CCU Ranked in Top 2% for Eighth Consecutive Year
Colorado Christian University is ranked in the top 2% of all U.S. colleges and universities for the eighth consecutive year by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) in the organization's 2019-2020 What Will They Learn? report, an annual assessment of over 1,100 general education programs. CCU is one of only 22 institutions nationwide, and only one of two institutions in Colorado, to receive an 'A' rating for its core curriculum requirements.
"Colorado Christian University wants to prepare students who have a solid foundation under their feet. That is why we insist on a robust core curriculum," said Donald W. Sweeting, CCU president. "This is not only essential in preparing them for a dynamic labor market where they will have many different jobs, but also providing an essential civic literacy for our republic."
Sweeting added that multiple surveys reveal that most college graduates lack civic literacy which includes, among other subjects, basic courses in American politics, government, and U.S. history.
"CCU is addressing America's knowledge crisis; we require such courses," said Sweeting.
The recently released ACTA rating is based on the core curriculum in the University's traditional undergraduate programs in the College of Undergraduate Studies. ACTA assesses the core academic requirements at 1,123 four-year institutions that together enroll more than eight million undergraduate students. Grades are assigned based on whether colleges and universities require all students to take courses in seven priority subject areas as part of their general education programs. Those subjects, identified as critically important by ACTA's Council of Scholars, are: composition, literature, foreign language, U.S. government or history, economics, mathematics, and natural science.
"At Colorado Christian University we continue to hold our students to the highest standards, and that includes to some of the most comprehensive core curriculum requirements in the nation," said Kyle Usrey, vice president of academic affairs for the College of Undergraduate Studies. "ACTA's Council of Scholars has once again recognized CCU's commitment to training well-rounded, competent future leaders."
Core curriculum focused on courses in the traditional arts and sciences equip students with the skills needed for critical analysis, oral and written communication, and intercultural fluency that employers increasingly demand. It also prepares students for informed and engaged citizenship and cultivates a passion for lifelong learning.
"Colleges and universities that receive an 'A' on our report have exhibited a tremendous commitment to a liberal arts education," said Michael Poliakoff, ACTA president. "Institutions across the nation have been scaling back or watering down their core curricula for decades. ACTA's 'A' schools should be commended for pushing against the current. A rigorous and coherent core curriculum can transform students' intellectual experience, opening them up to new modes of thinking that they would have never considered."
The College of Undergraduate Studies at CCU serves more than 1,400 traditional undergraduate students at the University's Lakewood campus - offering 30 majors and 38 minors and emphases. In 2019, the University conferred 321 bachelor's degrees upon students from the College of Undergraduate Studies.