Allison Oster
Senior Media Relations Specialist
(626) 815-4518
U.S. Olympian and APU Alumnus Recognized During Christian Higher Education Month
October 5, 2005
AZUSA, Calif. –
To celebrate the sixth annual Christian Higher Education Month (CHEM) this October, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities created a website to showcase the significant contributions Christian colleges and their alumni are making to society.
Azusa Pacific University 2003 alumnus Bryan Clay is 1 of 21 featured profiles, recognizing his impact as an athlete. Clay won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 2005 World Track and Field championships in Helsinki, Finland, and secured the silver medal in the decathlon at the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece. A B.A. in Social Work graduate, Clay also recently started the Bryan Clay Foundation for educational scholarships for Hawaiian youth.
According to Clay, attending Azusa Pacific University “helped refine my view on what it meant to be a Christian, what it meant to do God’s will and let Him take control of my life, and because of that, I can be successful in things I’m doing now. APU played a huge role in who I am now because of the support and guidance I had there.”
“Attending a Christian university enables student-athletes to better achieve ‘balance’ in their lives,” said Kevin Reid, men’s head track coach and Clay’s personal trainer. “With a Christ-centered focus, I believe student-athletes gain understanding on how to juggle all areas of their lives―spiritual, academic, social, and athletic. This dynamic is not specific to Bryan’s experience, but to all APU student-athletes. We are in a unique situation as faculty and staff, because of who we are and our common belief system, that we can each invest in our students’ lives, and as a result, our students have a distinct advantage once they leave.”
This year’s outstanding alumni represent a wide cross-section of professions, including government and law, arts and entertainment, global impact, science and technology, and business. Those highlighted include Congressman Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Majority Whip, U.S. House of Representatives; Saisuree Chutikul, vice chair for UN Convention on Rights of the Child; Michael Cromartie, vice president, Ethics & Public Policy Center, and chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; and Sara Groves award-winning recording artist. All 21 alumni credit the unique value of a Christian education.
Research indicates that in addition to experiencing quality scholarly training, 90 percent of CCCU alumni believe their college helped them develop a sense of purpose in life. “Any college can teach you how to earn a living. The added value of Christian higher education is that you learn skills and values as to how to live your life,” said Congressman Roy Blunt.
“Intentionally Christian colleges have made enormous gains in recent years – impressive enrollment growth, higher academic scholarship, national recognition for overall quality – which explains why our
graduates are making a difference as they engage all sectors of society,” said Bob Andringa, CCCU president.
The CCCU Christian Higher Education Month initiative has been officially recognized by Congress with the passage of House Resolution 300 in November 2003. The site, www.cccu.org/CHEM, profiles 21 outstanding alumni from CCCU member institutions, provides stories on trends in Christian higher education, and offers an online media kit with downloadable logos.
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of more than 170 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are now 105 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 71 affiliate campuses from 24 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth. For more information, visit www.cccu.org.
Featured in TIME magazine and ranked as one of the nation’s best by U.S.News & World Report and The Princeton Review, Azusa Pacific is a comprehensive, Christian, evangelical university, committed to God First and known for excellence in higher education. Azusa Pacific’s main campus lies just 26 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley, while its seven Southern California regional centers bring convenience and extend quality programming. The university offers more than 50 areas of undergraduate study, 22 master’s degrees, and 6 doctorates to a total student population of more than 8,100. For more information, call (800) 825-5278 or visit www.apu.edu.
