History of Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor University was founded in 1873 by leaders of the Free Methodist Church. Called to minister to the poor, the early Free Methodists advocated freedom for slaves and free pews for all worshippers. In 1860, B.T. Roberts organized the Free Methodist denomination in New York, and in 1863, Edward Payson Hart began evangelistic meetings in Michigan and was the driving force behind the establishment of Spring Arbor Seminary-an academy for elementary and secondary grades. Located near the site of a former Potawatomi Indian village, the academy was built upon property that once belonged to Michigan Central College (now Hillsdale College). Devoted to the “promotion of earnest Christianity and sound, solid learning,” Spring Arbor Seminary was open to all children, regardless of “religious convictions or beliefs.”
Spring Arbor Seminary’s enrollment grew to around 200 students in 1907, declined during World War I, but recovered after the Armistice. As one of its principals, H.A. Millican observed the academy remained committed to its original aim to “urge holiness of life and thorough Christian training, together with the highest type of mental culture.” In 1923, the board of trustees voted to add a junior college to the academy. Some first- and second-year courses were offered over the next few terms, and in 1929 the school became Spring Arbor Seminary and Junior College. As the emphasis shifted toward higher education, primary and intermediate classes were discontinued in 1930. In 1960, when the school achieved regional accreditation, the trustees changed the name of the institution to Spring Arbor College. Soon the high school program was eliminated, and under the leadership of President David McKenna, Spring Arbor College launched its four-year programs in 1963, graduating its first class in 1965.
In 1979 Spring Arbor College was invited to offer baccalaureate classes at the State Prison of Southern Michigan. By the time the education program was eliminated by the State in 2000, the University’s program had grown to serve five different correctional facilities, enrolled close to 3,800 inmates, and graduated 400.
In the early 1980s, the college began offering degree completion programs for adult learners in nearby Jackson. The initial class of students earned a bachelor’s degree in management of human resources (MHR) and graduated in 1983. New programs and new locations soon followed with degrees in health-related fields at sites in Lansing and Flint. Spring Arbor College became a leader in the design of degree completion programs and once had a network of 20 affiliate colleges that adopted or adapted the SAC curriculum.
Graduate education began in 1994 with the inauguration of the Master of Arts in Management degree. The University has consistently developed graduate programs and currently offers various degrees in business, communication, counseling, education, nursing, and social work.
On April 30, 2001, Spring Arbor College became Spring Arbor University. Recognizing the wide-ranging growth of its degree offerings, its locations, and its structure, the change in name also acknowledged new aspirations and an ambitious vision for the future. The move clarified the school’s status internationally, positioned the institution to better reach a growing constituency, pushed the entire collegiate community to guard our spiritual heritage, and challenged the organization to excel academically and administratively.
In 2020, SAU began offering its first doctorate in the field of nursing practice in a completely online format, continuing the SAU tradition of innovation, meeting academic market needs through liberal arts education.
The Spring Arbor University Concept
Spring Arbor University is a community of learners distinguished by our lifelong involvement in the study and application of the liberal arts, total commitment to Jesus Christ as the perspective for learning, and critical participation in the contemporary world.
The Concept in Action
Since 1963, when the University became a four-year institution, the Spring Arbor University Concept has expressed the mission of the University. The Concept affirms the University’s respect for tradition, its heritage of innovation, and its pledge to pursue excellence.
As a Free Methodist affiliated institution, SAU was founded as an outgrowth of the Wesleyan movement in American Christianity. The Spring Arbor University Concept echoes many of the prominent themes in the Wesleyan tradition. Among American Christians, Wesleyans have been notable for their emphasis on faith as a lifelong discipline of devotion, self-assessment, and spiritual growth. In calling for a community of learners who are committed to Jesus Christ as the perspective for learning, the Concept presents faith as a dynamic and ongoing process of personal development, continually enriched by reflection upon the Gospel of Christ. Learning is understood as an enduring commitment to explore new ideas, to undertake new challenges, and to live in holiness and integrity. Christian teachings offer the vital perspective on the acquisition and application of knowledge, not a static orthodoxy, but a vibrant inspiration.
