College of the Southwest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
College of the Southwest is a private non-denominational four-year educational institution located in Hobbs, New Mexico. It was incorporated under its current name in 1962, although the college existed several years prior to that as a two-year Baptist institution.
The college offers baccalaureate degrees in education, business administration, computer science, sports management, criminal justice, psychology, and others. In addition, the college awards the master's degree in a variety of educational disciplines including counseling, special education, and educational testing.
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[edit] Mission
Although the college is "grounded in Christian principles," CSW cannot rightly be termed a "Christian college", at least in the traditional sense of the phrase. In contrast to the requirements of many other institutions to attend weekly chapel and participate in sundry religious activities, CSW allows its students to live — and seek — their own faith in a way that best suits their individual needs.
The official mission of the college is as follows:
- College of the Southwest provides a high quality learning experience in a supportive educational community of faith, personal responsibility, and individual initiative.
- Grounded in Christian principles, College of the Southwest welcomes people from the broad spectrum of faith traditions; not seeking doctrinal uniformity, the campus community honors freedom of thought and expression and encourages the demonstration of faith in acts of service.
- While pursuing excellence, College of the Southwest is committed to operating independently and responsibly — without support from taxes.
- As a community of initiative, College of the Southwest challenges graduates to become enterprising members of our society — individuals who contribute to the common good by advocating and participating in the productive commerce of free enterprise, the constitutional privilege of self-government, and the practical contributions of community service.
In other words, College of the Southwest welcomes students to its campus as they are, which holds an appeal for many students over denominational schools.
[edit] Academic programs
[edit] Undergraduate Degrees
- Accounting
- Biological Science
- Computer Science
- Criminal Justice
- Early Childhood Education
- Education (Elementary, Secondary, Special)
- English
- Environmental Management
- General Business
- History
- Humanities & Fine Arts
- Management
- Management Information Systems
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Psychology
- Social Science
- Sport Management
- Theatre
[edit] Graduate Degrees
- Counseling with an emphasis in Educational Counseling or Mental Health
- Counseling
- Curriculum and Instruction (Reading)
- Educational Administration
- Educational Diagnostics
The College of Business Administration is currently preparing to offer a master's degree in international business in the Fall 2007 semester. The program will be broader in scope than a traditional MBA, focusing on developing world-class business leaders with the requisite skills to navigate the increasingly complex global economic environment.
The college does not currently offer the PhD.
[edit] Student life
The student body at CSW is highly diverse, reflecting a broad range of ages, relgious backgrounds, nationalities, races, and political beliefs. Its heterogeneity makes for a rich educational experience for all, as classroom discussions incorporate a myriad of viewpoints.
The college offers on-campus housing with a capacity of about 250. The housing infrastructure includes two 96-bed dormitory-style housing buildings and several student apartments. Most of the students who live on campus are freshmen from out-of-state, and foreign students. Due to the college's isolated location outside the city limits of Hobbs, there is no adjacent privately-provided student housing. However, because Hobbs is quite affordable when compared to other college towns, obtaining reasonable accommodations in apartments in the city is not difficult.
[edit] Activities
CSW has an active student body, which hosts and participates in a variety of activities and functions. Spring Fest and Fall Fest bring the students, faculty, staff, and community together to enjoy a time of fellowship and camaraderie. A notable contribution by the School of Business Administration, the yearly Job Fair hosted by CSW's Business Leadership Council organization and the New Mexico Junior College serves to connect employers with an educated, motivated talent pool from both schools and the community.
Another event hosted by the college is the Jack Maddox Distinguished Lecture Series. This series brings in prominent, influential men and women from all areas of life to give an informative and inspirational lecture. The event is highly anticipated in the college's hometown of Hobbs, because of the relatively small size of the town. A notable aspect of the series is that it is completely free of charge regardless of who the speaker is. All that is required is a free ticket, which can easily be obtained through various ticket outlets in the area. Some of the individuals the college has welcomed include:
- Jim Lovell - commander of the infamous Apollo 13 space mission
- Dave Barry - political satirist
- Lynn Swan -football player for Pittsburgh Steelers
- Mark Russel - political satirist/performer
- Marvin Hamlisch - eminent composer and pianist
- Lt. Col. Oliver North
- Ben Stein - actor/television personality, economist
[edit] Faculty
The faculty at CSW are absolutely committed to student success. CSW is primarily an "instruction" college, as opposed to a research institution. However, faculty are encouraged to pursue active professional development opportunties as they present themselves.
All full-time faculty must have a PhD, a terminal degree in a specific field (such as law), or be in the process of obtaining either of these degrees through an accredited institution. Adjunct faculty must possess a master's degree at minimum.
Most faculty at CSW are not career academics. That is, a good many of the college's professors have returned to the classroom after distinguished careers in the private sector. This makes for a rather unique educational experience for the students, as they have the opportunity to learn both theory and best practices from successful individuals who have extenseive experience in the subjects they are teaching.
