SWAU Gala Raises $109,000 for Student Scholarships

About 200 Johnson County residents filled the Lonestar Mansion in Burleson on Monday night for the fourth annual Southwestern Adventist University gala.

SWAU board of trustees chairman Larry Moore kicked off the evening by welcoming guests, and SWAU Vice President for Advancement Tami Condon and Senior Development Director Kisha Norris thanked sponsors. Keene Mayor James Chapline gave the blessing.

SWAU President Ken Shaw said the gala is a time to showcase some of their students’ talents in the music program, as well as recognize a student scholarship winner. The theme was “Light Up the Night,” and all the students who performed echoed that theme. 

SWAU student Andre Azevedo played the violin as his brother, Daniel Azevedo, accompanied him on the guitar. SWAU student Christian Gonzalez played the saxophone.

Comedian Mike Bliss of Branson, Missouri, performed for gala attendees with magic tricks and jokes. For the past 25 years, he’s traveled all over the world performing for audiences.  

Shaw said he knows how important scholarships are for students, so the university asked junior Samson Sembeba, who’s also the president of the university’s student government association, to discuss how scholarships from SWAU helped him with his education.

Whether it’s writing a seven-page paper, preparing for two exams at the same time or reading several chapter assignments, Sembeba said he knows what it’s like to be busy.

“Because of a busy schedule, it’s easy to forget about the so many prayers that we have answered,” Sembeba said. “During the first two weeks of school before they spend time in class learning from a teacher, a student at [SWAU] has to spend time kneeling before bed, praying. Praying that God opens doors. The beautiful thing is through miracles those prayers are answered.”

Through your donations, students are able to succeed while in college, he said.

“I remember driving down from Michigan,” he said. “My mother was scared because she thought my car would break down. It’s about a 16-hour drive. Driving down from Michigan, the only thought that crossed my mind was how I was going to pay for school. I didn’t think I was going to be able to.”

He said his parents gave him a little bit of money, but knew it wasn’t enough to cover the bill.

“But, I trusted God,” he said. “It was the scholarship that came through for me. When I saw that, it was an answer to my prayer. I feel privileged to stand before you and say thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your money and energy. Thank you for believing in an Adventist education.”

State of the university

Shaw gave a state of the university report and said SWAU has 819 students from 36 states and 20 countries.

The U.S. News & World Report ranked the university in several categories, including the No. 2 most ethnically diverse college in the Regional Colleges West category.

Niche ranked SWAU as the No. 6 safest campus in America out of 1,346 campuses. It also ranked SWAU at the state level.

They ranked it as the No. 1 safest college campus, No. 5 for best food, No. 5 for most diverse college, No. 10 for best college dorms, No. 13 for best Christian college and No. 14 for best small college.

SWAU’s tagline is build knowledge, increase faith and provide service, and Shaw said they are doing many things in and outside the community to reach their goals.

After Hurricane Harvey hit the coast of Texas, many emergency response teams and average residents from all over the state traveled to the coast to lend a hand.

One of those volunteers was SWAU biology assistant professor Jared Wood. He has spent many years navigating waterways around Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky and Florida as a field biologist, so he took his flat-bottom boat down to the coast to help where he was needed.

Shaw said Wood helped rescue many families and countless lives from the flood waters.

Over Labor Day weekend, several students, faculty and staff traveled to The Oaks Adventist Christian School in Cypress, just outside of Houston, for relief after Hurricane Harvey.

Shaw said the team worked hard to repair any damages and also donated much needed supplies to help get the school back on its feet so they could start teaching students sooner.

SWAU students also helped Cleburne students load boxes of donations and supplies into a World War II-era DC-3 plane at the Cleburne Regional Airport for those affected by the hurricane.  

It’s always good to partner with local schools and organizations for similar causes, Shaw said.

To expand those partnerships, the university signed an articulation agreement with Hill College recently to give students the ability to transfer from the two institutions with more ease.

Shaw said the two institutions have been partners for years, but the articulation agreement reiterates the importance of that partnership.  

Other updates

Many other things are happening at SWAU.

In March, a SWAU trustee donated a $170,000 gift to renovate the field house on Bainum Field next to the duck pond at Rex. E. Callicott Student Park. They will construct restrooms, a concession stand and update equipment storage.

SWAU’s Larry R. Moore Nursing and Administration Building is underway, which is west of the Findley Administration Building.

The university broke ground on the state-of-the-art building in February, and Shaw said they have been raising money for the $16 million project for a while now.

The building will equip nursing students with the much needed supplies and labs they will need as more students join the program. The building is projected to open in fall 2018.

Many things are happening at SWAU, and Shaw said their goals are to not only help students earn degrees but also increase their faith for Jesus Christ.  

“I was at Florida State University for 25 years,” he said. “But there’s something special about this Christian school. It’s not just about helping students get a degree but helping them grow in their faith. That’s not talked about in public schools. We want our students to have a better relationship with Jesus. We say that openly.”

Next year the university will celebrate it’s 125th year, and he said he looks forward to that.

Courtesy of Cleburne Times Review