CCCU Announces Senior Fellow for Global Engagement

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities today announced that Ted Song, PhD, will assist the association as senior fellow for global engagement, effective July 1, 2026. 

In this role with the CCCU, Song will collaborate with the Office of Membership to develop and support opportunities specifically designed to engage and serve the CCCU’s international member institutions. These initiatives may include strategically and regionally located conferences and workshops across multiple continents, the cultivation of key leadership networking groups, and sustained dialogue on the integration of faith and learning within diverse geographic and cultural contexts. 

Song brings significant experience in Christian higher education, academic innovation and intercultural leadership. At John Brown University he serves on the presidential cabinet as chief intercultural engagement officer and chief innovation officer, providing institution-wide leadership for intercultural engagement across education, board engagement, and oversight of global and intercultural programs, while also leading academic innovation and strategic program development. 

He joined John Brown University in 2012 as a professor of electrical engineering and has since served in a range of faculty and administrative leadership roles. His work has focused on strengthening academic programs, cultivating a Christ-centered culture of hospitality and building strategic partnerships that prepare students to honor God and serve others. 

“I am honored to serve the CCCU in this role at a time of growing global engagement across Christian higher education,” said Ted Song. “Across the U.S. and around the world, we need each other to faithfully equip the next generation of Christian leaders who are called to make disciples of all nations. I look forward to fostering meaningful partnerships and strengthening collaboration across our global community.” 

Song has a history of service within the CCCU network. He has served as chair of the CCCU Diversity and Inclusion Commission since 2022 and was selected in 2023 as an inaugural CCCU Presidential Fellow, a yearlong fellowship designed to prepare leaders for Christian college presidencies. 

CCCU president David A. Hoag said, “As the CCCU continues to grow its global membership, it has become increasingly clear that we must be intentional in how we serve and equip our international institutions. Our focus is on creating meaningful, accessible opportunities for connection, professional development, and shared learning that strengthen their work within local contexts and home countries. Ted’s background, passion for the global Christian witness, and deep commitment to Christian higher education uniquely position him to help the CCCU strengthen its global partnerships and faithfully support the shared mission of Christ-centered higher education around the world.” 

As a leader with extensive experience across Christian higher education, Song also brings interdisciplinary training and a broad cross-cultural perspective to the role. A Korean-American raised in both Korea and the United States, with significant engagement in global Christian missions including participation in the North American Delegation of the Lausanne Movement he offers a globally informed understanding of the Christian faith and its expression across divers cultural and institutional contexts. 

“Ted is a gifted leader for JBU, and I am grateful that the CCCU will also benefit from his wisdom and faithful service in this volunteer role,” said JBU President Chip Pollard. “Ted’s deep commitment to the global witness of Christ-centered higher education, combined with his cross-cultural experience and heart for building authentic Christian community, make him an ideal bridge-builder for the CCCU’s growing international membership.” 

Karen Longman, who served many years as a CCCU Senior Fellow, director of the PhD program in Higher Education at Azusa Pacific University, and close mentor to Song over the past decade through programming for the CCCU’s Leadership Development Institutes, affirmed the selection. “Ted brings high energy, a spirit of innovation, and great capacity to everything he undertakes. He thinks globally and makes things happen in ways that will be catalytic in strengthening Christian higher education around the world.” 

For more information about the CCCU and its work to advance Christian higher education, visit www.cccu.org. 

All media inquiries should be directed to media@cccu.org. 

About the CCCU 

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of more than 170 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 130 in the U.S. and Canada and more than 30 from an additional 18 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.   

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