HBU Admissions Viewbook 2010 "A New Creation"

a n ew creati on

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a

new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

– 2 Corinthians 5:17

Amazing transformations are taking place at Houston Baptist University.

As we grow into one of the nation’s most comprehensive Christian universities, our students are growing, too. Together we are becoming new creations – in a dynamic learning environment offering what few other faith-based colleges or universities can. A diverse, real-world campus – where you’ll feel immediately connected. A major metropolitan area – brimming with jobs, internships, and opportunity. An engaging, hands-on education – where students and professors work side by side. And, a vibrant student life – with a broad range of university activities, including NCAA Division I sports. This is HBU, a new creation among Christian universities. Come here, and discover a new creation in you.

A New Creation A Residential Community

Building On the Liberal Arts

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The Houston Advantage

Major Christian University

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Committed to the Arts

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Programs: Undergrad to Grad A Global Focus

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Renowned Faculty Impacting the World

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Opportunity Is Everywhere HBU At A Glance

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At HBU, we equip you with the skills you’ll need for a successful career – but our mission goes beyond that. Our goal is to help you know and understand, to help you gain wisdom to live life appropriately, honorably and in accordance with God’s will. It is why we are transforming our university’s core curriculum, so that our students can receive the full benefit of a classic liberal arts education. Regardless of their major, all HBU students will have a strong foundation in the arts, the humanities, languages, and sciences. It is an education that is rich and meaningful. It leads to a career, and a life, that is rich and meaningful, too.

Advantage: Liberal Arts How practical are the liberal arts? According to a recent Fortune magazine study – very. CEOs nationwide said the humanities are essential for developing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. These CEOs understand the importance of majors, but they realize, too, that careful reading, writing, and presenting in the liberal arts develop the capacities that make for successful leaders, managers, and executives. Bottom line: businesses, organizations, graduate schools, professional schools – they want students who can think. A liberal arts education at HBU. It’s something to think about.

Building On the Liberal Arts

Talking Faulkner You don’t necessarily learn critical thinking in a critical thinking class. You learn it exploring Plato, Newton, and Monet. You learn it discussing Faulkner, Nietzsche, and Aquinas. You learn it in a liberal arts curriculum where big questions arise, and students come face-to-face with morality, law, ethics, community, government, and truth. In HBU’s liberal arts courses, students and professors take part in a great conversation that has been going on for centuries. It is in these stimulating and highly interactive courses that students begin to think, to analyze, to articulate – to grow.

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A Great Start There are fine Christian colleges all across our country that have a long history of providing outstanding Christian higher education. But for the student seeking a more comprehensive faith-based learning experience, the choices are much more limited. That’s why HBU is increasingly becoming an educational destination for students. We offer what very few can – a university setting, in a major city, with the highest quality academics, informed by a Christian worldview. HBU continues the excellence and tradition of our nation’s Christian colleges. And more.

Freshman Year Seminar (FYS) is a program that helps the first-semester freshman assimilate into the academic and campus life of the university. We take a highly engaged, interactive approach to helping students build relationships and rapport with both peers and professors. FYS also facilitates student success through personal strength assessments, career planning, community service, campus involvement, and spiritual discovery.

All Faiths Welcome HBU is a university with strong, Christian values oriented toward engagement with other views. Some Christian colleges have a tradition of requiring students to sign a faith statement. Instead, we have a time-tested philosophy of dealing with diversity. The answer is mutual respect and a winsome attitude. Conversation rather than confrontation is the key. We were founded as a university open to all faiths.

That’s our tradition.

Major Christian University Making Fast Friends

Major City, Major Advantage Major cities are where the world is engaged. HBU is located in Houston – the fourth largest city in the U.S., a city with an economy larger than that of many countries, and home to a diverse population speaking

The unique Learning Cohorts program for freshmen allows you to easily connect with other first-year students during the fall semester. Each Learning Cohort, consisting of about 15-20 freshmen, takes two core courses together, sharing common areas of academic interest. Students work and study closely together, both inside class and out. They make instant connections, they find immediate support, they become integrated into HBU life – enhancing not only their freshman year, but their entire college experience.

