Clearwater Christian College

Clearwater Christian College
Established	1966
Type	Private
Endowment	$389 thousand
Chancellor	Arthur E. Steele
President	Richard A. Stratton
Undergraduates	601
Location	Clearwater, Florida, USA
Mascot	Cougar
Website	www.clearwater.edu

Clearwater Christian College (CCC) is a non-denominational Christian college in Clearwater, Florida on Tampa Bay. The school has an enrollment around six hundred students. Clearwater Christian College was founded in 1966. CCC has majors in the divisions of Biblical Studies, Humanities, Business, Education, Fine Arts, and Sciences, for a total of twenty six different majors and seventeen minors. The current president of CCC is Richard Stratton.

Student life

Clearwater Christian College is composed of roughly 80% residence hall students and 20% commuters, and there are a variety of student activities and organizations for all students to participate in. There are Greek letter organizations, student government, intramural sports, fine arts groups, yearbook, political club, a student newspaper, and other opportunities.

The CCC intercollegiate athletics teams, known as the Cougars, have been very successful in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II. The women's volleyball team has won nine national titles, including a five-peat during 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Their men's soccer team has also won back to back national titles in 2009 and 2010.

Clearwater is a conservative college and maintains student guidelines that include a modest dress code, regulation of facial hair, limited physical contact between the sexes, and daily chapel attendance. Student rooms are inspected for cleanliness, and a "white glove" inspection is performed once a semester.^[1] The college uses a combination of infraction points, fines, and other procedures to discipline students when rules are broken. However, it is generally regarded as a much more relaxed environment than other fundamentalist Christian colleges or universities such as Pensacola Christian College and Bob Jones University.^{[citation needed]}

Academics

Steele Hall, named for the college's first president, Arthur E. Steele

CCC is known as a Christ-centered liberal arts college with a general education curriculum in the arts and sciences plus an embedded Bible minor. The most popular majors are business, elementary education, and general studies, but there has been increasing demand for the programs in the division of science: biology, pre-med, exercise and sport science, psychology, and mathematics. Education majors earn Florida state certification. The interdisciplinary studies major is available for students who wish to focus on two academic disciplines without having to assume the coursework of a double major.

Clearwater Christian College has an agreement with the nearby University of South Florida (USF) to offer its students ROTC programs in Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.

Study abroad

Clearwater encourages its students to participate in study abroad and missions trips. In recent years, the college has offered study abroad trips for college credit during spring break and summer break to Austria, Costa Rica, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. As a faith-based institution committed to serving God, CCC sponsors missions trips to international locations. Faculty, staff, and students have ministered across the globe in Argentina, Brazil, China, Jamaica, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, and Thailand.

Beliefs

Clearwater Christian College is a denominationally unaffiliated Christian college, however most of their faculty, staff, and students come from various Baptist and independent Bible church backgrounds. The college's doctrinal statement is one that focuses on the historic fundamentals of Protestant Christianity.^[2]

Students are required to attend Sunday services and spend time doing a Christian service. A small group, student-led devotional time occurs four times per week for prayer and peer edification.

History

In July, 1965, Arthur E. Steele went to Florida looking for a place to found a Christian College, as a reaction to what the founders saw as trends in evangelical colleges away from biblical standards of morality. The school would emphasize doctrine and personal soul-winning, and was a reaction against the ecumenical movement, new evangelicalism, and ecumenical evangelism.^{[citation needed]}

Steele found Clearwater, Florida to be an ideal place to found a college. He soon acquired 50 acres (200,000 m²) waterfront at the eastern entrance of Clearwater. On September 17, 1966, the college officially opened with 15 students enrolled.

Clearwater Christian College received full accreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-COC) in December 1984 and in 1998 gained reaffirmation for SACS-COC accreditation.

In January, 1987, the Board of Directors named Dr. George D. Youstra to succeed Dr. Steele as president. Since 1987, the college enrollment has more than tripled, new buildings have been added, 89 additional acres have been acquired, and new programs offered.^[3]

In 1994, the college received from the state of Florida approval for its teacher education programs. This approval allows students to go on to state certification.

In May 2002, Dr. Richard A. Stratton assumed the presidency.

In the summer 2008, the College began its first graduate program in the area of Educational Leadership, and the Florida Department of Education granted full approval for Elementary Education graduates to be certified with a reading endorsement.

In the spring of 2011, Dr. Richard A. Stratton announced that he would be phasing out of his role as president.

Accreditation and memberships

Clearwater Christian College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Education degrees.^[4] Clearwater has been given Teacher Education Program Approval by the Florida Department of Education.^[5]

Clearwater is a member of the following groups:

• American Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries (AACCS)
• Council of Independent Colleges(CIC)
• Florida Association of Colleges and Universities (FACU)
• Florida Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (FACTE)
• Florida Independent College Fund (FICF)
• Greater Clearwater Chamber of Commerce (GCCC)
• Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF)
• National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA)
• On-line Computer Library Center (OCLC)
• Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce (SHCC)
• Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO)
• Tampa Bay Library Consortium (TBLC)
• Independent Fundamental Churches of America (IFCA)

See also

Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida

References

1. ^ http://www.clearwater.edu/The_Guide.pdf
2. ^ Clearwater Doctrinal Statement
3. ^ "Clearwater Christian College: History". Clearwater Christian College. http://www.clearwater.edu/aboutus/history.asp. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
4. ^ CCC's profile on Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
5. ^ Florida Department of Education

External links

• Clearwater Christian College
• Clearwater Christian College Facebook Page
• Follow Clearwater Tweets

Coordinates: 27°57′52″N 82°41′51″W / 27.9644°N 82.6974°W / 27.9644; -82.6974