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

History

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.
Southwestern Adventist University is located at the town of Keene, Texas, six miles northeast of Cleburne. Keene has been described as an Adventist "company" town. On Saturdays, the Sabbath for Adventists, most stores in town are closed.
The Keene Seventh-day Adventist church has several thousand members. It is the Southwestern Adventist University church.
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.
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.

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.