Southwestern Adventist University is the only institution of higher education in Johnson County, Texas, granting Bachelor's and Master's degrees. One of 14 colleges and universities in the United States affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Southwestern is noticeable for its international and multicultural demography, its dinosaur excavation research project in the Lance Formation of eastern Wyoming, and its comparable affordability. The University also hosts a local research center of the Ellen G. White Estate. The university's mission is to offer quality higher education in a Christ-centered environment shaped by Seventh-day Adventist and Christian values. Southwestern Adventist University was founded in 1893 as Keene Industrial Academy. Junior college level work was first offered in 1916 and the name was changed to Southwestern Junior College. The name was changed to Southwestern Union College in 1963. In 1977, the college was renamed Southwestern Adventist College. Graduate level work was first offered in 1987; nine years later the institution changed its name to Southwestern Adventist University.