Southeastern University was founded in 1935 in New Brockton, Alabama by Assemblies of God Alabama District superintendent J.C. Thames and other Southeastern district leaders as the Alabama Shield of Faith Institute. It was renamed the South-Eastern Bible Institute (SEBI) in 1936. Originally located in a former high school building in New Brockton, Alabama, it opened its doors to students on November 4, 1935, under the direction of four faculty members. Two years later, in May 1937, the first graduation exercises were held. Seventeen students received diplomas for the two-year academic program.