Catalog 2008-2009

HISTORY AND GOVERNANCE

Southwestern University is the descendant of four of the earliest institutions of higher learning in Texas. The forerunner of the University, Rutersville College, was chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1840, making it the first college in what was to become the state of Texas. The three other colleges founded by pioneer Methodists and united in one central college in Georgetown in 1873 were Wesleyan College, chartered in 1844; McKenzie College, 1848; and Soule University, 1856. When the five Methodist Conferences of Texas located the central institution in Georgetown it was known as Texas University. In 1875, that name was ceded to the state of Texas and the present name, Southwestern University, adopted. Georgetown is a community of nearly 50,000 residents located 28 miles north of downtown Austin and is the county seat for rapidly growing Williamson County.

Southwestern University is governed by a 50-member Board of Trustees consisting of representatives, both lay and clergy, from the six current Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church in Texas, trustees elected at large, and two recent graduates of the University, elected by students. The bishops in charge of the Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church in Texas, the president and president-elect of the Association of Southwestern University Alumni, and the president of the University are ex-officio members. The trustees from the individual Conferences are nominated by the University and elected by the respective Annual Conference. Trustees at large are elected by the Board of Trustees of Southwestern and confirmed by the Annual Conference in which each resides. Elected trustees, other than student trustees, serve terms of four years. Student trustees serve terms of two years.

Southwestern has had 14 presidents and three interim presidents since it was established in Georgetown. They were: Francis Asbury Mood, 1873–1884; John Wesley Heidt, 1885–1889; John Howell McLean, 1889–1897; Robert Stewart Hyer, 1898–1911; Charles McTyeire Bishop, 1911–1922; Paul Whitfield Horn, 1922–1924; James Samuel Barcus, 1924–1928; King Vivion, 1928–1935; John William Bergin, 1935–1942; John Nelson Russell Score, 1942–1949; William Carrington Finch, 1949–1961; Lawrence Durwood Fleming, 1961–1981; Roy B. Shilling, Jr., 1981–2000; and Jake B. Schrum, 2000–present. Faculty members John Howell McLean, John R. Allen, Randolph Ward Tinsley and William B. Jones each served as interim presidents during changes in administrations.

The Campus

Southwestern University’s campus has been called one of Texas’ most beautiful and best-planned college facilities. Located in a residential area on the eastern edge of Georgetown, the more than 30 buildings situated on 700 acres create a beautiful and conducive environment for living and learning.

The Administration Building, completed in 1900, was renovated in the 1970s with grants from The Cullen Foundation of Houston. Following the official reopening and dedication on October 14, 1977, it was renamed the Roy and Lillie Cullen Building in memory of the late Roy and Lillie Cullen, distinguished citizens and exemplary philanthropists of Texas. The Cullen Building includes classrooms, the Alumni Center and the Admission, Financial Aid, Business, Registrar, Academic Services, Strategic Planning and Assessment, Fiscal Affairs, Development, University Relations, and Provost’s and President’s Offices. The offices of Admission and Financial Aid will be moving into the new Wilhelmina Cullen Admission Center, located behind the Cullen Building, in 2009.

Mood-Bridwell Hall, erected in 1908, was originally named Mood Hall in honor of Francis A. Mood, the first Regent (president) of the University. It was renamed Mood-Bridwell Hall in October 1978 following renovations funded by grants from the J.S. Bridwell Foundation of Wichita Falls, Texas, and The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mood-Bridwell Hall includes classrooms, faculty offices for the English, History, Economics and Business, Education, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, and Mathematics and Computer Science Departments, an electronic classroom, computer laboratories, International Programs, the Debby Ellis Writing Center and the Paideia® Program. Both Mood-Bridwell Hall and the Cullen Building are included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Fondren-Jones Science Hall provides classroom and laboratory facilities for the University’s curriculum in the sciences, as well as offices for the Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Physics Departments. The original building was completed in 1954 as a gift from Mrs. W.W. Fondren of Houston. With gifts from Houston Endowment Inc., of Houston, the building was completely renovated during 1980–81. Formerly called the Fondren Science Hall, the building rededicated in the fall of 1981. The new name, The Fondren-Jones Science Hall, recognizes the long friendship between Jesse H. Jones, founder of Houston Endowment Inc., and Southwestern University. The Gordon C. Evans, Sr. Wing of Fondren-Jones was dedicated in 1999, adding 24,000 square feet to the facility. It features multimedia classrooms, research laboratories, a computer laboratory and faculty offices. The wing is named for Gordon C. Evans, Sr., a longtime employee of the Jesse H. Jones Interests and Houston Endowment Inc.

At the center of campus is the Roy H. Cullen Academic Mall, completed in 1993. The mall was made possible by a grant from The Cullen Foundation of Houston in honor of Roy H. Cullen, longtime University trustee. The Brown Fountain honors the Brown family and The Brown Foundation, Inc. for their 1976–1996 transformational matching grant program, The Brown Challenge.

