Northwest Nazarene University

Northwest Nazarene University
	Seal of Northwest Nazarene University
Former names	Northwest Nazarene College (1917–1999); Northwest Holiness College (1916–1917); Idaho Holiness School; (1913–1916)
Motto	Seek Ye First; the Kingdom of God
Type	Private university
Established	1913; 111 years ago; 1937; four-year
Religious affiliation	Nazarene
Academic affiliations	CCCU; Space-grant
Endowment	US$40 million
President	Joel Pearsall
Students	2,058
Undergraduates	1,332
Postgraduates	726
Location	Nampa, Idaho, U.S.; 43°33′43″N 116°33′54″W / 43.562°N 116.565°W
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Red and black
Nickname	Nighthawks
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II (GNAC)
Mascot	Nighthawks
Website	www.nnu.edu

Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a private Nazarene university in Nampa, Idaho.

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	2016–present

Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School.^[1]^[2] It was renamed twice in 1916, first to Northwest Holiness College and then to Northwest Nazarene College,^[3] and then became a liberal arts college in 1917 with degree-granting authority from the Idaho state Board of Education. While the college's first president, elected in 1916, was H. Orton Wiley of Pasadena University, Fred J. Shields filled in as acting president before leaving for the Eastern Nazarene College in 1919, while Wiley finished his graduate work.^[4]

Under Russell V. DeLong, Northwest Nazarene College (NNC) received educational accreditation^[5] as a two-year school in 1931^[6] and as a four-year school in 1937,^[6] making it the first accredited college affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene.^[7] Under Presidents John E. Riley and Kenneth H. Pearsall in the 1960s and 1970s, master's degree programs were added.^[8]^[9] It was renamed Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) in 1999.

Northwest Nazarene University was granted an exception to Title IX in 2014 which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons.^[10]

Affiliations

Nampa

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Location in the United States

Nampa

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Location in Idaho

As one of eight U.S. liberal arts colleges^[11] affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene,^[12] 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.^[13]

NNU is the church's 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.^[14] NNU is also a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).^[15] 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.^[5]

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, a Ph.D. degree program, and a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in clinical psychology.^[16] In addition to its 90-acre (36 ha) campus in Nampa, ID, 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 high school concurrent credit students. NNU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Student life

NNU is a co-educational college according to InsideHigherEd and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities^[17]^[10]

LGBTQ students

NNU is ranked among the "Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth" in the US by Campus Pride.^[10] The Church of the Nazarene Manual 2017–2021^[a] states that "we believe the practice of same-sex sexual intimacy is contrary to God’s will for human sexuality".^[18] The university's Notice of Non-discrimination states that "The University maintains the right, with regard to its lifestyle covenant, employment, and other matters, to uphold and apply its religious beliefs related to, among other issues, marriage, sex (gender), gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual activity."^[19]

Athletics

The Northwest Nazarene (NNU) athletic teams are called the Nighthawks (formerly known as Crusaders until October 15, 2017). The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) since the 2001–02 academic year. The Nighthawks previously competed in the D-II Pacific West Conference (PacWest) during the 2000–01 school year; and in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1993–94 to 1999–2000.

NNU competes in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball.^[20]

Along with Eastern Nazarene College, Point Loma Nazarene University, Southern Nazarene University, and Trevecca Nazarene University, it is one of five Nazarene colleges to compete in the NCAA; while Point Loma Nazarene only competes in the NAIA.

Notable people

Notable graduates include Lori Otter, First Lady of the State of Idaho. 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, author Donna Fletcher Crow, and Michael Lodahl and Thomas Jay Oord, Nazarene theologians. A notable non-graduate alumna is Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, another Nazarene theologian. Notable former faculty members include Fred J. Shields, H. Orton Wiley, Ben Fischer and Olive Winchester. Religious speaker and author Ann Kiemel Anderson attended the university.

Notes

^ The online manual website indicates that "The provisions of the current Manual remain effective until modified by the 30th General Assembly, scheduled to convene in June of 2023, and a new version is announced by the Board of General Superintendents."

References

^ Riley, John E. From Sagebrush to Ivy: The story of Northwest Nazarene College. Pacific Press, Nampa, Idaho, 1988.
^ Ingersol, Stan. "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
^ Raser, Harold E. (1996). "Church of the Nazarene Universities, Colleges, and Religious Seminaries". In Thomas C. Hunt; James C. Carper (eds.). Religious Higher Education in the United States. Taylor & Francis. p. 549. ISBN 0-8153-1636-4.
^ Cameron, James R. (1968). Eastern Nazarene College—The First Fifty Years, 1900-1950. Kansas City: Nazarene Publishing House. pp. 127, 142–143.
^ ^a ^b "NWCCU: Idaho schools". Archived from the original on 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
^ ^a ^b "NNU Administrative Policy Manual" (PDF).
^ The next Nazarene college to be accredited was Eastern Nazarene, accredited by NEASC in 1943. Northwest had the authority to grant degrees from the State of Idaho before 1930, but ENC did not 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.
^ "NNU History". Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
^ "Fall 2008 President's Dinner at NNU". Archived from the original on August 9, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Worst List: The Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth". Campus Pride. 17 May 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
^ J. Matthew, Price. "Liberal Arts and the Priorities of Nazarene Higher Education" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-27. 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 Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine of a "research university".
^ "Nazarene Educational Regions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2008-07-10. See Church of the Nazarene: Organization for more information on regions.
^ Guidelines and Handbook for Educational Institutions of the Church of the Nazarene (PDF). Church of the Nazarene International Board of Education. 1997. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-10.
^ "Northwest Educational Region" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2008-07-10. ENC and NNU are the only Nazarene schools to remain true to their regional names.
^ "CCCU Members". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
^ "Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology". www.nnu.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
^ "Inside Higher Ed's News". www.insidehighered.com.
^ Church of the Nazarene Manual 2017–2021, Dean G. Blevins, Stanley J. Rodes, Terry S. Sowden, James W. Spear, David P. Wilson (eds.), Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House (2017): para. 31.
^ "Notice of Non-discrimination - Northwest Nazarene University". www.nnu.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
^ "Northwest Nazarene University Athletics - Official Athletics Website". Northwest Nazarene University Athletics.