Howard Payne University

Howard Payne University is located near the business district of Brownwood. The school is a private, coeducational, four-year college affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was founded by the Pecan Valley Baptist Association at Indian Creek, Texas, on June 20, 1889. J. D. Robnett, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Brownwood, a leader in the movement, became president of the first board of trustees. During the summer of 1889 he sought to raise funds for the school and was able to secure a large gift from his brother-in-law, Edward Howard Payne. Ultimately the board of trustees decided to name the school Howard Payne College.

The first session opened on September 16, 1890, with A. J. Emerson as president and a faculty of twelve. A separate preparatory department furnished instruction below the freshman level. The school granted its first academic degree in 1895 and continued as a degree-conferring institution until 1900, then operated as one of the Baptist schools with junior college status from 1900 to 1914, when it again became a senior college. In 1974, upon approval of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Howard Payne College became Howard Payne University. HPU is a member of the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, the Association of Southern Baptist Colleges and Schools, the Texas Association of Music Schools, the National Association of Schools of Music, the Texas Association of Schools of Art, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the American Association of University Women, the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, the International Federation for Business Education, and the Texas Council of the Arts in Education.