The year was 1976: Nelson Rockefeller was vice president; gasoline cost 59 cents a gallon. It was the "Year
of the Dragon" in China; George Gallup, Jr. had declared it to be the "Year of the Evangelical" in the United
States. Christian higher education was coming of age; the Christian College Coalition was formed.
The Council's Roots
Until the 1950s there were few bonds transcending denominational lines within the world of Christian higher
education. The Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges, now called the Council of Independent
Colleges, was launched in 1955 to serve the needs of smaller and unaccredited schools, many of them
Christian colleges and universities.
In the mid-1960s, recognizing the unique educational mission of Christ-centered colleges, the Commission
of Higher Education of the National Association of Evangelicals proposed that an association for such
institutions be created. Aided by a $300,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment and the active encouragement
of Earl McGrath, director of the Temple University Higher Education Center and Carl F.H. Henry, editor of
Christianity Today, the Christian College Consortium was founded on July 1, 1971 as the "first major
cooperative venture" in this sector of American higher education. Ten institutions (Bethel/MN, Eastern
Mennonite, Gordon, Greenville, Malone, Messiah, Seattle Pacific, Taylor, Westmont and Wheaton) banded
together with the goals of more effectively integrating faith and learning, cooperatively promoting the cause
of Christian higher education, developing domestic and international student programs, and continuing to
explore "the possibility of a university system of Christian colleges"... the long-standing dream of Carl Henry
and other Christian scholars. Dr. Ed Neteland, academic dean of Trinity College (IL), served as the first
executive director of the Consortium.
The Consortium's membership fluctuated somewhat in the early 1970s as Christian colleges from across the
country sought the benefits of collaboration on projects of common interest. In March of 1975 the
Membership Committee of the Consortium accordingly recommended to President Gordon Werkema that a
prospectus be developed for a more broadly based "Council for Christian Colleges."
The Executive Committee of the Consortium and Consortium presidents received Gordon Werkema's
recommendation in October of 1975 that an organization be formed primarily to focuson three stated
objectives:
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The monitoring of legislation, judicial activity, and public opinion on matters which could affect the
freedom of Christian colleges to function educationally and religiously.
The development of unified positions on critical issues for presentation to other organizations,
governmental bodies and public policy formers.
The development of an offensive position on potential erosions of religious and educational
freedom in the Christian college movement.
The Council's Founding
An informational mailing about the proposed emergence of the "Christian College Coalition" drew favorable
response from 38 colleges and universities from across the United States. Presidents from 26 institutions
joined together at the Capitol Hill Quality Inn on September 21-22, 1976 at the association's founding
meeting. As part of that meeting each president articulated his perception of the need for "a group that would
adequately represent the Christian college."
Emerging from the discussion was the specific rationale for the formation of the Council:
"... the fact that there is now no group which effectively and exclusively represents colleges seriously
interested in preserving a permeation philosophy in education and religion;
... the fact that there is a need for study, research and promotion of the distinctives and rights which
Christian colleges are not willing to give up to the government;
... the fact that in any power struggle between public and private education, "public" is going to win politically
and therefore those who have the most reason to be private or independent should have a leadership
position;
... the fact that legal counsel and representation can be effectively provided at a more reasonable cost for a
group, i.e. a class action."
Elected to serve on the first board of the Council were: Richard Chase - later named Chairman (Biola);
Robert Baptista (Taylor); David LeShana (George Fox); Robert Lucky (Marion); Carl Lundquist (Bethel/MN);
and Dan Weiss (Eastern). Officers of the Council board were named at a meeting on November 17, 1976 in
Indianapolis; dues were set at $700 per year. During that same time, since start-up funding from the Lilly
Endowment had been expended, Consortium dues stood at $10,000 per year. The first official meeting of
the Council board was held on February11, 1977 in conjunction with NAICU meetings in New Orleans.
