Southern Arkansas University (SAU) is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...

Magnolia, Arkansas Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 11,577. The city is the county seat of Columbia County. Magnolia is home to the World's Largest Charcoal Grill and the World Championship S ...

History

Southern Arkansas University's Overstreet Hall

Southern Arkansas University was established by an Act of the Arkansas Legislature in 1909 as a district agricultural high school for southwest Arkansas and was originally named Third District Agricultural School, often called by students and faculty "TDAS." Its first term began in January 1911, with its curriculum including only subjects at the secondary school level. In 1925, the State Legislature authorized the school to add two years of college work and to change its name to Agricultural and Mechanical College, Third District (Magnolia A&M). The school continued to offer both high school and junior college courses until 1937, at which time the high school courses were discontinued. In the fall of 1949, the Board of Trustees, exercising authority vested in it by the State Legislature, decided to develop the college as a four-year, degree-granting institution. The Board authorized the addition of third-year college level courses to being with the fall semester of 1950. Fourth-year courses were added in the fall semester of 1951. By Act Eleven (January 24, 1951), the State Legislature changed the name of the institution to Southern State College. In 1975, the institution was approved and accredited to offer a Master of Education Degree in selected areas. Following approval of the Board of Trustees, the name of the institution was changed to Southern Arkansas University by the Board of Higher Education on July 9, 1976, in accordance with Act 343 of the General Assembly of 1975. Also in 1975, Southwest Technical Institute in

Camden, Arkansas Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city is located about 100 miles south of Little Rock. Situated on bluffs overlooking the Ouachita River, the city developed ...

, joined the SAU system as

Southern Arkansas University Tech Southern Arkansas University Tech (SAU Tech) is a Public college, public community college in Calhoun County, Arkansas. History SAU Tech was created on April 5, 1967, as Southwest Technical Institute by Act 534 of the Arkansas Legislature. The p ...

Academics

Southern Arkansas University offers 70 different undergraduate options, including pre-professional tracks, and 2+2 degree completion programs in four different academic colleges: * David F. Rankin College of Business * College of Education * College of Liberal and Performing Arts * College of Science and Engineering Southern Arkansas University also offers 19 graduate programs, which are offered either face-to-face, online, or as a hybrid combination of the two.

Campus housing

Residence halls

Bussey Hall and other residences, Southern Arkansas University

The university operates several residence halls, many of which are associated with specific living-learning communities (LLCs): * Arkansas Hall (Leadership College) * Bussey Hall (Females Only) * Burns-Harsh Hall (Freshmen Only) * Columbia Hall (Residential College) * Fincher Hall (Band Members Only) * Greene Hall * Harrod Hall * Honors Hall (North and South) * Magnolia Hall * Talbot Hall (Males Only) * Talley Hall * University Hall Learning Community

Apartments

* Mulerider Pointe Apartments (purchased by SAU in 2018) * University Village (two-bedroom and four-bedroom apartments)

Athletics

Southern Arkansas University is in the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

as a member of the

Great American Conference The Great American Conference (GAC) is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II, Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellvill ...

. The university's athletic nicknames are Muleriders and Lady Muleriders. The Muleriders take their name from the legend that the football team in the early 1900s had to ride mules from the college's agricultural department to catch the nearest train north of the college in order to reach out-of-town football games. The Muleriders football team won the

Gulf South Conference The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States. History Originally known as the Mid ...

Championship in 1997. In each of 1953 and 1954, the then Southern State College Mulerider tennis team went undefeated winning the

Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference The Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) was an athletic conference in existence from 1927 or 1928 to 1995 affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference membership consisted entirely of colleges ...

in both singles and doubles and was invited by 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 ...

to represent their district in their National Tennis Championships in 1953. In 2006 and 2009, the Mulerider baseball team won the Gulf South Conference championship. In 2009 the Mulerider baseball team hosted the NCAA Division II South Regional for the first time in school history. In 2007, the Mulerider coed

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

squad competed at the NCA National Competition. In 2008, the cheerleading squad went back to nationals and took 5th in their division.

Traditions

Bed races

Southern Arkansas University's Family Day bed race

The annual Bed Races have been a unique tradition as a part of SAU's Family Day festivities since November 7, 1981. Representatives from SAU's residence halls build and race twin-sized "beds" with a mattress platform on top of four bicycle tires. Once constructed, the beds are decorated according to a theme decided annually by the residence's Hall Councils. The bed must have one reclining student, protected by a football helmet, and four runners. Each team competes in a double elimination race, and the winners take home the coveted Bed Race Trophy.

