Southwestern Adventist University has established distinguished student partnership agreements with the Cleburne Independent School District and Keene Independent School District. The partnerships will expand educational opportunities for high achieving students through automatic acceptance to the University. 

Qualifying Keene Chargers and Cleburne Yellow Jackets will gain automatic, test score optional, admission to SWAU. They will also earn a $3,000 freshmen scholarship for Fall 2021 and receive free textbook rentals for the semester. KISD and CISD students must meet several requirements to qualify including demonstrating good citizenship and graduating with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

On March 26, university president, Dr. Ken Shaw, and vice president for enrollment, Rahneeka Hazelton, joined Keene ISD superintendent, Ricky Stephens, and Keene High School principal, Chris Taylor, to sign the memorandum of understanding. They were accompanied by SWAU’s vice president for academic administration, vice president for advancement and special assistant to the president.

“I think that one of the greatest things about this MOU is it really brings to mind to our kids that, they can stay [local] and get a great college education,” shared Stevens after signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on behalf of the Keene ISD. “This MOU is going to allow our kids to graduate from Keene High school and be automatically accepted into SWAU - a college right here in our back yard that's Christian and awesome academically.” 

An April 9 signing event with Cleburne ISD superintendent, Dr. Kyle Heath, and Cleburne High School principal, Ben Renner, officialized the partnership with Cleburne ISD.

“We’re very honored, we’re very blessed and thankful to Southwestern Adventist for putting together this package for our kids. We have a great partnership” shared Heath during the March meeting. “What a tremendous opportunity it is that those kids who maintain a 3.0 [GPA] are able to enter their freshman year with a $3,000 scholarship!”

As part of the agreement, SWAU will provide ongoing support and resources for the districts. Opportunities include financial aid counseling, admissions and academic advising support, dual credit opportunities and campus engagement. 

"We are excited about this new platform that strengthens our bond between Keene ISD and Cleburne ISD,” says Rahneeka Hazelton, vice president for enrollment. “As Johnson County’s only four-year university, one of our primary goals is to increase our local students’ awareness so that they can be prepared for college when they graduate high school."