Williams Baptist University is a private Baptist university in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Founded in 1941, this institution began as a two-year school. It began granting bachelor's degrees in 1984 and master's degrees in 2017. The name of the school was changed in 1991 from Southern Baptist College to Williams Baptist College in honor of its founder and first president, H. E. Williams. In 2018, its name was changed to Williams Baptist University.