Abilene Christian University (ACU) 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 recorded ...

Christian research university in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

, United States. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 (High Research Spending and Doctorate Production) institution. It was founded in 1906 as Childers Classical Institute. It is affiliated with

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ, also commonly known as the Church of Christ, is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations located around the world. Typically, their distinguishing beliefs are that of the necessity of baptism for salvation ...

History

The Churches of Christ in Abilene founded it as a Christian university for

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the desert climate, arid and semiarid climate, semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Texa ...

. Childers Classical Institute opened in the fall of 1906, with 25 students. It initially included a lower school starting in the seventh grade. When Jesse P. Sewell became president of the institute in 1912, the school began using Abilene Christian College on all its printed material. In 1920, the school formally changed the name. ''The Optimist'', the university's student-produced newspaper, was founded in 1912. The ''Prickly Pear'', the school yearbook, was founded in 1916. The campus literary-arts magazine (now ''The Shinnery Review'', formerly ''The Pickwicker'') has been in production since 1933. AbileneChristian

Abilene Christian College first received

school accreditation Educational accreditation is a quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated and verified by an external body to determine whether applicable and recognized standards are me ...

in 1951, when it became an accredited member of the Commission on Colleges of the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

. ources: John C. Stevens, _No Ordinary University_, p. 248; John C. Stevens, "Abilene Christian University," Texas State Historical Association, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/kba01./ref> Amberton University, previously Amber University, was created as an extension campus of Abilene Christian University. It was launched in

Mesquite, Texas Mesquite is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County with portions extending into Kaufman County, Texas, Kaufman County. The population was 150,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and maki ...

, in 1971, moving to

Garland, Texas Garland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located within Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County with portions extending into Collin County, Texas, Collin and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties. It is located northeast of Dallas and is a ...

, in 1974. It became a separate institution as Amber University in 1982, and was rechristened Amberton University in 2001. Like Abilene Christian University, Amberton remains affiliated with the Churches of Christ. On February 22, 1976, the name of Abilene Christian College was changed to Abilene Christian University. The university celebrated its centennial in the 2005–06 school year. In July 2015, the university signed a lease for an expansion campus located in

Addison, Texas Addison is an incorporated town in Dallas County, Texas, United States. The 2020 census population was 16,661. Addison is immediately north of Dallas. Addison and Flower Mound were the only two Texas municipalities labeled "towns" with a popul ...

. Called ACU Dallas, the new campus began offering several new graduate programs, including an MBA and Ed.D. in organizational leadership.

Discrimination

The university was officially segregated, for white students only, until 1962, when Billy Curl became the first black student to enroll. The university currently bars employees, but not students, from dating people of the same sex. In 2016 the university recognized Voice, an LGBT student association.

Presidents

*Allen Booker Barret (1906–08) *H. C. Darden (1908–1909) *Robertson Lafayette Whiteside (1909–1911) *James F. Cox (1911–1912) *Jesse Parker Sewell (1912–1924) *

Batsell Baxter Batsell Baxter (November 17, 1886 – March 4, 1956) was one of the most important leaders and educators in the Churches of Christ in the first half of the 20th century. Biography He received his early education from David Lipscomb and James ...

(1924–1932) *James F. Cox (1932–1940) *Don H. Morris (1940–1969) *John C. Stevens (1969–1981) *William J. Teague (1981–1991) *

Royce Money Royce Lynn Money (born July 13, 1942) is an American academic administrator who served as president of Abilene Christian University from 1991 to 2010, whereupon he became Chancellor. He was succeeded as president by Phil Schubert. Education Aft ...

(1991 – May 31, 2010) * Phil Schubert (June 1, 2010–present)

Academics

Academic structure

In 2022, ACU announced major changes to the academic structure that resulted in the creation of three new colleges. While the total number of colleges went unchanged, the reorganization was implemented to assist the university in marketing itself as a national university.

Accreditation

ACU is institutionally accredited by the

. ACU's business programs are professionally accredited by the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to busines ...

(AACSB International), the Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of

ABET ABET (pronounced A-bet), formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., is a non-governmental accreditation organization for post-secondary programs in engineering, engineering technology, computing, and applied ...

, the Social Work programs are accredited by the

Council on Social Work Education The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a nonprofit national association in the United States representing more than 2,500 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 1 ...

