Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School.[1][2] It was renamed twice in 1916, first to Northwest Holiness College and then to Northwest Nazarene College,[3] 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.[4]
Northwest Nazarene University was granted an exception to Title IX in 2014 which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons.[10]
As one of eight U.S. liberal arts colleges[11] affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene,[12] the 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 is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement not to actively recruit outside its respective educational region.[13]
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.[16] In addition to its 90-acre (36 ha) campus in Nampa, ID, the university offers extensive online degree programs and has branch campuses in Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls.
Founded in 1913, the university now serves over 1300 undergraduate and 700 graduate students, more than 6000 online and continuing education students, and high school concurrent credit students. NNU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
NNU is ranked among the "Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth" in the US by Campus Pride.[10] The Church of the Nazarene Manual 2017–2021[a] states that "we believe the practice of same-sex sexual intimacy is contrary to God’s will for human sexuality".[18] 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."[19]
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.[20]
^The 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."
^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 Massachusettsuntil 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.
^"Northwest Educational Region"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2008-07-10. ENC and NNU are the only Nazarene schools to remain true to their regional names.
^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.
