ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

'Abilene Christian University (ACU)' is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute. ACU has an annual enrollment of about 5,000 students from across the United States and 60 nations.

Contents

History

Mission statement

Traditions

Social Clubs

Presidents

Notable alumni

Notable Professors

Trivia

Athletics

Notes

External links

Footnote

History

Abilene Christian University grew from an idea held by A. B. Barret and Charles Roberson to form a school in West Texas. The Church of Christ in Abilene agreed to back the project. J. W. Childers sold Barret land and a large house west of the town and lowered the price with the stipulation that the school would be named in his honor. Childers Classical Institute opened in the fall of 1906, with 25 students.
When Jesse P. Sewell became president of the institute in 1912, the school began using "Abilene Christian College" on all its printed material. In 1920, the school paid the Childers family $4,000 and formally changed the name.
''The Optimist'', the university's student-run newspaper, was founded in 1912. The ''Prickly Pear'', the school yearbook, was founded in 1916. The campus literary-arts magazine (now ''The Shinnery Review'', formerly ''The Pickwicker'') has been in production since 1933.
In 1927, with the help of a $75,000 contribution from the city of Abilene, the board of trustees purchased 680 acres (2.8 km²) northeast of Abilene. In addition, residents donated 75 acres (304,000 m²) of adjoining land. The new campus opened in the fall of 1929.
From the time of its founding to the present, the university has been governed by a board of trustees made up of members of the Churches of Christ.
Abilene Christian University first received school accreditation in 1971 when it became an accredited member of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.^[1]
On February 22, 1976 the name was changed to Abilene Christian University. The school celebrated its centennial in the 2005-06 school year.
Amberton University, previously Amber University, was created as an extension campus of Abilene Christian University. It was launched in Mesquite, Texas in 1971, moving to Garland, Texas in 1974. It became a separate institution as Amber University in 1982, and was rechristened Amberton University in 2001. Like Abilene Christian University, Amberton remains affiliated with the Churches of Christ.

Mission statement

"''The mission of Abilene Christian University is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.''"

Traditions

★ 'Sing Song'. Since 1957, this annual competition in mid-February has featured student groups of 30-100 people, singing themed ''a cappella'' medleys, usually satirical. Originating as a fund-raiser for the school, the modern event has developed into a major show for which each group assembles costumes related to their act's theme, such as weight loss, Coca Cola, Adam and Eve, or forest fires. Often the costumes involve a mid-performance quick-change to a second costume — such as the 1987 acts in which grapes turned into raisins or bananas peeled to reveal Carmen Miranda — or elaborate choreography within the risers, as when the 1983 freshman class act recreated a Pac-Man screen and manipulated their costumes so that the character appeared to move around the screen.^[2][3]

★ 'Lectureship'. Begun in 1918, this annual program gathers thousands of attendees for lectures and workshops on religious topics connected with a biblical theme that changes each year. After many years of following directly after Sing Song, the lectureship moved in 2006 to a September event, in part to spread out the events that bring the most visitors to campus and also to take advantage of the more stable autumn climate, as winter storms and rain had hindered attendance on multiple occasions.

★ 'Spring Break Campaigns'. Hundreds of students participate each year in missionary or community-service programs of 7-10 days in various parts of the United States and, some years, other nearby countries.^[2]

★ 'Welcome Week'. Modeled on a program at Baylor University, this event for the integration of incoming first-year and transfer students provides small-group study programs, social activities, and information fairs in the week preceding the beginning of the fall semester.

★ 'Homecoming'. Like most residential U.S. universities, the campus hosts a celebration each fall for alumni to return for a parade, class-year and organizational reunions, and musical theater.^[2]

Social Clubs

Abilene Christian University has a number of student organizations or social clubs which would be the equivlent to a Fraternity or Soroity on other college campuses. The main goal of these social clubs is to help in service to the surrounding communities and the school itself. Other activites social clubs participate in are intramural sports and Sing Song. Here are a list of active social clubs at ACU.

Name	Chartered Year	Male/Female	Current President	Pledge Name
Sub-T 16	1916	Male	Jacob Smith	Gobs
Frater Sodalis	1943	Male	Joseph Dennis	Brats
GATA	1920	Female	Laci Lawrence	Flames
Galaxy	1956	Male	Jeffrey D. Edwards	Novas
Gamma Sigma Phi	1968	Male	Robert McCall	Siblings
Ko Jo Kai	1919	Female	Katie Eichelbeger	Nunus
Sigma Theta Chi	1969	Female	Shannon Lair	Squigs
Delta Theta	1925	Female	Christie Thomas	Biddies
Alpha Kai Omega	2000	Female	Ashlea Allred	Kaios

Defunct clubs of note include the men's clubs Trojans and Centurion, and the women's club Tri Kappa Gamma.

