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Former names | Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College (1960–????) Southwestern College (????–2011) |
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Motto | Transforming Culture with Truth |
Type | Private university |
Established | 1960 |
Accreditation | HLC |
Religious affiliation | Non-denominational Christian |
Academic affiliations | Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, Association for Biblical Higher Education |
President | Len Munsil |
Academic staff | 36 full-time |
Administrative staff | 125 |
Students | 1,082 |
Location | , U.S. |
Campus | Suburban, 73 acres (30 ha) |
Colors | Red & Yellow |
Nickname | Firestorm |
Sporting affiliations | NAIA – GSAC NAIA – Sooner (football) NAIA – CCC (wrestling) NAIA – PCSC NCCAA Division I – West |
Mascot | Phoenix bird (Stormin' Normin) |
Website | www |
Arizona Christian University is a private Christian university in Glendale, Arizona. [1]
Academic rankings | |
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Baccalaureate | |
Washington Monthly [2] | 234 of 242 |
Regional | |
U.S. News & World Report [3] | 18 of 45 |
Founded in 1960 as Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College, Arizona Christian University's original campus was located at 2625 E. Cactus Road, [4] in north-central Phoenix. Since its founding, the university has undergone a number of name changes, including Southwestern College, until its name was finally changed to Arizona Christian University in January 2011.[ citation needed ]
The university was founded to prepare students for careers in vocational ministry and missions, offering degrees in Biblical Studies and Christian Ministries. In 1972 the college first received accreditation with the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) and added regional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in 1992.[ citation needed ]
ACU’s become a non-denominational Christian college in 2007. In 2012, under the leadership of ACU President Len Munsil, the university received approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to offer degrees in biology, communication, and political science. Additional undergraduate degree programs are being planned.[ citation needed ] In March 2017, ACU received HLC approval to offer online degrees.[ citation needed ]
Len Munsil assumed the presidency of Arizona Christian University in 2010.[ citation needed ]
During Munsil’s tenure, ACU enrollment has grown from around 400 to more than 1,000 total students, and in 2021 achieved its seventh straight year of record enrollment. [5]
Notable graduates of Arizona Christian University include Mark Bailey, Chancellor and former President of Dallas Theological Seminary, who also began his teaching and academic administration career at then-Southwestern College. [6] Former National Basketball Association All-Star and coach Paul Westphal began his coaching career at then-Southwestern College, leading the school to a Christian college championship. [7]
In March 2020, ACU established the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. It was formed in partnership with George Barna, a scholar of American culture and worldview, to research and analyze the impact of the biblical worldview on American culture. [8]
The Arizona Christian athletic teams are called the Firestorm. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) since the 2012–13 academic year; while its football team competes in the Frontier Conference; [9] its men's wrestling team competes in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC); and its men's & women's swimming teams compete in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC). The Firestorm previously competed as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2008 to 2012.[ citation needed ]
Arizona Christian competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, stunt, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Club sports include badminton, band, bowling, cheerleading, dance, debate, lacrosse and shotgun sports.[ citation needed ]
In 2013, Arizona Christian announced that it would be adding football in fall 2014. [10]
Jeff Rutter was named head coach in 2012. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2019. [11]
ACU is a non-denominational, evangelical Christian institution where applicants are required to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and agree to take part in ACU's spiritual formation activities, which include attending twice-weekly chapel services and taking 18 credit-hours of Bible. Upon application, students also acknowledge their agreement with the university's statement of faith. [12]
Paul Douglas Westphal was an American basketball player, head coach, and commentator.
The Master's University is a private non-denominational Christian university in Santa Clarita, California.
Lubbock Christian University (LCU) is a private Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ and located in Lubbock, Texas. Chartered originally as part of a grade school called Lubbock Christian School in 1954, the institution branched off as a junior college – Lubbock Christian College – in 1957. LCC became a senior college in 1972, then advanced to university status in fall of 1987. LCU has 65 undergraduate degrees. A fall 2015 count showed 1,958 students enrolled at Lubbock Christian University, of which 462 were graduate students.
Milligan University is a private Christian university in Milligan College, Tennessee. Founded in 1866 as the Buffalo Male and Female Institute, and known as Milligan College from 1881 to May 2020, the school has a student population of more than 1,300 students, most of whom reside and study on its 355-acre (1.44 km2) campus. Milligan University is historically related to the Restoration Movement. The university offers over 100 programs of study leading to both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Campbellsville University (CU) is a private Christian university in Campbellsville, Kentucky. It was founded as Russell Creek Academy and enrolls more than 12,000 students. The university offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees.
Simpson University is a private Evangelical Christian University in Redding, California. Originally founded in 1921 in Seattle as Simpson Bible Institute, the institution relocated to San Francisco in 1955 and then to Redding in 1989. It is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
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Southwestern Christian University is a private Pentecostal university in Bethany, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1946 as Southwestern Bible College in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was the first Pentecostal educational institution in the state. While it was established as a Bible college for the training of Christian church leaders within the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, the denomination planned to quickly expand the school into a junior college.
Cincinnati Christian University (CCU) was a private Christian university in Cincinnati, Ohio. CCU was supported by the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, which are part of the Restoration Movement. The university was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), it was placed on "show-cause" status in the summer of 2019 and given one year to convince the accreditor that it should remain accredited. On October 28, 2019, the university's board of trustees announced the decision to shut down the degree programs at the conclusion of the fall 2019 semester and withdrew from the HLC.
The University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College is a private university and public community college merged into one institution in Rio Grande, Ohio. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Len Munsil is an American attorney and the president of Arizona Christian University. He was the founding president for the Center for Arizona Policy, serving from 1996 to 2005. He was also the Republican Party's nominee in the 2006 Arizona gubernatorial election, which he lost. In 2011, Munsil was announced as the permanent president of Arizona Christian University In 2016, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, and a member of the GOP Platform Committee.
Hannibal–LaGrange University (HLGU), formerly Hannibal–LaGrange College, is a private Christian university in Hannibal, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. It enrolls 494 (2022) students and offers 29 majors. Although the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, it is currently on probation for issues related to its finances.
Ohio Christian University (OCU) is a private Christian college in Circleville, Ohio. It is denominationally affiliated with the Churches of Christ in Christian Union.
Midland University is a private Lutheran university in Fremont, Nebraska. It has an approximate enrollment of 1,600 students on 33-acre (13 ha) campus. Known as Midland Lutheran College from 1962 to 2010, the college is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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The Biola Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Biola University, located in La Mirada, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) since the 2017–18 academic year; while its men's and women's swimming & diving teams compete in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC). They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the West Region of the Division I level. The Eagles previously competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1994 to 1995 to 2016–17.
The Arizona Christian Firestorm football team is the intercollegiate football team of Arizona Christian University (ACU). The Firestorm are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Firestorm won the CSFL Championship in their first two seasons competing in the conference. The Firestorm won another two championships in the Sooner Athletic Conference in 2020/21 and 2022. The team's motto is "Roll Storm."