The Council's First Decade
From its founding in 1976 until 1982, the Council shared staff and office space with the Christian College
Consortium, first at 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, then at 11 Dupont Circle and finally -- until its move
to permanent Council-owned facilities on Capitol Hill in 1990 -- at 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. A
noteworthy date in the history of the Council was its incorporation in January of 1982 as an entity
independent from the work of the Consortium; Carl Lundquist, former president of Bethel College (MN) was
named president of the Consortium with the office moving to St. Paul.
While the administrative offices remained in the vicinity of Dupont Circle, the center of higher education
activity in Washington, D.C., an innovative new program for students from Christian colleges was created in
1976 and based on Capitol Hill by John Bernbaum, a young scholar on "temporary" leave from his position
as historian and contributing editor of the Foreign Relations of the United States series for the U.S.
Department of State. Bernbaum's dream of introducing the "best and brightest" Christian students to
Washington's public policy arena -- and giving them a vision for their own involvement there -- has resulted
in 1,500 American Studies Program students spending time in this internship/seminar program; nearly 200
alumni are currently working in the Greater Washington area.
Gordon Werkema served as president of the Consortium and Council until October of 1977 when he
assumed the role of executive vice president of Seattle Pacific University (WA). He was succeeded
November 1, 1977 by John Dellenback, former four-term Congressman from Oregon and director of the U.S.
Peace Corps during the Ford Administration. Hired from outside the world of Christian higher education,
Dellenback delighted in the story of first meeting with member college presidents and explaining that his wife
Mary Jane was not available because of her regularly scheduled tap dancing lesson!
The Dellenback Years
The "Dellenback Years" from 1977 until 1988 were a time of expanding programs and building a solid
membership base (a "critical mass," in Dellenback's words) for this cooperative work in Christ-centered
higher education. Expanding the membership "to a possible 75 colleges" was a priority agenda item at the
Council's Executive Committee meeting in October of 1978. After steady growth in the late 1970s and early
1980s, that goal was met in 1986 when Redeemer College (ONT) became the 75th member institution and
the first Canadian liberal arts college to be accepted into membership. Such growth was tracked with keen
interest by the Council staff-- the addition of every ten schools was celebrated with a dinner hosted by the
Dellenbacks!
In 1978 Rich Gathro, now vice president for student programs, joined the Council staff as part-time director
of internships for the American Studies Program, which expanded in scope from 30 to 40 students each
semester that fall. He became full-time associate director in 1980. Karen Longman, currently vice president
for professional development and research, joined the staff in 1980 as program director. Jerry Herbert, now
director of the American Studies Program, joined the ASP faculty in 1981, which continued under John
Bernbaum's direction.
In August of 1979 the first annual Faith/Learning/Living Institute, involving 13 faculty, was held at Trinity
College (IL) to address "the transmission of Christian values and moral decision-making in the face of the
knowledge explosion in many areas such as health, the family, communication,the environment and career
planning." Two small faculty conferences had been coordinated by the Consortium prior to the development
of the Institute concept.
These Institutes, hosted by Trinity College (IL) and coordinated by professor of history Ken Shipps, laid the
groundwork for an expanding series of faculty development workshops andconferences planned by Shipps
and Karen Longman. This important work of the Council, which has expanded to include almost 100 faculty
workshops and conferences, began in 1983 with a $135,000 grant to the Council from the National
Endowment for the Humanities for a project titled "Christianity and the Humanities" (upon notification of this
Federal funding, the NEH program officer commented, "It's good to know that God hears the prayers of the
Protestants!"). Funding for such faculty development work has subsequently been received from the
Maclellan Foundation, the Murdock Charitable Trust and the Pew Charitable Trusts. In total, approximately
2,000 faculty have participated in five-day regional and national workshops focused on integration issues.
Increasing the credibility and visibility of Christ-centered higher education was another major thrust of the
Council's work during the Dellenback years. In 1982, and subsequently in 1984and 1986, the Council
released A Guide to Christian Colleges, published by William B. Eerdmans. Beginning in 1988 the Council
opted to partner with Peterson's Guides of Princeton on a volume called Consider a Christian College (1988,
1990 and 1992) and Choose A Christian College (1994). In total, more than 125,000 copies of these Council
guides have reached the hands of college-bound students and those advising students on college choices.
