 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Arizona Christian University" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
Former names | Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College (1960–) Southwestern College (1961–2011) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Transforming Culture with Truth |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1960; 66 years ago (1960) |
| Accreditation | HLC |
Religious affiliation | Non-denominationalChristian |
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 –Frontier (football) NAIA –CCC (wrestling) NAIA –PCSC NCCAA Division I – West |
| Mascot | Phoenix bird (Stormin' Normin) |
| Website | arizonachristian.edu |
 | |
 | |
Arizona Christian University is aprivate Christian university inGlendale, Arizona, United States.[1]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| Baccalaureate | |
| Washington Monthly[2] | 234 of 242 |
| Regional | |
| U.S. News & World Report[3] | 18 of 45 |
Founded in 1960 asSouthwesternConservative Baptist Bible College, Arizona Christian University's original campus was located at 2625 E. Cactus Road,[4] inPhoenix. Since its founding, the university has undergone a number of name changes, includingSouthwestern College, until its name was finally changed toArizona 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 theHigher Learning Commission (HLC) in 1992.[citation needed]
ACU’s become anon-denominational Christian college in 2007. In 2012, under the leadership of ACU PresidentLen Munsil, the university received approval from theHigher 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 ofDallas Theological Seminary, who also began his teaching and academic administration career at then-Southwestern College.[6] FormerNational Basketball Association All-Star and coachPaul 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 in partnership withGeorge 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.[citation needed] The university is a member of theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in theGreat Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC) since the 2012–13 academic year; its football team competes in theFrontier Conference;[9] its men's wrestling team competes in theCascade Collegiate Conference (CCC); and its men's & women's swimming teams compete in thePacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC). The Firestorm previously competed as anNAIA Independent within theAssociation of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2008–09 to 2011–12.[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 addingfootball in fall 2014.[10]
Jeff Rutter, who was appointed head coach in 2012, was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2019.[11]
ACU is anon-denominational,evangelical Christian institution where applicants are required to have a personal relationship withJesus 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]
| Public institutions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private institutions |
| ||||
| Community/junior colleges |
| ||||
| Graduate and professional institutions | |||||
33°37′21″N112°10′54″W / 33.622617°N 112.181550°W /33.622617; -112.181550
