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Houston Christian University

Coordinates: 29°41′38″N 95°30′54″W / 29.694°N 95.515°W / 29.694; -95.515
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Houston Christian University
Former name
Houston Baptist College (1960–1973)
Houston Baptist University (1973–2022)[1]
MottoJohn 14:6
TypePrivate university
Established1960; 64 years ago (1960)
Religious affiliation
Baptist General Convention of Texas, SACSCOC
Endowment$132 million (2021) [2]
PresidentRobert B. Sloan
ProvostStan Napper
Academic staff
152 (2014)
Administrative staff
231 (2014)
Students4,257 (2022)
Undergraduates2,823 (2022)
Postgraduates1,434 (2022)
Location
Houston, Texas
,
U.S.
CampusUrban, 158 acres (64 ha)
ColorsRoyal blue and orange[3]
   
NicknameHuskies
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I – Southland Conference
MascotWakiza III (Live), Mingo (Animated)
Websitewww.hc.edu

Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), is a private Baptist university in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Its Cultural Arts Center houses three museums: the Dunham Bible Museum, the Museum of American Architecture and Decorative Arts, and the Museum of Southern History.

The Houston Theological Seminary is one of the university's graduate schools that offers the Doctor of Ministry and Master of Divinity, among other degrees.[4]

History

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The university was founded in 1960 by the Baptist General Convention of Texas as Houston Baptist College.[5] In 1973, it became a university. [6] The university announced a name change from Houston Baptist University to its current name in September 2022.[7][8]

Campus

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It is located in Sharpstown Section 3A,[9][10] within the Southwest Management District (formerly Greater Sharpstown) in Houston, Texas, near the Southwest Freeway.[11]

According to the Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the land housing HCU is in the Chinatown area.[12]

Campus housing

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The Reuben & Rebecca Bates Philips Residence Colleges for Men and Women[13] are two separate residence hall facilities for freshmen, with each serving one gender. The Sadie & Doug Hodo Residence College[14] is the largest single residential building on campus that houses both genders on opposite sides of the building. Husky Village,[15] seven apartment buildings with various layouts, are usually reserved for the university and house mostly upper classmen and staff.

Community life and worship

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Eighty Community Life and Worship Credits (CLW Credits) are required for graduation from HBU. Transfer students are also allotted 0.75 CLW Credits for each credit hour transferred into the university. CLW Credits may be accrued from a variety of opportunities including: campus service, a weekly traditional chapel service known as Convocation, a weekly student-led contemporary worship service known as Quest, small group Bible studies, lecture series and through the Assisting Communities Through Students office which coordinates community service and volunteer work in the Houston community. The on-campus "Community Life and Worship" biyearly magazine lists the different opportunities through which students may earn CLW Credits. The spiritual life office also awards credits for students who participate in church or university sponsored mission trips.

The university received a Title IX exemption in 2017, which allows the university to legally discriminate against LGBT students on religious grounds.[16] University president Robert Sloan has stated that special civil rights protections for people who engage in homosexuality are unnecessary because like "a tendency towards arson or theft" homosexuality is a sinful tendency that stems from a person's individual and therefore chosen "behavior."[17]

Athletics

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Main article: Houston Christian Huskies
Members of the men's basketball team at Sharp Gymnasium in 2023

The Houston Christian athletic teams are called the Huskies. The university is a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southland Conference for most of its sports since the 2013–14 academic year, while its men's soccer team competes in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The Huskies previously competed the D-I Great West Conference from 2008–09 to 2012–13 after spending one season as an NCAA D-I Independent during the 2007–08 school year (since returning back to NCAA D-I as a transitional member); in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1998–99 to 2006–07; and as an NAIA Independent from 1989–90 to 1997–98. Houston Christian's (HCU) official school colors are royal blue and orange.

HCU competes in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer and track and field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

Football

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Houston Christian's football program began in 2013.[18] For its first 10 years, Husky football was led by Vic Shealy. As of 2023, HCU football’s head coach is Braxton Harris. Former Huskies in the NFL as of 2023 are Caleb Johnson (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Bailey Zappe (New England Patriots).

Baseball

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The HCU baseball team participated in the 2015 NCAA Baseball Tournament, winning the Southland Conference tournament championship in Sugar Land, Texas, and advanced to the Houston Regional, hosted by the University of Houston. The Huskies also won the Great West's final championship at the 2013 GWC Baseball Tournament. The Huskies were notably coached by Lance Berkman from 2022-2024. They are currently coached by Clay VanderLaan.[19]

Women's soccer

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The HCU women's soccer team participated in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, winning the Southland Conference tournament championship in Beaumont, Texas, before falling to No. 5 Texas A&M in the first round.

The HCU women's soccer team made their second appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2016 after winning the Southland Conference tournament championship in Corpus Christi, Texas. They fell to No. 1 Stanford in the first round.

