CCU Announces Former U.S. Senator as New President
Colorado Christian University named former U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong as its new president on Monday.
Succeeding retiring president Dr. Larry Donnithorne – who has been named president emeritus – Armstrong will begin his role as CCU president on Aug. 15.
"Bill Armstrong reflects our Christian values and commitment to academic excellence. Under his leadership, CCU will earn a strong national reputation," commented Bill White, Chairman of the CCU Board of Trustees, in a released statement on Monday.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The newly-named president, a Colorado businessman, served in the Colorado Legislature, U.S. House of Representatives from 1972 to 1978 and the United States Senate from 1978 to 1990. He was a member of the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Banking Committee, and the Senate Budget Committee. For six years, he served as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee.
Deciding not to seek re-election in 1990, Senator Armstrong returned to Colorado to fulfill "three goals – to Praise the Lord, have some fun, and make some money."
He is Chairman of Cherry Creek Mortgage Company, one of the state’s largest lending institutions and of Greenwood Capital, also a mortgage banking firm, and Blueberry Systems, a software development company.
In addition, Armstrong is chairman of the Denver-based Oppenheimer Funds, a director of Helmerich and Payne, and a leading oil and gas drilling contractor. Previously, he has been a director of six public companies and the owner/operator of 13 private companies including radio and television stations, a daily newspaper, a real estate brokerage company, and title insurance and investment firms.
In his spiritual life, Armstrong has for the past 15 years been a member of the Board of Campus Crusade for Christ.
Armstrong is married to the former Ellen M. Eaton of Chadron, Nebraska. The Armstrongs have two children and eight grandchildren. They live in Cherry Hills Village and are members of Cherry Hills Community Church.
In his acceptance speech, Armstrong praised the trustees, his predecessor, and the school’s faculty for the success and developments of the school.
He concluded: "Colorado Christian University is committed to honoring Christ and sharing His love on campus and around the world. CCU will always teach students to trust the Bible, live holy lives, and speak out for their faith. And now, more than ever before, CCU intends to be a magnet for outstanding students and to prepare them for significant positions of leadership."
"Our goal is to offer excellent education in strategic disciplines and to teach students how to learn, to write and speak effectively, and to think for themselves,” said Armstrong. “CCU firmly supports American traditions of faith, family, compassion for the poor, sanctity of life, a Biblical view of human nature, and economic and political freedom. We reject the ‘spent ideas’ that erode western civilization. I am deeply honored to become part of Colorado Christian University.”