, the Education programs are accredited by Teacher Education Accreditation Council and the Marriage and Family Therapy programs are accredited by Commission on the Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. The ACU School of Nursing is accredited by the

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is a nursing education accrediting agency in the United States. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The commission's headquarters are in Washington, D.C. CCNE acc ...

(CCNE). ACU Graduate School of Theology is accredited by the

Association of Theological Schools The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. History The ATS was found ...

(ATS).

Traditions

* ''The Prickly Pear''. From 1916 to 2009, this was the yearbook. The name was taken from ''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid clima ...

'', a species of cactus native to the Abilene and West Texas area, commonly referred to as "prickly pear"."The Prickly Pear, Yearbook of Abilene Christian College, 1916"
"The Prickly Pear, 1916", 1916 ACU Jacobs Dream artwork

* Sing Song. Since 1956, this annual competition in mid-February has featured student groups of 30–100 people, singing themed ''

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

'' medleys, usually

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

. Originating as a

fundraiser Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

for the school, the modern event has developed into a major show for which each group assembles

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress and/or makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used to describe typica ...

s related to their act's theme, such as Peter Pan, the British Royal Guard,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

, or

forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Australia), dese ...

s. Often the costumes involve a mid-performance quick-change to a second costume—such as the 1987 acts in which

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

s turned into

raisin A raisin is a Dried fruit, dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Afri ...

s or

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

s peeled to reveal

Carmen Miranda Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her signature ...

—or elaborate choreography within the risers, as when the 1983 freshman class act recreated a ''

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

'' screen and manipulated their costumes so that the character appeared to move around the screen.No author. "Seniors' Sing Song to unite work, fun," ''The Optimist'' (Abilene, Texas), Vol. 73, No. 38, Ed. 1, February 7, 1986, page 1. The men of Galaxy and the women of Sigma Theta Chi currently hold the records for most wins of a men's club and women's club, respectively. * Summit. Referred to as Lectureship until the 2008 school year. Begun in 1918, this annual program gathers thousands of attendees for lectures and workshops on religious topics connected with a biblical theme that changes each year. After many years of following directly after Sing Song, the lectureship moved in 2006 to a September event, in part to spread out the events that bring the most visitors to campus and also to take advantage of the more stable autumn climate, as winter storms and rain had hindered attendance on multiple occasions.

Abilene Christian University Press

ACU is one of only seven faith-based institutions with a press. ACU Press, founded in 1983 to print books about

theology, is now a member of the Association of American University Presses, printing books about Christian

Higher Education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

, West Texas History and Christian Living as well as

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. Along with its trade imprint, Leafwood Publishers, the press publishes an average of 36 titles per year. Among its notable authors are Rubel Shelly, Rick Ostrander, Darryl Tippens, Edward Fudge, Larry M. James and Walt McDonald.

Student media

The school established an

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

station,

KACU KACU is an FM public radio station that serves the Abilene, Texas, area. The station is owned by Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Christian research university in Abilene, Tex ...

, in 1986. Initially, the community was concerned that the school might use the station for

proselytizing Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between Chris ...

, and for the station's first ten years, an advisory board composed of community members served to monitor the station against this possibility.Brian Bethel
"Local NPR station turns 20, looks to hi-tech future,"
''Abilene Reporter-News'', June 2, 2006. Retrieved October 19, 2008. The Optimist, a converged student media operation, produces student-led news media.

Research

In August 2022 the ACU applied to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a construction licence for a molten salt research reactor for which it plans to achieve criticality by December 2025.

Athletics

Formerly a charter member of the Division I

Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...

, Abilene Christian joined the

Lone Star Conference The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas ...

(LSC) of Division II of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

in 1973. In 2007, the LSC included 33 ACU current and former student athletes in its 75-member all-sports team commemorating the conference's 75th anniversary."Wildcats lead way as LSC honors all-time top performers,"
''ACU Today'', Summer 2007, p.32. Retrieved September 22, 2008. Through 2009, ACU is fourth in NCAA history in team national championships won with 57, trailing Division I schools UCLA, Stanford, and USC, and tied with Division III school Kenyon College.
In 2012, Abilene Christian received NCAA permission to compete in NCAA Division I, Division I FCS football and was under consideration for reattachment to the Southland Conference. On August 25, 2012, Abilene Christian's

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

accepted Southland's invitation to rejoin the conference effective with the start of the 2013–14 academic year. On Wednesday, August 23, 2017, the NCAA Board of Directors voted to pass ACU through to full Division I status, thus making them eligible for postseason play. In 2021, ACU left the Southland for the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

. After the 2022 football season, ACU football joined the newly formed

United Athletic Conference The United Athletic Conference (UAC), also known as The United, is an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) intercollegiate athletic conference. The conference is a merger of the existing football leagues of the Atlantic Sun Con ...