Celebration of Lights

The Celebration of Lights has been a Christmas tradition at SAU since 1984. What once started as a single display to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the school has become an annual part of the holidays in Magnolia. During the celebration, a large Christmas tree is lit in front of Overstreet, as well as light displays all over campus. Additional strands of lights are strewn along the 187-foot SAU bell tower, transforming it into a giant Christmas candle. Included in the festivities each year are: the Magnolia City Christmas Parade, caroling, pictures with Santa Claus for the children, and a holiday buffet dinner for the community.

Greek life

Sororities

National Panhellenic Conference affiliates

Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Sigma Alpha () is a United States National Panhellenic sorority founded on November 15, 1901, at the Virginia State Female Normal School (later known as Longwood College and now known as Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Once a sor ...

(Epsilon Alpha chapter) *

Phi Mu Phi Mu () is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. The fraternity was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia as the Philomathean Society on , and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same ye ...

(Epsilon Omicron chapter) *

Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma (), also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women's sorority. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), an umbrella organization encompassing 26 national sororities or women's fraterni ...

(Epsilon Zeta chapter) *

Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha () is a professional agricultural sorority. History On January 26, 1978, five students, Ann Huling Mathews, Cindie Davis, Marilyn Burns, Jennifer McMillan and Amy Mathews, founded Sigma Alpha at the Ohio State University. Since that ...

(Beta Rho chapter)

National Pan-Hellenic Council affiliates

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...

(Iota Zeta chapter) *

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

(Lambda Mu chapter) *

Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority, international collegiate, and non-profit community service organization that was founded on November 12, 1922, by seven educators on the Irvington campus (1875–1 ...

(Mu Eta chapter) *

Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achie ...

(Iota Xi chapter)

Other

Sigma Phi Lambda Sigma Phi Lambda (), also known as Sisters for the Lord or Phi Lamb, is a Christian sorority founded in 1988 in Austin, Texas. History Sigma Phi Lambda was founded in 1988 at the University of Texas at Austin. Its Founders were: * Patricia Ada ...

(Alpha Iota chapter)

Fraternities

North-American Interfraternity Conference affiliates

Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Gamma Rho (), commonly known as AGR, is a social/professional, agriculture fraternity in the United States, currently with 71 collegiate chapters. Founding The fraternity considers the Morrill Act of 1862 to be the instrument of its incepti ...

(Gamma Gamma chapter) *

Sigma Pi Sigma Pi () is a collegiate fraternity with 233 chapters at American universities. As of 2021, the fraternity had more than 5,000 undergraduate members and over 110,000 alumni. Sigma Pi headquarters are in Nashville, Tennessee. The fraternity ...

(Epsilon Kappa chapter) *

Phi Lambda Chi Phi Lambda Chi (), commonly known as Phi Lamb, is a social collegiate fraternity founded at the Arkansas State Teachers College (now the University of Central Arkansas) in 1925. It was formerly a member of the North American Interfraternity Confe ...

(Nu chapter)

National Pan-Hellenic Council affiliates

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved int ...

(Kappa Iota chapter) *

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...

(Lambda Kappa chapter) * Omega Psi Phi (Delta Eta chapter) *

Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students with nine other Howard students as char ...

(Theta Nu chapter) * Iota Phi Theta (Theta Upsilon chapter)

Band

Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (, colloquially referred to as KKPsi), is a fraternity for college and university band members in the United States. It was founded on November 27, 1919, on Thanksgiving Day, at Oklahoma Agricul ...

(Delta Chi chapter) *

Tau Beta Sigma Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority, (, colloquially referred to as TBSigma or TBS) is a co-educational service sorority. The sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Santa Fe Depot in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,800 active ...

(Gamma Omicron chapter)

Music

Phi Mu Alpha Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

(Eta Gamma Chapter)

Notable alumni

Jordan Babineaux Jordan Jude Babineaux (born August 31, 1982) is a former American football safety. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2004 out of Southern Arkansas University. Babineaux is most notable for his game-saving effo ...

– NFL football player for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

* Ken Beck –

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

in 1959 and 1960 seasons; later, educator and coach in Cotton Valley,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Bruce Bennett Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercol ...

–

Arkansas attorney general The Attorney General of Arkansas, usually known simply as the Attorney General (AG), is one of Arkansas's seven constitutional officers. The officeholder serves as the state's top law enforcement officer and consumer advocate. Since January 13 ...

(1957–1960 and 1963–1966) * Kristi Bennett – Police Chief, Texarkana, Arkansas. * Ken Brown – former NFL player *

Joyce Elliott Joyce Ann Elliott (born March 20, 1951) is an American politician from the state of Arkansas. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Arkansas Senate representing the 31st district, which consists of portions of Little Rock and Pulaski County. ...

