Come out and spend a fun-filled evening at Colorado National Speedway this Saturday!  Between the crowd-pleasing races, you’ll have time to chat with our Enrollment Counselors about continuing your education. CCU has a few new programs to tell you about, and we have a number of degree programs to meet a wide variety of career interests. So be there for wild action with Late Models, Pro Trucks, Super Stocks, Figure 8s, and some fun give-aways from CCU. We’ll see you at the track this Saturday at 6:00 p.m.!

The online form for enrollment applies to the following:

• Adult undergraduate, certificate and licensing programs for students who are typically 23 years or older, may be employed full-time or part-time, and prefer evening or online classes.
• Graduate degree programs for students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree.

If you are ready to apply for admission to Colorado Christian University or are in need of information, first, you will need to create an account. You will need this account to complete your admission application and to register for events designed to help you through the admission process. The information you put into your account will allow the faculty and staff to learn more about you so we can provide you with information based on your particular interests.

Applying online will simplify the application process but does not complete it. You must provide a valid driver’s license or state-issued I.D. card with a photo and a valid expiration date to your enrollment counselor. Official high school transcript with graduation date, a copy of your diploma, or a copy of your GED must also be submitted. Transfer students must provide transcripts from each institution attended. You may fill out the Institutional Transcript Request form to gather this information.

You may deliver your application information in person to CCU or mail it to this address:

Colorado Christian University

College of Adult and Graduate Studies Admission

8787 W. Alameda Avenue

Lakewood, CO 80226

Once you have been admitted to CAGS, you will be required to finalize your admissions by completing a few additional steps. Your enrollment counselor will explain these to you and help prepare you for your first day of classes at CCU.

What Makes CCU a Top Conservative College

When it comes to choosing the top conservative colleges, Young America’s Foundation has certain qualities it is looking for in these institutions of higher learning. The Top Conservative Colleges list recognizes institutions that “proclaim, through their mission and programs, a dedication to discovering, maintaining, and strengthening the conservative values of their students.” These schools encourage/allow their students to study conservative ideas and authors and focus on coursework that explores conservative principles such as a strong national defense, free enterprise and traditional values. By focusing on Western Civilization and avoiding topics like sexuality, feminism and postmodernism, students are better able to gain a comprehensive understanding of the country and culture in which they live.

Other schools receiving the honor this year are:

• Christendom College
• College of the Ozarks
• Franciscan University
• Grove City College
• Harding University
• Hillsdale College
• The King’s College
• Liberty University
• Patrick Henry College
• Regent University
• Saint Vincent College
• Thomas Aquinas College
• Thomas More College
• Wisconsin Lutheran College

CCU, a top conservative college according to Young America’s Foundation, is based in Lakewood, Colorado and has several campuses throughout the state of Colorado. We offer numerous bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, associate’s degree and certificate programs, and you can take courses online for many of these programs. For more information, please read the CCU Adult Degree Completion Student Admissions page or contact the CCU main campus at (303) 963-3000 or 1-800-44-FAITH.

 Benefits of Testing for Credit

Whether you’re a nursing major, in the business program or a future educator, testing for credit is something CCU advocates because of the numerous benefits of tests such as CLEP and DSST. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of testing for credit:

• No age limitation
• Saves money and time
• Allows you to skip introductory courses and begin with advanced courses
• Helps you to graduate on time or early
• Testing results show your knowledge in certain subjects
• Great idea for double degree candidates
• CLEP is free for military personnel

CLEP testing is simply an opportunity for you to show what you’ve learned in school and in life. Completing a CLEP study will earn you credits. There are even CLEP (and DSST) study guides to help you. Some students have skipped a year or more of college by testing for credit. There are a total of 33 CLEP examinations ranging from American Literature to Principles of Marketing.

DSST exams were used by the Department of Defense so military personnel could earn college credits, but now the exams are available to all students as multiple choice questions. There are 38 subject-level exams in a variety of disciplines; the exams cover upper and lower-level bachelor’s degree courses.

CLEP and DSST exams (90 minutes and 120 minutes, respectively) do not affect GPA and only count toward general education and elective hours. If you fail a CLEP or DSST exam, you may take it again in six months. A maximum of 45 hours of testing credit will be accepted by CCU.