Admissions-related efforts included the National Marketing Initiative supported by a $125,000grant from the
Maclellan Foundation and the Consortium for the Advancement of Private HigherEducation (CAPHE).
Included in the project was the carefully targeted distribution of 30,000 copies of Consider A Christian
College, a $50,000 research project released in 1986 which analyzed how college-bound students perceive
Christian liberal arts colleges, and five-day Enrollment Management Seminars involving 31 member
institutions in 1988 and 1989.
Publications became a major component of the Council's focus on the integration of faith, learning and living
with contracts for two book series in the mid 1980s. John Bernbaum worked with Baker Book House to
coordinate a series including Economic Justice and the State, Salt and Light: Evangelical Political Thought
in Modern America and Why Work? In 1986 the Council entered into a contract with HarperCollins for an
eight-volume "Supplemental Textbook Series." A Series Advisory Board chaired by Nicholas Wolterstorff of
Yale Divinity School and disciplinary task forces have guided the preparation of paperback volumes offering
a biblical worldview in seven fields: psychology, biology, literature, history, business, sociology and music.
Major five-day national conferences in each discipline have allowed faculty from across theCouncil colleges
to critique the draft manuscripts and interact with colleagues about the contents prior to publication of each
volume in this "Through the Eyes of Faith" series. The project has attracted considerable international
interest with foreign rights purchased by InterVarsity Press-England and InterVarsity Press-Korea; various
volumes have also been translated into Russian, Danish, Dutch and French.
During the Dellenback Years the student program work also expanded with the addition of theLatin
American Studies Program in 1986. Under the guidance of John Bernbaum, the "LASP" was designed with
input from more than 35 Council faculty members from 24 member institutions. Dr. Roland Hoksbergen of
Calvin College (MI) directed the program for its first three years. In total, 478 students from 56 member
institutions have participated in the LASP; Anthony Chamberlain has served as director since August of
1990.
In the mid-1980s various new cooperative programs were initiated, including the participation of more than
50 colleges in a Faculty Exchange Program and in the Council's Tuition Waiver Exchange Program. A
January Term Exchange Program was begun, allowing students from Council colleges on the 4-1-4 calendar
to study on another campus or overseas under the auspices of a sister institution. Council presidents,
academic deans, student deans, chaplains and coaches were meeting on an annual basis, sometimes in
conjunction with other professional associations. A new "Fellows" program was launched, bringing a series
of faculty and administrators on sabbatical leave to serve with the Council's Washington office and student
programs. Numerous study tours for faculty and administrators to visit Latin America and the Middle East
have been well-received.
The Council's tenth anniversary, celebrated at the 1986 Annual Meeting, featured U. S.Secretary of
Education William Bennett, U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield and Don North, president of the Burlington Northern
Foundation. Also on the program were reflections by President Richard Chase of Wheaton College (IL), who
reviewed the history of the Council's first ten years and Council board chairman Dan Chamberlain of
Houghton College (NY), who presented "A View of the Future," including the need to increase the vitality,
visibility and viability of Christian higher education. Affirming the good work already underway, he called for
expansion in the areas of faculty development, internationalizing the curriculum, student programs ("We
must begin programs in Asia and in Africa") and efforts to make our internal administrative organization "less
secular, more Christian, more human, and more humane."
At the 1986 Annual Meeting Gene Habecker, president of Huntington College (IN) and chairmanof the
board's Development Committee, announced the board's decision to launch a $2 million campaign intended
to "develop an endowment fund and acquire a physical facility" as a permanent base for Council operations
in Washington, D.C.
The Second Decade
The last few years of the Dellenback era were a time of laying the foundation for the Council interms of its
strengthened national image and for the "National Capital Campaign" that emerged into a $3.1 million
initiative. In February of 1987 the board of directors voted to approve the new logo of the Council, which had
shared the logo design of the Consortium since its founding. The new "C" image connoted the concept of
centeredness and was intended to project an impression naturally linked to the words Christian College
Coalition. All publications received a facelift as part of a unifying image for the organization.
