Olivet Nazarene University

Olivet Nazarene University
Former names
 Miss Mary Nesbitt's Grammar School (1907-1909), Illinois Holiness University (1909-1915), Olivet University (1915-1923), Olivet College (1923-1939), Olivet Nazarene College (1939-1986)
Motto Gratia et Veritas
Type Private
Established 1907
Affiliation Church of the Nazarene
Endowment US $13.6 million[1]
President John C. Bowling
Provost Dennis Crocker
Students 6,000[2]
Undergraduates 4,000[2]
Postgraduates 2,000[2]
Location Bourbonnais, IL, US
Campus Suburban
250 acres (1.0 km2)
Newspaper The Glimmerglass
Colors Purple and Gold         
Athletics 15 Varsity Teams
NAIA Division 1
Nickname Tigers
Mascot Toby the Tiger
Affiliations CCAC
MSFA
CCCU
Website olivet.edu

Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a Christian liberal arts university located in the village of Bourbonnais, Illinois, United States. Named for Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. It is affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene and is the annual site of the Church's "Regional Celebrate Life" youth gathering for the Central USA Region. It is one of the largest members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

History

Presidents
A.M. Hills 1909–1910
Ezra Franklin 1910 - Feb. 1912
J.E. Hoover Feb. - Jun. 1912
E.F. Walker Jun. 1912-1913
E.P. Ellyson 1913–1914
John H. Norris Jun. - Nov. 1914
E.P. Ellyson Nov. 1914 - Mar. 1915
A.L. Whitcomb Mar. - Sep. 1915
E.F. Walker 1915–1916
Benjamin Franklin Haynes 1916–1917
J.E. Hoover 1917–1918
M.E. Borders Mar. - Sep. 1918
C.L. Hawkins 1918–1919
J.W. Akers Jan. - ? 1919
J.E.L. Moore 1919–1922
Newport W. Sanford 1922–1926
T.W. Willingham 1926–1938
A.L. Parrott, Sr. 1938–1948
Selden Dee Kelley 1948–1949
Harold W. Reed 1949–1975
A. Leslie Parrott, Jr. 1975–1991
John C. Bowling 1991–present

Olivet Nazarene University traces its roots to 1907, when the Eastern Illinois Holiness Association[3] started Miss Mary Nesbitt's grammar school in a house in Georgetown, Illinois. In 1908, the school's founders acquired 14 acres[4] in the village of Olivet, and moved the grammar school to the proposed campus.[5] A Wesleyan–holiness community sprang up around the school.[6]

In 1909, the liberal arts college was chartered and named Illinois Holiness University, with A. M. Hills from Texas Holiness University as its first president.[4] It was then given to the Church of the Nazarene in 1912, with E. F. Walker as president, and inherited one of the most populated Nazarene regions in the United States.[4] It was renamed Olivet University in 1915,[7] and again in 1921 to Olivet College.[8]

The economic solvency of the school became a problem in the 1920s, and the trustees were forced to declare bankruptcy in 1926. The school's treasurer, T. W. Willingham, purchased the school back at an auction and was elected president. In 1939, the main building on campus was destroyed by fire.[5] This prompted the school to look for a new location. Under President A.L. Parrott, the school moved in 1940, onto the previous 42-acre (170,000 m2) campus of St. Viator's College.[9] With the move, the school's name was changed to Olivet Nazarene College (ONC).[8] The school's name was changed again in 1986 to Olivet Nazarene University (ONU).[5]

The past twenty years have been marked by a massive change in the culture and image of Olivet. Following the appointment of John C. Bowling as University president, the university began appealing to a more diverse set of students from different Christian denominations. The school began several different construction projects to mark the growth of the school as a whole. The university has also recently subdivided itself into one college and four schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Professional Studies, School of Theology and Christian Ministry, and the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies.