The Concept also reflects the Wesleyan emphasis on application and experience rather than simply on cognition and analysis. Experiential learning has long been a feature of the curriculum. At advanced levels, students may receive hands-on experience in the University’s sports labs, radio station, and TV studio, or conduct chemistry research at SAU or at major Midwestern laboratories. Disciplines with applied learning are anchored in the liberal arts. The General Education requirements offer breadth and balance, acquainting students with the methodologies used by several disciplines to pursue knowledge. With an interdisciplinary core program, the General Education curricula attempts to link learning to prior knowledge and experience; it also encourages students to think critically and creatively and to communicate with precision and empathy. Designed originally for a small, residential Christian college in a rural setting, the Concept underscored the value of learning within a community. On the central campus, that community has been defined by its common traditions, its campus-wide gatherings, and its core curricula. Chapel services, the Community of Learners Lecture Series, and the Focus Lecture Series provide opportunities for the full community to gather for worship and learning. Several interdisciplinary, issue-oriented core courses explore the ideals of the Concept. The Christian Perspective in the Liberal Arts (CPLA) Committee oversees efforts to make Christian values pervasive in the academic programs and the campus environment.
Statement of Faith
As an institution affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, Spring Arbor University acknowledges that the specific doctrinal confession to which it adheres does not define orthodoxy for the whole body of Christ nor is it comprehensive of every Christian truth. The University gladly embraces all who faithfully adhere to the essentials of biblical Christianity as fellow believers and co-laborers in Christ’s cause. The University’s statement of faith is based largely on the Articles of Religion in the Free Methodist Book of Discipline.
We believe in one God, the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as revealed in the Christian Scriptures known as the Holy Bible.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s incarnate Son who lived a perfect life on earth, proclaiming God’s reign and establishing a community of disciples; who sacrificially died on the cross for the sins of all people; who rose in triumph from death, accomplishing salvation for all who truly believe in him; who is now at the Father’s right hand interceding for us; and who will return to earth in victory, judging all people and establishing his everlasting kingdom.
We believe in the Holy Bible as the inspired and authoritative Word of God. It bears unerring witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word. It is the trustworthy record of God’s revelation, completely truthful in all it affirms, attested by the early church and subsequent councils, faithfully preserved and true in human experience.
We believe that human beings, men and women equally, are created in the image of God and are called to be his faithful stewards on earth. Although all people have become alienated from God and affected in every part because of sin, by God’s grace, all who truly repent of their sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are justified by faith and adopted into the church, the people of God.
We believe that repentance and belief in Christ are evidenced by commitment to a life of obedience to the authority and commandments of the Holy Bible as interpreted through sound exegesis and a traditional biblical hermeneutic.
We believe that the value of human beings does not depend on their marital status, but that human families were established by God to perpetuate humankind and to provide a stable community for nurturing children in faith and righteous living. Marriage between one man and one woman is the instruction of the Holy Bible for establishing families, and physical sexual expression is to be confined to that marriage relationship.
We believe that God not only counts believers as righteous, but that he makes them righteous, freeing them of sin’s dominion at conversion, purifying their hearts by faith, perfecting them in love by his Spirit, and providing for their growth in grace through God’s participation at every stage of their spiritual life, enabling them through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to live a victorious life of righteousness, justice, and practical usefulness.
We believe God’s kingdom promises to establish “a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13 TNIV) and where resurrected believers will participate in God’s everlasting Kingdom.
Accreditation
All degrees offered by Spring Arbor University are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604. Additionally, the following Spring Arbor University programs are governed by discipline accrediting agencies. Questions regarding accreditation may be directed to the Office of Academic Affairs.
The School of Education at Spring Arbor University is nationally accredited by The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), 1140 19th St. NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036.
The Bachelor of Social Work program is accredited through the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), 333 John Carlyle Street, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314.
The undergraduate and graduate nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC, 20001.
Affiliations
Spring Arbor University is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, though it is nondenominational in its admissions and hiring policies. Additionally, among its many associations, Spring Arbor University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the Association of Free Methodist Educational Institutions, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Campus Compact, the Association of Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Council of Independent Colleges. With intercollegiate sports teams, Spring Arbor is also part of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with a long commitment to the gender equity principles of Title IX.
Assessment
The University is dedicated to helping all students meet the ultimate, long-term outcomes and achieve learning outcomes identified by the University and each department or discipline. It is not sufficient, however, only to state these expectations concerning student learning and personal development. The University must evaluate whether it is achieving those goals, the levels of learning and personal development that students have mastered, and the practices that have contributed to that mastery. The evidence and results of that evaluation can then be used to improve teaching and learning. The process of planning and collecting learning outcomes data, analyzing findings, and making improvements is incorporated into an assessment system.