Presidents

★ Allen Booker Barret (1906-08)

★ H. C. Darden (1908-09)

★ Robertson Lafayette Whiteside(1909-11)

★ James F. Cox (1911-12)

★ Jesse Parker Sewell (1912-1924)

★ Batsell Baxter (1924-1932)

★ James F. Cox (1932-1940)

★ Don H. Morris (1940-1969)

★ John C. Stevens (1969-1981)

★ William J. Teague (1981-1991)

★ Royce Money (1991-present)

Notable alumni

★ Gordon Bethune, former CEO of Continental Airlines

★ James Browne, Olympic long jumper from Antigua

★ Nelson Coates, Emmy-nominated film production designerNelson Coates in Internet Movie Database

★ Randall "Tex" Cobb, professional boxer, actor

★ Bonnie Curtis, film producer

★ Jeff Knipp, film production designer

★ Jody Dean, news anchor of KTVT-TV, Dallas, Texas

★ Holly Dunn, country music artist, painter

★ James Hill, professional football player

★ Robert D. Hunter, member of the Texas House of Representatives, District 71, (1986-2006)

★ Daniel Johnston, singer and songwriter

★ John Layfield, professional wrestler

★ David Leeson (1978), co-winner of 2004 Pulitzer Prize (previously nominated in 1986, 1990, and 1995)^[6] and winner of the Edward R. Murrow and National Headliner Awards^[7]

★ Cindi Love, executive director of Metropolitan Community Church^[8][9]

★ Max Lucado, best-selling Christian author

★ Danieal Manning, professional football player

★ Bobby Joe Morrow, Olympic sprinter

★ Wilbert Montgomery, professional football player

★ Billy Olson, first pole vaulter to go over 19 feet indoors (1983), set 11 indoor world records in the 1980s.

★ Cline Paden (Class 1947), Church of Christ missionary, founder of Sunset International Bible Institute in Lubbock

★ Ted Poe, former Harris County, Texas judge, member of the United States House of Representatives

★ Kevin Price, Host of the Houston Business Show on CNN 650 and Publisher of the Houston Business Review at HoustonBusiness.com

★ Jack Scott, California State Senator

★ Jeev Milkha Singh, professional golfer from India

★ R. Gerald Turner, President of Southern Methodist University

★ Earl Young, 1960 Gold Medal Olympian --4X400 relay

Notable Professors

★ Douglas A. Foster, Professor of Church History, editor of the ''Stone-Campbell Encyclopedia''

★ Everett Ferguson, Patristics scholar and noted author

Trivia

★ Abilene Christian University is alphabetically the first of all United States colleges or universities.

★ Abilene Christian University is the largest organization in the United States that has time set aside each day for chapel.

Athletics

★ NAIA National Football Champions in 1973 and 1977.

★ Men's Track Program has won 15 outdoor national track championships (four when competing in the NAIA, eleven in NCAA Division II).

★ Men's Track Program has won 9 indoor national track championships (one in NAIA, eight in NCAA Division II).

★ Ove Johansson kicked the longest field goal in college football history (69 yards) in 1976.

★ In the 2006 season, The ACU Wildcats were ranked No. 20 in the nation in the season-ending American Football Coaches' Association Top 25 poll for Division II teams.

Notes

1. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: Abilene Christian University institutional profile
2. "ACU Traditions, from A to Z," ''ACU Today'', Fall 2000.
3. Sing Song official site.
4. "ACU Traditions, from A to Z," ''ACU Today'', Fall 2000.
5. "ACU Traditions, from A to Z," ''ACU Today'', Fall 2000.
6. Jay DeFoore. "Leeson, Diaz Meyer Of DMN And LAT's Cole Win Photo Pulitzers," ''Photo District News'' Online, April 5, 2004. Retrieved Aug. 6, 2007.
7. ACU press release."Pulitzer Prize-winning alumnus David Leeson wins Murrow, Headliner awards," July 19, 2004. Retrieved Aug. 6, 2007.
8. Loretta Fulton. "Gay Christians face tough choices: Churches deal with question in different ways," ''Abilene Reporter-News'', March 11, 2001. Retrieved Aug. 6, 2007.
9. Metropolitan Community Church press release. [http://www.wfn.org/2005/01/msg00113.html "Dr. Cindi Love Is New Executive Director of Metropolitan Community," ''Worldwide Faith News'', January 18, 2005. Retrieved Aug. 6, 2007.

External links

★ ACU official site

★ ''Prickly Pear'' - student yearbook

★ ''The Optimist'' - student newspaper

★ ''Office of Career and Academic Development'' - ACU career center

Footnote

★ When James Cox's wife became ill, his brother, Alonzo B. Cox, filled in for him to finish the term.