Thursday Evening Engagement Dr. Louis Markos, a professor in English at HBU, is a nationally recognized C.S. Lewis scholar and welltraveled lecturer. He is an award-winning, and captivating,

more than 90 languages. Here is the rough and tumble

teacher (he’s known to read stories aloud, acting out the

of life, commerce, ethnicity, languages, culture,

characters). And, on Thursday evenings, he leads a

international trade, and more. Experience it. Learn

Bible study for students in his home. What started as

from it. Serve it. Be changed by it.

a Bible study with just a few people, now barely fits into Dr. Markos’ home. It’s amazing how students will engage, when they meet teachers who sincerely want to engage with them.

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As HBU moves toward becoming a comprehensive Christian university, we are continuing to grow our quality, faith-based graduate education. With strong graduate programs already in accounting, Christian counseling, education, liberal arts, theological studies, and business, we are laying the foundation for an even broader offering – training more scholars at the highest levels, enabling students to work with mentors who share their faith and interests, and, in the end, bringing a Christian worldview to an ever-broadening range of disciplines.

Honors College – Dare To Be Wise The Honors College at HBU provides a uniquely challenging program based in the liberal arts.

Students examine the great texts and hone their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. They engage in stimulating discussions with their peers and distinguished faculty. They conduct independent research. They study abroad. They participate in diverse cultural opportunities. It is a solid foundation upon which to build their selected majors – and a lifetime of success.

Programs: Undergrad to Grad

This Way To Success Academic advising is an integral part of an HBU education. Prior to enrolling, you will have the opportunity to attend SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising & Registration) where faculty advisors will assist you with course selection and exploration of possible majors. Your

Major Choices Whatever your passion, you’ll be able to pursue it at HBU, as we offer more than 40 majors and pre-professional programs.

Accounting Art Studio Biblical Languages Biochemistry/Molecular Biology Biology Chemistry Christianity Communication and Rhetoric Economics Education English Finance Government History International Business Journalism and Mass Communication Kinesiology Management Marketing Mathematics Music Nursing Philosophy Physics Psychology Sociology Spanish Pre-Professional Programs Pre-Dentistry Pre-Engineering Pre-Law Pre-Medicine Pre-Optometry Pre-Pharmacy Pre-Physical Therapy Pre-Physician Assistant

advisor will work closely with you on a continuing basis, assisting with career goals, course selection, internships, and any and all issues to ensure your success.

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One Accomplishment After Another Teaching is, and always will be, the central mission of Houston Baptist University. Our professors, passionate about their students, are committed, first and foremost, to teaching and mentoring. But our professors are scholars, too – leaders in their fields, capable of influencing the world with their research and writing. Maintaining an active research life keeps our professors current with the leading developments in their fields. It keeps them well connected to graduate schools, internships, and career opportunities for our students. These are renowned academics who serve as “salt” in the classroom, and as a “light” to the world, because of their Christian faith.

How are HBU professors impacting their fields? They’re authoring books and textbooks. They’re publishing articles in leading academic journals. They’re writing papers and presenting at national conferences. They’re sharing their knowledge on expert discussion panels. They’re serving as elected leaders of national associations. They’re creating works of fiction, drama, music, and art. They’re leading foreign missions. And on and on it goes.

Renowned Faculty

Life-Changing Relationships Ours is a deep-rooted culture of faculty-student interaction, collaboration, and mentoring. These close relationships are born in small, discussion-based classes and develop as a result of a genuine interest in each student’s success. As one HBU graduate remarked, “When I came to HBU, I expected to have relationships with my professors. But I had no idea that I’d want to return five years later and tell them how they changed my life.”

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An art professor, a talented and passionate artist, inspires his students to love art as well. A psychology professor and practicing professional, in a discussion of disorders, opens students’ eyes with real-life clinical examples. A Christianity professor, described by students as “crazy” and “amazing,” runs around the classroom acting out stories.

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A biology professor, who traveled to the Dead Sea to study organisms, shares his explorations and discoveries.

