Southwestern University
 | |
Former names | List
|
|---|---|
| Motto | Non Quis Sed Quid (Latin) |
Motto in English | "Not Who But What" |
| Type | Private liberal arts college |
| Established | February 5, 1840 |
| Accreditation | SACS |
Religious affiliation | Methodist |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $289.4 million (2020)[3] |
| President | Laura Skandera Trombley |
| Dean | Alisa Gaunder |
Academic staff | 386 |
Administrative staff | 317 |
| Undergraduates | 1,515[4] |
| Location | , , United States |
| Campus | Small city[5], 700 acres (2.8 km2) |
| Newspaper | The Megaphone |
| Colors | Black and gold |
| Nickname | Pirates |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | The Captain |
| Website | southwestern.edu |
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 | |
Southwestern University (Southwestern or SU) is a private liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas. Formed in 1873 from a revival of collegiate charters granted in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest college or university in Texas. Southwestern offers 40 bachelor's degrees in the arts, sciences, fine arts, and music as well as interdisciplinary and pre-professional programs. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Association of Schools of Music and historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
History
[edit]Prior to assuming its current form, charters had been granted by the Texas Legislature (Texas Congress 1836–1845) to establish four educational institutions: Rutersville College, "Wesleyan College" McKenzie College and Soule University.
In 1870, a charter was granted to a new institution, known as "Texas University", that would be a union of these four previously-independent institutions.[6] This new university would open its doors in Georgetown three years later in 1873.[7] Intending to reserve that name for a proposed state university in Austin, the University of Texas, the Texas Legislature instead granted a charter in 1875 under the name "Southwestern University" as a continuation of the charters for Rutersville, Wesleyan, McKenzie, and Soule. The institution considers its founding date to be 1840 when Rutersville College opened.
Southwestern was a charter member of the Southwest Conference in 1915. Southern Methodist University was Southwestern's main rival for several decades in remembrance of an unsuccessful attempt to relocate Southwestern to Dallas which instead resulted in the establishment of SMU. When SMU's student population became much larger, students at Southwestern began considering Trinity University and Austin College to be the school's main rivals. After World War II, Southwestern became a small liberal arts institution, discontinuing its post-graduate degrees, disbanding the football team, and rebuilding much of the campus with a massive capital campaign. The endowment rose substantially.[citation needed]
Until 1965, no African-Americans were allowed to attend the institution. In 1965, Ernest Clark enrolled; he graduated in 1969.[8]
Former president Edward B. Burger stepped down in 2020 and assumed the role of president and CEO of St. David's Foundation.[9] Laura Skandera Trombley succeeded him as president.[10]
Academics
[edit]The institution offers 40 majors and 36 minors divided between the Brown College of Arts, Garey School of Natural Sciences, and the Sarofim School of Fine Arts.
In the 2013–2014[needs update] academic year, total student enrollment was at 1,536, with a gender distribution of about 60 percent female and 40 percent male. Of the entering first-year students in Fall 2013, 37 percent were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class with an average SAT score of 1166 (writing section not included). The majority of students come from Texas (89 percent); the remaining 11 percent come from 23 other states and 6 countries. Minority students constitute 33 percent of the student body.[11]
The student to faculty ratio is 11:1, with an average class size of 15 students. Ninety-nine percent of the tenured or tenure-track faculty hold a doctorate or highest degree in their fields.
Rankings and reputation
[edit]In its 2024-2025 edition, US News and World Report ranked Southwestern University tied at 83rd out of 211 National Liberal Arts Colleges.[12] Forbes ranked Southwestern University 284th out of the top 500 rated private and public colleges and universities in America for the 2024-25 report. Southwestern University was also ranked 151st among private colleges and 67th in the south.[13]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| Liberal arts | |
| U.S. News & World Report[14] | 83 |
| Washington Monthly[15] | 35 |
| National | |
| Forbes[16] | 284 |
Campus
[edit]Southwestern University is located in Georgetown, Texas, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Austin. The campus comprises 700 acres (2.8 km²) mostly located north of University Avenue, although the eastern portion of these lands remains largely undeveloped. The main campus is organized around a central academic mall formed by a semi-circular grassy area bounded by a pedestrian walkway and academic buildings. Residence halls and on-campus apartments are located to the east and northwest of the academic mall. Sports fields, support facilities, and parking are on the periphery of the main campus.[citation needed]
Notable buildings
[edit]
The Hugh Roy and Lillie Cullen Building (formerly called the Administration Building) was built in 1898 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is named in honor of Hugh Roy Cullen and his wife.[citation needed]
Mood-Bridwell Hall, originally a men's dormitory, was completed in 1908 and currently houses classrooms, faculty offices, a computer lab, the Debbie Ellis Writing Center, and an indoor atrium. Mood-Bridwell is included in the Cullen Building's listing on the National Register of Historic Places.[citation needed]
The Lois Perkins Chapel was built in 1950 and includes an Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. Stained glass windows along the east and west sides depict Reformation leaders and Methodist leaders with seals for the educational institutions they were affiliated with.
