John Brown University

John E. Brown: background John E. Brown (1879–1957) was not afforded the opportunity to pursue much education, as his family's financial difficulties forced him to begin working at the age of 11. [ 4 ] As a teenaged laborer in Arkansas , Brown encountered the Salvation Army and underwent a conversion experience. After his conversion, he became an itinerant Methodist evangelist, with his travels taking him across Arkansas , Missouri , Kansas and the Indian Territory . Subsequent to becoming an evangelist, Brown accepted a position as president of Scarritt College in Neosho . His two years as president were instrumental in developing his plan to establish his own college. However, Brown felt that the strong emphasis of that school on education without the benefit of life training was harmful to the students. As he said in 1903, "It might be my privilege to have a part in the building of school that would turn the minds of youth back from this exaggerated concept of the value of book knowledge, to the realization that all this is valuable only as it becomes a background for, or the foundation under, the real things of life." [ 5 ] : 25

As the university grew, Brown continued to preach throughout the country and on the radio. He was well known for his attacks on liquor , gambling , dancing , and other Christian fundamentalist issues of the time. [ 7 ] : 20 This brought him into close proximity with Bob Jones Sr. founder of Bob Jones University , who presented Brown with an honorary doctorate in 1937. In the 1940s, the close ties between JBU and the Christian fundamentalist movement began to wane, as the university took an unexpected turn away from fundamentalism . John Brown himself was always a proponent of interdenominationalism , and by aligning himself with Youth for Christ and other evangelical organizations after World War II , JBU was making a statement. John Brown's description of the school in 1948 as " interdenominational and definitely evangelical " [ 7 ] : 117 is very telling in this regard.

In the tradition of some other private Christian universities, John Brown University expects students follow a code of conduct believed to be congruent with biblical principles. Students sign a community covenant stating they will abstain from profanity; plagiarism or theft of copyrighted material; any act that would result in a misdemeanor or felony charge; pornography: extramarital sexual activity or same-sex relationships: sexual, ethnic or racial harassment; tobacco or nicotine use; gambling; and use of alcohol, illegal drugs or other intoxicating substances. [ 12 ] Staff and faculty are not required to sign this covenant but must sign a statement of faith and employee expectations which include that "Scripture teaches that sexual intimacy is reserved for marriage and that a Christian marriage is a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman". [ citation needed ] John Brown University made national news when it changed its historically held position not to endorse dancing. In December 2006, the school sponsored its own swing-themed dance on campus. [ 13 ] JBU made national news in early 2013 as it became famous for its yearly toilet paper basketball game. ESPN did a special highlighting "the greatest technical foul in all of sports."

Campus entrance John Brown University's main campus is located on 200 acres (0.81 km 2 ) in Siloam Springs, Arkansas . The university's most recognizable building, the Cathedral of the Ozarks, was completed in 1957 and, along with the two Windgate Visual Art Buildings composes the Cathedral group. The Cathedral contains a sanctuary for chapel and other assemblies, and the back portion is a three-floor academic building housing the music department and the humanities and social sciences . The entire Cathedral group was recently renovated on the inside and resurfaced with white limestone on the exterior. Between the Cathedral group and Walker Student Center is the campus's main quad , which is used for recreation and relaxation by students. The student center itself houses a cafe, an open area for studying, bookstore, post office, and classrooms on the second floor. Attached to the student center is the Walker co-ed residence hall with male and female residents living on separate floors. There are three other residence halls on campus as well: J. Alvin Brown, an all-male dormitory and the oldest building on campus which was given a $6 million renovation in 2014; Mayfield, an all-female hall completing a $6 million renovation in 2018, and Hutcheson, a co-ed residence hall. Upperclassman and non-traditional student housing options include campus townhouses and the Northslope Apartments. Other buildings on campus are the Bill George Arena, Soderquist Business Center, Bell Science Hall, Mabee Learning Resource Center, Chapman Administrative Building, Blood Memorial (Admissions) Building, Berry Performing Arts Center, Balzer Technology Center, CARE Clinic, Simmons Great Hall, Health Education Building, Peer-Andrus Studio & Project Barn and the Walton Lifetime Health Complex.