– Democratic member of the Arkansas Senate since 2009 *

Steve Forbes Malcolm Stevenson Forbes Jr. (; born July 18, 1947) is an American publishing executive and politician who is the editor-in-chief of ''Forbes'', a business magazine. He is the son of longtime ''Forbes'' publisher Malcolm Forbes and the grandso ...

– Head basketball coach for the Wake Forest men's basketball team * Tanner Hudson – former NFL player. He transferred after his sophomore season *

Dan Kyle Dan Kyle is an Australian artist and the recipient of the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship 2020. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the National Art School in Darlinghurst in 2010. He lives in Kurrajong Heights at the foot of ...

– Louisiana politician *

Tracy Lawrence Tracy Lee Lawrence (born January 27, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in ...

– Award-winning

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

performer *

Nik Lewis Nikolas "Nik" Lewis (born June 3, 1982) is the receivers coach for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and he is a former professional Canadian football slotback who played for 15 years in the CFL. He is a two-time Grey ...

– CFL All-Star football player for the

Montréal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...

Lynn Lowe Aylmer Lynn Lowe, known as A. Lynn Lowe (March 6, 1936 – August 14, 2010), was an American farmer and politician from Garland near Texarkana in Miller County in southwestern Arkansas, who was a major figure in the Arkansas Republican Par ...

–

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

state party chairman, 1974–1980; Republican

gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

, 1978 *

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...

– CFL All-Star football player for

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

Kenneth Pettway Kenneth Aaron Pettway (born November 13, 1982) is a former American gridiron football player. He played in the National Football League and the American Football League from 2005 to 2012. Pettway played college football for the Grambling Sta ...

– former NFL player. He transferred after his sophomore season *

Ron Simmons Ronald Nasir Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wres ...

– Member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

from Carrollton since 2013; reared in southern Arkansas, attended SAU, and transferred to

Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a Christian liberal arts university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst. History Dallas Baptist Uni ...

, from which he received a

Bachelor of Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

degree *

Frank Spooner William Franklin Spooner, known as Frank Spooner (born September 9, 1937), is an oil and natural gas producer in Monroe, Louisiana, Monroe in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana, who has been active since the early 1970s in his state's Repu ...

– Louisiana businessman and politician; attended first two years of college at SAU in the 1950s *

Harry Thomason Harry Zell Thomason (born November 30, 1940) is an American film and television producer and director, best known for the television series ''Designing Women''. Thomason and his wife, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, are close friends of President Bil ...

– film & television producer/director of TV series: "Fall Guy","Designing Women" * Cedric Thornton – NFL football player for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

Tommy Tuberville Thomas Hawley Tuberville ( ; born September 18, 1954) is an American retired college football coach and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Alabama since 2021. Before entering politics, Tuberville was the head football co ...

– Current United States Junior Senator for Alabama; Former head football coach at

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

, & Ole Miss *

DeAnn Vaught DeAnn Kay Vaught (born 1970) is a farmer from Horatio, Arkansas, who is a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 87. Vaught graduated from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. She is affiliated with the Fa ...

– farmer in Sevier County and a Republican member of the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

since 2015 *

Horace M. Wade Horace Milton Wade (March 12, 1916 – June 14, 2001) was a former general in the United States Air Force and a former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. Biography Early life Wade was born in 1916, in Magnolia, Arkansas. A ...

– General in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

Dennis Woodberry Dennis Earl Woodberry (born April 22, 1961) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons and the Washington Redskins and in the United States Football League for the Birmingham Stallions. Woodbe ...

– former NFL player

Notable faculty

Robert Kibbee Robert Joseph Kibbee (August 19, 1921 – June 16, 1982) was an American university administrator who was Chancellor of the City University of New York. Biography Kibbee was born on Staten Island, New York. His father was Hollywood actor Guy Kibbe ...

(died 1982), Chancellor of the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

Gallery

Image:Southern_Arkansas_University_Science_Building.jpg, Science building Image:Southern_Arkansas_University_marching_band.jpg, The marching band Image:Southern_Arkansas_University_Biology_student_with_microscope.jpg Image:Southern_Arkansas_University_business_building.jpg, Business building Image:Southern_Arkansas_students_walking_on_campus.jpg Image:Southern_Arkansas_University_engineering_students.jpg, Engineering lab Image:Southern_Arkansas_University_runner_on_the_farm_road.jpg, Runner on the farm road Image:Panoramic_view_of_SAU_mall_area_and_campus.jpg, Bell tower and mall area

References

External links

*
Southern Arkansas Athletics website
{{authority control Public universities and colleges in Arkansas Buildings and structures in Columbia County, Arkansas Education in Columbia County, Arkansas 1909 establishments in Arkansas Educational institutions established in 1909 Magnolia, Arkansas