Southwestern Adventist University

Southwestern Adventist University is a private, Adventist university in Keene, Texas. It is owned by the Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The university enrolls about 800 students on a rural, 150-acre campus.[2]

Southwestern Adventist University
TypePrivate
Established1893
Religious affiliation
Seventh-day Adventist Church
PresidentKenneth L. Shaw[1]
Location
Keene
,
Texas
,
United States
CampusRural
Websitewww.swau.edu
Part of a series on
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Adventism

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[3] It is religiously accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association.[4] The nursing program is approved by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners.[5] and offers certificate, associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees.

History
Southwestern Adventist University Library

Southwestern Adventist University was founded in 1893 as Keene Industrial Academy. The purchase of property for the school was financed by Seventh-day Adventists in the Dallas area. The first school building was completed in 1894 which was also used as a church. School opened with 56 students. The university adopted its current name in 1996.[6]

Southwestern Adventist University is located at the town of Keene, Texas, six miles northeast of Cleburne.[7][8] Keene has been described as an Adventist "company" town. On Saturdays, the Sabbath for Adventists, most stores in town are closed.[9]

The Keene Seventh-day Adventist church has several thousand members. It is the Southwestern Adventist University church.[9]

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in America is divided into administrative units called unions, and most of these unions have a college. Most of these colleges were founded in the 1890s, a period of intense activity in Adventist history.[9]

The university evolved through several stages from Keene Industrial Academy to its present university status. At its beginning, it sold acreage to Adventist families and industries, and is now the largest Adventist community in the Southwestern Union, which includes Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico.[9]

Academics

During Fall 2014, Southwestern began to offer a Fire Science degree. The program is the only one of its kind among Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities. Graduates of this program will receive a degree, as well as several technical certifications that will allow them to become employed by fire departments around the nation.[10]

See also

References
  1. url=http://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/%E2%80%8Bsouthwestern-adventist-university-names-new-president
  2. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/southwestern-adventist-3619
  3. "Southwestern Adventist University: institutional details". Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  4. "Post-secondary institutions accreditation status" (PDF). Adventist Accrediting Association. October 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  5. "Texas approved professional nursing education programs: 2011" (PDF). Texas Board of Nurse Examiners. 2 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  6. "Our History". Southwestern Adventist University. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  7. Capace, Nancy (1999). KEENE, City. Encyclopedia of Texas (1999 edition). St. Clair Shores, MI: Somerset Publishers. p. 412. ISBN 0-403-09729-0.
  8. Davis, J. Frank, (State Supervisor, Texas Writers' Project) (1940). Texas, A Guide to the Lone Star State. The Texas State Highway Commission. p. 538.
  9. Martin, William (January 1981). "The church of what's happening: ... Seventh-day Adventists have made Keene a company town". Texas Monthly. Austin, Texas: Mediatex Communications Corporation. 9 (1): 124, 125. ISSN 0148-7736. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  10. Force, Darcy. "Southwestern Adventist University News". Southwestern Union Record. Southwestern Union. Archived from the original on 2014-12-07. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.