History
In 1913 Miss Emily Dick filled in for her sister, who taught a Sunday school class in one of the mill villages in Columbia, SC. She became concerned for the spiritual and material needs of the workers and their families, so she attended Moody Bible Institute for more training in the Bible. After her return, she realized that a local Bible institute was needed in order to train those who wanted more Bible education. In 1918, Mrs. T. Hal Dick, Margaret Childs, Miss Pamela Moore, Mrs. Elizabeth Tanant and Mrs. Pearl Stone joined Emily in praying for a Bible school. Mary Dibble later joined this band of "praying women" as they looked to John 15:7. One of the first things they prayed for was a man of God who would lead the new work. In 1921, after returning to speak in Columbia for the third time, he was asked to become the dean of a new "Bible institute" that was coming together. After several months of prayer he wrote an acceptance letter to the president of the board and commented excitedly, "What a mighty power for missions and for soul-winning evangelism the school may be!"
Mr. McQuilkin was the only teacher at that time, and since he was still speaking in conferences part time, he chose to serve without pay. Even when the first faculty and staff came in the following years, their pay was only $100 a month, and even that would have to be pro-rated if there were insufficient funds in the treasury. The students at that time were not charged any tuition and room and board averaged $7.50 a week. The opening brochure listed the following three purposes for the school:
Robert C. McQuilkin remained president until his death in 1952. He was succeeded by G. Allen Fleece who led the school until 1966, including the move from the downtown campus to the schools present location in north Columbia in 1960. After his resignation, James M. "Buck" Hatch served as acting
In February 1991, Dr. Johnny V. Miller began serving as the fourth president of what was then called Columbia Bible College & Seminary, and he remained until 1999. Executive Vice President John Davidson was named as the interim president. In 2000, Dr. George W. Murray was named the University's fifth president, coming to CIU from The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM), where he served as executive director. On July 1, 2007, Dr. William H. Jones became the sixth president of Columbia International University. Dr. Jones, a summa cum laude graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology, holds doctorates from both the CIU Seminary & School of Missions and Gordon Conwell Seminary. He is also the co-founder of Crossover Communications International, a missions agency headquartered in Columbia. Jones has been a member of the faculty at CIU since 1990.
The Board of Trustees has also named current CIU president Dr. George Murray to the new position of chancellor effective July 1, 2007. In his new role, Murray will focus on donor relations, and will join President Emeritus Robertson McQuilkin as a voice to the evangelical community, promoting CIU's mission to train men and women to take the message of Christ to the whole world. Today, more than 15,000 alumni of Columbia International University serve in Christian ministry in more than 130 countries, and CIU is one of the world's leading ministry training centers. The dream of one praying young woman is alive and well! |
It all started with the prayer of a young woman.
In the fall of 1922, the school offered some classes in a room rented on Gervais Street and at the YMCA, but nothing formal. During that time, Mr. McQuilkin recommended that the school's name be changed to Columbia Bible School. Thus, it was in the fall of 1923 that Columbia Bible School officially began. Two rooms in the Colonia Hotel were rented for office space and a classroom, and the large sun room was used for the popular Friday evening classes that were open to the public.
In 1929, the school began offering four year bachelor's degrees, and changed its name to Columbia Bible College. It began offering graduate degrees in 1936.
Columbia's third president, 