Campus

ONU's campus is 250 acres (1.0 km2) in the village of Bourbonnais, Illinois, outside the city of Kankakee, Illinois,[10] with 30 buildings.[11] Four buildings are original from St. Viator College, including Burke Administration, Chapman Hall, Miller Business Center, and Birchard Gymnasium. There are also satellite campuses for adult education in Rolling Meadows, Illinois and Hong Kong.[12]

Campus Features

Since Olivet Nazarene University relocated to Bourbonnais, the campus has undergone several different waves of construction. In addition, within the past two years, there have been numerous construction projects including the construction of the Betty and Kenneth Hawkins Centennial Chapel, the largest theater in Kankakee County, which seats approximately 3,059 people, and the Student Life and Recreation Center, which opened in December 2012.

In total, there are seven academic buildings (Burke, Wisner, Weber, Reed, Larsen, Forton Villa, and Leslie Parrott), two gymnasiums (Birchard and McHie), and six residence halls (Chapman, Hills, Nesbitt, Parrott, McClain, and Williams). The university also has several off-campus apartment buildings (Old Oak, Oak Run, University Place, Grand, Stadium, and Bresee). Centennial Chapel has showcased many Christian artists including Bill Gaither and Chris Tomlin.

The university has also completed their student life and recreation center which was opened on December 12, 2012. This building serves as central hub for the campus and features various things like an Olympic-sized pool, jacuzzi, lazy river, resistance pool, indoor track, the tallest collegiate rock climbing wall in North America, various classrooms, offices, a fitness center, game room and coffee shop.

Organization

ONU is one of nine regional U.S. liberal arts colleges[13] affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene.[14] ONU is the college for the "Central USA Region" of the United States.[15] In terms of the Church of the Nazarene, the "Central Region" comprises the Wisconsin, Northwestern Illinois, Illinois, Chicago Central, Northern Michigan, Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northwest Indiana, Northeastern Indiana, Indianapolis, and Southwest Indiana districts, which include Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.[16] Each 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 or university is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement not to actively recruit outside its respective "educational region."[17]

Academics

ONU has been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1956[12] and offers bachelor's degrees in 67 academic majors.[18] The School of Graduate and Continuing Studies offers master's degrees, nontraditional adult degree-completion programs, and a doctor of education degree only offered at Rolling Meadows as well as a master of "professional counseling" degree offered at a site in Hong Kong and distance education for a master in education degree.[12] The 2007 acceptance rate for students who applied to the college was 70.3 percent.[19]

Student life

ONU athletics logo

There were 4,636 students at the college in 2007, 3,190 of whom were undergraduates.[20] ONU students are from 40 states and 20 countries, and represent 30 Christian denominations.[11] The university offers over 80 different clubs with many different focuses. All of the clubs and student organizations are sponsored by the Olivet Nazarene University Associated Student Council. Some of the most influential clubs on campus include Capitol Hill Gang, the university's political society, and the campus chapter of the International Justice Mission.

The school also supports two club sports teams which are loosely affiliated with the university. This first of these is the ONU Men's Volleyball team which was the first sports club to be established. In addition, in 2010, the Black Penguins, a club Ultimate Frisbee team was created and reached the UPA's College Nationals, reaching that level again in 2014.

Athletics

Olivet Nazarene athletic teams are known as the Tigers; the university is member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete as a member of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). ONU also competes in the North Central Region of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

The purple and gold colors and the Tigers athletic nickname at Olivet Nazarene have existed since 1940, when ONC students first played Bethany Nazarene College (BNC), and intervarsity athletics began with another game between ONC and BNC in 1966.[21]

Since 2002, the Chicago Bears have held their summer training camp at the school, which will continue through 2022.[22] ONU was originally affiliated with the Division III Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 1974 to 1997, ONU became a charter member of the Mid-States Football Association in 1994 (football-only).