, a merger of the football leagues of the WAC and the

ASUN Conference The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Division I FCS level in 2022. ...

. The two all-sports conferences had partnered in a football-only alliance in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Athletic achievements

* The men's track and field program has won 32 NCAA National Track and Field Championships: 19 NCAA outdoor and 13 indoor. * The women's track and field program has won 22 national championships: 12 indoor and 10 outdoor. * The Wildcats were NAIA national football champions in 1973 and 1977. *Before the NCAA invalidated its 2007 season, nine ACU football players were included in the LSC's 75th-anniversary list of top players in conference history. The school's 2007 victories were vacated by the NCAA in 2009. The NCAA charged "two assistant football coaches helped a pair of players find an English correspondence class to take, enroll in the same course, allowed them to use the coaches' school computers for writing papers and paid to mail the assignments." The school had scored more than 40 points in 11 of its 13 games and more than 50 points in 7 games and 70 or more points in two games including a 73–76 three overtime loss to Chadron State in the second round of the NCAA playoffs. * In 2008, the Wildcats "set a record for points in an NCAA (football) playoff game, beating West Texas A&M 93-68 in the second round of the Division II playoffs." * Ove Johansson kicked the longest field goal in college football history (69 yards) in 1976, 3 yards longer than the current

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

record. it remains the longest field goal ever kicked in any level of football competition and is an unbroken world record. * Olympic athletes from ACU include

Bobby Morrow Bobby Joe Morrow (October 15, 1935May 30, 2020) was an American sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics. He has been called "the dominant sprinter of the 1950s" and "the most relaxed sprinter of all time, even more so than his ...

, three-time 1956 gold medal winner; Earl Young, 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x400 relay; Billy Olson, who made the 1980 and 1988 U.S. teams but did not compete in 1980 due to President Carter's decision to boycott the Games; Yolande Straughn, who competed in 1988 for

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

; and James Browne, 1988 competitor for

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

. *

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

and

NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...

analyst and author Sean Adams is a former NCAA All-American athlete for ACU.

Social clubs

The school has a number of student organizations called "social clubs" that are equivalent to a

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

sorority In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

on other college campuses.

Notable alumni

Academia and religion

Kent Brantly Kent Brantly is an American doctor with the medical mission group Samaritan's Purse. While treating Ebola patients in Liberia, he contracted the virus. He became the first American to return to the United States to be treated for the disease. L ...

, doctor and missionary *

Don Finto Don Finto (born April 18, 1930) is a figure in the movement among evangelicals to support the evangelism of the Jewish people and considered an apostle in the New Apostolic Reformation movement. Life Don Finto started his ministry as a missiona ...

, pastor and author * Edward Fudge, theologian * Sally Gary, author * V. E. Howard, minister * Robert Kelley, president of the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

* H. Jeff Kimble, professor of physics at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

David Leeson David Leeson (October 18, 1957 – April 16, 2022) was a staff photographer for ''The Dallas Morning News''. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography in 2004, together with Cheryl Diaz Meyer, for coverage of the Iraq War. He also ...

(1978), journalistACU press releas
"Pulitzer Prize-winning alumnus David Leeson wins Murrow, Headliner awards,"
July 19, 2004. Retrieved August 6, 2007. * Dale Martin, bible scholar * Barry McCarty, national radio host and former president of Cincinnati Christian University * John W. Pilley, behavioral psychologist * James Tabor, scholar of early Christianity and Second-Temple Judaism * Hugh M. Tiner, president of

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

* R. Gerald Turner, president of

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

* Thomas B. Warren, minister * M. Norvel Young, president of

Business

* Gordon Bethune, former

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

* David Sampson, President and CEO of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America * Monty Taylor,

cloud computing Cloud computing is "a paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand," according to International Organization for ...

executive, co-founder of

OpenStack OpenStack is a free, open standard cloud computing platform. It is mostly deployed as infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) in both public and private clouds where virtual servers and other resources are made available to users. The software pla ...

