization, and not properly tied to quality. Similarly,

588-500: The American Association of State Colleges and Universities , reject these claims, arguing that they are "picking around the edges" of a proven and necessary system for upholding standards. Thomas C. Reeves notes that some schools unable or unwilling to meet the standards of traditional, regional accrediting bodies are closely involved in creating national accrediting agencies with significantly lower standards. At various times

630-520: The Department of Education . Regional bodies historically accredited institutions in a particular region of the country. National bodies were established to accredit institutions across the country, and sometimes beyond it. Within American higher education, regional bodies were considered more prestigious. (The regional bodies were older, and included the most well established institutions.) In February 2020,

672-465: The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, a national accreditor, were occasionally sued for leading prospective students to believe, incorrectly, that they would have no problem transferring their credits to a regionally accredited school. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes the following organizations as institutional accreditors: These accreditors typically cover

714-605: The Armstrong Center. The facility will serve as the backbone of the academic quad; it will house the Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics, the Clifford Fowler Library, and the university's first dedicated chapel space; and allow the School of Music to return to the heart of campus. Future plans also include the construction of a second dedicated academic building. The university comprises two colleges:

756-612: The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities' Best Semester Program, and Jerusalem University College in Israel. The college of adult and graduate studies offers undergraduate degree completion, educator licensing, and certificate programs for working professionals. The college offers master's degrees and graduate certificate programs. Students may take courses through the College of Adult and Graduate Studies Centers throughout Colorado or through

798-558: The Department of Education eliminated the distinction between regional and national accrediting agencies, creating one unified set of institutional accreditors. The department claimed that the change was intended to encourage cooperation between accredited schools to improve student experiences, uphold quality standards, and reduce the cost of higher education by encouraging transparent transfer of credits and mutual recognition of degrees between schools with common standards. It also claimed that

840-493: The U.S. Department of Education nor CHEA accredit individual institutions. With the creation of the U.S. Department of Education and under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965 , as amended, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the secretary has determined to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by

882-574: The U.S. government has investigated changes to the accreditation system. In 2002 the House of Representatives Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness criticized the system. Accreditation was a major topic of the Spellings Commission , which released its report on September 26, 2006. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognizes that there are criticisms, but has opposed these calls for reform, with President Judith S. Eaton arguing that

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924-787: The United States (and globally) see Accreditation.org which provides background on the process, accords, agreements, and accrediting bodies related to engineering and computing degrees. Several organizations exist that accredit institutions and which are not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA. These include: Although many schools related to religious organizations hold regional accreditation or secular national accreditation, there are four different agencies that specialize in accreditation of religious schools: These groups specialize in accrediting theological and religious schools including seminaries and graduate schools of theology, as well as broader-scope universities that teach from

966-409: The United States were overseen by seven regional accrediting agencies established in the late 19th and early 20th century to foster articulation between secondary schools and higher education institutions, particularly evaluation of prospective students by colleges and universities. These seven agencies were membership organizations of educational institutions within their geographic regions. Initially,

1008-536: The change was intended to allow students to be able to access the best school for their needs no matter what region they reside in. Four months after this change was made, the WASC Senior College and University Commission became the first accreditor to formally change its membership rules and requirements to allow institutions outside its historical geographic region to apply for membership and accreditation. Historically, educational accreditation activities in

1050-597: The college of liberal arts, the theological school, and the Bible institute. Denver Bible College became Rockmont College in 1949. In 1981, Rockmont College was awarded accreditation by the North Central Association . It became Colorado Christian College after merging four years later with Western Bible College, known as Western Bible Institute before becoming a college in the 1970s. Colorado Christian College merged with Colorado Baptist University, in 1989, to become what

1092-849: The college of undergraduate studies and the college of adult and graduate studies. CCU offers over 100 degree programs as well as licensure and certification programs. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission . It is also a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities , the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities , and the Council for Independent Colleges. The college of undergraduate studies offers 30 academic majors as well as 37 minors. The college of undergraduate studies provides academic programs for traditional undergraduate students and also offers off-campus study opportunities through

1134-703: The college's Global Online Center. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the school has an open enrollment admissions policy; however, applicants are required to present a "strong spiritual recommendation" from a pastor, youth pastor, or "spiritual mentor", which can speak to their "Christian testimony and growth". In the 2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking , Colorado Christian University ranked 68th in Regional Universities West, with an overall score of 38/100. All traditional undergraduate students are required to sign

1176-439: The current rules came into force. A prominent example of such a domain name registered before the current rules came into force is Academia.edu , a for-profit social networking site for academics. Various commenters have written about the role and effectiveness of the American accreditation system. It has drawn particular interest since the rise of e-learning classes and institutions. A frequent point of discussion and criticism