A history professor, who travels often, CO2Et uses her personal pictures and stories to bring history alive. A Biblical languages professor, who spends his summers teaching in Africa, brings a new perspective on the world to his students. A chemistry professor, CO2Et an accomplished professional scientist, brings O to life by relating lessons to the real world. chemistry A physiology professor, who often teaches in visual ways, uses O simple cups and straws to explain the concept of systems. A math professor, described by students as looking like a “mad scientist,” is so excited about math, his students become excited, too...

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HBU is a community – in every sense. Inside our walls, we are a family, a very close one.

Here, students, faculty and staff know one another well, respect one another, and share relationships inside and outside the classroom. But as much as we value our own community, we are tied to a larger community as well. And thus, we are growing our university, our population, our buildings, our programs, and more – to serve our own, but also to serve as the best possible asset to those around us.

We are renewing our campus home, and we are renewing our greater community in the process.

Go Huskies!

HBU competes as a member of NCAA Division I, fielding 15 men’s and women’s intercollegiate varsity teams. HBU also offers over a dozen intramural and club programs throughout the year.

Men’s Baseball Basketball Cross Country Golf Soccer Indoor Track & Field Outdoor Track & Field

Women’s Basketball Cross Country Golf Soccer Softball Indoor Track & Field Outdoor Track & Field Volleyball

Opportunity Is Everywhere

An Active Campus Life

Living Out Our Faith

There are so many ways to get involved at HBU.

Ours is an education of the whole individual. At HBU,

Whatever your interest, you’ll find it here – as well as

you’ll find an open and caring Christian community –

plenty of friends with whom to share it. At HBU, you can

one that is very intentional in its mission of growing

choose from more than 45 clubs and organizations,

spiritually and serving others. In our Community Life

and if you don’t find the exact club you want, we

and Worship Program (CLW), students are required

encourage you to start one! Here, you’ll find an active

to achieve CLW credits by participating in spiritual-

Greek life – with eight fraternities and sororities. And

growth opportunities such as convocation, seminars,

you’ll find every imaginable campus activity – from

community service, mission trips, conferences,

Husky Fest, Midnight Madness and Winter Formal, to

retreats, and more. It is our challenge to students to

outdoor Movies on the Mall, Husky Revue and Spring

grow in their faith, and to live out that faith in their

Fling. At HBU, there’s always something – and it’s

relationships and in their community.

always a lot of fun!

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When students study together, live together, and grow together, a campus becomes energized by this combination of scholarship, friendship, and Christian fellowship. At HBU, we are moving rapidly toward becoming a primarily residential campus. The Lake House, our new, modern residential college accommodates more than 370 students and supplements our current residence colleges and apartment-style living. And more is soon to come. Additional housing, state-of-the-art student-life and recreation centers, and green spaces across our campus will create a one-of-a-kind residential community where students can learn, grow – and thrive.

A Residential Community

The Lake House – A New Residence College The Lake House offers students an exciting opportunity for campus living. A six-floor learning and living community, this innovative complex offers both apartments and suite-style housing for freshmen through upperclassmen. This modern facility is specifically designed for today’s student with innovative layouts, as well as all kinds of amenities – including a chapel, parlor, aerobics room, and a variety of comfortable and spacious gathering places.

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At Home At HBU HBU offers a variety of housing options to students, from furnished suites in our residence colleges, to convenient on-campus apartments at Husky Village. All include over 80 channels of cable TV, wireless Internet, and non-stop activity – from video game nights and pick-up Ultimate Frisbee, to sand volleyball and American Idol pizza parties. It is a full, active, highly energized campus experience – with lots of friends, and lots of fun!

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Houston plays a critical role in the success of Houston Baptist University. The city of Houston provides our students access to immense opportunities – educational, professional, cultural, and social – that only a major city can. But, just as important as our access to Houston is Houston’s access to HBU. Our university is becoming an important intellectual and cultural center for the city – a place for learning, debates, lectures, worship events, political events, concerts, theater, film festivals, writers’ conferences, and more. We are a part of Houston. And Houston is a part of us.