Women's basketball

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During the 2016 Southland Conference women's basketball tournament, senior Anna Strickland posted 21 points, 31 rebounds, eight assists, and seven blocked shots in the Huskies' first-round loss to Lamar University. Her 31 rebounds broke the Southland Conference single-game record, established a new tournament record, and were the most rebounds in Division I women's basketball in 2016. Strickland's all-around stat sheet has not been achieved in men's or women's Division I basketball or the NBA in the past twenty years.

Men's soccer

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Two student athletes have earned CoSIDA Academic All-American status: volleyball's Allison Doerpinghaus and men's soccer's Bryan Brody. Both students earned the honor in 2015. They join numerous student-athletes who have earned CoSIDA Academic All-District and academic all-conference honors, and numerous Academic All-American at the NIAA level.

Achievements

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Notable NCAA D-I athletic achievements:

  • 1983 NCAA high-jump champion, Ricky Thompson; t-32nd place in the 1983 Track & Field Championships
  • Alma Mater of European Tour great Colin Montgomerie
  • 1983-84 Men's basketball team participated in the NCAA tournament in the play-in game vs. Alcorn State; 1983-84 Men's basketball team led the entire NCAA in team field-goal percentage, shooting 55.2% - this is also tenth all-time in NCAA history[20]
  • Participants in the NCAA men's golf championships in 1984, 1987 (5th place), and 1988
  • Participants in the NCAA men's gymnastics championships in 1982 (10th place) and 1987 (7th place); 1987 men's gymnastics (Rings) champion, Paul O'Neill
  • 1982, 83, 84, 85 Trans-America (now Atlantic Sun) Men's soccer Champions, and conference tournament champions in 82, 84, and 85[21]
  • 1982, 83, 84, 85 Trans-America (now Atlantic Sun) men's cross country champions; individual titles won by Charlie Foreman (83 & 84) and Magnus Fyhr (85)

Notable NAIA athletic achievements:

  • 2007 NAIA Baseball World Series, third place; 2007 Baseball Region VI Champions
  • Participants in NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament ten straight seasons from 1997 to 2007[22]
  • Dwight Jones II, son of Dwight Jones Sr. who played on the 1972 USA Olympic Silver medal basketball team in Munich, was drafted by the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Developmental League as well as the East Kentucky Miners in the CBA draft[23]
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  • Morris Cultural Arts Center and Belin Chapel
    Morris Cultural Arts Center and Belin Chapel
  • Athletic Center
    Athletic Center
  • Brown Administrative Complex
    Brown Administrative Complex
  • Smith Blvd Entrance Graffiti Mural
    Smith Blvd Entrance Graffiti Mural
  • Husky Live Oaks, a 9-hole object disc golf course on campus
    Husky Live Oaks, a 9-hole object disc golf course on campus

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "Houston Baptist University's History". hbu.edu. Houston Baptist University. September 4, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  2. ^ "Data USA: Houston Baptist University". Data USA. October 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "Official Colors | Houston Christian University". Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "Houston Theological Seminary". Houston Christian University. 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  5. ^ William H. Brackney, Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education, Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 445
  6. ^ Mark Pollak, The Playing Grounds of College Football: A Comprehensive Directory, 1869 to Today, McFarland, USA, 2018, p. 174
  7. ^ "Houston Baptist University Changes Name to Houston Christian University". Houston Baptist University. September 21, 2022.
  8. ^ "Houston Baptist University now has a new name". khou.com. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Sharpstown Section 3A Replat & Extension Blocks 1-2 (JPG, PDF). Harris County Block Book Map. Volume 94, Pages 97-99. Retrieved on August 8, 2017.
  10. ^ Printable Campus Map. Houston Baptist University. Retrieved on August 8, 2017. Interactive map
  11. ^ "Districts Archived January 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." Greater Sharpstown Management District. Retrieved on August 15, 2009.
  12. ^ Rodriguez, Lori. "Opinions vary over naming the growing Asian community on Houston's southwest side." (Archive). See map. Alternate version without Chinatown map: "DIVERSITY DEBATE / Chinatown outgrowing name / Opinions vary over naming the growing Asian community on Houston's southwest side Archived October 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." Houston Chronicle. Wednesday May 9, 2007. A1.
  13. ^ "Residence Colleges Archived October 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", Houston Baptist University
  14. ^ "Sadie & Doug Hodo Residence College Archived October 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", Houston Baptist University
  15. ^ "Husky Village Archived October 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", Houston Baptist University
  16. ^ "Worst List: The Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth". Campus Pride. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  17. ^ Dolan, Eric W. (May 7, 2014). "Houston Baptist University president compares gay people to alcoholics and arsonists". Raw Story. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  18. ^ Jansen, Steve (September 25, 2013). "Whatever It Takes: Houston Baptist University Turns to Football to Build a Name". Houston Press. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  19. ^ Houston Christian Athletics Department (June 11, 2024). "BSB: HCU Names Clay VanderLaan as Next Head Baseball Coach". hcuhuskies.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  20. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ "FANSonly - Your Ticket to College Sports". Naia.cstv.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  23. ^ [1][dead link‍]

Further reading

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  • Looser, Donald William. "An Act of Providence: A History of Houston Baptist University 1960-2010." Pearland, Halcyon Press, Ltd., 2010.
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