Amridge University is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

affiliated with the

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 ...

with its main campus in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, United States. It was previously known as Alabama Christian School of Religion, Southern Christian University, and Regions University, and is a successor institution to Alabama Christian College. Founded in 1967 as the Alabama Christian School of Religion, its primary function historically has been as a theological

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

to train ministers in

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

and

Christian Counseling Biblical counseling is distinct from secular counseling. According to the International Association of Biblical Counselors, Biblical counseling "seeks to carefully discover those areas in which a Christian may be disobedient to the principles and ...

. However, Amridge has expanded its curricula to other degrees. Seminary training offered by the Turner School of Theology, named in honor of founder Rex Allwin Turner Sr. and his wife Opal Shipp Turner, continues to be a core undertaking, with all levels of ministry and theological degrees available.

History

Key institutional events

* 1942 Montgomery Bible School, founded by Rex Allwin Turner Sr., Calvin Leonard Johnson, and Joseph B. "Joe" Greer, offered both high school and first year college courses, and became a

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

with an elementary and secondary department * 1949 Expanded curricula to include a third year of Bible and related courses * 1953 Granted first baccalaureate degrees * 1954 Institution's name changed to Alabama Christian College * 1966 Discontinued upper‑level program in religious studies to satisfy accreditation requirements as a junior college ** High school department becam
Alabama Christian Academy
a regionally accredited elementary and secondary school ** Junior college department became what today is Faulkner University * 1967 Alabama Christian School of Religion founded to assume the upper-level program, offering classes in the new facilities of the College Church of Christ at 5315 Atlanta Highway * 1972 Expanded curricula to include graduate degree programs * 1974 Moved to new property jointly purchased with the Landmark Church of Christ at 6020 Atlanta Highway * 1977 Expanded curricula to include a three‑year graduate program offering the Master of Theology degree * 1985 Applied for accredited membership in 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 ...

* 1988 Replaced the Master of Theology degree to conform to standard nomenclature and practice with the Master of Divinity degree, generally recognized as the first professional degree in ministry * 1987 Sold its interest in the jointly owned property to the Landmark Church of Christ and built its own new campus on of land on Interstate 85 alongside

Auburn University at Montgomery Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) is a public university in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. Governed by the Auburn University Board of Trustees as a member of the Auburn University system, it was established by an act of the Alabama Le ...

. The School of Religion moved to this new campus at 1200 Taylor Road that summer. * 1989 Received accreditation by the

to grant degrees at the bachelor's and master's levels * 1991 Institution's name changed to Southern Christian University to reflect the widened geographical area served by the institution and emphasized the academic level and the emerging direction of the institution * 1992 Expanded curricula by adding the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree and the distance-learning program * 1994 Reaffirmation by the

including the two aforementioned substantive changes * 1994 Changes in Alabama state licensure law in

Family Therapy Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychotherapy focused on families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and ...

grandfathered the institution to permit reconfiguration of its counseling program * 1999 Selected by the US Department of Education to help pilot th
Distance Education Demonstration Program
* 2002 Purchased of land alongside Interstate 85, located from the main campus to accommodate future growth * 2003

approved Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Family Therapy degree program * 2005 Decadal reaffirmation by the

including the following substantive changes in its curricula ** Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – General Business ** Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Information Communication ** Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Information Systems Management ** Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Studies degree * 2006

approved Associate of Arts degree program * 2006 Institution's name changed to Regions University * 2008 Institution's name changed to Amridge University

2006-2008 name changes

On August 2, 2006, Southern Christian University's board of regents voted to change the institution's name to Regions University. They expected this would enhance the institution's opportunities, complementing its purpose and vision while expanding its scope of educational and religious heritage to all the regions of the world. The name change, however, sparked a civil lawsuit by

Regions Financial Corporation Regions Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company headquartered in the Regions Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The company provides retail and commercial banking, trust, stock brokerage, and mortgage services. Its banking subsi ...

filed on September 29, 2006, for

trademark infringement Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may occ ...

. Consequently, on January 31, 2008, the board of regents resolved to change the institution's name again, this time to Amridge University, preserving its mission and vision to expand its operations worldwide.

Presidents

* Rex Allwin Turner Sr., Ed.D. 1967 – 1983 * Rex Allwin Turner Jr., Ed.D. 1983 – August 2008 * Stanley Douglas Paterson, Ed.D. ''(interim)'' August 2008 - March 2009 * Michael Clark Turner,

D.O. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become lice ...

March 2009 – present

Academics

In keeping with its Christian heritage, Amridge University provides educational opportunities through five schools: the College of Business and Leadership, the College of General Studies, the School of Education and Human Services, the Turner School of Theology, and the School of Continuing Education. It is accredited by the

. Additionally, it is approved by the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

Facilities

The institution's main campus in Montgomery, Alabama lies alongside Auburn University Montgomery just north of

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

at the Taylor Road exit. The campus consists of a single two-story complex, the Morgan W. Brown Building, that houses classrooms and the library on the ground floor and administrative offices upstairs. Classrooms are equipped with extensive multimedia equipment to allow live Internet streaming of instruction and lecture. Instructors can also transmit computer data, video, or still pictures. Each student's desk has a computer

workstation A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or computational science, scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating syste ...

. The Amridge University library features a large collection of religious books and theological reference works. It holds 80,000 titles, 1,200 serial subscriptions, and 800 audiovisual materials.Peterson's (2007). ''Colleges in the South 2008''. p. 52. Lawrenceville, NJ: Nelnet. .

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ Private universities and colleges in Alabama Universities and colleges in Montgomery, Alabama Universities and colleges established in 1967 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 1967 establishments in Alabama