Catalog of Abilene Christian University, 1983-1984 Page: 3
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General Information
Brief History
Abilene Christian University was founded in September, 1906, by
A. B. Barret, a Tennessee preacher who envisioned a center of Christian
education in the Southwest, and has been closely related to the
churches of Christ throughout its history. Known as Childers Classical
Institute, the school began with a student body of 25 and grew slowly
during its early years.
During the presidency of Jesse P. Sewell (1912-1924), the school
attained senior college status in 1919 and was renamed Abilene Christian
College a year later. Sewell was followed in the presidency by
Batsell Baxter (1924-1932) and James F. Cox (1932-1940). Don H.
Morris was president from 1940 to 1969, when he was succeeded by
John C. Stevens, who served until September of 1981. William J.
Teague succeeded Stevens. The name was changed to Abilene Christian
University in February, 1976.
The university was originally located on North First Street, but in
1929 it moved to its present location, and eight permanent buildings
were erected on the "hill." Original buildings were: Administration
Building, Sewell Auditorium, Zona Luce Building, Chambers Hall,
Bennett Gymnasium, McDonald Dormitory, Zellner Dormitory, and
the President's house (now Baxter Hall).
The following buildings have been added: Foster Science Building
(1946), McKinzie Dormitory (1947), Industrial Education (1953),
Mabee Dormitory (1953), Burford Music Center (1955), Bible Building
(1955), Edwards Dormitory (1955), Nelson Dormitory (1955), Citizenship
Building (1960), Gardner Dormitory (1961), Moody Coliseum and
Gibson Physical Education (1968), McGlothlln Campus Center (1968),
Central Plant (1968), Science Building Halls and Walling Lecture Hall
(1969), Maintenance Building (1970), Brown Library and Mabee
Library Auditorium (1970), Vanderpool Building (1978), Sherrod
Residential Park (1974), A. B. Morris Dormitory (1975), Sikes Dormitory
(1977), Don H. Morris Center (1978), Smith-Adams Dormitory
(1978), Center for Missions Education (1972), Marriage and Family
Institute (1982), and Engineering Geology Lab (1982). The main
campus presently utilizes 108 acres, with an additional 100 acres
available for immediate expansion and other properties, including
farms, bringing the total holdings to over 700 acres.
The university has total assets amounting to $66,783,033, including
endowment assets of $18,223,677.
The Margaret and Herman Brown Library is the center of the
campus, physically and academically, providing multimedia resources
to support undergraduate and graduate curricula, as well as general
reading, listening and viewing experiences for students, faculty
and staff of the University, as well as other community members.
The library presently contains over 600,000 titles. It also subscribes
to 1,500 current periodicals. In 1978 the Library became a
federal depository for selected government publications. Special collections
include the Robbins Railroad Collection, the Omar Burleson
Archives, the Herald of Truth Radio and Television Archives, and a
rare Bible collection, as well as much church and ACU archival
material.
Participation in the AMIGOS/OCLC network and other union
activities increases library services, in cataloging, interlibrary sharing,
and collection development.
Reading and research opportunities for Abilene students are multiplied
through the cooperation of the ACU, Abilene Public, HardinSimmons,
and McMurry libraries.
Accreditation
Abilene Christian University is accredited by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools, and this accreditation assures that
work done at ACU will be accepted by all colleges and universities in
the United States.The University's teacher education program is accredited by the
National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and the
Texas Education Agency. The Department of Chemistry is accredited
by the American Chemical Society, the Department of Industrial Education
is accredited by the American Industrial Arts Association, the
Department of Music is a full member of the National Association of
Schools of Music, the Department of Social Work and Sociology is
accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and the School
of Nursing is accredited by the Texas State Board of Nurse examiners.
The University is also a member of the Association of Texas
Colleges and Universities, Independent Colleges and Universities of
Texas, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities,
American Council on Education, American Association of Colleges
for Teacher Education, Texas Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education, Association of Texas Graduate Schools, Council
of Graduate Schools in the United States, Conference of Southern
Graduate Schools, North American Association of Summer Sessions,
Institute of International Education, National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics, and National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Summester and
Maymester
Abilene Christian University provides a year-round educational
program. In addition to the fall and spring semesters, a wide range of
courses is offered during the summer. SUMMESTER is the summer
semester at Abilene Christian.
The emphasis in SUMMESTER is on flexibility and innovation.
Many special workshops, seminars, and short courses are included.
Courses are offered in shorter time periods, some as compact as two
weeks. New material and innovative teaching techniques are often
utilized during SUMMESTER. Opportunities for combining study and
travel (such as Mexico and the Bible lands) are frequently available.
One of the innovative aspects of SUMMESTER is Summerstage.
Students enrolled in Musical Performance Workshop present three
one-hour performances each week as a part of a laboratory experience
in music and acting.
MAYMESTER is Abilene Christian University's mini-semester
during the last two weeks in May. The student has an opportunity to
pick up a three-hour-credit course in two weeks of coursework. Only
one course may be taken during MAYMESTER.
The SUMMESTER and MAYMESTER schedules are generally
available in early February. The schedules or additional information
may be obtained by writing Admissions Counseling, ACU Station,
Box 6000, Abilene, Texas 79699, (915) 677-1911 ext. 2650 (call collect).
Graduate School
The Graduate School of Abilene Christian University was established
in 1953 and now enrolls between 400 and 500 students each
semester. The Graduate Council and Graduate Faculty determine the
policies of the Graduate School, and the policies are administered by
the Dean of the Graduate School. Programs of Study include eight
different degrees:
Master of Arts (MA) in Bible (ancient church history, biblical Greek,
doctrinal studies, missions, New Testament, Old Testament,
restoration history, or biblical and related studies); Communication
(drama, human communication, communication
disorders, and mass communication); English; History; Psychology;
and Religious Communication.3
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Abilene Christian University. Catalog of Abilene Christian University, 1983-1984, book, 1983; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46067/m1/5/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.