Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 20:33, 2 April 2009

Southern Nazarene University (SNU) is a Christian liberal arts college located in Bethany, Oklahoma.

History

The history of the institution is one of various mergers and, therefore, one of differing institutions. While SNU claims its founding date as 1899, that founding date refers to an institution that merged with what is now SNU: Texas Holiness University. As an Oklahoman institution, SNU dates back to 1906, with the founding of the Beulah Heights Academy and Bible School.

The roots of the original Southern Nazarene University are in the orphanage of downtown Oklahoma City, founded by Miss Mattie Mallory. Mallory used her inheritance to buy property north of Oklahoma City, which she named Beulah Heights, and relocated the orphanage there. Then, in 1906, the Beulah Heights Academy and Bible School opened. In 1909, the school was renamed Oklahoma Holiness College and new property was purchased to the west of Oklahoma City at Bethany. That same year the surrounding holiness community became Nazarene and, as its church base swelled, the school’s financial problems "proved less threatening than those at other institutions". The school eventually changed its name in 1918 to Oklahoma Nazarene College, when the first Nazarene Educational Regions were established.

When Peniel College, having become a fellow Nazarene institution in 1911, merged with Oklahoma Nazarene College in 1920, the name changed to Bethany-Peniel College. Peniel was the first of four institutions that would be absorbed by the Oklahoma school. The second institution was Central Nazarene College, another Texan school, in 1929. Two years later, Arkansas Holiness College was absorbed by Bethany-Peniel. The last merger was Bresee Theological College, in 1940. As historian Timothy L. Smith wrote, "It eventually outdistanced and absorbed the schools at Hutchinson, Kansas, Peniel and Hamlin, Texas, Vilonia, Arkansas, and Des Arc, Missouri. Bethany became the Nazarene center for the whole Southwest.”

In 1955, the name changed again to Bethany Nazarene College, apparently to avoid any confusion with the term "penal" or "penal colony", and again in 1986, from Bethany Nazarene College to Southern Nazarene University.

The recent Transforming Vision Campaign is the first major change to the campus since 1988. There are four major aspects to the campaign: Marchant Center, Centennial Gates, Parker Center, and science hall renewal.

Affiliations

Religious

SNU is one of eight regional U.S. liberal arts colleges and universities affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. SNU is the college for the "South Central Region." In terms of the Church of the Nazarene, the "South Central Region" comprises the Northwest Oklahoma, Northeast Oklahoma, Southwest Oklahoma, Southeast Oklahoma, Texas-Oklahoma Latino, West Texas, South Texas, Dallas, North Arkansas, South Arkansas, and Louisiana districts, which include Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. In 1966, Mid-America Nazarene College was founded in Olathe and given part of SNU's former region. Thus, the South Central Region is smaller than it originally was. Each college receives financial backing from the Nazarene churches on its region; part of each church budget is paid into a fund for its regional school. Each college or university is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement not to actively recruit outside its respective "educational region."

Academic

Southern Nazarene is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). SNU has also been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1956.

Academics

As a liberal arts college, SNU provides students undergraduate degree options in several different fields of interest. It also offers three graduate degrees within seven program areas as well as five professional programs delivered using accelerated modular formats and four associate's degree programs. In 2007, approximately 45% of enrolled students pursued their education in programs using accelerated modular formats (meaning that students attend class one night per week for five or six weeks); 55% of students took classes in traditional course formats.

Admissions

Southern Nazarene is an open admissions college, meaning that all who apply with a high school diploma are accepted without regard to course grades or standardized test scores.

Student life

Spiritual life

As at most Christian colleges, there is an emphasis on spiritual development at SNU. The Office of Spiritual Developmentis presided over by a Vice President (VP) of Spiritual Development and Chapel services take place each Tuesday and Wednesday in Herrick Auditorium. Students are required to go to 27 of 30 chapels offered. There are also alternative chapel credit opportunities available to students: missions trips, community service projects, and regular church attendance. Chapel speakers and musical groups are arranged by the VP of Spiritual Development. The Office of Spiritual Development work with the SGA Campus Ministries leaders to provide special class chapels and spiritual life retreats.

Residence life

SNU provides on-campus apartments and various dormitories. All students under the age of 23 must live on-campus, although exceptions are made for local students living with families.

