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Private Christian college in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, U. S.

John Brown University (JBU) is a private, interdenominational, Christian university in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Founded in 1919, JBU enrolls 2,343 students from 33 states and 45 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online, and concurrent education programs. The main campus in northwest Arkansas has been the site of the university since it was founded in 1919. JBU has 2,343 students as of the 2021–2022 school year, 1,228 of whom are on campus undergraduates. Of these, 818 live on campus. In addition, the university has two off campus locations: a classroom facility in Rogers, Arkansas, and a Counseling Education Center in Little Rock with classrooms, offices and a Community Counseling Clinic. The Graduate School at John Brown University has 483 students and offers 16 graduate degrees in business, education, counseling, and cybersecurity. and competes athletically in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Programs within the university have specialized accreditation from Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), American Council for Construction Education (ACCE), Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). As a teenaged laborer in Arkansas, Brown encountered the Salvation Army and underwent a conversion experience. After his conversion, he became an itinerant Methodist evangelist, with his travels taking him across Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and the Indian Territory. Subsequent to becoming an evangelist, Brown accepted a position as president of Scarritt College in Neosho. His two years as president were instrumental in developing his plan to establish his own college. However, Brown felt that the strong emphasis of that school on education without the benefit of life training was harmful to the students. As he said in 1903, "It might be my privilege to have a part in the building of school that would turn the minds of youth back from this exaggerated concept of the value of book knowledge, to the realization that all this is valuable only as it becomes a background for, or the foundation under, the real things of life."

Maintaining this goal of establishing a college that would provide an interdenominational, Christian education for needy students, who like himself, might not have had a chance of receiving an education, Brown laid the foundation in 1919 for the institution that would later be called John Brown University, John E. Brown College. To pay for the institution's free tuition, Brown developed his school as a Christian vocational college. Students worked jobs such as carpentry and helped in constructing the buildings on campus. The typical work day was four hours in addition to class time. Apparently seeking to expand the reach of the growing college, John Brown announced in 1934 that the school was to be changed into a four year university. The new university was divided into three colleges: the academic, vocational, and Bible colleges, fitting John Brown's stated vision of educating "head, heart, and hand".

As the university grew, Brown continued to preach throughout the country and on the radio. He was well known for his attacks on liquor, gambling, dancing, and other Christian fundamentalist issues of the time.

The former president of Tabor College in Kansas, Lee Balzer, took office after the Ford controversy with a plan to expand the university's reach. He extended the Advance Program for non traditional students in other cities by establishing branch centers in Fort Smith, Arkansas and Little Rock, Arkansas. During his presidency, JBU offered its first graduate degrees, initially in school counseling, and later including master's degrees in marriage and family therapy, leadership and ethics, business (MBA) and Christian ministry. The Center for Marriage and Family Studies was established during the Balzer presidency. Under President Balzer, JBU also founded the Soderquist Center for Business Leadership and Ethics to promote ethical principles in the business world. In addition, JBU's financial campaign at the end of the 1990s raised more than 39 million dollars to build Walker Student Center, Bell Science Hall, North Hall, and the Soderquist Business Center, all in the span of barely more than five years. which was completed in 2011. In 2012, it was announced that the Simmons family, owners of the privately held Simmons Foods located in Siloam Springs, would make a financial gift providing JBU with a new dining and gathering facility. The Simmons Great Hall was completed in mid 2013. The Health Education Building that houses the nursing department was completed in 2016.

In the tradition of some other private Christian universities, John Brown University maintains a conservative set of lifestyle choices. Students sign a community covenant stating they will abstain from profanity, pornography, extramarital sexual activity, harassment, tobacco use, alcohol use, and gambling. The covenant also strictly prohibits LGBTQIA+ relationships on campus. Staff and faculty are not required to sign this covenant but must sign a statement of employee expectations. However, the statement they sign includes that they do not believe in LGBTQIA+ relationships. John Brown University made national news when it changed its long historically held position not to endorse dancing. In December 2006, the school sponsored its own swing themed dance on campus. JBU made national news in early 2013 as it has become famous for its yearly toilet paper basketball game. ESPN did a special highlighting "The greatest technical foul in all of sports."

