Cincinnati Christian University


Cincinnati Christian University was a private Christian university in Cincinnati, Ohio. CCU was supported by the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, which are part of the Restoration Movement. The university was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, 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 Higher Learning Commission.

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, and in Indianapolis. In 2009, CCU began offering classes in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and in the Greater Louisville 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:
Cincinnati Christian University offered Bachelor's degrees and Master's degrees. The university was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission 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 Higher Learning Commission. 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 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.

Athletics

Cincinnati Christian's athletic teams, nicknamed the Eagles, were a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and primarily competed in the River States Conference. The Eagles also competed as a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I level. Men's sports included baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer track & field, volleyball, and esports; while women's sports included basketball, cross country, cheerleading, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball, and esports. On October 29, 2019, CCU announced that fall semester sports were discontinued since Cincinnati Christian closed at the end of the semester.

Notable alumni

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.