Southwest Baptist University 
The information on this page was last updated 6/2/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Founded in 1878, Southwest Baptist University is a Christian liberal arts university offering more than 100 areas of academic study at undergraduate and graduate levels throughout four physical campuses in Bolivar, Mountain View, Salem and Springfield, Mo., plus an online campus.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Southwest Baptist University
1600 University Ave
Bolvar, MO 65613-2578
Website: www.sbuniv.edu
Phone: 800-526-5859
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 440567385
CEO/President: Richard J. Melson, Ph.D.
Chairman: Joe Brand
Board size: 25
Founder: Abner S. Ingman and James R. Maupin
Ruling year: 1947
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 05/31
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
Southwest Baptist University will be the exemplar Christian university, providing a transformative and holistic educational experience. The mission statement of the University implies there will be a fusing of the liberal arts with career preparation and the Christian faith with learning. Recognition is also given to the enduring values of the liberal arts as the foundation of critical thinking, decision making, and the high literacy required for responsible careers in the contemporary world.
Mission statement
Southwest Baptist University is a Christ-centered, caring academic community preparing students to be servant leaders in a global society.
Statement of faith
The University is committed to the teachings of the Holy Bible, God's inerrant Word, as articulated in the "The Baptist Faith and Message, 2000" (BFM 2000) (or current edition), as well as supplemental statements of religious convictions in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, the Nashville Statement, and the Danvers Statement, and to providing an environment where those truths are taught and demonstrated by the University's employees.
Articles
| 6/19/2026 | Ministry Spotlight: Southwest Baptist University |
Donor confidence score
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To understand our donor confidence score, click here.
Transparency grade
D
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 499 of 1435 | 53 of 155 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 1128 of 1435 | 132 of 155 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 240 of 1435 | 13 of 155 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 444 of 1436 | 53 of 155 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $419,799 in government grants in 2025.
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 13% | 39% | 33% | 5% | 7% | 8% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 15% | 6% | 7% | 27% | 25% | 21% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 85% | 94% | 93% | 73% | 75% | 79% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 91% | 86% | 86% | 86% | 87% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 96% | 104% | 109% | 95% | 92% | 85% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 94% | 94% | 82% | 79% | 74% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 4% | -4% | -9% | 5% | 8% | 15% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | -3% | -6% | 4% | 5% | 11% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 7% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 11% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.52 | 0.71 | 0.52 | 0.48 | 0.48 | 0.45 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.73 | 1.85 | 1.96 | 1.90 | 1.92 | 1.96 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.45 | 1.31 | 1.01 | 0.91 | 0.92 | 0.89 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 8.18 | 7.27 | 4.33 | 4.31 | 4.13 | 3.70 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.23 | 0.23 | 0.24 | 0.27 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.99 | 7.89 | 9.11 | 10.07 | 9.93 | 9.83 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 20% | 20% | 25% | 25% | 27% | 29% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 10% | 11% | 11% | 13% | 14% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 148% | 113% | 145% | 156% | 154% | 156% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $1,495,387 | $4,153,694 | $2,282,061 | $4,919,749 | $5,275,513 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $12,281,819 | $11,148,159 | $10,969,720 | $6,423,982 | $5,426,857 |
| Short-term investments | $30,493,241 | $27,672,936 | $34,386,419 | $36,221,700 | $38,345,775 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $44,270,447 | $42,974,789 | $47,638,200 | $47,565,431 | $49,048,145 |
| Long-term investments | $1,370,449 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $29,122,924 | $33,557,179 | $35,149,175 | $35,043,552 | $37,387,987 |
| Other long-term assets | $6,987,672 | $7,585,051 | $7,848,113 | $8,724,477 | $9,688,179 |
| Total long-term assets | $37,481,045 | $41,142,230 | $42,997,288 | $43,768,029 | $47,076,166 |
| Total assets | $81,751,492 | $84,117,019 | $90,635,488 | $91,333,460 | $96,124,311 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $5,373,434 | $9,554,595 | $10,604,448 | $11,022,170 | $12,639,062 |
| Other current liabilities | $716,631 | $372,467 | $448,396 | $493,273 | $613,200 |
| Total current liabilities | $6,090,065 | $9,927,062 | $11,052,844 | $11,515,443 | $13,252,262 |