John Brown University's main campus is located on in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The university's most recognizable building, the Cathedral of the Ozarks, was completed in 1957 and, along with the two Windgate Visual Art Buildings composes the Cathedral group. The Cathedral contains a sanctuary for chapel and other assemblies, and the back portion is a three floor academic building housing the music department and the humanities and social sciences. The entire Cathedral group was recently renovated on the inside and resurfaced with white limestone on the exterior. Between the Cathedral group and Walker Student Center is the campus's main quad, which is used for recreation and relaxation by students. The student center itself houses a cafe, an open area for studying, bookstore, post office, and classrooms on the second floor. Attached to the student center is the Walker co ed residence hall with male and female residents living on separate floors. There are three other residence halls on campus as well: J. Alvin Brown, an all male dormitory and the oldest building on campus which was given a $6 million renovation in 2014; Mayfield, an all female hall completing a $6 million renovation in 2018, and Hutcheson, a co ed residence hall. Upperclassman and non traditional student housing options include campus townhouses and the Northslope Apartments. Other buildings on campus are the Bill George Arena, Soderquist Business Center, Bell Science Hall, Mabee Learning Resource Center, Chapman Administrative Building, Blood Memorial (Admissions) Building, Berry Performing Arts Center, Balzer Technology Center, CARE Clinic, Simmons Great Hall, Health Education Building, Peer Andrus Studio & Project Barn and the Walton Lifetime Health Complex.

John Brown University currently offers 41 undergraduate majors, with the most popular as of 2022 23 being Nursing, Psychology, Family and Human Service, Kinesiology and Graphic Design 65. JBU requires all students to take a core curriculum of classes, which include several Bible classes, English, a foreign language requirement, science credit, the history of Western civilization, a math requirement, wellness, psychology, government, and philosophy. In the period from 2003 to 2012, JBU rose from eighth to first in U. S. News & World Report rankings for the Baccalaureate Colleges in the Southern region. In 2016, due to growth in graduate programs, the university was moved to the Regional Universities in the Souther region category of U. S. News. In 2022, JBU ranked number ten in this list. JBU's Business department won first and second place at the Arkansas Governor's Cup Business Plan competition in 2007 and then in 2011 swept the Governor's Cup, receiving first, second, and third. In 2017, the JBU Enactus team won the U. S. National Championships and represented the U. S. at the Enactus World Cup in London. Its student newspaper, the Threefold Advocate, was named the best student newspaper in Arkansas in 2008 and 2010. The University Honors Program has 200 student members, and is designed to allow students to take Honors versions of the necessary core classes, which are supposed to be more challenging and more encouraging of independent student research. JBU is one of the few small Christian colleges to offer comprehensive degrees in Graphic Design, Photography, and Digital Media. The libraries on campus house 120,000 volumes, and offer Interlibrary loan and tutoring assistance.

John Brown University has two endowed, associated centers: The Center for Healthy Relationships and The Center for Faith and Flourishing.

The John Brown (JBU) athletic teams are called the Golden Eagles. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) since the 1995–96 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 1980–81 to 1982–83. The Golden Eagles previously competed in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) from 1993–94 to 1994–95; and as an NAIA Independent from 1983–84 to 1992–93. JBU competes in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

On March 22, 2005, the JBU men's basketball team won the 2005 NAIA Division I National Championship. John Brown defeated Azusa Pacific University 65–55 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. Each year during the first home game, JBU basketball fans come armed with rolls and rolls of toilet paper, which they hurl onto the court after the first JBU basket of the season. This 34 year old tradition brings in record crowds with approximately 2,000 rolls of toilet paper and lands JBU an automatic technical foul for the season.

The JBU varsity men's golf team was originally formed in 1966. The team lasted until 1973, at which time it was cut from the athletic program. The school restarted its men's varsity golf team in the fall of 2008 and remained intact until 2016.

JBU began a cheer squad in the fall of 2010. JBU had cheerleading many years ago, but it only counted as a club then.

The university has club rugby, ultimate frisbee and esports teams for both men and women. The JBU Talons men's club baseball team began play in 2021. These clubs compete against clubs from other universities. To house its club teams, JBU has a rugby pitch and on campus. JBU also has a club ultimate frisbee team. JBU students also participate in a number of intramural sports, from soccer to volleyball to flag football to dodgeball. Many of these events take place on the intramural fields or in the Walton Lifetime Health Complex.