A Global Partnership

By Keith Keeran

Commonwealth International University was conceived in 1992 as a partnership between Kentucky Christian University and Crimean College in Simferopol, Ukraine. Under the leadership of its current president, Dr. Georges P. Carillet, and its original founder, Dr. Keith P. Keeran, CIU continues to serve the purposes of God for the benefit of the Ukrainian people and other least-reached and underserved people groups throughout the world.

Since the beginning, CIU has been faithful to its mission to educate students for meaningful careers while introducing them to the fundamentals of the Christian faith, equipping them to be servant-leaders in the church and agents of sociological change and spiritual renewal. Twenty years later, the university has graduates in many countries. Their outreach extends to a diverse population that includes orphans, street children, believers and nonbelievers, campus ministries at local universities, and national and transnational corporations.

Those graduates serve as translators for Christian publishers, ministers to local congregations, directors of various parachurch and benevolent ministries, missionaries, and Christian educators to the underserved (even including some impoverished communities in the United States and Muslim communities in the Arab world). Many CIU graduates have continued their education and completed graduate credentials, both the master”s degree and PhD, from highly reputable institutions in Europe, England, and the United States.

 

Beginning in a Context of Chaos

It is impossible to appreciate the story of Commonwealth International University without knowing the factors that brought it into existence. The story begins in August 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the chaotic reverberations that followed. A nation once held together by the glue of political expediency and authoritarian rule suddenly ceased to exist, and in its place emerged independent states that demanded democratic rule and self-determination. Collectively they are now known as the Commonwealth of Independent States.

These republics that once made up the USSR now have their independence, along with the formidable challenges that accompany nationhood. Seventy-five years of Marxist-Leninist ideology, in which atheism was enforced as the official state religion, left the architects of these emerging new nations without a moral compass. Today these nations struggle to gain legitimacy and respect in the world.

In the absence of moral leadership, Ukraine has become one of the most corrupt nations on earth. Greed and self-interest by the country”s political bosses have resulted in severe economic hardship, escalating inflation, poverty, homelessness, increased crime (including organized crime), and every kind of injustice. In 2012, professional services and accounting firm Ernst & Young ranked Ukraine among the three most corrupted nations of the world, together with Colombia and Brazil. This is a country where university degrees and court decisions are awarded based on the size of the bribe.

It is within this context of political chaos, moral ruin, and injustice that Commonwealth International University was founded. While God has built a hedge of protection around the university, it has not been insulated from the evil that permeates the culture at every level.

A few years ago, some former employees of the university returned to their former way of life and attempted to take control of the university. Despite a corrupt judicial system, where a bribe will win a favorable decision, President Carillet and his devoted CIU staff have been able to prevail without compromising on moral principle. Though adversaries deceived a few unwary souls and did much harm to the university, their attempt to take control was unsuccessful. Through all of these trials, God was faithful and the corruption was exposed.

 

Commitment to a Calling

Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, churches in the United States developed an intense interest in taking the gospel to Russian-speaking people. Thousands of believers made their way to the former Soviet Union, some out of curiosity and others because they wanted to make a legitimate contribution to the cause. Unfortunately, much of that initial enthusiasm has faded. Staying on task regardless of the barriers and obstacles along the way is not easy. It requires a will to persist and an uncommon commitment to a divine calling.

Kentucky Christian University has always regarded its educational ministry in Ukraine to be a direct answer to specific prayer and a clear calling from God, and it has taken seriously its commitment to stay the course. From the start, KCU administrators and members of its governing board acknowledged that this effort would be well beyond the university”s financial and human resource capabilities.

Nonetheless, the clarity of God”s calling was undeniable, and the administration concluded that since God was calling, he would also provide the ways and means to make it happen. The university needed only to remain faithful and trust God to provide.

The impact of this collaborative effort has been amazing. When God marshals his resources, he gets all sorts of people involved. CIU had an opportunity to purchase a campus in Simferopol, but had no money. Through the efforts of KCU and a group of campus volunteers, a mailing was prepared appealing to hundreds of U.S. churches to provide funds. Even though most direct mail never gets opened or read, that single mailing brought in nearly a quarter of a million dollars, more than enough money to buy the entire campus! God had spoken with clarity, reminding his people that his sufficiency is always greater than their insufficiency!

 

Profound Impact

The KCU-CIU partnership has resulted in the globalization of both campuses and enhanced the collaboration efforts between Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries in the U.S., Europe, and other parts of the world. College faculty from Christian churches and churches of Christ have given freely of their time as adjunct instructors and guest lecturers in Ukraine. American students from several colleges have completed internships or enrolled in CIU”s study-abroad program. More than 40 CIU students have studied or completed bachelor or master”s degrees at KCU, and several have completed degrees at other Christian church colleges in the U.S. Others have gone on to complete additional certifications before returning to Ukraine or accepting ministry opportunities in other countries.

The presence of Ukrainian students on the Kentucky campus has had a profound impact on virtually every aspect of campus life. Administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and members of the KCU board of trustees have visited the campus in Ukraine, and the impact of that experience has been contagious. Many donors, supporting churches, and other benevolent organizations have traveled to Ukraine to serve short-term on the CIU campus. Some have taken on substantial projects.

Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, is but one example. The church provided all the funds needed for a new roof on CIU”s main classroom building, and continues to send project teams of a dozen or more people every year to maintain a personal touch with students and faculty. IDES provided funds for a new furnace at a critical time, and the Christian Children”s Home of Ohio established an orphanage and underwrote a ministry to street children in Crimea staffed by several CIU graduates. Master Provisions, a benevolent ministry in Northern Kentucky, provided good used clothing for Project Tabitha in Simferopol. This clothing ministry met a serious need among homeless and low-income families, while also employing CIU students and providing them with college scholarships.

Others have embraced special projects from a distance and have provided much needed personnel support and educational resources. The experience has been transformative for many. It has effectively broadened the view of the world for students and faculty on both campuses, especially as it relates to international relations, compassionate outreach, and world mission. It has awakened in many the understanding that those who are blessed with abundance have a responsibility to serve those who are not. The CIU-KCU partnership has fostered an environment of global awareness that has resulted in a renewed vision and passion for Christ”s missionary church that extends well beyond the two campuses.

While the partnership is a collaborative effort between two institutions, it has been successful because of the support and cooperation of many people, churches, and Christian church agencies. Included on CIU”s board of trustees are representatives from the CIU Alumni Association, Pioneer Bible Translators, Teaching Ministries International, The Christian Center for Science and Apologetics, Kentucky Christian University, and the International Alliance of Christian Colleges and Universities.

 

Keith Keeran serves as chancellor of Kentucky Christian University in Grayson. He is distinguished professor of leadership and communication at KCU; founder of Commonwealth International University, and executive director of international Alliance of Christian Colleges and Universities Inc. For more information about Commonwealth International University, contact him at [email protected].