To learn more about testing for credit, please visit the CCU Adult Degree Completion Admissions page or contact CCU.

According to a USA Today article published online, the CDC report indicates that people with a bachelor’s degree or higher live an astonishing eight-nine years longer than individuals who did not graduate from high school. The below findings regarding the health benefits of a college degree come from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics annual report.

Health Statistics and Education Level

Here are some highlights from Health, United States, 2011, an annual report on the health of Americans. The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics compiled data through 2010 to produce its 35^th annual report. A special section on socioeconomic status and health was featured in this year’s report.

• In 2010, 31% of adults ages 25-64 with a high school diploma (or less) were smokers compared to 24% of those with some college coursework completed, and only 9% of people who finished their bachelor’s degree were smokers. According to Amy Bernstein, researcher for the National Center for Health Statistics and the lead author of the report wrote, “Highly educated people tend to have healthier behaviors, avoid unhealthy ones and have more access to medical care when they need it…all of these factors are associated with better health.”
• Regarding obesity in educated vs. non-educated people, 24% of boys and 22% of girls are obese in families in which the head of household has less than a high school education whereas only 11% and 7% of boys and girls, respectively, are obese if the head of the household has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• In the three-year period of 2007-2010, women 25 years of age and older without a bachelor’s degree were more likely to be obese than those with a B.A. or B.S. The exact findings: Without a bachelor’s degree, 39-43% of women were obese compared to only 25% for degree holders.

Added Incentive to Enroll in CCU

This information from the CDC report is additional proof that obtaining a college degree is beneficial to your health and well-being and can actually increase your lifespan. Colorado Christian University faculty and staff strive to provide a comprehensive academic and spiritual educational experience for all students, and this news from the CDC makes CCU’s educational mission even more life-changing.

If you have been considering pursuing a college degree at CCU, the possibility of living a longer, healthier life is just one more reason to follow your dream of obtaining a degree.  In addition to living a healthier life, you may advance in your career, begin a new career, feel better about yourself emotionally, and serve as a role model for your children, other family members, friends and colleagues.

Enroll Today and Enjoy a Healthier, Longer Life

CCU offers numerous associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs from Accounting to Psychology (and everything in between). CCU also offers a number of undergraduate certificate programs to help you develop key competencies in specific subjects such as Criminal Justice, Biblical Studies, Ethics and Project Management.

It’s never too late to go to college; CCU prides itself on its Adult Degree Completion programs, and many degrees can be earned online. Thousands of men and women in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and even 60’s have earned degrees from CCU without ever having stepped foot on campus and you can, too!

Read CCU’s Adult Degree Completion Student Admissions page to learn more. If you feel like money is the only obstacle to becoming a college graduate, there are countless adult scholarship, grant and loan opportunities available each semester.

Please contact the CCU Admissions and Financial Aid offices today to get started on your journey to a healthier, more spiritually enlightened life. With seven locations throughout the state of Colorado and several online degree programs, you can surely find a location near you or work on your degree from home at your convenience.

The theme of this year’s VALS conference was “Red Tape: Ethical Failures and the Overregulation of Business.” The Summit featured a highly distinguished panel of guest speakers, with journalist John Stossel presenting the keynote address. If you were unable to attend the Summit, you can watch VALS 2012 Conference video segments online!

There was so much to absorb during the day, and we have now made the video segments from each of the day’s speakers available online on the VALS 2012 Red Tape video page. We encourage you to take this opportunity to revisit some of the key lessons of the day and share what you learned with others who recognize the stifling effect over-regulation is having on today’s businesses.

Speakers challenged Summit attendees to live ethical lives and to take specific steps to directly combat the crippling impact of over-regulation. Stossel reminded us that although governments will fail to properly foster innovation, individuals have the ability to create meaningful change in society.

If you missed VALS 2012, please be sure to watch the videos online at your convenience, and we hope to see you next year for VALS 2013!

What is a Leader?