The A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center houses one of the area’s finest college libraries, with more than 300,000 catalogued volumes and periodical subscriptions. The library’s special collections include the papers of the late Sen. John Goodwin Tower (a Southwestern alumnus), the Clark Texana Collection, and the J. Frank Dobie and Bertha McKee Dobie Collections. The library center also houses Information Technology Services, Audiovisual Services, and a technology center The structure is a blend of classic and modern architecture. In 1966, a modern smooth limestone and glass building was constructed and connected to the original building which had been dedicated in 1939. The 1966 construction and renovation was made possible by a gift from The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, Texas, and gifts from friends of Mr. Herman Brown, a member of the University’s Board of Trustees for many years. After a 1988 addition, which doubled the size of the library, the building was named in honor of A. Frank Smith, Jr. of Houston, distinguished trustee of the University for many years and chairman of the board from 1977–1987.

Across the campus from the A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center is Lois Perkins Chapel, a Gothic-inspired structure of native limestone seating 850, where weekly chapel services and other events are held. The chapel was erected in 1950 by a gift from the late Mr. J.J. Perkins of Wichita Falls and is named in honor of Mrs. Perkins, an alumna of the University. The chapel was completely renovated in 1981 through a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Charles N. Prothro of Wichita Falls, Texas, to honor her mother, Mrs. Perkins. Mr. Prothro served on the Board of Trustees for 30 years and was chair for 11 of those years. The chapel courtyard contains a sculpture titled “Madonna and Child” by noted Austin sculptor Charles Umlauf. It was given to Southwestern in 1953 by Margarett Root Brown in memory of her mother, South Carolina Easley Root. The plaza behind the chapel is named for William Carrington Finch, who served as president of Southwestern from 1949-1961.

West of the chapel is the Red and Charline McCombs Campus Center, dedicated in 1998 and made possible by a gift from alumni Red and Charline McCombs of San Antonio, The Vivian L. Smith Foundation of Houston, the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation of Tulsa, and Charles and Elizabeth Prothro and the Perkins-Prothro Foundations of Wichita Falls. The 63,000 square-foot center includes campus dining facilities, a ballroom, student organization offices, the University Bookstore, Gender Awareness Center, the Post Office, offices for the Vice President for Student Life, Student Activities, Diversity Education, Religious Life, the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students and displays of the McCombs Americana Collection. Mr. McCombs chaired the University’s Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2000 and continues to serve as a trustee.

East of the chapel is the F.W. Olin Building, dedicated in 1996. Funded by a grant from the F.W. Olin Foundation of New York, the 39,000 square-foot building includes lecture halls, electronic classrooms, language learning center, an experimental psychology laboratory and faculty offices for the Communication Studies, Psychology, and Modern Languages and Literatures Departments.

The Sarofim School of Fine Arts, named for arts benefactor Fayez Sarofim of Houston, is housed in the Alma Thomas Fine Arts Center, erected in 1956 and the gift of the late Mrs. Alma Thomas of Austin, a longtime trustee of the University. The three-story building contains two theaters – the 720-seat Alma Thomas Theater and the 320-seat Jones Theater, which was made possible by a grant from Houston Endowment Inc., and is named for Jesse H. Jones and Mary Gibbs Jones. It also includes a rehearsal halls; practice rooms; an art gallery; studios for painting, drawing, printmaking, design and architecture; and offices for the Art and Art History, Music and Theatre Departments.

The 18,000 square-foot visual arts wing, added in 1999, was made possible by a gift from Fayez Sarofim. Another gift from Mr. Sarofim enabled the University to completely renovate the Alma Thomas Theater. The newly renovated theater was dedicated in 2008, and gives Southwestern University as fine a performing arts facility as any liberal arts college in the country. The separate Rufus Franklin Edwards Studio Arts Building contains studios for sculpture and ceramics. Its construction was funded by Mr. Edwards, Class of 1922.

The Corbin J. Robertson Center, dedicated in 1996, provides more than 95,000 square-feet of comprehensive recreational and athletic facilities. The center includes the Kinesiology and Intercollegiate Athletics Departments and offices for Health Services, Counseling Services, Athletic Training and Recreational Sports. These facilities were made possible by major gifts from The Cullen Foundation, The Cullen Trust for Higher Education, and the James V. and Pat Walzel Family, all of Houston. The center is named in honor and memory of the late Corbin J. Robertson, Houston businessman and philanthropist. James Walzel serves as a trustee of the University. The Field House houses the Korouva Milkbar Coffeehouse and the University Police Department.

The Fountainwood Observatory, dedicated in 1997, was made possible by the partners of Fountainwood Estates in Georgetown. Joe S. Mundy Hall, dedicated in 2004, houses classrooms, transitional office space and meeting space. The hall was named for alumnus and longtime trustee Joe S. Mundy ’64.

The Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones Center, the residence hall complex on the east side of campus, is collectively named in honor of Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones, who established Houston Endowment Inc. The endowment contributed $5 million from 1982 through 1986 for the rehabilitation of campus residence halls and other facilities. Included in the Jones Center are Brown-Cody Hall, Kurth Residence Hall and Mabee Hall. Dedicated in 1997 and funded by a gift from The Brown Foundation, Inc., Brown-Cody Hall is named in honor of three alumnae, Florence Root Cody, Margarett Root Brown and Alice Pratt Brown. Kurth Residence Hall for women was completed in 1962 and named in honor of the late Mr. E.L. Kurth, an alumnus, benefactor, and long-time trustee of the University. Mabee Hall, which opened in 1985, was made possible by a gift from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation. Mabee and Brown-Cody Halls serve as home to Southwestern’s living-learning communities for first-year students.

Moody-Shearn Hall and Herman Brown Hall make up a residential complex occupying the northwest corner of the campus. The halls were put into use in 1966 and feature exterior corridors and private courtyards. Moody-Shearn Hall was a gift of the Moody Foundation of Galveston, Texas, and is named in honor of Mr. John Shearn, an early graduate of Rutersville College, one of the parent schools of Southwestern, and in honor of Mr. William Lewis Moody, Jr. Herman Brown Hall was made possible by a matching grant from The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, and the generous gifts of friends of Mr. Herman Brown, who served on the Board of Trustees for 20 years. Both Moody-Shearn Hall and Herman Brown Hall were renovated in the summer of 2008.

Martin Ruter Hall, a residence hall for men was erected in 1955 in honor of Martin Ruter, a pioneer Methodist missionary and educator. Funds for the building were provided by the Central Texas, Southwest Texas and Texas Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church.

Located north of Ruter Hall is the Charline Hamblin McCombs Residential Center, an apartment complex for 96 students dedicated in 2001. The center is named for alumna Charline Hamblin McCombs, who, along with her spouse, Red McCombs, has been a longtime supporter of student scholarships and building initiatives at Southwestern.

The Grogan and Betty Lord Residential Center is an apartment complex for 200 students located on the northwest corner of campus. Dedicated in 1995, the Lord Center was made possible by contributions from members of the Lord family toward enrichment of residential life at Southwestern. Grogan Lord served on the Board of Trustees from 1958 until his death in 2007. The facility includes the Sharon Lord Caskey Community Center featuring campus community meeting rooms and sorority chapter rooms.

The Dorothy Manning Lord Residential Center, dedicated in 2007, includes three residence halls: The Eddy C. Scurlock-Edward A. Clark Hall, The Genevieve Britt Caldwell Hall, and The Frank and Louise Britt Carvey Hall. These residence halls offer apartment-style living, with kitchens in each apartment, fully furnished rooms, a community room and recreation areas. The Frank and Louise Britt Carvey Hall serves as a “Community Engagement/Green Hall,” where students work together to build a community dedicated to sustainable living and community service.

Snyder Athletic Field and the Robert K. Moses, Jr., Soccer Field, on the west side of the campus, serve as outdoor playing fields for varsity soccer, club lacrosse and intramural sports. Robert Moses is a former trustee of the University. Recreational facilities on the east side of campus include the Rockwell Family Baseball Field, Kurth-Landrum Golf Course, Taylor-Sanders Softball Field and the Marvin D. Henderson Sr. Tennis Courts. The baseball field is named for the late Henry M. Rockwell and his family. The golf course is named for the late Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Kurth of Lufkin, Texas, both alumni of Southwestern, and the late Mr. Neely G. Landrum, a Southwestern University alumnus and trustee. The softball field was given by Carol Sanders Miller of Waco, Texas, in memory of her parents Carroll and Opal Taylor Sanders. The tennis courts were endowed by Marvin D. Henderson, Jr. in honor of his father, a 1941 Southwestern graduate and accomplished tennis player.

West of the tennis courts is the Julie Puett Howry Center. Made possible by Nelson and Ruth Puett of Austin and named for their daughter, the late Julie Puett Howry, an alumna, the center features meeting space for the campus community and a pro shop for the golf course.

South of the tennis courts is the McCook-Crain Building, erected in 1953 in memory of two alumni, Lieutenant Charles W. McCook and Mr. E.L. Crain. It houses the Office of Career Services. The Kyle E. White Religious Activities Center, erected in 1956, provides facilities for classes and faculty offices for the Religion and Philosophy Department. The building was made possible by a gift from the late Mrs. Kyle E. White of Anahuac, Texas, in memory of her husband. Turner-Fleming House, the home for the University’s president and family, overlooks the Kurth-Landrum Golf Course. The home was a gift of the late Mr. and Mrs. P.E. Turner of Houston and was given to the University to honor former President and Mrs. Durwood Fleming.