In November of 1987 the board approved the purchase of two facilities on Capitol Hill: $1.375 million for a
new condominium complex being developed at 327 Eighth Street, NE and $300,000 for the adjacent
townhouse at 329 Eighth Street, N.E. Even in making the decision to develop a permanent presence for the
Council, the board was aware that Dellenback would be leaving his position the following year and that a
major fund raising effort would fall to the incoming president. "The Dellenback Years" concluded with
membership at 77 institutions as well as the inauguration of numerous student and faculty programs. "JD"
has continued to chair World Vision's U.S. board of directors following his departure from the Council.
The Augsburger Years
In February of 1988 the announcement was made to presidents at the Annual Meeting of theappointment of
Myron Augsburger as incoming president of the Council. As a former president and professor of theology at
Eastern Mennonite College and Seminary (VA), Augsburger had moved to Washington in 1981 where he
helped to found Washington Community Fellowship, an interdenominational church on Capitol Hill.
A man of great vision and passion, Augsburger built upon the foundation that had been laid and sought to
use the "instrument" of the Council both responsively to address the stated needs of the campuses and
prophetically in providing leadership to Christian higher education. Encouraging faculty and students to
develop global understanding and a commitment to racial/ethnic diversity were two of Augsburger's driving
themes. Early in his presidency the Supplemental Textbook Series picked up momentum, with national
conferences for the business and history books held in May and June of 1988. By the conclusion of the
Augsburger era, seven books in the "Through the Eyes of Faith" series had been released: psychology,
biology, literature, business, history, sociology and music.
Work on the building project consumed enormous amounts of time; Rich Gathro had assumed responsibility
for the location and development of the facility while many others focused on the fund-raising need. Solid
groundwork was laid by the co-chairs of the Council's "National Capital Campaign," Senator Mark Hatfield
and Ken Wessner, chairman of the board of The ServiceMaster Company, with staff support from Nancy
Goodrich, who was hired to direct this effort. That effort culminated in the January 1989 decision of the
board to name the condominium facility "The Dellenback Center." Students in the American Studies
Program began living in the Center in the fall semester of 1988; the entire Council staff moved into the
adjacent townhouse facilities in March of 1990.
Fund raising effectiveness was a concern not only for the Council but came to the fore in the late1980s
through a major project funded by the Lilly Endowment. A $30,000 grant in the spring of 1989 allowed the
Council to conduct an assessment of fund raising efforts among the Council's 78 member institutions. The
resulting publication, Friends, Funds and Freshmen, was edited byWesley Willmer of Biola University (CA)
and printed in 1990. That study led in November of 1990 to a $510,000 three-year project funded by Lilly on
"Increasing Fund Raising Effectiveness"and directed by Rebekah Basinger, formerly of Messiah College
(PA). At the project's conclusion in June of 1994, fully 100% of the member institutions had participated in at
least one grant activity; one-third had requested development office audits under the project.
In December of 1989 the Council brought together representatives of nine member institutions plus various
parachurch groups to discuss Christian higher education's response to "the breakthtaking changes occurring
in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe." Under the guidance of John Bernbaum, such gatherings led to the
visit of 16 Soviet academic leaders in the fall of 1990and the subsequent formation of "The Russian
Initiative," a multi-faceted project involving 18 member colleges that included coordination of student and
faculty exchanges, feasibility research on a possible Russian Studies Program and an MBA project that
linked Russian and American business professors. Also included was a feasibility study of a Christian
university in Russia, a vision which eventually led John Bernbaum in the summer of 1995 to leave the
Council and devote full-time work to this facet of the original Russian Initiative. His wife, Marge, continues as
student program manager.
