Clearwater Christian College Closing After Nearly 50 Years

Clearwater Christian College, a small, nondenominational school located on the outskirts of Safety Harbor, announced last week that it was closing unexpectedly after nearly 50 years in operation.

According to an announcement posted on the school’s website, the closing is due to declining enrollment, reduced development and rising debts, among other factors.

Here is a complete transcript of the message from the school’s Board of Directors that was posted on the website on Friday, June 5:

The challenges to higher education are well documented. In recent years, many colleges have sought better ways to address rising costs, declining enrollments, reduced development, managing debt, and weakening economics. Clearwater Christian College fought these battles since our inception. In recent years, financial pressures became increasingly severe. We went through the hard tasks of downsizing and restructuring so we could continue to serve students. We finally reached a critical point and made an exceedingly difficult decision.

On June 4, 2015, the board of directors voted unanimously to close Clearwater Christian College. From this date on, staff will focus their attention on helping students find educational alternatives and performing typical closure tasks. Fortunately, we have been able to partner with a number of regionally accredited institutions to help interested students make the transition into those schools as easy as possible. Efforts are underway to assist faculty and staff with other employment and ministry opportunities. Our hope in these difficult times is to finish well. As always, we rely on God’s hand to uphold us:

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10.

Notes in the “About Us” section of the website state that the school, which is located off the Courtney Campbell Causeway near Bayshore Boulevard, opened in 1966 on 50 acres of waterfront property.

Initially the school started with 15 students, but as time went on, it grew both in the number of students attending as well as the size of the property; according to the site, the school received full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in December, 1984, and over the ensuing years, “the College enrollment grew significantly, new buildings were added, 88 additional acres were acquired, and new programs were offered.”

A call to the school president’s office asking for comment about the closing was not returned at the time of this article being published.