Northwest Nazarene University

Northwest Nazarene University

Seal of Northwest Nazarene University
Former names
 Idaho Holiness School (1913-1916), Northwest Holiness College (1916-1917), Northwest Nazarene College (1917-1999)
Motto Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
Type Private
Established 1913
Affiliation Nazarene
Endowment US $21,727,123[1]
President Joel Pearsall
Students 2,058
Undergraduates 1,332
Postgraduates 726
Location Nampa, Idaho, United States
43°33′44″N 116°33′55″W / 43.562330°N 116.565220°W / 43.562330; -116.565220Coordinates: 43°33′44″N 116°33′55″W / 43.562330°N 116.565220°W / 43.562330; -116.565220
Campus Suburban
Colors Red and black         
Athletics NCAA (GNAC)
Sports Baseball, Basketball, Cross-Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball
Nickname Crusaders
Affiliations CCCU, NWCCU
Website www.nnu.edu

Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Nampa, Idaho, USA.

History

Presidents
Fred J. Shields 1917-1919
1. H. Orton Wiley 1919-1926
2. Joseph G. Morrison 1926-1927
3. Russell V. DeLong 1927-1932
4. R. Eugene Gilmore 1932-1935
5. Russell V. DeLong 1935-1942
6. L.T. Corlett 1942-1952
7. John E. Riley 1952-1973
8. Kenneth H. Pearsall 1973-1983
9. A. Gordon Wetmore 1983-1992
10. Leon Doane 1992-1993
11. Richard A. Hagood 1993-2008
12. David Alexander 2008-2015
13. Joel Pearsall 2015–Present

Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School.[2][3] It was renamed twice in 1916, first to Northwest Holiness College and then to Northwest Nazarene College,[4] and then became a liberal arts college in 1917 with degree-granting authority from the Idaho state Board of Education. While the first president elected for the college in 1916 was H. Orton Wiley of Pasadena University, Fred J. Shields would fill in as acting president before leaving for the Eastern Nazarene College in 1919, while Wiley finished his graduate work.[5] Under Russell V. DeLong, Northwest Nazarene College (NNC) received educational accreditation,[6] as a two-year school in 1931[7] and then received accreditation as a four-year school in 1937,[7] making it the first accredited college affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene.[8] Under Presidents John E. Riley and Kenneth H. Pearsall in the 1960s and 1970s, master's degree programs were added.[9][10] It was renamed as Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) in 1999.

Mission

The mission of Northwest Nazarene University is the transformation of the whole person. Centered in Jesus Christ, the NNU education instills habits of heart, soul, mind and strength to enable each student to become God’s creative and redemptive agent in the world.[11]

Affiliations

As one of eight U.S. liberal arts colleges[12] affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene,[13] the college receives financial backing from the Nazarene churches on its region; part of each church budget is paid into a fund for its regional school. Each college is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement not to actively recruit outside its respective educational region.[14] NNU is the college for the Northwest Region of the United States, which comprises the Alaska, Washington Pacific, Oregon Pacific, Northwest, Intermountain, Rocky Mountain, and Colorado districts, which include Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, and parts of Nevada and Utah.[15] NNU is also a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).[16] NNU has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) since 1930, making it the first Nazarene school to achieve an accredited status.[6]

Academics

Northwest Nazarene University has two colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Adult and Graduate Studies. NNU offers over 60 baccalaureate degree programs, 11 master’s degree programs, and a Ph.D. degree program. In addition to its 90-acre campus located in Nampa, Idaho, the University offers extensive online degree programs and has branch campuses in Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls. Founded in 1913, the university now serves over 1300 undergraduate and 700 graduate students, more than 6000 online and continuing education students, and 2300 high school concurrent credit students. NNU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and has been consistently rated by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top masters-level universities in the west as well as by the Princeton Review's "Book of The Best Western Colleges."

Student life

NNU is a co-educational college. According to InsideHigherEd and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, black student enrollment at NNU is one percent or less of the entire student population.[17]

Athletics

NNU participates in the NCAA's Great Northwest Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division II level in 8 sports: basketball, baseball, cross country running, golf, softball, soccer, track and field, and volleyball.[18] NNU added tennis as a club team in the Fall of 2013. Along with the Eastern Nazarene College, it is one of only two Nazarene colleges to compete in the NCAA; the other six compete in the NAIA. NNU's athletic moniker is "Crusaders" and colors are red and black. The schools main rival is NAIA College of Idaho, located a short distance to the west in Caldwell, Idaho.

Notable persons

Notable graduates include Kent R. Hill, the former administrator for USAID's Bureau for Global Health and former president of the Eastern Nazarene College (1992-2001), Richard Hieb, NASA astronaut, Dr. Jim Zimbelman, earth and planetary geologist at the Smithsonian Institution, author Donna Fletcher Crow, and Michael Lodahl and Thomas Jay Oord, noted Nazarene theologians. Oord is current faculty at his alma mater. A notable non-graduate alumna is Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, another noted Nazarene theologian. Notable former faculty members include Fred J. Shields, H. Orton Wiley, and Olive Winchester.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ USNews & World Report Guide to Best Colleges: Northwest Nazarene University
  2. ↑ Riley, John E. From Sagebrush to Ivy: The story of Northwest Nazarene College. Pacific Press, Nampa, Idaho, 1988.
  3. ↑ Ingersol, Stan. "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  4. ↑ Raser, Harold E.; Thomas C. Hunt, James C. Carper, eds. (1996). Religious Higher Education in the United States. Taylor & Francis. p. 549. ISBN 0-8153-1636-4. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  5. ↑ Cameron, James R. (1968). Eastern Nazarene College—The First Fifty Years, 1900-1950. Kansas City: Nazarene Publishing House. pp. 127, 142–143.
  6. 1 2 NWCCU: Idaho schools
  7. 1 2 NNU Administrative Policy Manual
  8. ↑ The next Nazarene college to be accredited wasn't until 6 years later, when Eastern Nazarene was accredited by NEASC in 1943. Northwest had the authority to grant degrees from the State of Idaho before 1930, but ENC didn't have the authority to grant degrees in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1930. Before 1930, ENC students actually received degrees from NNU. See James R. Cameron, Eastern Nazarene College—The First Fifty Years, 1900-1950, Nazarene Publishing House (1968), 163.
  9. ↑ NNU History
  10. ↑ Fall 2008 President's Dinner at NNU
  11. ↑ "Northwest Nazarene University: Mission, Values, & Vision". Northwest Nazarene University website.
  12. ↑ J. Matthew, Price. "Liberal Arts and the Priorities of Nazarene Higher Education" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-07-10. Nazarene higher education is based on the liberal arts model. Eastern Nazarene is the only Nazarene institution to retain the "college" moniker, although no Nazarene school fits the standard national definition of a "research university".
  13. ↑ "Nazarene Educational Regions" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-07-10. See Church of the Nazarene: Organization for more information on regions.
  14. ↑ Guidelines and Handbook for Educational Institutions of the Church of the Nazarene (PDF). Church of the Nazarene International Board of Education. 1997. p. 14.
  15. ↑ "Northwest Educational Region" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-07-10. ENC and NNU are the only Nazarene schools to remain true to their regional names.
  16. ↑ "CCCU Members". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  17. ↑ InsideHigherEd.com: "Christian Colleges Grow More Diverse". August 15, 2008.
  18. ↑ NNU Sports
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