5│ COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 2017-2018 │INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Columbia International University (CIU) is a dynamic university that trains Christians for global missions, full-time vocational
Christian ministry in a variety of strategic professions, and marketplace ministry.
Columbia International University offers undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and advanced programs. The corporation
also includes Ben Lippen School, a Pre-K through 12th grade Christian school that prepares young people to fulfill the Great
Commission.
Located on 400 scenic acres next to Broad River, just minutes from the hub of South Carolina’s capital city, Columbia, the
beautiful campus is home to a diverse group of Christians. The student body represents many denominations, ethnic and
cultural backgrounds, and reflects the socioeconomic diversity of the world—united by their desire to know Christ and to
make Him known.
History
CIU was born out of a prayer group of six women who sought the Lord for a means to evangelize and disciple mill workers
in Columbia. The results went beyond their expectations. The CIU ministry was founded in 1923 as Columbia Bible School,
occupying the former Colonia Hotel in downtown Columbia in 1927. The school became Columbia Bible College in 1930,
one of the nation’s first four-year Bible colleges. Graduate courses were first offered in 1936, marking the beginning of what
is now CIU’s Seminary & School of Ministry. The school moved to its present 400-acre campus in suburban Columbia in
1960 and changed its corporate name to Columbia International University in 1994. In the 2009-2010 academic year,
programs were moved to the following colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Intercultural
Studies, and the Seminary & School of Ministry.
Robert C. McQuilkin was CIU’s first president, holding the office until his death in 1952. He was succeeded by G. Allen
Fleece, who led the university until 1966. Robertson McQuilkin, son of the first president, served from 1968 through 1990.
Then Johnny V. Miller, current CIU emeritus faculty member and former pastor, served as president from 1991 through
1999. George Murray was appointed president in 1999 and then as chancellor in 2007. Dr. Bill Jones currently serves as
president and has been serving since 2007.
As our motto states, CIU was founded for the purpose of preparing students “To know Him and to make Him known.” Our
purpose remains the same today. All programs emphasize spiritual development, biblical training, and ministry skills
development. From the early years until the present, CIU has focused on the five core values: the Authority of Scripture,
World Evangelization, Victorious Christian Living, Prayer and Faith, and Evangelical Unity.
The school’s first class boasted seven students. Currently CIU enrollment includes over 1,100 students, with several
hundred students involved in non-traditional and distance education programs. Approximately 18,000 students have
received training from CIU and hundreds of our alumni serve throughout the world.
Columbia International University is a multi-denominational Christian institution of higher education dedicated to preparing
world Christians to serve God with excellence. Its educational units offer degree programs ranging from associate level to
doctoral level. All programs emphasize spiritual formation, mastery of biblical content and interpretation skills, cultivation of
a biblical worldview, ministry skills development, and vocational competency.
CIU serves students from over 40 states and 30 foreign countries. More than 52 church denominations and independent
fellowships are represented in the faculty and student body and about 30 percent of CIU graduates working in cross-cultural
contexts.
Mission
Columbia International University educates people from a biblical worldview to impact the nations with the message of
Christ. We pursue this mission as an academic community modeling, mentoring, and motivating students to cultivate
spiritual vitality and character formation, acquire knowledge in biblical content, gain interpretation skills, to develop
competence as critical thinkers and communicators, formulate a comprehensive biblical worldview for themselves, and
explore and initiate experiences that are ministry-focused.
Both the curriculum and the community life at CIU are intentionally designed to stimulate a dynamic context in which each
student is assisted and encouraged to:
Know
Christ
by learning submission to His lordship and dependence on the Holy Spirit, thus making progress in
conforming to His image.