The goal of the assessment system is three-fold:
- Support the learning process by providing usable information to faculty, students, and administration for improvement in student learning outcomes (academic and personal development),
- Strengthen SAU’s ability to carry out its mission and achieve maximum institutional effectiveness, and
- Provide transparency and accountability to the University’s varied internal and external audiences.
Spring Arbor University is committed to processes of continuous learning and program improvement through a variety of assessment and accountability measures and sees itself as a learning community. Guided by an Assessment Leadership Committee, the University has developed an assessment plan that includes institutional level assessments and department or program assessments. Annual assessment reports are required of all academic departments. Student cooperation is essential in gathering useful information for the assessment process.
The University has identified three institutional assessment areas: writing, critical thinking, and spiritual growth. These three are incorporated into all aspects of the curriculum. Assessment measures for these are especially embedded into the core General Education curriculum. Assessment measures include sophomore and senior writing exams. Sampling studies are completed for critical thinking and spiritual growth. In addition to these three areas, the University uses the NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) and SSI (Student Satisfaction Inventory) to gauge student engagement in learning and student feedback about their educational experience at SAU. Other assessments, such as interviews and surveys are administered to students (and faculty) as appropriate. Exit interviews, focused groups, alumni surveys, research projects, and other measures are used to ensure that the University is a data-guided institution, making decisions about ongoing improvements using reliable information.
All departments and programs at SAU must participate in the assessment process. Departments develop an assessment process based on the identical learning outcomes and standards for their discipline and may use a variety of measures in assessing student learning and growth. Students can provide feedback on all courses through the course evaluation process. This feedback is provided to the faculty and departments. The University uses a software program to collect and store assessment data from across the campus. This software system provides a comprehensive means for considering the collected data, findings, and use.
Life on Campus
A Common Faith
Faculty, staff, and students share a common Christian faith that gives their lives the sense of community - a bond that affects attitudes, student activities, residence hall life, class sessions, and academic programs. Spring Arbor University’s faculty and staff attempt to foster an open, caring environment. Additionally, to build community and an understanding of Christian faith, students in main campus programs are required to attend chapel services twice a week, and curriculum in all classes includes an integration of faith and learning.
Benefits of the Spring Arbor University Community
The University, located in south central Michigan just eight miles west of Jackson, benefits from and serves its community in many ways. Spring Arbor University was established as a residential university and subscribes to the living/learning experience as a vital part of whole-person Christian education. Therefore, residence hall life is a special experience with the mission to guide student’s growth through meaningful relationships with God and others in a purposeful living/learning community. Campus facilities include an athletic center with an indoor track and fitness center, offering year-round activities for both the University and community. Student athletes compete in a multitude of intercollegiate varsity-level competitions, which are open to the community to attend. Other campus traditions and culturally enriching activities are enjoyed by students and the community. Twice-a-week chapel services often include prominent speakers and performers. The Student Government Association is active in providing leadership and service to resident and off-campus students.
Academic Support Center
The Academic Support Center (ASC) provides resources to students to help identify or clarify learning needs and to implement strategies to help meet those needs. Students may participate in courses, seminars, study groups, tutoring, and mentoring sessions designed to enhance learning performance. Courses offered by ASC staff are found in the GES (General Studies) course descriptions. These courses may meet student needs through emphasizing study skills, reading skills, math review, and testing strategies. The ASC also provides English as a Second Language (ESL) courses and disability services.
Accommodations for Students (ADA)
In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1992, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ASC is proactive in developing specialized accommodations to support the abilities of each individual eligible for services. Personnel consult with students, then accept, evaluate, and maintain documentation consistent with ADA guidelines, establish or negotiate reasonable accommodations to reduce academic barriers, and notify instructors of the necessary accommodations. Requests for any type of digitized textbooks should be given one month in advance.
Each year, students with accommodation needs must notify ASC of their continuing desire for services. Students are responsible for providing documentation and communicating with the staff of their ongoing need for adjustment or accommodation of the support plan established.
Contact Information: Academic Support Center, Spring Arbor University, 106 E. Main St., Spring Arbor, MI 49283; Phone: 517.750.6481; Fax: 517.750.6660; Email: [email protected]
Community Standards of Conduct
As a Christian university dedicated to fostering academic, social, and spiritual growth for students, SAU expects students to govern their lives on and off campus in harmony with SAU conduct regulations while actively participating in the University community. Student handbooks outline standards of conduct.
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