John Brown University (JBU) is a private, interdenominational, Christian liberal arts college in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Founded in 1919, JBU also has regional educational centers in Rogers, Little Rock, and Fort Smith, Arkansas. The 200-acre (0.81 km) main campus in Northwest Arkansas has been the site of the university since it was founded in 1919. JBU has 1,713 undergraduate students as of the 2009-2010 school year, 1283 of which are traditional undergraduates. Of these, 878 live on campus. JBU is home to students from 42 states and 49 countries. JBU is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. JBU competes athletically in the Sooner Athletic Conference. In 2009 (for the 2010 publication), US News & World Report ranked JBU second among baccalaureate colleges in the Southern region. John E. Brown (1879–1957) had not the opportunity to pursue much education, as his family's financial difficulties forced him to begin working at the age of 11. As a teenaged laborer in Arkansas, Brown encountered the Salvation Army and underwent a conversion experience.