In July 1965,
Arthur E. Steele went to Florida looking for a place to found a Christian college, as a reaction to what the founders saw as trends in evangelical colleges away from biblical standards of morality. The school would emphasize doctrine and personal soul-winning, and was a reaction against the
ecumenical movement,
new evangelicalism, and
ecumenical evangelism.
Jack Murray supported the founding as chairman of the Advisory Council. These two founders were both graduates of
Faith Theological Seminary, and had each served as a president of
Shelton College. Steele chose to found the college in Clearwater, and soon acquired waterfront at the eastern entrance of Clearwater. On September 17, 1966, the college officially opened with 15 students enrolled. Clearwater Christian College received full accreditation from the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in December 1984 and in 1998 gained reaffirmation for accreditation. In January 1987, the Board of Directors named George D. Youstra to succeed Steele as president. In the following years, enrollment tripled, new buildings were added, 89 additional acres of property were acquired, and new programs were offered. In May 2002,
Richard A. Stratton assumed the presidency. In the summer of 2008, the College began its first graduate program in the area of Educational Leadership, and the Florida Department of Education granted full approval for Elementary Education graduates to be certified with a reading endorsement. On May 7, 2012, John F. Klem became the fifth president of Clearwater Christian College. However, the economic downturn across America caused student enrollment to drop significantly. On June 5, 2015, the board of directors of the College announced the closure of Clearwater Christian College effective immediately, citing "ongoing struggles with maintaining enrollment, rising costs, and challenging development efforts" as reasons for the decision. ==Academics==