World-Class Internships National and international businesses. World-class organizations. Globally renowned health care facilities. The opportunities for internships in the Houston area are exciting, challenging – and, quite simply, unlimited. At HBU, you can gain valuable realworld experience in your chosen field, as we offer opportunities with literally hundreds of respected organizations – including the Texas Medical Center, Merrill Lynch, Deloitte & Touche, Bank of America, the Houston Rockets, Fox Sports Net, the city’s leading law firms, Houston-area school districts, and many, many more.

The Houston Advantage

Houston photos courtesy of Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

A Career Launching Pad Forbes magazine recently ranked Houston the third best

Houston Has It All Here in Houston, one of the nation’s largest and most vibrant cities, you’ll find it all. Every variety of restaurant, café, and coffeehouse. Some of the world’s most respected museums, theater, and art. Major concerts and other entertainment. Every major professional sport. Dynamic churches, large and small, an array of outdoor activities, and shopping – we’re five miles from the Galleria, the nation’s fourth largest shopping

city in the nation for launching a career or establishing a business. And why not? Houston is home to 26 Fortune 500 companies (second most in the nation). Houston is also one of the world’s largest manufacturing centers for petrochemicals. The Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world, is here. As is Johnson Space Center, NASA’s largest research and development facility.

Plus, there are more than 10,000 manufacturers, over 5,000 energy-related companies, and more than 1,000 computer-related firms. Houston, prepare to launch.

complex! Whatever it is you enjoy, whatever it is you’d like to discover, you’ll find it here in Houston.

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The Christian faith has a rich cultural heritage, having inspired some of the world’s greatest music, art, poetry, drama and writing. At HBU, we seek to be a part of that creative tradition, as we invite students, and the whole community, to share in our admiration for the arts. In our new Morris Cultural Arts Center, we have the Dunham Theater, a premiere facility for hosting musical and dramatic performances. Our brand new studio-art facility is one of the finest of its kind. And our commitment is ongoing, as we foresee the creation of new academic programs in drama, filmmaking, screenwriting, the communication arts, and more.

A Program Of Note HBU’s School of Music offers a variety of programs designed to provide students with experience and training as a performer, an educator, or a church musician. The programs are led by faculty who are passionate about their art, professionally active in their music careers, but, first and foremost, committed to teaching and mentoring. The School of Music presents between 50 and 70 programs each year, including student recitals, faculty concerts, major ensemble concerts and invited guest performances.

Committed to the Arts

“Innermost Being,” oil on canvas

by Deborah Norcom Burns, art education major

A Work Of Art The studio art program at HBU is truly inspired. Our art students develop skills in five studio areas: drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and ceramics. They work each day with talented faculty who bring a wealth of professional experience and individualized attention.

And, all this inspiration comes housed in a brand new facility that is nothing short of a masterpiece. The University Academic Center is a premier arts facility with modern studio and classroom space dedicated to our artists and faculty.

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A Global Campus Our world is pervasively and increasingly interconnected, and HBU is responding with an education that is increasingly international in its scope. Our students and faculty are traveling abroad for study, cultural exchange, and mission trips. We are emphasizing language competence within our liberal arts offerings. Along with global-oriented majors such as international business, we are adding others to equip our students to put their talents to work in today’s global work environment. The result? Our graduates will be more likely to participate in mission trips, more knowledgeable about the world, more capable of understanding international news, more marketable, and better prepared to adapt to the challenges of an increasingly connected world.

One of the great strengths of an HBU education is its global nature – here at home. Ours is a rich, diverse student population. Like the city in which we reside, HBU is made up of many cultures, many faiths, many points of view. It is a comfortable and enriching environment in which to study and live – not only will you find others who are like you, but others who are different, and from whom you can learn.

A Global Focus

Go Global Traveling abroad to volunteer, teach, study, intern, or just trek around will not only help you acquire critical cross-cultural skills, but it will expand your intellectual horizons. HBU’s Center for Global Initiatives in Education provides over 175 links to study abroad scholarships, fellowships, grants, agencies, and other entities that will allow you to roam the world and immerse yourself in a foreign setting. Backpack through a rain forest. Study on a Caribbean cruise ship. Teach English in Nepal. We’ll help you find an ideal program – a place you can go, and grow.