Augsburger's commitment to global understanding and justice issues was reflected not only in his strong
support of the emerging work in Russia but also in a variety of new Council initiatives. His dream of regular
"Think Tanks" led to the first such gathering in Zurich, Switzerland in thesummer of 1990. Representatives
from eight countries met with Council faculty and administrators to discuss the issues raised in the United
Nations' statement Our Common Future. Subsequent "Think Tanks" housed in The Dellenback Center
included topics of racial diversity and speakers such as Carl F. H. Henry, Os Guinness, Lesslie Newbigin
and Stanley Hauerwas.
In the fall of 1989 work began on issues of racial diversity. A Minority Concerns Task Force was convened in
the spring of 1990 in Philadelphia; a subsequent meeting was held at The DellenbackCenter. These
conversations led to the formation of the Office of Racial/Ethnic Diversity, a project involving 14 "model site"
campuses that provided financial support to cooperative work this area under the direction of Deborah
Bailey and Rhonda Roorda. Released in 1991, Ethnic-Minorities and Evangelical Christian Colleges, a book
co-published by the Council and edited by D. John Lee of Calvin College (MI), offered an "unflattering study"
urging attention to diversity issues on Christian campuses. For 2.5 years the "ORED" assisted with various
faculty development efforts and the annual Multicultural Congress on Access and Equity as well as
developing a quarterly newsletter called "The Open Door."
In the fall of 1990 Augsburger announced the formation of a cooperative summer program withthe Center for
Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Oxford that has allowed Council students to spend six weeks in
England each summer since 1991. In January of 1991 the Council opened the first semester of the new Los
Angeles Film Studies Center, the culmination of a six-month feasibility study which focused on the goal of
equipping Christian students to work within the established film industry structure. Directed by Doug Briggs
(formerly of Bethel College, MN) since its inception, the LAFSC has served 162 students from 48 member
institutions. The Center's long-range vision is to bring a significant Christian presence to the 1,000
"thoughtmakers" who shape the film industry.
Seeking to equip Christians for work in selected "strategic career paths" where Christians are typically
under-represented was also the goal of the Harvey Fellows Program, launched in 1991and fully funded by
the Mustard Seed Foundation. The fellowships, in the form of $12,000 scholarships renewable for up to two
additional years, are awarded to college graduates who are enrolled in the best graduate programs in their
field. An annual Harvey Fellows' week-long summer institute is hosted at the Council's headquarters.
Adding further to the global dimensions of Augsburger's contributions to the Council was the establishment
in the fall of 1993 of the Middle East Studies Program (MESP) in Cairo. Emerging from four years of
discussion and collaboration, including a 1991 faculty workshop on "The Muslim World in the Christian
College Classroom," the MESP has been directed since its inception by Cliff Gardner, formerly with the
American University of Cairo. In total, 89 students from 34 member institutions have participated in the
MESP.
Similarly, in January of 1994 the new Russian Studies Program was launched as an outgrowth of the
Russian Initiative. Director Harley Wagler oversees the program, which is based in Nizhni Novgorod but also
allows students to spend time in Moscow and St. Petersburg. A total of 62 students from 29 institutions have
participated in the RSP thus far.
In September of 1993, Augsburger announced his decision to conclude his Council leadership and turn his
attention to a new phase of ministry effective June 30, 1994. The Search Committee's work was completed
by the 1994 Annual Meeting, where Robert Andringa was announced as the incoming president of the
Council. Founder and president of CEO Dialogues, Andringa brought strong non-profit experience and an
extensive knowledge of higher education policy and government relations, having served on the House
Committee on Education and Labor and as the executive director of the Education Commission of the
States.
The Andringa Years...
Stressing "quality, relevance and unity," Andringa began work at the Council on July 1 of 1994. His
immediate goals were to strengthen the infrastructure of the Council and to build a wider base of awareness,
political support and financial support within the evangelical community for Christian higher education.
Working with the board of directors, a new Standing Policies Manual was developed and a system of
advisory "councils" and board "committees" was implemented to provide clarity to the Council's
organizational structure.
