Summary
Northwest Christian University is a private, liberal arts college located in Eugene, Oregon and is historically affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Christian churches and churches of Christ. U.S. News & World Report ranked it in the top twenty-five baccalaureate colleges in the western United States in its 2011 rankings.[1]
History
The school was founded as a divinity school in 1895 by Disciple of Christ preacher Eugene C. Sanderson as the Eugene Divinity School. After a series of name changes and a merger, it became known as Northwest Christian University in 2008.[2]
On December 8, 2009, Dr. Joseph Womack was named as Northwest Christian University's 10th president, taking office on June 1, 2010.[3] Womack is the son of NCU's eighth president, Dr. James Womack, who served from 1986 to 2004.[4]
Location
Northwest Christian University is located in east Eugene, separated from the larger University of Oregon by the width of a single lane street. Founder Eugene Sanderson envisioned a school at which students would study the Bible and principles of Christian ministry under Eugene Divinity School's faculty, but take other subjects on the neighboring campus, a model he also attempted to set up at Manhattan Christian College, located near Kansas State University. The Eugene Divinity School and it's successive institutions maintained this arrangement with the University of Oregon until 1995, when the University of Oregon unilaterally discontinued it. Since that time NCU has grown to become a comprehensive liberal arts college. Today, NCU students occasionally take University of Oregon classes, have checkout privileges from Knight Library, and take advantage of lectures and other events on the neighboring campus.
Schools, departments and majors
Northwest Christian University is organized into five schools: Arts & Sciences, Business & Management, Christian Ministry, Education & Counseling, and Graduate & Professional Studies.[5] The School of Arts and Sciences houses the departments of Speech Communication, English, Exercise Science, Biology, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Math, Music Industry, Music Ministry and Psychology. The School of Business and Management includes Accounting and Business Administration. The School of Christian Ministry includes the Bible and Theology major and, separately, the Christian Ministry major, with tracks in Pastoral Ministry, Youth Ministry and Missions. The School of Education focuses on Teacher Education.[6]
The School of Graduate and Professional Studies offers graduate degrees in Professional Counseling, School Counseling and Education, as well as an MBA.[7] It also includes professional credentialing programs in Accounting, Health Care Administration, Human Services and Management.[8]
Athletics
Northwest Christian teams, nicknamed athletically as the Beacons, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). Men's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball.[9]