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Graduate Schools

The years a student spends in a university tend to be life-changing and worldview-forming. It is during these years that young adults begin to decide who they are, whom they will marry, how they are going to vote, what their profession will be, how they will manage their money, and how they will live out their faith. HBU realizes the importance of higher education – and even more, the importance of higher education founded in Christian faith and principles. Our mission at HBU is to be a shining light, sending emissaries into corporations, financial markets, ministries, schools, universities, governments, medicine, Hollywood, entertainment, law firms, the media – impacting Houston, our nation, and the entire world.

Where Are They Now? On any given day, at any given hour, HBU graduates are making a difference in their world and their community.

Below is just a sampling of where you’ll find our most recent graduates:

Impacting the World

Associated Press/New York Bank of America BMC Software Chevron Churches & ministries around the world Comcast Cable Communications Continental Airlines Conoco Phillips Deloitte & Touche Exxon Mobil Fox Sports Net Habitat for Humanity Hewlett-Packard Houston Aeros Houston Chronicle Houston Rockets IBM J.P. Morgan Chase KPMG Marathon Oil Merrill Lynch Methodist Hospital System Public and private schools, colleges and universities across the nation Reliant Energy Shell Oil Southwest Airlines Stewart Title Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Instruments University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Wells Fargo

Arizona State University Art Institute of Chicago Baylor College of Medicine Baylor University Bowling Green University Duke University Hebrew University (Israel) New England Conservatory of Music New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Northwestern University Oxford University Princeton Theological Seminary Rice University South Texas College of Law Southern Methodist University Southwestern Theological Seminary Stellenbosch University Temple University Texas A&M University Texas Tech University Texas Woman’s University Trinity University University of Houston Law School University of Oklahoma University of Southern California University of Texas University of Texas Health Science Center University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Villanova University Virginia Commonwealth University

Career Services So where does one start upon a mission to impact the world? Many at HBU begin at our Career Services Center. Here, we help students explore themselves – their personality, interests, skills and values – so that they can make effective career decisions and plans.

Later, we help them arrive at those ends, with a complete range of services, including help with resume and cover letter writing, interviewing techniques, job strategies, salary negotiations, as well as networking and recruiting events throughout the year.

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History HBU was founded in 1960 with the mission of bringing Christian higher education to one of the nation’s largest cities. That’s still our mission today.

Location Our 100-acre campus is located in Houston, Texas, the nation’s fourth largest city.

Honors College HBU’s Honors College provides a challenging core curriculum based solidly in the liberal arts.

Internships HBU students gain valuable real-world experience in their chosen field through a broad offering of internships.

Financial Aid More than 85 percent of HBU undergraduate students receive some form of financial assistance.

HBU at a glance

Students Our more than 2,300 undergraduate students come from many different denominations and cultural backgrounds.

Academics More than 40 majors and pre-professional programs.

Faculty All classes taught by faculty, not teaching assistants.

Approximately 70% of professors hold terminal degrees.

Student-Faculty Ratio 15:1.

Personal Attention 78 percent of all classes have fewer than 20 students.

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Visit HBU

HBU Made Affordable

We can tell you all about HBU – but seeing is believing.

We encourage you to come visit us. Attend one of our information days or weekend events. Tour our campus.

Sit in on a class. Meet our students. Talk with our professors. Come visit HBU – a new creation among major Christian universities.

As part of our mission of preparing leaders to impact the world, we work hard to make an HBU education affordable. HBU offers a unique opportunity for you to be considered for our merit scholarships when you apply for admission. We also offer numerous leadership, music, art, athletics, debate, and church scholarships and grants. You can be sure we will help put an HBU education within your reach.

To check out our special events for prospective students, schedule a tour, or reserve an appointment with an admissions counselor, visit us on the web at www.hbu.edu/visit.

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To learn more, please contact visit us on the web at www.hbu.edu/financialservices, or email us at Financial_Services@hbu.edu.

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7502 Fondren Road • Houston, Texas 77074 281-649-3211 • 800-969-3210 • admissions@hbu.edu

www.hbu.edu