Olivet Nazarene University

Olivet Nazarene University
Motto	Education with a Christian Purpose
Established	1907
Type	Private
Religious affiliation	Nazarene
Endowment	US $13.6 million[1]
President	John C. Bowling
Provost	Gregg Chenoweth
Students	4,666[2]
Undergraduates	2,600[2]
Postgraduates	2,066[2]
Location	Illinois, IL, USA
Campus	Suburban 250 acres (1.0 km2)
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)
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 institution of higher education located in the Kankakee, Illinois village of Bourbonnais. 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 denomination 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 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. 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. The campus itself has been valued at $150 million. In addition, within the past two years, there have been numerous construction projects including the construction of the CBetty 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 is currently under construction.

In total, there are seven academic buildings, two gymnasiums, and six residence halls. The university also has several off-campus apartment buildings. Centennial Chapel plans on showcasing many Christian artists including Bill Gaither and Chris Tomlin.

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]

Controversies

Graduation gap

A report released in April 2008 found that, of the institutions surveyed throughout the U.S. based on data provided under the 1990 Student Right-to-Know Act, ONU had the seventh-largest gap between the average graduation rate for white students and the average graduation rate for black students. White students had an average graduation rate of 56 percent, one point below the national average for all students, while black students at ONU were found to have an average graduation rate of 17 percent, 38 points below their white peers.^[20]

Evolution controversy

In 2007, President John C. Bowling prohibited ONU alumnus and faculty member Richard G. Colling from teaching the general education biology course and banned Colling's 2004 book: Random Designer: Created from Chaos to Connect with Creator (Browning Press: ISBN 0975390406), because of "deep concern regarding the teaching of evolutionary theory as a scientifically proven fact."^[21] In 2009, the conclusion of an American Association of University Professors (AAUP) investigation^[22] found problems with shared governance at ONU and that Colling's rights had been violated^[23] when Bowling placed the concerns of the more conservative members of its Nazarene constituency higher than its principles of academic freedom.^[24]

Student life

ONU athletics logo

There were 4,636 students at the college in 2007, 3,190 of whom were undergraduates.^[25] ONU students are from 40 states and 20 countries, and represent 30 Christian denominations.^[11] 9 percent of the student population is black.^[20]

The university offers over 80 different clubs with many different focuses. All of the clubs and student organizations are sponsered 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, Going Green, an environmentally focused green-initiative group, 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.

Athletics

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.^[26] Men's varsity teams include Baseball, Basketball, Cross-country running, football, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, and Track and field. Women's varsity sports include Basketball, Cross country running, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track and field, and Volleyball. Since 2002, the Chicago Bears have held their summer training camp there. 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, and now competes in both the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the North-Central Region of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).

Notable persons

Notable alumni include Nazarene General Superintendents Jim Diehl and Paul Cunningham, former Eastern Nazarene College president R. Wayne Gardner, who also served on the faculty at both ENC and ONU, writer Justin DiSandro, and Ben Zobrist, the second-baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays.

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. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf. Retrieved February 5, 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} http://olivet.edu/about/fastfacts.aspx
3. ^ Raser, Harold E.; Thomas C. Hunt, James C. Carper, eds. (1996). Religious Higher Education in the United States. Taylor & Francis. p. 548. ISBN 0815316364. http://books.google.com/books?id=lxr_PID7o2IC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Called Unto Holiness Vol. 2 by Westlake Taylor Purkiser. Kansas City: Nazarene Publishing House, 1983.
5. ^ ^{a b c} 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. ^ ^{a b} 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. ^ ^{a b} Fast Facts page
12. ^ ^{a b c} 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. Church of the Nazarene International Board of Education. 1997. p. 14. http://www.nazarene.org/files/docs/guide.pdf. 
18. ^ Olivet Nazarene: 2008-2009 Academic Catalog
19. ^ "Olivet Nazarene University". Guide to Best Colleges. U.S. News and World Report. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/1741. Retrieved 2009-05-19. 
20. ^ ^{a b} InsideHigherEd.com News: The Graduation Rate Gap
21. ^ Begley, Sharon (2007-09-17). "Can God love Darwin, too?". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/40907. Retrieved 2008-12-02. 
22. ^ Jaschik, Scott (December 10, 2007). "Academic Freedom and Evolution". Inside Higher Ed. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/12/10/evolution. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
23. ^ "Academic Freedom and Tenure: Olivet Nazarene University". AAUP website. American Association of University Professors. 2009. http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/protect/academicfreedom/investrep/2009/olivet.htm. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
24. ^ Jaschik, Scott (January 15, 2009). "Faith, Science and Academic Freedom". Inside Higher Ed. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/01/15/aaup. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
25. ^ "Search for Schools, Colleges, and Libraries". U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/. Retrieved 2009-04-14. 
26. ^ ONU News: Athletics Unveils New Tigers Logo

External links

• Official website