Southwestern Christian College (SwCC) 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 ...

historically black Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...

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

Terrell, Texas Terrell is a city in Kaufman County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 17,465. Terrell is located about east of Dallas. History Terrell developed as a railroad town, beginning in 1873 with construction here ...

History

SwCC was founded in 1948 by the educator and minister G. P. Bowser under the name Southern Bible Institute in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

. The initial class consisted of 45 students. School officials intended to buy property in Fort Worth to erect a permanent school plant. In the summer of 1949, the school had the opportunity to purchase the property of the closed Texas Military College in

Terrell Terrell, Terell, Terrel, or Terrelle may refer to: Places United States *Terrell, Georgia, unincorporated community *Terrell, North Carolina, unincorporated community in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States *Terrell, Texas, city in Kau ...

. It relocated to the campus that fall, changing the college's name. The first President was E.W. McMillan from 1950–53, having H.L. Barber (1953-1956) and A.V. Isbell (1956-1967) succeeding him. The fourth President was Dr. Jack Evans, Sr becoming the first black and longest-serving president in the school's history. His tenure was from 1967 to 2017 He was one of the longest-serving college presidents in the United States, and the current president is Dr. Ervin D. Seamster, Jr. The campus includes two locally significant historic buildings: *The first dwelling erected in Terrell, an octagonal-shaped house designed to provide better defense against Indian attacks. (Built by the first Terrell in town, it was called a "Round House.") The house was fitted with the first glass windows in

Kaufman County, Texas Kaufman County is a county in the northeast area of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 145,310. Its county seat is Kaufman. Both the county, established in 1848, and the city were named for David S. Kaufman, a U ...

. It is one of only 20 surviving Round Houses in the entire nation. *the Administration Building, which originally housed all of the Texas Military College. It burned down in 2008. W.B. Toone built the house. His wife was born to a family who lived in the Terrell Round House. SwCC became

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

in 1973. It is accredited to award Associate and Bachelor-level degrees.

Athletics

SwCC participates in the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

(NJCAA) Region 5 as a Division I program. SwCC participates in volleyball, basketball (men's and women's), and track (men's and women's). The school colors are blue and white and the school mascot is the ram.

External links

Official website
{{authority control Historically black universities and colleges in the United States Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ Universities and colleges in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Two-year colleges in the United States Education in Kaufman County, Texas Educational institutions established in 1948 Buildings and structures in Kaufman County, Texas 1948 establishments in Texas NJCAA athletics Historically black universities and colleges in Texas Private universities and colleges in Texas