Northwest Nazarene University

Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a Christian liberal arts college in Nampa, Idaho. It is the home of the Wesley Center for Applied Theology.

History

The founders organized an elementary school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School (a grade school and Bible school)¹ in order to educate their own children. Within two years, the curriculum incorporated high school and college courses. Northwest Nazarene College received accreditation in 1930,² making it the first accredited college affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene.³ In the 1960s, Master's programs were added⁴ and the institution was renamed to Northwest Nazarene University in 1999.

Presidents (1916-present)

Affiliations

As one of eight U.S. liberal arts colleges affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene,⁵ 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.⁶ NNU is the college for the Northwest Region of the United States,⁷ which comprises the Alaska, Washington Pacific, Oregon Pacific, Northwest, Intermountain, Rocky Mountain, and Colorado districts, which include Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and parts of Nevada and Utah.

Academics

Accreditation

Student life

Athletics

Johnson Sports Center Fire

In March 2008 the NNU Sports Center was set ablaze by arsonists. The building was closed for all students and the Nampa Recreation Center allowed all students to use the center until the Johnson Sports Center was fixed. There was more than $1 million in damage and the investigation is still going on in the case.

Notes and references

^ Riley, John E. From Sagebrush to Ivy: The story of Northwest Nazarene College. Pacific Press, Nampa, Idaho, 1988.
^ ^a ^b NWCCU: Idaho schools
^ The next colleged to be accredited wasn't until 13 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.
^ NNU History
^ J. Matthew, Price. ""Liberal Arts and the Priorities of Nazarene Higher Education"" (PDF). Retrieved on 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".
^ "Nazarene Educational Regions". Retrieved on 2008-07-10. See Church of the Nazarene: Organization for more information on regions.
^ "Northwest Educational Region". Retrieved on 2008-07-10. ENC and NNU are the only Nazarene schools to remain true to their regional names.
^ "CCCU Members". Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
^ NNU History
^ NNU Sports