Entertainment and media

* Nelson Coates, film production designerNelson Coates
in Internet Movie Database *

Chris Christian Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951) is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena Ea ...

, record producer, recording artist, songwriter * Bonnie Curtis, film producer * Jody Dean,

news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

of KTVT-TV,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas *

Holly Dunn Holly Suzette Dunn (August 22, 1957 – November 14, 2016) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Dunn recorded for MTM Records between 1985 and 1988, Warner Bros. Records between 1988 and 1993, and River North Records between 199 ...

, musician and painter *

Ronnie Dunn Ronald Gene Dunn (born June 1, 1953) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record executive. Starting in 2011, Dunn has worked as a solo artist following the temporary dissolution of Brooks & Dunn. He released his Ronnie Dunn (alb ...

, singer and songwriter * Micah P. Hinson, singer and songwriter * Billie Hughes, recording artist and songwriter *

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in Outsider music, outsider, Lo-fi music, lo-fi, and alternative rock, alternative music scenes. Most ...

, singer and songwriter – attended ACU in his first year of college * Stephen Mansfield, author * Max Lucado, author * TJ McCloud, singer-songwriter *

Aaron Watson James Aaron Watson (born August 20, 1977) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 1999, Watson has recorded several independent albums in his career. His 2015 album '' The Underdog'' reached No. 1 on Top Country Al ...

, musician * Zane Williams, musician *

Big Pokey Milton Jerome Powell Jr. (November 29, 1974 – June 18, 2023), better known by his stage name Big Pokey, was an American rapper from Houston, Texas. Big Pokey was associated with chopped and screwed music, and was one of the original members o ...

, musician * Merritt Tierce, short-story author, story editor, essayist,

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their ...

activist, novelist, and television writer. * Jerry Haymes, recording artist, songwriter, producer * Gary G. Hamilton, television journalist and producer * J. Isaiah Evans, musician

Politics and government

* Jeffrey S. Boyd, Justice of the

Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court o ...

, *

Janice Hahn Janice Kay Hahn (born March 30, 1952) is an American politician serving as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from the 4th district since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a U.S. Representative from California ...

, member of the

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member Board of Supervisors, governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States. History On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Se ...

; former member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

; former Los Angeles City Councilwoman * Robert Dean Hunter, vice-president emeritus of ACU; 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. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

, District 71 (1986–2007) * Robert L. Pitman, lawyer, former United States Attorney; former United States Magistrate Judge; United States federal judge *

Ted Poe Lloyd Theodore Poe (born September 10, 1948) is an American politician who represented Texas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2019. Poe was the first Republican Party (United States), Republi ...

, former Harris County, Texas, judge; member of the United States House of Representatives * Jack Pope, lawyer, judge, and

Supreme Court of Texas The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court ...

Chief Justice, 1982–1985 * Jack Scott, California state senator; chancellor, California Community College System *

Joe Shirley Joe Shirley Jr. (born December 4, 1947) is a Navajo Nation, Navajo politician who is the only two-term President of the Navajo Nation. He served as president from 2003 to 2011. He lives in Chinle, Arizona, and is :wikt:tó díchʼíiʼnii, Tódíc ...

(1978), President of Navajo Nation * Lynn Coleman, former

United States Deputy Secretary of Energy The deputy secretary of energy is a high-ranking position within the United States Department of Energy. The deputy secretary is the second-highest-ranking official of the department and assists the United States Secretary of Energy, secretary of ...

* Louie Welch, former mayor of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

* Garrett Harencak, Commander of the U.S. Air Force Recruiting Service * Paul J. Selva, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff representing the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

* Matthew J. Kacsmaryk,

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (in case citations, N.D. Tex.) is a United States district court. Its first judge, Andrew Phelps McCormick, was appointed to the court on April 10, 1879. The court convenes in ...

