Southwestern Adventist University

Southwestern Adventist University is one of 13 colleges and universities in the United States affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is owned by the Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and is classified as a small school with an approximate undergraduate enrollment of 800. Its setting is rural, and the campus size is 150 acres.The university has received full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools through 2016. It is religiously accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association. The nursing program is approved by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners.Southwestern offers certificate, associate, bachelor’s, and master's degrees. The University student to faculty ratio of 12:1 and the size of classes, 76.9% of classes at Southwestern have fewer than 20 students, give students opportunity to interact with professors.HistorySouthwestern 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.Geography and the PeopleSouthwestern 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.