The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities Announces New President

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, the leading voice of Christian higher education, today announced that Dr. David A. Hoag has been named the eighth president of the organization. Dr. Hoag succeeds President Shirley V. Hoogstra after a decade of her service and leadership since 2014.

Since 2016, Dr. Hoag has served as the president of Warner University in Florida. He brings more than 35 years of experience in Christian higher education and served in various leadership positions at four different CCCU institutions, including Warner University, Trinity International University, Greenville University and Asbury University.

He has been a longstanding CCCU volunteer, serving as a commissioner for multiple terms, which entails working on behalf of CCCU peers and member institutions. He has served on the executive committee on the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF), the Council of Presidents for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the executive committee of the Sun Conference.

“As the president of a CCCU institution, Dr. Hoag brings exceptional expertise and unique insight into the challenges and opportunities facing Christian higher education today,” said Dan Boone, president of Trevecca Nazarene University and chair of the CCCU’s Board of Directors. “We believe his strong leadership experience, financial expertise and deep faith in God will strengthen the CCCU as higher education moves forward into the future. We acknowledge the good work of Shirley Hoogstra, who served so excellently this past decade, and we look forward to the next season of presidential leadership. There are moments when the wisdom of God is evident in the selection of a leader. The election of David Hoag as our association president is one of those moments.”

As president of Warner, Dr. Hoag helmed a highly diverse, coeducational Christian university in the liberal arts tradition with an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. He secured several multi-million-dollar gifts and grants, representing record gift support for the university, and oversaw several debt-free construction projects.

“Dr. Hoag’s references and peers repeatedly comment on his deep love for God and the central role that faith plays in his life,” said Dr. Andy Westmoreland of FaithSearch Partners. “A deep and mature Christian faith is an essential for the CCCU president, as the president is often called to moments of celebration and crisis. After an extensive search process, the search committee and the CCCU Board found in Dr. Hoag an expressive and deep love for his Lord and Savior, combining his faith with strong leadership in Christian higher education.”

“God has been preparing me for this position my entire life through my undergraduate years to my career as a university president,” said Dr. Hoag. “Thanks to His providence, I feel called to lead the CCCU into this new era.”

Dr. Hoag has also served on the Board of Directors of the CCCU since 2021.

“I could not be more thrilled with the Board’s choice of Dr. Hoag,” said CCCU President Shirley V. Hoogstra. “I have known of his immense love of Christian higher education for decades and asked him to join the CCCU Board in 2021 based on his record of service and expertise. Dr. Hoag embodies the values of the CCCU. He is a wise leader and a faithful man of God who seeks to love the Lord, to advance the mission of Christian higher education and to serve all the faculty, staff and students of our institutions around the globe. The future of Christian higher education is in wonderful hands.”

Dr. Hoag begins his tenure on September 1, 2024. President Hoogstra has been granted the title president emerita, and she will oversee a period of transition before retiring on October 31.

“I am incredibly honored by the opportunity to lead the CCCU in advancing the transformational work of Christian higher education,” said Dr. David A. Hoag. “My career and my family have been shaped by Christ-centered colleges and universities, and by the work of the CCCU itself. I am blessed to lead an organization that has meant so much to me and to help further the life-changing impact of Christian higher education around the world.”

Dr. Hoag earned a Doctor of Philosophy in higher education from Saint Louis University, as well as a Master of Science in education from the University of Kentucky and a Bachelor of Science in education from Asbury University. He also holds a certificate of achievement from Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy Fund Raising School.

Dr. Hoag is married to Joanna, his wife of 38 years. They have two married daughters, Jamie and Joni.

All media inquiries should be directed to Dr. Amanda Staggenborg, Chief Communications Officer, at astaggenborg@cccu.org.

About the CCCU

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of more than 185 Christian institutions around the world. Since 1976, the CCCU has served as the leading voice of Christian higher education. With campuses across the globe, including more than 150 in the U.S. and Canada and more than 30 from an additional 19 countries, CCCU institutions are accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities whose missions are Christ-centered and rooted in the historic Christian faith. Most also have curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. The CCCU’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help our institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

###