Northwest Nazarene University

Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School.Riley, John E. From Sagebrush to Ivy: The story of Northwest Nazarene College. Pacific Press, Nampa, Idaho, 1988.{{cite web

|first = Stan

|last = Ingersol

|title = Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education

|url = http://media.premierstudios.com/nazarene/docs/Why%20These%20Schools%20%20Historical%20Perspectives%20on%20Nazarene%20Higher%20Education.pdf

|access-date = 2008-07-10

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080624230418/http://media.premierstudios.com/nazarene/docs/Why%20These%20Schools%20%20Historical%20Perspectives%20on%20Nazarene%20Higher%20Education.pdf

|archive-date = 2008-06-24

}} It was renamed twice in 1916, first to Northwest Holiness College and then to Northwest Nazarene College,{{cite book

| last = Raser

| first = Harold E.

| editor=Thomas C. Hunt |editor2=James C. Carper

| chapter=Church of the Nazarene Universities, Colleges, and Religious Seminaries

| title = Religious Higher Education in the United States

| publisher = Taylor & Francis

| year = 1996

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lxr_PID7o2IC

| isbn = 0-8153-1636-4

| page = 549 }} 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.{{cite book

| last = Cameron

| first = James R.

| author-link = James R. Cameron

| title = Eastern Nazarene College—The First Fifty Years, 1900-1950

| publisher = Nazarene Publishing House

| year = 1968

| location = Kansas City

| pages = 127, 142–143}}

Under Russell V. DeLong, Northwest Nazarene College (NNC) received educational accreditation{{Cite web |url=http://www.nwccu.org/Directory%20of%20Inst/State%20Map/Idaho/Idaho.htm |title=NWCCU: Idaho schools |access-date=2008-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703165048/http://www.nwccu.org/Directory%20of%20Inst/State%20Map/Idaho/Idaho.htm |archive-date=2008-07-03 |url-status=dead }} as a two-year school in 1931{{Cite web|url=http://www.nnu.edu/fileadmin/Content/FinAffairs/Sherrys/Forms/Administrative_Policy_Manual_01.pdf|title=NNU Administrative Policy Manual}} and as a four-year school in 1937, making it the first accredited college affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene.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. Master's degree programs were added in the 1960s and 1970s.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nnu.edu/2966 |title=NNU History |access-date=2007-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608123055/http://www.nnu.edu/2966/ |archive-date=2007-06-08 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.nnu.edu/offices/office-of-the-president/presidents-messages/fall-2008-presidents-dinner-message/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809150945/http://www.nnu.edu/offices/office-of-the-president/presidents-messages/fall-2008-presidents-dinner-message/|url-status=dead|title=Fall 2008 President's Dinner at NNU|archivedate=August 9, 2009}} 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.

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As one of eight U.S. liberal arts colleges{{cite web

|first = Price

|last = J. Matthew

|title = Liberal Arts and the Priorities of Nazarene Higher Education

|url = http://media.premierstudios.com/nazarene/docs/didache_2_1_Price.pdf

|access-date = 2008-07-10

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080627054254/http://media.premierstudios.com/nazarene/docs/didache_2_1_Price.pdf

|archive-date = 2008-06-27

}} 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 [http://educationusa.state.gov/graduate/about/types.htm standard national definition] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516215315/http://educationusa.state.gov/graduate/about/types.htm |date=2008-05-16 }} of a "research university". affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene,{{cite web| title =Nazarene Educational Regions| url =http://media.premierstudios.com/nazarene/docs/educregions.pdf| access-date =2008-07-10| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080624230421/http://media.premierstudios.com/nazarene/docs/educregions.pdf| archive-date =2008-06-24}} See Church of the Nazarene: Organization for more information on regions. the college receives financial backing from the Nazarene churches in its region. Each college is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement not to actively recruit outside its respective educational region.{{cite book| title =Guidelines and Handbook for Educational Institutions of the Church of the Nazarene| publisher =Church of the Nazarene International Board of Education| year =1997| url =http://www.nazarene.org/files/docs/guide.pdf| page =14| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20091010012525/http://www.nazarene.org/files/docs/guide.pdf| archive-date =2009-10-10}}

NNU is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).{{cite web

| title = CCCU Members

| url = http://www.cccu.org/about/members.asp

| access-date = 2008-07-10 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080705064221/http://www.cccu.org/about/members.asp |archive-date = 2008-07-05}} NNU has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) since 1930.

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.{{Cite web |title=Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology |url=https://www.nnu.edu/degrees/graduate/doctor-of-psychology/clinical-psychology |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=www.nnu.edu |language=en}} In addition to its {{convert|90|acre|adj=on}} campus in Nampa, the university offers extensive online degree programs and has branch campuses in Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls.

NNU is a co-educational college.{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/08/15/christian|title=Inside Higher Ed's News|website=www.insidehighered.com}}{{cite web |url=https://www.campuspride.org/worstlist/ |title=Worst List: The Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth |author= |website=Campus Pride |date=17 May 2019 |access-date=August 23, 2021 |quote=}}

In 2019, NNU was ranked among the "Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth" in the US by Campus Pride. The Church of the Nazarene Manual 2017–2021{{efn|The [https://2017.manual.nazarene.org/ 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."}} states that "we believe the practice of same-sex sexual intimacy is contrary to God’s will for human sexuality".[https://2017.manual.nazarene.org/ 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): [https://2017.manual.nazarene.org/paragraph/p31/ para. 31]. 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."{{Cite web |title=Notice of Non-discrimination - Northwest Nazarene University |url=https://www.nnu.edu/accreditation-regulations/notice-of-non-discrimination |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=www.nnu.edu}}

{{Main|Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks}}

The Northwest Nazarene (NNU) athletic teams are called the Nighthawks (Crusaders until 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.{{Cite web|url=https://nnusports.com/|title=Northwest Nazarene University Athletics - Official Athletics Website|website=Northwest Nazarene University Athletics}}

==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 theologian Thomas Jay Oord. A notable non-graduate alumna is theologian Mildred Bangs Wynkoop.{{Cite book |last=Tredoux |first=Johan |title=Mildred Bangs Wynkoop: her life and thought |date=2017 |publisher=The Foundry Publishing |isbn=978-0-8341-3651-9 |location=Kansas City, MO |chapter=Chapter 1: A Brief Biography}} Notable former faculty members include Fred J. Shields, H. Orton Wiley, Ben Fischer and Olive Winchester.{{Cite web |last=WBS |date=2015-03-14 |title=Olive Winchester: A Pioneering Female Biblical Scholar and Theologian |url=https://womenbiblicalscholars.com/2015/03/14/olive-winchester-a-pioneering-female-biblical-scholar-and-theologian/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=Women Biblical Scholars |language=en-US}} Religious speaker and author Ann Kiemel Anderson attended the university.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

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• [https://nnusports.com/ Athletics website]

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Category:Universities and colleges established in 1913

Category:Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene

Category:Private universities and colleges in Idaho

Category:Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

Category:Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Category:Buildings and structures in Canyon County, Idaho

Category:Education in Canyon County, Idaho

Category:1913 establishments in Idaho