Crowley's Ridge College is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

college in

Paragould, Arkansas Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anomaly contained within the Arkansas delta ...

. While the college is affiliated with the

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...

, students of all religious backgrounds are welcome. The fall 2021 student population of 197 comprises both non-traditional and traditional residential and commuter students.

History

Crowley's Ridge College began in 1964. Its spiritual origins, if not its direct lineage, go back to two earlier institutions in the area, MONEA Christian College, in

Rector, Arkansas Rector is a city in southeast Clay County, Arkansas, Clay County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Rector is named after Governor of Arkansas, Governor Henry Massey Rector (1 ...

, and Croft College, which was located in rural

Greene County, Arkansas Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,090. The county seat is Paragould, which sits atop Crowley's Ridge. Greene County is included in Jonesboro–Paragould Combined Stat ...

, both of which were defunct by the end of the 1930s. The school achieved a major milestone in 2000 when it was formally accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

and was included in membership in the

North Central Association The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It w ...

. After many years as the only two-year college in the United States affiliated with the Churches of Christ, Crowley’s Ridge College began transiting to become a four-year institution in 2007, when it received approval from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to offer degrees at the baccalaureate level. In September 2008, the transition was completed when the Higher Learning Commission extended the college's accreditation to include the new degrees of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies. In addition to three associate degree programs, the college now offers eleven degree programs at the baccalaureate level.

Location

The campus is located atop the namesake geographic feature,

Crowley's Ridge Crowley's Ridge (also Crowleys Ridge) is a geological formation that rises 250 to above the alluvial plain of the Mississippi embayment in a line from southeastern Missouri to the Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas. It is the most prom ...

, one of the main terrain features of Eastern Arkansas. The pine tree covered campus has a lake at the center of campus. There are eight buildings, containing , located on the college campus that is located on Highway 412 at the western city limits of Paragould, Arkansas.

Athletics

The Crowley's Ridge athletic teams are called the Pioneers. The college is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA), primarily competing as an NAIA Independent within the Continental Athletic Conference since the 2016–17 academic year. They were also a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic co ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Central Region of the Division I level until after the 2015–16 school year. Crowley's Ridge competes in eight intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball and golf; while women's sports include basketball, golf, softball and volleyball; and co-ed sports include jiu-jitsu (added in 2020). Former sports included co-ed cheerleading (added in 2019). Cross country for both men and women will be added in 2023.

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{Coord, 36.06608, -90.58459, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-AR, display=title Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ Private universities and colleges in Arkansas Educational institutions established in 1964 Buildings and structures in Paragould, Arkansas Education in Greene County, Arkansas 1964 establishments in Arkansas

History

Location

Athletics

See also

References

External links