Within the early months of Andringa's presidency, two significant new projects received grant support. A
three-year project entitled "Taking Values Seriously: Assessing the Mission of Church-Related Higher
Education" was supported by a $222,000 award from the Fund for theImprovement of Postsecondary
Education; 50 member institutions began collaborative work on a study of freshmen, seniors, faculty and
alumni. Supportive funding was also included for a series of national and regional assessment conferences
over the grant period. Also launched in his first year was a $200,000 Pew-supported "Global Stewardship
Project" that involves 17 member institutions in a series of conferences and interdisciplinary projects.
Fall of 1994 saw not only the release of the fourth edition of Choose A Christian College byPeterson's but
also the first edition of a new resource, Research on Christian Higher Education,a venture co-sponsored by
the Council and Messiah College (PA). In addition, work began in 1995 on a summer institute funded by
Fieldstead, "Capstone in the Capital," which involved a dozen student newspaper editors in a month-long
program of interaction with top journalists from Washington, D.C. and across the country. An Executive
Leadership Development Project also received grant support in the summer of 1995. Designed to strengthen
and equip new presidents, chief academic officers and potential academic leaders, the project involves
summer institutes for those new to academic leadership and a two-year mentoring process.
Council membership reached 90 member institutions at the 1995 Annual Meeting, with the addition of
Southwest Baptist University (MO). Also breaking new ground at the meeting was the decision of the board
to change the organization's name to the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities to more accurately
reflect the organization's membership and purpose. In addition, a new category was created for "nonmember Affiliate" institutions from around theworld that share a similar commitment to offering Christcentered higher education.
Technology, with all of its complexity and potential, emerged in 1995 as one of the major priorities of the
Council. A survey of member institutions in April of 1995 for a cover story in Christianity Today concluded
that the majority of colleges were already linked to the Internet and that others would soon be coming "on
line." A co-sponsored conference in October of 1995 at Cedarville College (OH) on the topic of "Campus
Networking" drew 125 participants from 52 colleges. A pre-conference meeting at Cedarville led to the
decision to develop a Council Web site through Gospel Communications Network, thus opening the
opportunity for a collective presence for the 90 member colleges on the Web and for various "discussion
groups" among administrative and faculty colleagues.
The consummate networker, Andringa has encouraged the Council to partner wherever win-win
relationships can be established. The Cedarville technology conference, the Eastern College (PA) cosponsorship of activities through the Center for Christian Women in Leadership, and other similar initiatives
are focused on tapping expertise within the Body of Christ for the benefit of all member institutions. The first
two Presidents' Dialogues, informal opportunities for presidents and spouses to share concerns over the
period of a few days together, proved to be enormously successful; two additional Dialogues are planned for
the summer of 1996.
Using expertise and contacts made during his years of working for Congress and governors,Andringa
increased the Council's involvement in the D.C. higher education community and its work to protect student
aid appropriations, sort out accreditation issues, etc. The Council soldits adjacent townhouse and nearby
DeArmond House as part of its consolidation efforts and to solidify its financial health.
At the commissioning service for Andringa in July of 1994, Senate Chaplain Richard C. Halverson affirmed
the work of the Council as an organization that "stands clearly in honoring Christ." Perhaps never in history
has there been a more opportune time for Christian higher education to bear witness in the midst of cultural
malaise. According to Halverson, "This is your moment in human history." All those involved with the
Council's first twenty years are grateful to God for the privilege of serving in this corner of the vineyard.
Looking back, much has already been accomplished:
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Close to 100 colleges and universities have joined together around the common commitment to
Christ-centered higher education, achieving what no individual institution could accomplish alone;
In total, 2,388 students have benefitted from participation in the Council's semester programs.
Many others have participated in various student exchange programs and cooperative programs;
Annual conferences for administrative and faculty development have served approximately 3,000
participants;
Several million dollars in grant support from foundations and corporations has been directed
through the Council toward our member institutions as various projects have focused on equipping
the next generation for service and for leadership. This is missions, in the highest sense of
missions. Helping students to catch a vision of being "the presence of Christ" wherever their lives
may take them.
To God be the glory! Great things He has done...