Northwestern vice president to present at CCCU public policy conference

The vice president of Northwestern College’s student life division will present at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Legal and Public Policy Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, Sept. 16-18. Julie Vermeer Elliott is one of the plenary speakers at the conference, to be held at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Elliott will co-present “Legally Sound and Theologically Rich: Can One Policy Be Both?” with attorney Gene Schaerr. 

In their presentation, Schaerr will articulate ways to strengthen college policies from a legal standpoint and Elliott will help attendees consider how their policies align with the institution’s theological beliefs. Elliott explains: “The best policies are ones that reflect the unique mission and cultural ethos of a particular institution. Christian colleges and universities should do what they can to craft policies and statements that are outgrowths of their deepest beliefs and commitments.”

Elliott, a 1997 Northwestern alumna, has been vice president for student life since 2013. She oversees the areas of residence life, career and calling, intercultural development, counseling services, student programs, campus security, judicial affairs, and the Northwestern NEXT program. Previously the director of advising and first-year programs at Pennsylvania’s Eastern University, she earned a Master of Theological Studies degree with a concentration in Christian ethics from Duke Divinity School.

Northwestern College is a member of the CCCU, a higher education association of more than 185 Christian institutions around the world. CCCU headquarters are in Washington, D.C.