The Facts

Web site: www.swau.edu

Location: Keene, Texas about 30 minutes from Fort Worth or one hour from Dallas

Environment: rolling hills in the heart of Texas

Undergraduate enrollment: 912 45 percent male, 55 percent female

Annual cost for tuition, room, board, fees: $17,784 (add about $700 for books)

School year: two semesters late August to early May

Call for more information: 1-800-433-2240

E-mail for more information: inquire@swau.edu

Nearest Taco Bell: six miles

Squirrel population: sparse--they've all been chased away by ducks

Number of times you will hear "What's up?" or "Hi!" during an average 15-minute walk across campus: 28

Number of holdings in SWAU's Chan Shun Centennial Library: nearly 500,000

Southwestern could be your college-away-from-home on the range.

Let's talk about Texas for a minute. Here's what I know about it:

1. It's big.

2. Cows live there.

3. It's often colored yellow on maps of the United States (at least on the ones I've seen).

So far everything I've said is true. But I've picked up some way-off-the-bull's-eye misconceptions about the home state of Southwestern Adventist University.

For instance, since Texas sits pretty much in the middle of the continent, I always figured you couldn't get to SWAU without enduring about three weeks on horseback, or at least three days in a sweltering car. I missed by a long shot.

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Southwestern Adventist University

Southwestern could be your college-away-from-home on the range.

Let's talk about Texas for a minute. Here's what I know about it:

1. It's big.

2. Cows live there.

3. It's often colored yellow on maps of the United States (at least on the ones I've seen).

So far everything I've said is true. But I've picked up some way-off-the-bull's-eye misconceptions about the home state of Southwestern Adventist University.

For instance, since Texas sits pretty much in the middle of the continent, I always figured you couldn't get to SWAU without enduring about three weeks on horseback, or at least three days in a sweltering car. I missed by a long shot.

SWAU students can saddle up (or grab a suitcase) and reach any spot on the planet in less than 21 hours! Each day 2,100 flights leave the nearby Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, connecting you to Tokyo, Tahiti, and Tehran faster than you can catch a rolling tumbleweed. (Longest travel time: 20 hours and 10 minutes to Beijing, China.)

Lately I've learned plenty about the Lone Star State and even more about the friendly SWAU campus. You've heard how the folks in Texas are proud of living in a big state, right? Well, SWAU's cafeteria stakes its claim as the largest vegetarian restaurant in the whole state. And then you've got to meet the SWAU students--their wide, welcoming smiles definitely deserve some kind of prize.

Even important people at SWAU, such as professors and administrators, treat strangers like royalty. No need to argue your way past three secretaries, beat down a heavy door, and stare six miles across a desk just to speak with your college president. You'll probably find him strolling around campus, ready for a chat or a snack in the cafeteria. Even when they're hard at work in the office, SWAU faculty have an open-door policy: when you want to talk, they want to listen.

And they want to help you learn. SWAU boasts the largest communication department of all the Adventist colleges, partly because of the reputation of its high-quality, hands-on broadcasting program. Graduation requirements for biology majors include two years of original research. When you're done, you'll have an in-depth report that you can publish in a scientific journal (or maybe in Insight . . . well, maybe not).

Millionaire teachers

Interested in business? You've got to hear about SWAU's entrepreneurship program. About 15 years ago they formed a council of high-level business executives from all over Texas and other places. These leaders take turns coming to campus and actually teaching in the Business Department. Trust me, you won't find many colleges where your professors are millionaires.

And did you know that SWAU guarantees a campus job to any student who wants one? At this small college you may find yourself carrying plenty of responsibility (and packing a great r&eacut;esum&eacut;e) while you're still in school. Some students work as announcers at the Christian radio station or produce videos in the on-campus studio.

Ready to take a break from work and textbooks? At SWAU, time slots are reserved every week just for music classes. That means you don't have to drop calculus and take an extra year to graduate just so you can play in the band.

Knights for play

SWAU comes alive on the field with active intramural sports like soccer, flag football, basketball, volleyball, softball and floor hockey. Club Sports teams hit the local community to compete in golf tournaments, play flag football and take on some local talent in soccer. Also on campus you'll find a pool, tennis and raquetball courts, a gymnastics team and a wide variety of weight lifting and exercise equipment. (Sure, this is Texas, but cattle herding and bronco riding are not availalbe.)

Within an hour of campus, you can take in the action of five different pro sports teams: the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, the Sidekicks soccer team, and Dallas Mavericks. Or if you don't enjoy watching sweaty guys running and skating in circles, Dallas and Fort Worth overflow with shopping, amusement parks, plays, restaurants, and museums.

By the way, not everything in Texas is big. SWAU's tuition ranks lower than any other four-year Adventist college in the United States.

Interested? Round up a few friends and check out SWAU and the other Adventist colleges. You might be doing yourself a Texas-sized favor.