The housing options include Asbury Apartments for upperclassmen, Bracken Hall for upperclassmen, Chapman Apartments for upperclassmen, international, and married students, Imel Townhouses for upperclassmen, Garey Hall for female upperclassmen, Hatley Hall mostly for freshman women, and Snowbarger Hall mostly for freshman men. Residency requires the purchase of a meal plan from the campus food service, Sodexo. In 2009 the administration announced the restructuring of SNU's residence halls. Garey Hall will close entirely, and Bracken will be for men and women, and Chapmen Apartments will now be for only traditional, unmarried upperclassmen.

Organizations

The Student Government Association (SGA) coordinates events and services for students. The SGA is broken up into four councils executives: Campus Ministries, Student Relations, Publicity, and Social Life, as well as the Office Administrator and Student Body President, along with the editors for the two SNU publications the campus newspaper, The Echo, formerly The Reveille Echo, and the campus yearbook, The Arrow. Each SGA "exec", save the Office Administrator and the Student Body President, preside over sub-councils and have a representative on the class level. The SGA councils are responsible for hosting school activities, including the Pow Wow talent contest, T.W.I.R.P., Heart-Pal Banquet, Junior-Senior Banquet, class chapels, and class parties. In April of 2009, SNU will host the Nazarene Student Leadership Conference (NSLC).

Athletics

SNU is a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) and in Region VI of the NAIA Division I schools. SNU offers 17 sports for men and women, including programs in baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, indoor track, soccer, tennis, track and field, softball, and volleyball. SNU also competes in equestrian events, cheerleading, and drumline.

SNU's athletic nickname is the Crimson Storm. Until 1999, the nickname was the Redskins, but SNU officials adopted the Crimson Storm in an effort to be more politically correct. In 2003, SNU unvieled the "Thunder Cat" mascot, which is present at home games. The colors are crimson, gold, and black.

The SNUPY Awards are held annually every spring to honor the achievements of student athletes both on the field and in the classroom.

There are five facilities and sites for athletic competition and training, including the Sawyer Center (1998) for basketball, volleyball, indoor track, commencement, and other ceremonies, McFarland Park Stadium (2001) for football, the Claud & Betty Cypert Athletic Complex (2000) for baseball and softball, the Wanda Rhodes Soccer Complex (1978), and the tennis courts (1985).

Notes and references

1. "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol. Ingersol treats each of these institutions separately in his historical overview of the Nazarene schools.
2. "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education
3. ^ Southern Nazarene University: History of Oklahoma Holiness College
4. Cameron, James R. (1968). Eastern Nazarene College—The First Fifty Years, 1900-1950. Kansas City: Nazarene Publishing House. p. 131. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
5. Timothy L. Smith, Called Unto Holiness, pp. 226–227. found in "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
6. Southern Nazarene University: History of Oklahoma Holiness College
7. HLC of NAC: SNU profile. Changed after the re-arrangement of educational regions in the late 1960s, but reflects neither locale nor regional affiliation. Trevecca is the Nazarene college for the traditional American "South" and, by some definitions, SNU is located in the "West".
8. LIBERAL ARTS AND THE PRIORITIES OF NAZARENE HIGHER EDUCATION by J. Matthew Price, Ph.D. Nazarene higher education is based on the liberal arts model.
9. Although its name might suggest that it is the college for the "Southern" Region, no such region exists. The name was changed after the rearrangement of the regions in the 1960s, and Trevecca is the Nazarene college for the traditional American "South" while, by some definitions, SNU is located in the "West".
10. South Central Region
11. Nazarene Educational Regions
12. CCCU member details
13. NAICU member details
14. HLC of NCA: SNU profile
15. Collegeboard.com on Southern Nazarene
16. http://www.snu.edu/chapel SNU Chapel]
17. SNU Housing Changes 2009
18. Student Government Association
19. SGA Calendar
20. SNU Sports Page
21. SNU Cheerleading
22. SNU Drumline
23. SNU visual standards guide. Crimson is listed as the only "institutional color" but gold and black are "secondary colors". There are also "tertiary colors" and color designations for the institutional webpage.

External links

• Official website
• Student Government website

• Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene
• Southern Nazarene University
• Educational institutions established in 1899
• Educational institutions established in 1906
• Liberal arts colleges
• Universities and colleges in Oklahoma
• Education in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma