Arkansas Business

at a GLANCE

Innovation, Infrastructure, Affordability Set Central Baptist College Apart Central Baptist College 1501 College Ave. Conway, AR 72034

p 501.329.6872 e admissions@cbc.edu w cbc.edu Number of Employees: 121 Top Executive: TeRRy KimBRow, pResidenT Product or Service: ChRisTiAn higheR

eduCATion AT The AssoCiATe And BACheloR level Year Founded: 1952

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2015 ARKANSAS BUSINESS PROFILES

new programs Flourish While Foundation remains intact There’s a loT going on at one of Conway’s premier institutions of higher learning these days. new buildings are sprouting up, innovative adult and distance learning offerings abound and enrollment this fall is at an all-time high.

The only thing more impressive than what’s going on is where it’s going on — Central Baptist College — the small college that’s giving much larger state schools around town and across arkansas a run for their money on almost all fronts.

“We strive to create a rare experience for our prospective students and current students in all that we do,” said college president Terry Kimbrow. “We want to show them that we truly care about them.”

You don’t have to look far to see this philosophy in action, particularly this year when the four-year, private, Christian college will introduce Mustang advantage, a loan repayment assistance program to all new, traditional students, which includes incoming freshmen and

transfer students. CBC is the first college or university in arkansas to offer this option, a program it piloted with a small group of new students enrolling for the fall 2014 semester.

Mustang advantage is open to all incoming freshmen in traditional degree programs and transfer students with at least two years remaining to degree completion in traditional programs. it covers up to 100 percent of all federal, private and parent PlUs loans at no cost to the student or parent, so long as the student graduates from CBC, is employed in the United states and remains below specified income thresholds. given the skyrocketing cost of higher education nationally and the college’s view of education as a mission, Kimbrow said Mustang advantage has the potential to be both a tremendous help to students as they pursue their degrees as well as making CBC a serious contender in the ongoing competition for attracting prospective students. “students’ lives are truly transformed during their time at CBC,” Kimbrow said. “We strive to offer degree programs that will accommodate students no matter their life circumstances.”

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“Higher Education will have to continue to adapt to a changing world. New technology, funding, and greater oversight and accountability from the federal government will all be issues that colleges will face in the coming years.”

Terry Kimbrow, Central Baptist College president

CBC has also invested in its students’ learning by dedicating three new buildings comprising Phase 1 of the college’s Vision 2020: a Miracle in the Making campaign. a $6 million gift, the largest in school history, solidified Phase 1 projects, which include the David T. Watkins academic Building completed in the summer of 2012. The structure features 13 state-of-the-art classrooms, three conference rooms and a variety of administrative departments. also newly opened is story library, a two-story, 16,000-sF structure featuring a multimedia classroom, cafè, the science resource center, conference rooms and private and group study rooms, among other amenities.

That project was completed in 2014, as was Dickson hall, a 150-bed residence hall.

Phase 2 of the college’s Vision 2020: a Miracle in the Making campaign will address the needs of Mustang athletics. Campus leadership is also in the process of updating the college’s strategic plan and campus master facilities plan which will guide the institution’s future growth for the next three to five years. Kimbrow said part of these discussions are centering on possible expansion outside Conway.

“CBC is exploring the possibility of an additional campus location in hot springs,” he said. “We recently partnered with Champion Christian College in hot springs to offer classes to their students.”

CBC’s efforts have paid off in enrollment growth.

Kimbrow said the student body has grown 15 percent in just the past five years and a staggering 117 percent over the past decade. The college has topped 850 students for two consecutive academic years.

Beyond traditional students, Kimbrow said the college’s PaCe and growing online programs have expanded the college’s reach exponentially while helping non-traditional students further their education.

PaCe (Professional adult College education) offers working adults the chance to start or finish a college degree. PaCe helps these students balance the demands of work, family and their education by meeting one night

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per week, in most cases for just five weeks. in the 15 years of the PaCe Program, more than 1,200 adults students have taken advantage of the innovative curriculum. growing online options is another way the college is extending its reach, Kimbrow said. Three regionally accredited online degree programs have been added in recent years, and in 2013 CBC added a fully online Bachelor of Business administration degree.

These additions join a rapidly growing catalogue of degrees for traditional students. Courses of study added over the past decade include biology and worship arts as well as health sciences and education which Kimbrow highlighted for particularly robust growth. “among our academic successes, i’d mention producing two years of graduates from the education program,” he said. “i also consider the recently added health sciences degree a particular success story. Central Baptist currently has three graduates of that program in medical school and one in Physical Therapy school.”

The roots of Central Baptist College date back to 1891 when a special committee of the arkansas Baptist state Convention was appointed to consider the founding of an educational institution for women. The group moved forward aggressively and by the following year, Central College for Women opened on 15 acres of land in Conway with the express purpose of training women for efficiency in home, church, business and society. it would operate until its closure in 1947.

Four years later, the churches of the Baptist Missionary association of arkansas purchased the dormant campus, and classes at the renamed Conway Baptist College began in the fall of 1952 with a dozen students and five faculty members. Ten years later, the college’s name was changed again, this time to Central Baptist College.

Throughout that long history, certain foundational elements have remained unchanged. even today, as CBC’s programs are flourishing and growth is in high gear, the college’s principles remain intact.

“Central Baptist College is committed to transforming lives through education that integrates Christian faith and academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment,” Kimbrow said. “success is found in the life change experienced by our students. Central Baptist College is here to equip students to pursue god’s calling for their life.”

groundbreaking program in response to the skyrocketing cost of higher education, CBC will this year introduce Mustang advantage, a loan repayment assistance program, to all new, traditional students including incoming freshmen and transfer students. CBC is the first college or university in the state of arkansas to offer this option, which covers up to 100 percent of all federal, private and parent PlUs loans at no cost to the student or parent.

new Buildings, expanded Curriculum CBC has completed three new buildings, part of the college’s Vision 2020: a Miracle in the Making campaign. They include the David T. Watkins academic Building, story library and Dickson hall, a 150-bed residence hall. The academic catalogue has also expanded over the past decade. new courses of study include biology, worship arts, health sciences and education.

paCe program Marks 15 Years PaCe (Professional adult College education) offers working adults the chance to start or finish a college degree, offering a curriculum that fits around the demands of work and family. Classes meet one night per week, in most cases for just five weeks. over its 15 year history, more than 1,200 adult students have taken advantage of the innovative curriculum.

left to right: Dr. gary Mcallister, VP for academic affairs; Terry Kimbrow, President; ryan Johnson, VP for enrollment Management; sancy Faulk, VP for advancement; Dr. Paul Cherry, VP for Finance.

2015 ARKANSAS BUSINESS PROFILES

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