Controversies

Evolution Controversy

In 2007, President John C. Bowling prohibited ONU alumnus and faculty member Richard G. Colling from teaching the general education biology course which he had taught since 1991.[23] President Bowling banned professors from assigning Colling's 2004 book: Random Designer: Created from Chaos to Connect with the Creator (Browning Press: ISBN 0-9753904-0-6)[23] In the book, Colling argued that "'evolution has stood the test of time and considerable scrutiny,' and that evolution through random mutation and natural selection is 'fully compatible with' faith. In particular, his designing God uses the laws of nature he created 'to accomplish his goals' of, among other things, a wondrous diversity of nature and an ever-changing living world."[23]

The 2009-2013 Manual of the Church of the Nazarene states: "The Church of the Nazarene believes in the biblical account of creation ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . ."—Genesis 1:1). We oppose any godless interpretation of the origin of the universe and of humankind."[24] Interestingly, the 2005-2009 Manual included an additional paragraph that was removed in 2009: "[T]he church accepts as valid all scientifically verifiable discoveries in geology and other natural phenomena, for we firmly believe that God is the Creator."[25] In a chapel message delivered 11 January 2006, President Bowling stated: "The Christian faith and some understandings of evolution are not necessarily incompatible. However, I want to be very clear in saying that not every articulation of evolution will do; not at all. That is to say, evolution must be understood in certain ways to be compatible with Christian faith."[26] In October 2007 the School of Theology and Christian Ministry and the Department of Biology issued a statement concerning creation and theistic evolution, which includes this statement: "We affirm the value of science as a way of exploring the revelation of the Creator God in nature. We think that the theory of evolution can be seen as a scientific explanation of the diversity of life on earth, rather than as a godless religion that denies God’s hand in the processes of creation."[27]

In a September 15, 2007 article about the Colling controversy published in Newsweek, Bowling is quoted as saying: "In the last few months [objections to Colling] took on a new life and became a distraction, and things were deteriorating in terms of confidence in the university." Bowling further said that he banned Colling's book in order to "get the bull's-eye off Colling and let the storm die down."[23] In 2009, the conclusion of an American Association of University Professors (AAUP) investigation[28] found problems with shared governance at ONU and that Colling's rights had been violated[29] when Bowling placed the concerns of the more conservative members of its Nazarene constituency higher than its principles of academic freedom.[30] In 2009, Dr. Colling resigned from the Olivet Nazarene University faculty in an agreement with the school.[31]

Homosexuality

According to the 2009-2013 Manual of the Church of the Nazarene: "Homosexuality is one means by which human sexuality is perverted. We recognize the depth of the perversion that leads to homosexual acts but affirm the biblical position that such acts are sinful and subject to the wrath of God. We believe the grace of God sufficient to overcome the practice of homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We deplore any action or statement that would seem to imply compatibility between Christian morality and the practice of homosexuality. We urge clear preaching and teaching concerning Bible standards of sexual morality."[32]

Woody Webb, VP for Student Development, stated: “We want to talk about this issue with students, and we want them to feel safe doing so. If they come to us and want help understanding their same sex attractions, our offices are open. While we won’t help a student accept [his or her] same sex attraction and enter a gay lifestyle, if they realize that their same sex attraction is contrary to God’s will for them, we will walk with them on their journey.”[33] According to a controversial article published in the Olivet student newspaper, "[I]f a student needs counseling and indicates that he or she is gay on the application... Olivet counselors are not permitted to counsel them according to University policy."[33] If a student is attempting to overcome homosexual tendencies, the University will accept them into counseling services. The only way that ONU will not accept a student into the counseling program is if the purpose of the counseling is directly related to accepting their homosexuality. In addition, if this is the case, Olivet will refer the student to an outside counseling agency.[33]

In March 2012, the Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative visited campus, and advocated against gay marriage. That same month, Mike Haley, a motivational speaker and self-proclaimed reformed homosexual, spoke to students during the school's mandatory Chapel.[34] According to The Daily Journal "[t]his prompted a small group of students at Olivet to petition for tolerance and an open discussion about homosexuality."[34]