The Fayez Sarofim School of Fine Arts is housed in the Alma Thomas Fine Arts Building, originally built in 1956 on the former property of the Texas rancher Dudley Hiram Snyder, a Southwestern University benefactor.[17] The Fine Arts Building (FAB) has been renovated multiple times, most recently in 1998 and 2008. The FAB houses the 700-seat Alma Thomas Theater, the smaller Jones Theater, the Caldwell-Carvey Foyer, numerous practice rooms, art studios, a black box theater, and an instrumental rehearsal hall.
Student activities and organizations
[edit]There are over 90 student organizations on campus.
Greek life
[edit]Southwestern hosts a number of national social fraternities and sororities.[18]
Media
[edit]The Megaphone, established in 1907, is the official student newspaper. It is published online and biweekly in print.
Spyglass Literary Magazine is the student literary magazine. The magazine is the oldest publication on campus, established in 1882 as the Alamo and San Jacinto Monthly and renamed the Southwestern University Monthly in 1895, then the SU Literary Magazine, and finally The Spyglass in 2012.[citation needed]
SU Radio is an online radio station.
Athletics
[edit]
Southwestern is a member of the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) and an affiliate member of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) for football, with all other sports moving to SAA in 2025.[19] Southwestern competes in 20 varsity sports, including football, basketball, cross country, track & field, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, lacrosse, men's baseball, women's volleyball and women's softball. Intramural sports on campus include handball, rock climbing, and ultimate frisbee. The school mascot is the pirate.[20]
The men's lacrosse team became a varsity sport in 2009 after offering lacrosse as a club sport for 25 years. The men's lacrosse team won the Lonestar Alliance Division II Championship for four consecutive years prior to becoming a varsity sport.[21] The women's team is currently non-varsity and is affiliated with the Texas Women's Lacrosse League, although the institution plans to field a varsity team in 2014.[22] The women's team won a division championships in 2007.
In addition to lacrosse, Southwestern has a nationally ranked handball team that won the Division II National Collegiate Championship in 2007. In September 2016, Southwestern's volleyball team moved up to 3rd place in the AVCA coaches poll as well.[23]
Southwestern reinstated football in 2013 after a 62-year hiatus.[22] The institution previously fielded football teams from 1908 to 1951, reaching national prominence during World War II when the institution's participation in the Navy's V-12 College Training Program enlisted talented players from other schools.[24] Southwestern was a founding member of the Southwest Conference and won the Sun Bowl in 1944 and 1945.[25]
Notable alumni
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Wesleyan College". www.tshaonline.org. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ NAICU – Member Directory Archived November 9, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- ^ "Southwestern University". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "IPEDS - Southwestern University".
- ^ "The History of Southwestern University". Texas Proud. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ Jones, William B. (2006). To Survive and Excel (PDF). Georgetown, TX: Southwestern University. pp. 59–75. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
- ^ "Southwestern Renames Residence Hall in Honor of Its First Black Student and Graduate, Ernest Clark, Southwestern University". Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "stdavidsfoundation | Ed Burger". stdavidsfoundation. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "President Laura Skandera Trombley". www.southwestern.edu. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "Southwestern University Profile". Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Southwestern University Rankings". January 8, 2025. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
- ^ "Southwestern University". Forbes. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ "2024-2025 National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "America's Top Colleges 2024". Forbes. September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ "H. Allan Anderson of Lubbock, Texas, "John Wesley Snyder"". The Handbook of Texas. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
- ^ "Southwestern University: Student Life". southwestern.edu. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009.
- ^ "Southwestern University to Join Southern Athletic Association". www.southwestern.edu. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ "Athletics at Southwestern". Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
- ^ "Southwestern to offer lacrosse as a varsity sport". October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
- ^ a b "Southwestern Announces Plans to Reinstate Its Football Program, Add Varsity Lacrosse for Women". Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ "AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Week #4 Poll: September 29, 2015 - American Volleyball Coaches Association, LLC". Archived from the original on February 16, 2017.
- ^ "Texas Strong". Reading Eagle. September 5, 1943. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "Sun Bowl Team Appearances". Retrieved October 28, 2011.
Further reading
[edit]- Jones, Ralph Wood (1973). Southwestern University 1840–1961. Austin: San Felipe Press.
- Jones, William B (2006). To Survive and Excel: The Story of Southwestern University, 1840–2000. ISBN 0-9670912-4-1
External links
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- Southwestern University
- Private universities and colleges in Texas
- Universities and colleges established in 1840
- Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Education in Williamson County, Texas
- Buildings and structures in Williamson County, Texas
- Georgetown, Texas
- 1840 establishments in the Republic of Texas
- Universities and colleges formed by merger in the United States