President: 2016-2022
Dr. Donald W. Sweeting, a long-time trustee of CCU, was appointed by the Board of Trustees as the president of the University on August 2, 2016. The nationwide search for a new president began in February 2016, after Bill Armstrong, president of CCU from 2006-2016, announced his intention to retire.
During his time as president, CCU reached its 13th consecutive year of record enrollment, even while navigating the global pandemic, with more than 9,000 students enrolled in the College of Undergraduate Studies and the College of Adult and Graduate Studies, and over 6,500 in CCU Academy — CCU's academic division for high school students.
Significant milestones were achieved in the redevelopment of the Lakewood campus: The Anschutz Student Center was completed, Rockmont Hall was built, and the new Armstrong Center was funded. CCU achieved its 10-year reaccreditation, started its first doctoral program and an honors program, created a new School of Science and Engineering, launched CCU Academy, and founded the Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics. Throughout his tenure, the University's convictions were strengthened.
Dr. Sweeting is a noted educator, minister, and author. From 2010-2016, Dr. Sweeting served as the president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fla., where he also served as the James Woodrow Hassell Professor of Church History and regularly taught core and elective courses in church history, pastoral theology, and ministry leadership.
An ordained minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), Dr. Sweeting served as senior pastor of Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Greenwood Village (a Denver suburb) for 12 years. His ministry culminated with Cherry Creek Presbyterian hosting the denomination's annual general assembly in 2010. In addition to pastoring, Dr. Sweeting taught as an adjunct faculty member at Denver Seminary. Before moving to Colorado, he served for 11 years as the first full-time pastor and church planter of Chain of Lakes Community Bible Church in northern Illinois.
Prior to entering into pastoral ministry, Dr. Sweeting served as an assistant to Chuck Colson and staff at Prison Fellowship in Washington, D.C., and completed internships with U.S. Rep. John B. Anderson, R-Ill., in Washington, D.C., and with John MacArthur at Grace Community Church in California.
Dr. Sweeting's college education began at Moody Bible Institute (MBI) where he majored in Bible-Theology. In 2016, Dr. Sweeting received the Alumnus of the Year award from MBI. Dr. Sweeting went on to earn his B.A. in History from Lawrence University, and then the B.A./M.A. degree from Oxford University in England. During his time at Oxford, Dr. Sweeting led the Theological Students Fellowship (affiliated with InterVarsity). Dr. Sweeting also spent a year of graduate work at Regent College in British Columbia, Canada, studying with J. I. Packer. He later earned his doctorate in Historical Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois while serving as a church planter. At Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, he worked under the supervision of Dr. John Woodbridge and Dr. Harold O.J. Brown. Dr. Sweeting's dissertation was on the relationship between Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States from 1960 to 2000.
After serving as Colorado Christian University president from 2016-2022, Dr. Sweeting was appointed by the Board of Trustees as chancellor of the University, a role he served in until 2025. He was the University's first chancellor, following in the footsteps of Dr. David Beckman, who was chancellor of CCU's heritage school Colorado Christian College.
Dr. Sweeting and his wife, Christina, have three adult sons and one daughter. Two of his children are graduates of Colorado Christian University.