Nominations Open for CCCU 2023 Young Alumni Award

WASHINGTON – The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is now accepting nominations for the 2023 CCCU Young Alumni Award.

The Young Alumni Award recognizes an individual (or a team of individuals working in a joint venture) who has achieved uncommon leadership or success in a way that reflects the values of Christian higher education. Previous winners include Kelsi Deel Franco (Lee University), founder of the House of Cherith, Emmanuel McNeely (Palm Beach Atlantic University), founder of the Dr. McNeely Dream Project, and Graham Smith (Wheaton College), founder of P.S. Kitchen in Times Square. A full list of past winners is available here.

“The Young Alumni Award gives the CCCU the opportunity to learn about and highlight some of the boldest and brightest minds to have been formed by our institutions,” says CCCU President Shirley V. Hoogstra. “These alumni have made significant contributions in their respective fields. When we publicly honor them, we tell the story of Christian higher education for the current generation. We are looking forward to learning the stories of the 2023 Young Alumni Award nominees.”

The CCCU also honors a runner-up for the Young Alumni Award. James Kelly, a 2013 graduate of McMaster Divinity College in Ontario, Canada, a CCCU International Affiliate institution, was recognized as a 2022 Young Alumni Award runner-up for his work as the founder of FaithTech.

Each nominee submitted for consideration of the 2023 award will be highlighted on the CCCU’s social media channels throughout the month of October as part of our celebration of Christian higher education month. The winner will be selected via external and internal committee reviews and honored during a ceremony at the upcoming 2023 President’s Conference in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 1-3, 2023. The deadline for nominations is Friday, August 19, 2022. The winner, as well as the winner’s alma mater, will be notified later in the fall.

Please note: Only one nomination from each institution is accepted, and submissions should be sent from an institution’s alumni relations office.

For more information on the award guidelines, nomination, and selection process, please read the overview document here.