Recently, CAGS posted a blog about what defines a spiritual leader; this blog explored the various characteristics that spiritual leaders have and how one can illustrate spiritual leadership in the workplace. Today, let’s take a look at leadership in general and how CCU incorporates educating and preparing leaders for the numerous challenges they will face as they venture up the “corporate ladder” to a position of leadership. While people may define “leadership” differently, there are several qualities that most good leaders share. First and foremost, a leader should have a clear vision of where to go (goals) and how to get there (achievement). According to Jack Welch, the former chairman and CEO of General Electric, “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

A good leader must be able to communicate his/her vision in a way his/her subordinates and colleagues can understand. No leader should want blind followers. Effective leaders are disciplined and are able to work independently and collaboratively–whatever will produce the best result. A good leader is always acting, always doing something to achieve his mission and should always inspire others to do the same. Let’s look at some more leadership qualities (see how many of these you possess):

• Integrity
• Dedication
• Humility
• Open-mindedness
• Assertive
• Creative
• Approachable

CCU hopes that by the time our students graduate, they will possess many of the qualities that make a good leader and gain a self-awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses or limitations. We hope our students understand the importance of “lifelong learning” and keeping the dialogue between faith and reason ongoing. CCU hopes that our students have been imbued with a strength of character and with a spiritual evolution that will lead them to make the right decisions in their personal and professional lives. According to Dr. Robert Ivany, President of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, a leader has “to do the right thing, making the decision to choose the harder right and not the easier wrong.”

If you want an education that integrates faith and academics, and if you want to an education that has as its cornerstone leadership preparation, you should learn more about Colorado Christian University’s College of Adult & Graduate Studies admissions requirements. Read about CCU CAGS online or contact the University by phone.

The VA Yellow Ribbon Program specifies that universities and colleges in the U.S. may voluntarily fund up to 50% of their veteran-students’ tuition and fees. The Department of Veterans Affairs will match the school’s contribution dollar-for-dollar and provide the remaining funds needed to cover the difference.

CCU Helps Veterans Pay for Their Education

CCU students who qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program will receive up to $2,500 per academic year. To qualify for the University’s contribution to the Yellow Ribbon Program, you must be enrolled as an adult degree completion student or a graduate student in CAGS. CCU will contribute up to $5,000 for veterans enrolled as traditional undergraduate students in the College of Undergraduate Studies.

With the Department of Veterans Affairs matching this amount in full, veterans who qualify for the VA Yellow Ribbon Program can receive as much as $5-10,000 each academic year to help pay for their education. If you want to learn more about how VA Yellow Ribbon Programs work and what you may qualify for, simply contact the CCU Financial Aid Office and schedule a meeting with one of representatives. If you’re unable to travel to campus, please feel free to contact the CCU office by phone. This link will take to a directory page that includes the address and phone number of each CCU campus.

By serving others in need, opportunities to share God’s love abound. One faculty member and one staff member serve as advisers on the trips, but the trips, themselves, are proposed by students, prepared by students, students interview applicants for the trips, and students take care of all of the minute details that make these trips so successful and meaningful. Christian Outreach in Action at CCU is a beautiful thing that changes lives forever.

To find out information about upcoming trips including Summer Trips to Costa Rica, Guatamala, Italy, Moldova, Poland, and Utah, please read about CCU Christian Outreach opportunities that will change your life. The CCU2theWorld Trip Archive will show you all the places CCU students, faculty and staff have impacted lives and provided hope for those in need.

If you are interested in donating to the CCU missions fund or to a specific upcoming trip this summer, CCU2theWorld accepts gifts of all kinds including prayers, support, encouragement and donations. If you would like to make a monetary donation to help fund one of our summer trips, please make checks payable to “Colorado Christian University and mail them to this address:

Colorado Christian University

CCU2theWorld

8787 W. Alameda Avenue

Lakewood, CO 80226

The purpose of CCU information sessions is to provide valuable information to CAGS students to help you achieve your spiritual, academic and professional goals. We will discuss your educational interests and goals and review your academic credits, and we will explore how life-learning experiences can be used to earn college credit.

CCU Information Sessions will be held at these CCU locations May 17:

• CCU Colorado Springs Center
• CCU Grand Junction Center
• CCU Denver Tech Center
• CCU Main Campus (Cedar Center)
• CCU Loveland Center
• CCU Northglenn Center

Register online now to reserve your spot at the CCU information session May 17 at 6:00 at a CCU location nearest you.