Campbellsville University
Campbellsville University traces its origins to the founding in 1906 of Russell Creek Academy by the Russell Creek Baptist Association. The academy gradually developed its offerings and a four-year curriculum, becoming accredited as a college. With an expansion of graduate programs, in 1996 the college gained university status. The president of the university is Michael V. Carter, Ph.D. The immediate past president is Kenneth W. Winters (born 1934). He is a Republican state senator from District 1 based in Murray in southwestern Kentucky. Before Winters, the president was William Randolph "Randy" Davenport of Campbellsville, who served 1969–1988. Fuller Harding, an attorney and former state representative from Campbellsville, served on the CU board of trustees for five years. His father, Abel Turner Harding (1881–1966), had been instrumental in raising funds to establish Russell Creek Academy, the forerunner of Campbellsville College. Forest Shely, a physician in Campbellsville and a 1943 graduate of the former Campbellsville Junior College, served as a trustee of the university for 56 years, from 1954 until his death in 2010. In 2014, representatives from Campbellsville University met with Kentucky Baptist Convention leaders to report that the CU board of trustees had voted to end its Covenant Agreement with the KBC. CU's Board Chairman Dr. Joseph L. Owens said, "Our actions will allow us to select our own trustees but these decisions in no way change the mission or the character of Campbellsville University. We look forward to discussing the new proposed agreement that will continue CU working with the KBC and its churches in areas of joint mission and ministry in the spirit of the Great Commandment and in following the command of the Great Commission."
In February 2017, the CU field house was damaged in a fire. The university will raze the old structure and rebuild on the same spot. The new structure is expected to be available in time for the new football season in mid-August. The Gosser Fine Arts Center is home to Campbellsville University's School of Music. Housed in this complex are classrooms, practice rooms, faculty studios, offices, a computer lab, a piano lab, an instrumental rehearsal hall, a choral rehearsal hall, and the Gheens Recital Hall. The Music Library is on the mezzanine level of the Montgomery Library. This collection contains performance videos, CDs, AV listening/viewing stations, musical scores, music reference books, and music periodicals. There is a conducting room in the basement level for music students to videotape practice and conducting assignments. Next to the Gosser Fine Arts Center is the university's School of Art. Like Gosser, the School of Art main building also has classrooms, and is to have a computer lab for students who want to learn about art. The School also has a Gallery building and the Tessener complex (which has a printing press room and a classroom), that were once houses. When Campbellsville College gained university status in 1996, the re-organized governance included one college of Arts and Sciences and five schools, including The School of Education, which oversees the preparation of teachers. In the fall of 1996, the School of Education moved its offices into Carter Hall and in 2006 into the new School of Education building. The preparation of teachers has expanded to offering graduate education and online education in a wide variety of certifications and advanced roles. The university offers programs in Louisville, Somerset, and Elizabethtown in addition to the main campus. The School of Education has been accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) since 2007. The campus is situated in the center of Kentucky, about a half mile from downtown Campbellsville, population 9,000. Another portion of the campus, Clay Hill Memorial Forest, is from campus. It is a educational and research woodland that is being developed by the Division of Natural Science as a regional center for environmental education and research. Also, Green River Lake, a recreational state park, is from campus.
Since 2002, Campbellsville University has operated an off-site center in Louisville, Kentucky. It moved to nearby Jeffersontown in July 2007. Campbellsville University also has a satellite center in Hodgenville in LaRue County, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. The branch center offers adult education, general education classes, and children's programs. The building in Hodgenville is a gift to CU from Freddie Hilpp. Campbellsville University Harrodsburg is developing into a full second campus, not simply a satellite. It has dorms and sports teams. Nearly half of the students enrolled at CU live on campus. Campbellsville University offers online-degree opportunities. Online programs include four associate degree programs: Associate of Science in Business Administration, Associate of Science in Christian Studies, Associate of Science in Criminal Justice, and Associate of Science in General Studies.
Graduate programs include master's and Rank I programs in education and special education, and master's programs in theology, business administration, counselling, organizational leadership, and social work. Campbellsville University offers an RN to BSN that is designed for nurses looking for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree completion program. The accelerated degree programs are Web-based and allow versatile learning. Campbellsville athletic teams are the Tigers. Their official colors are maroon and gray. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Mid-South Conference (MSC) since the 1995–96 academic year. They are also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Mid-East Region of the Division I level. Campbellsville competes in 30 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, dance, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include archery, bass fishing, kayak bass fishing, cheerleading and eSports. The original football program was discontinued in 1937 during the Great Depression. The college revived the sport in 1987 under the direction of coach Ron Finley (1933–2009). The school's football team plays at Finley Stadium. Several CU teams have received national recognition. Zack Flake, a sophomore from West Chester, Ohio, won Campbellsville's first individual national wrestling championship with his title in the 141-pound weight class in wrestling at the NAIA Wrestling National Championships in 2007. The men's basketball team has had three consecutive berths in the NAIA National Basketball tournament, reaching the National Semi-Final in 2008. The women's basketball team made their record setting 29th appearance in the NAIA National Basketball Tournament in 2018/19,after completing a sweep of the conference regular season title (undefeated), and winning the conference tournament. The Lady Tigers are coached by former Lady Tiger player and 300+ career coaching wins Ginger High Colvin. In 2005, volleyball player Amy Eckenfels was recognized as the NAIA National Libero of the Year. In 2006, she set the all-time national record for career digs with 3,569. The volleyball program advanced to its first-ever NAIA National Volleyball tournament in 2007 by defeating rival Georgetown College in the finals of the Region XI qualifying tournament. Lady Tiger Volleyball advanced to the 2008 NCCAA Final Four but lost to Dallas Baptist to conclude the season with a record of 35–11. CU returned to the NCCAA Volleyball Tournament in 2009, sweeping through the field to win the school's first team national championship in Kissimmee, Florida. In addition, the Men's Tennis Team has won 3 NCCAA National Championships in 2012, 2015, and 2018
History
Campbellsville University (CU) is a private Christian university in Campbellsville, Kentucky. It was founded as Russell Creek Academy and enrolls more than 12,000 students. In 2014, the university trustees ended its covenant agreement with the Kentucky Baptist Convention but vowed to uphold the ideals.