Centennial Notes

Year: 1947
Southwestern College founded in Oklahoma City; R.O. Corvin president.

Early in 1900, the Fire-Baptized Holiness Association established a School of the Prophets in Beniah, Tennessee. Sister Emma DeFriese described in Live Coals of Fire 1:10 (Jan 12, 1900) as having the "definite experiences of the fire and the dynamite" served as principal of the school. G.F. Taylor led the Bethel Holiness School in Rose, Hill, North Carolina from 1903 until 1907 when he left to head up the Falcon Holiness School (1907-1916) which had started in 1902. In 1906, the Emmanuel's Bible School was established in Beulah, Oklahoma, where Daniel Awrey would serve as principal. Beulah would remain open until 1910 and be followed by the short lived King's College in Oklahoma which operated from 1925 until 1932. About the same time there were similar attempts to run the Ozark Industrial College in Arkansas (1928-1931), the Triangle Industrial College (1932), and Emmanuel College of Milford, Texas (1932).⁽⁶⁹⁾

Oklahoma City gave birth to Southwestern College of Christian Ministry in 1946 under the leadership of Dr. R.O. Corvin. During the tenure (1961-75) of Dr. W.B. Corvin as president, Southwestern achieved a record enrollment of 1600.⁽⁷⁰⁾ Additional land was purchased, buildings were erected and the junior college achieved accreditation in 1964 at which time the high school division was phased out. Today the school is enjoying the benefit of the steady leadership of President Ron Moore.

Southwestern College of Christian Ministry developed the first IPHC graduate program when in 1993 Dean Garnet Pike established programs with active church leaders in mind. Accredited modulars of one week on campus permit church leaders to manage heavy church demands while allowing Dean Pike to bring in a range of qualified instructors.