* Brantley Starr,

of the

Sports

* Carson Pope, Olympic Track and Field Participant, (known for falling down in the first 10 meters of the 100 meter dash in qualification stage.) *

Bill Blakeley Billy Buie Blakeley (June 13, 1934 – October 27, 2010) was an American basketball coach. He coached at the high school, college, and professional levels. Coaching career High school (1957–1966) Blakeley served as the head basketball coach ...

, basketball coach * James Browne, long jumper from

* Randall "Tex" Cobb, boxer, actor *

Charles Coody Billy Charles Coody ( ; born July 13, 1937) is an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1971 Masters Tournament. Early life and amateur career Coody was born in Stamford, Texas and raised in Abilene, Texas. He attended Abi ...

, golfer, winner of the 1971 Masters Tournament * Grant Feasel, football player *

Greg Feasel Gregory Duane Feasel (born November 7, 1958) is an American professional sports figure. He played in the United States Football League (USFL) and National Football League (NFL) as an offensive tackle during the 1980s, and is currently the presid ...

, former offensive tackle in the

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

; Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

; ACU Sports Hall of Fame (2004–05) *

Taylor Gabriel Taylor James Gabriel (born February 17, 1991) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football at Abilene Christian, he signed with the Cl ...

, football player for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

* James Hill, football player for the Seattle Seahawks * Ove Johansson, football player * Johnny Knox, football player *

John Layfield John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966), better known by the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield, is an American professional wrestling color commentator, retired professional wrestler and former football player. He is signed to WWE, where ...

, wrestler * Clint Longley, football player * Danieal Manning, football player *

Lindy McDaniel Lyndall Dale McDaniel (December 13, 1935 – November 14, 2020), known as Lindy McDaniel, was an American professional baseball pitcher who had a 21-year career in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1975. During his career, he witnessed approxim ...

, baseball player * Cleo Montgomery, football player *

Wilbert Montgomery Wilbert Montgomery (born September 16, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for nine years with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college ...

, football player *

, sprinter * Billy Olson, pole vaulterTed Dunnam
"Coaching by Hood vaulted ACU over top,"
''Abilene Reporter-News'', June 25, 2000.All-Time U.S. Rankings — Men's Pole Vault
, ranked #1 in the world for 1982.Frank Litsky

''The New York Times'', February 22, 1982, page C6, column 1 (late city final edition).Al Pickett

Abilene Reporter-News, December 24, 1999. * Billy Gene Pemelton, pole vaulter * Johnny Perkins, football player * Raymond Radway, football player * Daryl Richardson, football player *

Bernard Scott Bernard Scott (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional Gridiron football, football running back. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at Abilene Christia ...

, football player *

Jeev Milkha Singh Jeev Milkha Singh (born 15 December 1971) is an Indian professional golfer who became the first player from India to join the European Tour in 1998. He has won four events on the European Tour, becoming the most successful Indian on tour. H ...

(1996), golfer"Carry on, Jeev,"
''The Telegraph'' (Calcutta, India), November 4, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2008. * Gilbert Tuhabonye, runner and author * Charcandrick West, football player * Allen Wilson, football coach * Earl Young, runner *

Art Briles Arthur Ray Briles (born December 3, 1955) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach for the Guelfi Firenze in the Italian Football League. Briles was the head coach of the Houston Cougars from 2002 to 2007 and the Baylor B ...

, former head coach at

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

* Rusty Whitt, coach * Wes Kittley, coach of Texas Tech Red Raiders track and field

Faculty

* Everett Ferguson,

patristics Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics e ...

scholar * Douglas A. Foster, professor of church history *

Michael A. O'Donnell Michael A. O'Donnell (born June 17, 1956, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) is an American writer and researcher and co-principal investigator of the Adolescent Wellness Research Project, jointly with family strengths scholar Nick Stinnett. Their resea ...

, professor of family studies

Notes

* When James Cox's wife became ill, his brother, Alonzo B. Cox, filled in for him to finish the term.

References

Bibliography

* Stevens, Dr. John C., ''No Ordinary University: The History of a City Set on a Hill'',

: Abilene Christian University Press, 1998. .

External links

* {{Coord, 32, 28, 10, N, 99, 42, 29, W, type:edu_scale:10000_region:US-TX, display=title Universities and colleges in Abilene, Texas Protestantism in Texas Seminaries and theological colleges in Texas Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Universities and colleges established in 1906 1906 establishments in Texas Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