West Tennessee Colleges

Bethel University is a Cumberland Presbyterian college in McKenzie, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842 in McLemoresville, Tennessee as Bethel Seminary, becoming Bethel College in 1850, and given a state charter in 1847, making it one of the oldest colleges to use the name "Bethel College." There was a brief time during the American Civil War that the college was closed but it was reopened as a co-educational institution in 1865 under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin Wilburn McDonnold. The college relocated in 1872 to its current campus in McKenzie. In 1906 when the Union (a church governing body) closed all ten Cumberland Presbyterian colleges, only Bethel reopened, becoming, as it remains, the only Cumberland Presbyterian college. Bachelors and Masters degrees are available through Bethel University. The sports teams are nicknamed the Wildcats and the Lady Wildcats. They participate in the NAIA's TranSouth and Mid-South Conferences. The school also maintains a center in Nashville known as the "Success Program," aimed at the non-traditional student.

Bethel College officially changed its name to "Bethel University" on August 1, 2009.http://www.tricountystar.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=17&ArticleID=1614&TM=61069.48

Christian Brothers University is the oldest collegiate degree-granting institution in the City of Memphis. The university is run by the Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious order founded by St. John Baptist de la Salle, the patron saint of teachers.

It is located in Midtown Memphis near Liberty Stadium.

Crichton College is a private Christian, liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee.

Crichton College is a four-year, coeducational institution governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Directors. Higher education at Crichton College is combined with evangelical Christian faith and intends to relate education to the needs of people in contemporary society. The biblical basis of all programs is a distinctive part of the Crichton curriculum, intended to ensure the centrality of Biblical principles in the academic programs, philosophy, and life of the College.

Crichton College offers majors in psychology, biblical studies, business, biology, chemistry, professional education, pre-nursing, English, history, liberal studies, and pre-law. The faculty is encouraged to motivate students to practice a reasoned and vital faith that will enable them to lead mature and creative lives. While the faculty attends different churches, they all are selected to be dedicated Christians committed to the ideals of free inquiry in the pursuit of truth and respect for all people. The student body also represents diverse churches, races, and social backgrounds.

Crichton College endeavors to offer students a well-rounded educational experience, which allows them to explore all dimensions of their personalities while, at the same time, receiving instruction in the pursuit of a career.

Crichton further endeavors to promote whole person development, recognizing that under the sovereignty of God all people possess intellectual, spiritual, psychological, and physical dimensions.

As of January, 2007, there were about 1100 students enrolled at Crichton. Tuition was $4980 per semester, and apartment housing was $1875 per semester.

The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and it is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

Dyersburg State Community College is a Tennessee Board of Regents-operated community college located in Dyersburg, Tennessee. As of 2005, it is the smallest community college operated by TBR, with an enrollment of fewer than 2,500 students. It is the only college operated by the Regents in northwestern Tennessee.

Dyersburg State was founded in 1969. Classes are held on the main campus in Dyersburg and at sites in Covington, Trenton and Union City. The college also offers online courses.

In 2007, the regional growth of the college sparked officials to begin an exploratory process to consider changing the institution's name. In March, 2008 the Tennessee Board Of Regents approved the name "Tennessee Western Community College" pending approval by Tennessee's General Assembly.

Freed-Hardeman University is primarily an undergraduate university in Henderson, Tennessee in the United States of America. The university is located within a short distance of the town's central area. The university traces its heritage to the members of the Churches of Christ who helped build it. Freed-Hardeman is primarily undergraduate and residential, meaning it enrolls full time students of traditional college age. The university also serves some commuting, part-time, and adult students on-campus and through distance-learning programs. The university offers a limited number of master's-level graduate programs including Bible, Business, Counseling and Education. Arts, science, and professional degrees are conferred.

The university is governed by a board of trustees, all of whom are required to be members of churches of Christ. Courses are offered by 12 academic departments organized into six schools - Arts and Humanities, Biblical Studies, Business, Education, Sciences and Mathematics, and the Honors College. The Loden-Daniel Library services the undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff.

Freed-Hardeman offers two semester-long study abroad programs: one in Belgium and one in Italy. The FHU-Belgium campus is located in Verviers, Belgium. The FHU-Italy campus is located in Citerna, Italy. There is also a summer study abroad program offered in Mexico.

Lambuth University is a small, co-educational, liberal arts university located in Jackson, Tennessee. Lambuth is a church-related institution supported by the Memphis Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Lambuth's athletic teams participate in the NAIA's TranSouth and Mid-South Conferences. Since 1843, when it began as the Memphis Conference Female Institute, Lambuth has provided students an opportunity to use their intelligence in the service of God and humanity.

Lambuth University is located in Jackson, Tennessee, a city of about 55,000 people, in the heart of West Tennessee. Jackson is easily accessible by highways Tennessee State Route 20, US 45 and US 70 and Interstate 40. The city of Jackson is a major commerce center for West Tennessee and has three other institutions of higher learning in addition to Lambuth, a civic center, coliseum, symphony orchestra, excellent medical facilities, AA minor league baseball, performing arts center, parks, and shopping centers.