1218-596: The existing peer review process as the basis for measuring institutional quality; GI Bill eligibility was limited to students enrolled at accredited institutions included on a list of federally recognized accredited institutions published by the U.S. Commissioner of Education . The U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (a non-governmental organization ) both recognize reputable accrediting bodies for institutions of higher education and provide guidelines as well as resources and relevant data regarding these accreditors. Neither

1260-871: The faculty set the academic policies. Regionally-accredited schools were required to have adequate library facilities. Except for some specific subject areas such as nursing, nationally accredited schools did not hire many full-time faculty, usually hiring faculty by the course, without benefits and with no influence on the school's academic policies, which were determined by non-academic administrators, and ultimately investors. Their library facilities, if they existed at all, were far inferior to those of regionally-accredited schools. While there were some legitimate and well-intentioned nationally accredited schools, similar to for-profit institutions with regional accreditation, some institutions existed with little educational rigor. Some critics considered national accreditation to be not as reputable as regional accreditation. Schools accredited by

1302-479: The institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. Professional schools, which are often graduate schools, have separate organizations for accreditation, e.g. American Board of Higher Education (ABHEC). Institutional accreditation applies to the entire institution, specific programs, and distance education within an institution. Prior to 2020, there were regional and national accrediting agencies, both of which were accountable to

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1344-453: The largest US for-profit universities (e.g., University of Phoenix , Grand Canyon University ) achieved regional accreditation. Regionally accredited schools were usually academically oriented and most were non-profit. Nationally accredited schools, a large number of which are for-profit , typically offered specific vocational, career, or technical programs. Regionally accredited institutions employed large numbers of full-time faculty, and

1386-407: The lifestyle covenant are required to attend church services and chapel. Additionally, students under the lifestyle covenant are expected to remain in compliance with federal, state, and local laws. Students who fail to sign the covenant are subject to immediate dismissal or suspension. Chapel attendance is required of all traditional undergraduate students who are taking 12 credit hours or more. Over

1428-505: The main focus of the organizations was to accredit secondary schools and to establish uniform college entrance requirements. Accreditation of colleges and universities followed later, with each of the accrediting agencies splitting into separate organizations with one or more of those organizations focused exclusively on accrediting colleges and universities. The higher education institutions holding regional accreditation were primarily non-profit institutions, with significant exceptions, as

1470-513: The past twenty years, CCU has sent over 270 short-term missionary teams to more than 60 countries around the world and throughout the United States. The CCU Cougars participate in both NCAA Division II and NCCAA ( National Christian College Athletic Association ). The Cougars compete in 15 intercollegiate sports, with over 200 athletes between the teams, and currently compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference . In 2016,

1512-487: The postsecondary education accreditation functions vested in the Higher Learning Commission . Higher education accreditation in the United States Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured . It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member institutions. It

1554-399: The student center has a canteen. The Great Room is available for different gatherings of students and visitors on campus. Dedicated August 21, 2019, Rockmont Hall is the second new residence hall constructed as part of the university's campus redevelopment campaign. The 115,000-square-foot facility is named in honor of one of CCU's heritage institutions. Fundraising is currently underway for

1596-534: The system is successful and needs to remain flexible to accommodate differences between schools and disciplines. In 2013, President Barack Obama proposed changes in the accreditation system to hold "colleges accountable for cost, value, and quality". He requested Congress change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and value are considered in determining which institutions are accredited and allow students access to federal financial aid; his criticism

1638-643: The women's soccer team took part in the RMAC tournament. They went on to participate in the NCCAA (Division I) tournament in Kissimmee, Florida , where they won 1–0 against Oklahoma Baptist University . North Central Association The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools ( NCA ), also known as the North Central Association , was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation . It

1680-457: Was directed at for-profit institutions. An article published by "University World News" on 2 February 2018 stated that the higher education accreditation community, which confers the quality-assurance seal of approval that allows United States colleges and universities access to billions of dollars of federal student aid, must do a better job of explaining itself to the public if it wants to reverse waning public confidence in higher education. That

1722-504: Was first undertaken in the late 19th century by cooperating educational institutions, on a regional basis. The federal government began to play a limited role in higher education accreditation in 1952 with reauthorization of the G.I. Bill for Korean War veterans . The original GI Bill legislation had stimulated establishment of new colleges and universities to accommodate the influx of new students, but some of these new institutions were of dubious quality. The 1952 legislation designated

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1764-507: Was one of six regional accreditation bodies in the U.S. and its Higher Learning Commission was recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a regional accreditor for higher education institutions. The organization was dissolved in 2014. The primary and secondary education accreditation functions of the association have been merged into AdvancED with

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