College of the Southwest

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.

In March 2008 school's Board of Trustees voted to change the official name of the college to University of the Southwest to better convey what the college has become and where the trustees see it going. [ [http://www.csw.edu/305093.ihtml University of the Southwest | Name change ] ] The change will be implemented in phases over the coming year.

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.

Academic programs

Undergraduate Degrees

* Accounting
* Biological Science
* Criminal Justice
* Early Childhood Education
* Education (Elementary, Secondary, Special)
* English
* Environmental Management
* General Business
* History
* Humanities & Fine Arts
* Management
* Marketing
* Mathematics
* Psychology
* Social Sciences
* Sports Management

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 investigating the feasibility of adding a masters program. No start date for such a program has been announced.

The college does not grant PhD degrees.

Student life

The student body at CSW is highly diverse, reflecting a broad range of ages, religious 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.

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 - humorist
* Lynn Swan -football player for Pittsburgh Steelers
* Marvin Hamlisch - eminent composer and pianist
* Lt. Col. Oliver North
* Ben Stein - actor/television personality, economist
* P. J. O'Rourke - political satirist
* Robert Gates - Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush; former President of Texas A&M University

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 opportunities 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, at minimum, a masters degree.

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 novel educational experience for the students, as they have the opportunity to learn both theory and best practices from successful individuals who have extensive experience in the subjects they are teaching. CSW is what is known as a "teaching school" among academics, meaning that faculty are evaluated primarily on their teaching performance with less emphasis put on research.

References

External links

* [http://csw.edu/ College of the Southwest website]