Lambuth has a limited enrollment with small classes; faculty members participate in research and scholarship, but their primary responsibilities are teaching and advising.

The University has a sequence of courses required of all students. These requirements include two courses in religion; competency in certain skills such as writing, speaking, and physical education; knowledge of subject matter such as natural science, mathematics, social science and computer science or computer information systems; two interdisciplinary courses, and comprehensive evaluation at the senior level. In offering such a sequence of courses, the faculty realizes that students need more than a certain number of hours in order to be educated. As the Purpose of the University clearly states, liberal education at Lambuth involves a reaffirmation of the Wesleyan emphasis on academic excellence and faith in a world that needs freedom of inquiry, careful analysis, communication, responsibility, and service to others.

Lane College is a four-year, accredited historically black college associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, located in Jackson, Tennessee, just northeast of the downtown area. It is primarily a liberal arts institution.

Jackson State Community College is a publicly-supported community college located in Jackson, Tennessee and operated under the auspices of the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is one of the largest community colleges in the Regents system and, along with the presence of the private Union University, Lambuth University, and Lane College, and the location of Freed-Hardeman University in nearby Henderson.

The University of Memphis has offered upper level and graduate courses on Jackson State's campus for many years. In 2008, The University of Tennessee at Martin began offering junior and senior level courses and a graduate program at Jackson State also.

Jackson State's first President was Dr. F.E. Wright who served from 1967 until his death in 1976.

Dr. Walter Nelms became the 2nd President of the college until his retirement in 1997. Dr. Charlie Roberts served as the 3rd President of Jackson State until 2004 when Dr. Bruce Blanding became the 4th President of the college.

Jackson State has branch campuses in Lexington (Henderson County), Tennessee, and Savannah (Hardin County), Tennessee. A new branch campus in Humboldt, Tennessee opened in 2007. Jackson State will be the lead institution there in conjunction with (The University of Memphis), the (University of Tennessee at Martin) and the Tennessee Technology Center of Jackson.

Union University is a four year institution in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis, and Hendersonville, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. The university is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention and relates to the Southern Baptist Convention.

Union University is the heir of some of the oldest universities in the country and is notable for having trained a United States Supreme Court justice, and in the sports world as the place where Bear Bryant began his football coaching career. The school is a union of several different schools: West Tennessee College formerly known as Jackson Male Academy, Union University of Murfreesboro, Southwestern Baptist University, and Hall-Moody Junior College of Martin, Tennessee.

Union is one of the top tier institutions in the South, listed for each of the past eleven years by U.S. News and World Report. In 2008, U.S. News ranked Union in the top 10 in five subcategories and 20th of 574 in the ?Southern Universities-Master's: Top Schools? category. It has been recognized by Peterson's Competitive College Guide, the Time/Princeton Review, and Templeton's Colleges that Encourage Character Development. Union is a recipient of the President's Higher Education Community Service Award and has been listed among America's Colleges of Distinction and as one of America's Top 100 College Buys.

Union University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Union University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is a flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system.

The University was founded under the auspices of the General Education Bill, enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1909.

Known originally as West Tennessee State Normal School, the institution opened its doors September 10, 1912, with Dr. Seymour A. Mynders as President. A number of minor name changes occurred between 1912 and 1941, with the "West Tennessee State" name remaining at the forefront of each.

In 1941, the name of the University changed, becoming Memphis State College. In 1950, graduate studies were initiated, and in 1954, the school switched from a quarter to a semester system. In 1957, Memphis State College became Memphis State University. In 1959, the university admitted its first black students, and the first doctoral programs began in 1966.

The 1990s were characterized by another name change and another building boom. In 1994, MSU became the University of Memphis, and the Ned R. McWherter Library was completed. Moving into the 21st century, the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management and the FedEx Institute of Technology have made their mark on the University landscape.

Today, the University of Memphis is one of Tennessee's three comprehensive doctoral-extensive institutions of higher learning. Situated in central Memphis, the University awards more than 3,000 degrees annually.

With an enrollment of approximately 21,000 students, the University of Memphis has 25 Chairs of Excellence and five state-approved Centers of Excellence.

The University maintains the Journalism and Public Relations department, Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI), Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Loewenberg School of Nursing, FedEx Institute of Technology and the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology. Its mathematics department has more Erdos number 1 mathematicians than any other research institution in the world. [https://files.oakland.edu/users/grossman/enp/Erdos0p.html] [http://www.msci.memphis.edu/faculty.html]

The University of Tennessee at Martin is a campus in the University of Tennessee system. Other campuses include the flagship campus in Knoxville, the Chattanooga campus, the Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, and the Space Institute in Tullahoma. UTM is the only public four-year university in West Tennessee outside Memphis.