Warner University is a

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Christian university in Lake Wales, Florida. It is affiliated with the Church of God.

History

Warner Southern College was founded in 1968 by the Southeastern Association of the Church of God in

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. The first freshman class of 27 students entered in the fall of 1968. In 2008, the name was changed to Warner University.

Campus

Warner's campus is located south of Lake Wales, Florida, in the geographic center of the state between Tampa and

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

Student enrollment

Enrollment hit an all-time record high of 1,215 students in the fall of 2017 and the university has a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1. Its student body represents over 28 states and 19 countries. 43% of undergraduates at Warner University are first-generation college students. In 2019-2020, gender distribution was 54 percent male students and 46 percent female students.

Awards and recognition

Warner University was ranked #63 the Regional Colleges South category of ''U.S. News & World Report''s "Best Colleges." Warner University's ranking in the 2020 edition of ''U.S. News & World Report''s "Best Colleges" is #58 in the Regional Colleges South category. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

Academics

Warner is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and offers over 30 undergraduate degree programs for traditional students. For working adults, Warner offers a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Arts in Education, a Master of Science in Management, a Bachelor of Science in Transformational Church Ministry, a Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. These degrees are available in either an online or site-based format. In recent years, Warner added a Bachelor of Arts in Agricultural Studies. Warner also supports a unique training facility known as the H.E.A.R.T. (Hunger Education and Resources Training) Institute. The HEART Institute is a simulated developing country village which trains students in missionary fieldwork while giving them an opportunity to live in an environment similar to many underdeveloped parts of the world.

Library

The Pontious Learning Resource Center serves as the academic library at Warner University. Its collection includes approximately 95,000 books and 8,000 periodical subscriptions in several different formats. The Pontious Learning Resource Center also offers several specialized collections including the Curriculum Materials Center, Instructional Materials Lab, and the Pioneer Room. The Pioneer Room houses the Church of God and Warner University archival materials.

Athletics

The Warner athletic teams are called the Royals. The university 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 st ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) for most of its sports since the 1990–91 academic year; while its men's volleyball team competes in the Mid-South Conference (MSC). They are 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 ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the South Region of the Division I level. Warner competes in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball; women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cheerleading, cross country, dance, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include clay target. Former sports included men's & women's golf.

Volleyball

Warner was the first college/university to offer a varsity men's volleyball program in the state of Florida. The men's volleyball program participates in the Mid-South Conference (MSC). The program initially competed in the

Mid-America Men's Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference The Mid-America Men's Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference (MAMVIC) was an NAIA men's volleyball-only conference. At its largest, the MAMVIC was divided into four conferences: Great Lakes, National, North, and South. It was formerly the NAIA divi ...

(MAMVIC). The program made back-to-back appearances in the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Invitational Tournament in 2011 and 2012.

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Liberal arts colleges in Florida Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) Educational institutions established in 1968 Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges in Polk County, Florida 1968 establishments in Florida Private universities and colleges in Florida