Notable alumni

Notes and references

  1. ↑ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 http://olivet.edu/about/fastfacts.aspx
  3. ↑ Raser, Harold E. (1996). Thomas C. Hunt, James C. Carper, eds. Religious Higher Education in the United States. Taylor & Francis. p. 548. ISBN 0-8153-1636-4.
  4. 1 2 3 Called Unto Holiness Vol. 2 by Westlake Taylor Purkiser. Kansas City: Nazarene Publishing House, 1983.
  5. 1 2 3 History at olivet.edu
  6. ↑ "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
  7. ↑ The History of ENC, written by James Cameron, references J.E.L. Moore leaving Eastern Nazarene College in 1919 to become "president of the Pentecostal Nazarene University at Olivet, Illinois." on p.142 and the Year Book of American Churches, 1921-1922 edited by E.O. Watson, published by Hayworth Publishing Co. Washington D.C. cites the name as "Olivet University."
  8. 1 2 American universities and colleges: a dictionary of name changes by Alice H. Songe. Rowman & Littlefield (1978), p. 150
  9. ↑ History of the Village of Bourbonnais
  10. ↑ The college has been in Bourbonnais since 1940, but its seal has traditionally read Kankakee.
  11. 1 2 Fast Facts page
  12. 1 2 3 HLC of the NCA: ONU profile
  13. ↑ LIBERAL ARTS AND THE PRIORITIES OF NAZARENE HIGHER EDUCATION by J. Matthew Price, Ph.D. Eastern Nazarene College is the only Nazarene institution to retain the "college" moniker. Different states hold different standards for university status, but Nazarene higher education is based on the liberal arts model rather than that of a research university.
  14. ↑ Nazarene Educational Regions
  15. ↑ Although its name might suggest that it is the college for the "Olivet" region, no such region currently exists. Eastern and Northwest are the only Nazarene schools to use their regional names. Olivet is named for a former location in the village of Olivet, Illinois. There was, interestingly, a Nazarene institution once called Central Nazarene College in Texas.
  16. ↑ Central USA Region
  17. ↑ Guidelines and Handbook for Educational Institutions of the Church of the Nazarene (PDF). Church of the Nazarene International Board of Education. 1997. p. 14.
  18. ↑ Olivet Nazarene: 2008-2009 Academic Catalog
  19. ↑ "Olivet Nazarene University". Guide to Best Colleges. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  20. ↑ "Search for Schools, Colleges, and Libraries". U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  21. ↑ ONU News: Athletics Unveils New Tigers Logo
  22. ↑ Mayer, Larry (12 August 2013). "Bears, ONU reach nine-year agreement". Chicago Bears. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Begley, Sharon (2007-09-17). "Can God love Darwin, too?". Newsweek. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  24. ↑ 2009-2013 Manual (903.9. Creation)
  25. ↑ 2005-2009 Manual (903.8 Creation)
  26. ↑ “God’s Divine Design” – Chapel address by Dr. John C. Bowling, January 11, 2006 (Transcript)
  27. ↑ Joint statement, Department of Biological Sciences and the School of Theology and Christian Ministry
  28. ↑ Jaschik, Scott (December 10, 2007). "Academic Freedom and Evolution". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  29. ↑ "Academic Freedom and Tenure: Olivet Nazarene University". AAUP website. American Association of University Professors. 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  30. ↑ Jaschik, Scott (January 15, 2009). "Faith, Science and Academic Freedom". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  31. ↑ "Believing in God and Evolution"
  32. ↑ Manual Church of the Nazarene (p. 57) (PDF). Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.: NAZARENE PUBLISHING HOUSE. 2009–2013.
  33. 1 2 3 Cohea, Jessica (March 18, 2011). "Gay: What Would Jesus Do?". GlimmerGlass. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  34. 1 2 Kalantzis, Dimitrios (March 31, 2012). "Gay issue reignites at ONU". Kankakee Daily Journal. Retrieved 25 June 2013.

External links

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