| Debt | $7,856,069 | $9,295,448 | $9,679,767 | $12,125,309 | $13,772,246 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $2,088,338 | $1,858,208 | $2,023,815 | $666,273 | $820,544 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $9,944,407 | $11,153,656 | $11,703,582 | $12,791,582 | $14,592,790 |
| Total liabilities | $16,034,472 | $21,080,718 | $22,756,426 | $24,307,025 | $27,845,052 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $32,182,536 | $31,521,981 | $37,423,410 | $37,330,124 | $36,623,808 |
| With donor restrictions | $33,534,484 | $31,514,320 | $30,455,652 | $29,696,311 | $31,655,451 |
| Net assets | $65,717,020 | $63,036,301 | $67,879,062 | $67,026,435 | $68,279,259 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $3,188,582 | $2,863,112 | $12,478,699 | $11,894,556 | $10,760,748 |
| Program service revenue | $45,511,228 | $30,610,103 | $31,894,324 | $32,869,552 | $38,086,273 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $4,160 | $0 | $0 | $3,495 |
| Investment income | $6,386,513 | $6,294,941 | $1,693,075 | $2,496,303 | $2,066,884 |
| Other revenue | $982,891 | $72,141 | $3,489 | ($116,341) | $578,264 |
| Total other revenue | $52,880,632 | $36,981,345 | $33,590,888 | $35,249,514 | $40,734,916 |
| Total revenue | $56,069,214 | $39,844,457 | $46,069,587 | $47,144,070 | $51,495,664 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $52,769,383 | $37,377,971 | $37,583,806 | $37,425,508 | $38,090,300 |
| Management and general | $4,011,496 | $5,192,971 | $5,422,950 | $5,268,724 | $4,684,748 |
| Fundraising | $1,254,243 | $938,868 | $573,679 | $879,696 | $912,974 |
| Total expenses | $58,035,122 | $43,509,810 | $43,580,435 | $43,573,928 | $43,688,022 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($1,965,908) | ($3,665,353) | $2,489,152 | $3,570,142 | $7,807,642 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($1,965,908) | ($3,665,353) | $2,489,152 | $3,570,142 | $7,807,642 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Richard Melson | President | $366,272 |
| Scott Moats | VP For Administration | $207,413 |
| Tracy Manly | Provost | $202,059 |
| Leon Wirth | VP of Advancement | $196,050 |
| Ronald Miller | VP For Online Learning | $170,688 |
| Brandt Merritt | VP Marketing & Enrollment | $164,456 |
| Troy Bethards | Prof Bus Admin | $152,687 |
| Darren Crowder | VP Regional Campuses | $139,176 |
Compensation data as of: 5/31/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 6/2/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Southwest Baptist University first opened its doors in 1878 in Lebanon, MO, as Southwest Baptist College. In 1879 the college was chartered by the state of Missouri and moved to Bolivar. Early writings recount a legacy of sacrificial giving and extraordinary efforts by Baptists in southwest Missouri to establish and maintain the college. The founders, Abner S. Ingman and James R. Maupin, faced many difficulties as they rode horseback seeking funds, students and an ideal college site.
Each spring semester, SBU celebrates Founders Day. It is a time to reflect upon our rich heritage and to remember that in 1878, our founding fathers, Ingman and Maupin, established Southwest Baptist College. Founders Day is an important time when we are challenged to reflect on our past and to thank God for the people who have made the success of today possible.
The college faced many hardships in its early years and actually closed from 1910-13 to regain financial solvency and to recover from a devastating fire that destroyed the college's only building. The efforts and prayers of area supporters and Missouri Baptists brought results, and the college reopened in 1913 as a two-year junior college.
The University has maintained its strong Baptist heritage through its affiliation with the Missouri Baptist Convention, which provides financial support for the University and elects the 25-member board of trustees which governs the institution. The Missouri Baptist Convention approved plans in 1964 for the college to become a senior liberal arts college. The first baccalaureate degrees were awarded in 1967. Bolivar citizens donated a 102-acre farm on the southern edge of the city that allowed the college to expand beyond the small 10-acre campus located near downtown.
Another milestone occurred in 1981 when the college name was changed to Southwest Baptist University. In 1995 the University entered a joint nursing education agreement with St. John's Regional Medical Center in Springfield, MO, to form St. John's School of Nursing of SBU. The school became the St. John's College of Nursing and Health Sciences in 2005. St. John's changed its name in 2012, making the name of the college Mercy College of Nursing and Health Sciences of SBU.
Today, SBU is a thriving higher education institution with more than 3,600 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled annually. The 152-acre main campus is located in the southern portion of Bolivar, a community of about 10,300 residents that serves as the county seat of Polk County. Bolivar is located about 25 miles north of Springfield, which is the third-largest city in the state of Missouri after St. Louis and Kansas City. The University also operates campuses in Mountain View, Salem and Springfield, MO. An online campus was added in 2019.
Program accomplishments
99% of students receive financial aid
35+ student organizations on campus
2700+ undergraduate and graduate students