Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a private Nazarene university in Nampa, Idaho.

History 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. It was renamed twice in 1916, first to Northwest Holiness College and then to Northwest Nazarene College, 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.

Under Russell V. DeLong, Northwest Nazarene College (NNC) received educational accreditation as a two-year school in 1931 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. 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.

Presidents +Presidents Fred J. Shields 1917–19191. H. Orton Wiley 1919–19262. Joseph G. Morrison 1926–19273. Russell V. DeLong 1927–19324. R. Eugene Gilmore 1932–19355. Russell V. DeLong 1935–19426. L.T. Corlett 1942–19527. John E. Riley 1952–19738. Kenneth H. Pearsall 1973–19839. A. Gordon Wetmore 1983–199210. Leon Doane 1992–199311. Richard A. Hagood 1993–200812. David Alexander 2008–201512. Joel Pearsall 2016–202513. Mark DeMichael 2025–present

Affiliations As one of seven U.S. liberal arts colleges 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". affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, 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.

NNU is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). NNU has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) since 1930.

Academics 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. In addition to its campus in Nampa, the university offers extensive online degree programs and has branch campuses in Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls.

Student life NNU is a co-educational college.

LGBTQ students 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 states that "we believe the practice of same-sex sexual intimacy is contrary to God’s will for human sexuality".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): 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."

Athletics

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.

Notable people

Alumni Ann Kiemel Anderson - religious author, later dean at Eastern Nazarene College Donna Fletcher Crow – author Richard Hieb – NASA astronaut Kent R. Hill – former administrator for USAID's Bureau for Global Health and president of the Eastern Nazarene College (1992–2001) Ryan McCarthy – college basketball coach Thomas Jay Oord – theologian Lori Otter – First Lady of Idaho Mildred Bangs Wynkoop - theologian

Faculty members

Fred J. Shields H. Orton Wiley Ben Fischer Olive Winchester

Notes

References

External links

Athletics website