6 / 36
Abbott Honored for Character
CIU Athletics Director Kim Abbott
was recognized for her Christian
character by the National
Christian College Athletic
Association (NCCAA). Abbott was
awarded the Game Plan 4 LIFE
Female Athletic Staff Character
Award at the NCCAA Hall of Fame
Banquet held during the NCCAA’s
national convention in May. CIU is
a member of the NCCAA.
The Character Award goes to
student-athletes and athletics
staff “who epitomize the Christian
character qualities of love,
integrity, faith and excellence.”
Abbott says she is “humbled” to have been nominated for the
award by her staff of coaches.
“We are a team, we work well as a team, and we support each
other,” Abbott said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that
they feel I am worthy to be nominated. And then on top of that,
the NCCAA selected me! What an honor!”
CIU Moves Up in U.S. News & World Report Rankings
Columbia International University climbed to #35 among Best Regional Universities in the South in the 2016 U.S. News & World
Report Best Colleges rankings. CIU ranked #37 in last year’s survey.
Many prospective students and their parents use the rankings as a guide to one of the most important investments they will ever
make. Among the criteria for the rankings are the freshman retention rate, the graduation rate, and the student to faculty ratio.
CIU also ranked high in the “Best Colleges for Veterans” category at #30 in the South. This ranking provides military veterans and
active-duty service members with data on which top-ranked schools offer benefits that can help them make pursuing a college
education more affordable.
CIU President Dr. Bill Jones says CIU has risen in the rankings in recent years due to small class sizes and faculty to student ratios,
as well as the expansion of professional majors such as Business & Organizational Leadership, Sports Management, and a five-
year Master of Divinity degree.
“At CIU we’re committed to raising up professional ministers, but also ministering professionals,” Jones said. “These are students
who want their lives to make a difference, so that when they graduate they are not just making an income, but an impact.”
The U.S. News & World Report rankings come on the heels of CIU scoring high in two other recent surveys. CIU is #3 on the
website The 50 Best Christian Colleges and Universities 2015 and for the second year in a row, CIU is ranked #6 in the Southeast in
the annual “Best Bang for the Buck” survey published by Washington Monthly magazine.
International Military Chaplains Visit CIU
Military chaplains from six nations visited Columbia
International University on Aug. 14 to learn about CIU’s
Chaplaincy program and to tour the campus. The chaplains
represented Suriname, Paraguay, Panama, Trinidad and
Tobago, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. The group
was in Columbia attending “Subject Matter Expert,” an event
at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson
that encourages intense and meaningful discussions about the
chaplain’s role in military operations.
CIU Chaplaincy professors Dr. Michael Langston and Lt. Col.
Brian Bohlman hosted the chaplains on campus. Langston is a
former U.S. Navy chaplain and Bohlman is a chaplain with the
U.S. Air National Guard.
CIU
News
CIU Athletics Director Kim
Abbott holds the Game Plan
4 LIFE Award.
International military chaplains pose at CIU.
6
CIU Today
Fall 2015
CIU NEWS