Arizona Christian University

Founded in 1960 as Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College, Arizona Christian University is a regionally accredited, private, non-profit Christian liberal arts university in Phoenix, Arizona. The university traces its roots to Ida Clouse, a Christian missionary and registered nurse who left the Midwest in 1917 and moved to Arizona under the Homestead Act where she opened the Clouse Ranch, which soon became a popular Christian retreat center. Upon her death in 1959, Clouse left 35 acres of her ranch to the Arizona Baptist Convention for the creation of a Christian college. Since its founding in 1960, the university has undergone a number of name changes, including Southwestern College, until its name was finally changed to Arizona Christian University in January 2011 in recognition of its growth from a small Bible college to a Christian liberal arts university. Previously, the university was affiliated with the Conservative Baptist Convention until the university made the decision in 2009 to transition to a non-denominational Christian liberal arts university.