 | |
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 | Education With a Christian Purpose! |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1907; 118 years ago (1907) |
Religious affiliation | Church of the Nazarene |
| Endowment | $45.1 million (2020)[1] |
| President | Gregg Chenoweth |
| Students | 3,255 (Fall 2022)[2] |
| Undergraduates | 2,519 (Fall 2022)[2] |
| Postgraduates | 736 (Fall 2022)[2] |
| Location | ,, United States |
| Campus | Suburban 250 acres (1.0 km2) |
| Newspaper | The Olivet Gazette (formerlyThe Glimmerglass) |
| Colors | Purple & Gold |
| Nickname | Tigers |
Sporting affiliations | NAIA –CCAC (primary) NAIA –MSFA (football) |
| Mascot | Toby the Tiger |
| Website | www |
 | |
Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is aprivateNazarene university inBourbonnais, Illinois. Named for its founding location,Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as agrammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. In the late 1930s, it moved to the campus in Bourbonnais. The university is affiliated with theChurch of the Nazarene and is the annual site of the church'sRegional Celebrate Life youth gathering for the Central USA Region.
Olivet Nazarene University traces its roots to 1907, when the Eastern Illinois Holiness Association[3] startedMiss Mary Nesbitt'sGrammar School in a house inGeorgetown, Illinois. In 1908, the school's founders acquired 14acres[4] in the village ofOlivet, and moved the grammar school to the proposed campus.[5] AWesleyan–holiness community sprang up around the school.[6]
In 1909, theliberal arts college was chartered and namedIllinois Holiness University, with A. M. Hills fromTexas Holiness University as its first president.[4] It was then given to theChurch of the Nazarene in 1912, withE. F. Walker as president, and inherited one of the most populated Nazarene regions in the United States.[4] It was renamedOlivet University in 1915,[7] and again in 1921 toOlivet College.[8]
The economic solvency of the school became a problem in the 1920s, and the trustees were forced to declarebankruptcy in 1926. The school's treasurer, T. W. Willingham, purchased the school back at anauction 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 ofSt. Viator's College.[9] With the move, the school's name was changed toOlivet Nazarene College (ONC).[8] The school's name was changed again in 1986 toOlivet Nazarene University (ONU).[5]
The past 20 years have seen a significant change in the culture and image of Olivet.[citation needed] Following the appointment ofJohn C. Bowling as University president, the university began appealing to a more diverse set of students from different Christian denominations.[citation needed] The school began several different construction projects to mark the growth of the school as a whole.[citation needed] The university currently is organized with seven academic units: the College of Arts and Sciences, the McGraw School of Business, the Martin D. Walker School of Engineering, the School of Education, the School of Life and Health Sciences, the School of Theology and Christian Ministry, and the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies.[citation needed]
ONU's campus is 250 acres (1.0 km2) in the village ofBourbonnais, Illinois, outside the city ofKankakee, Illinois,[10] with 30 buildings.[11] Four buildings are original fromSt. Viator College, including Burke Administration, Chapman Hall, Miller Business Center, and Birchard Gymnasium. There are also satellite campuses foradult education inRolling Meadows, Illinois andHong Kong.[12]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Since Olivet Nazarene University relocated to Bourbonnais, the campus has undergone several different waves of construction. In addition, within the past two years,[needs update] there have been numerous construction projects including the construction of the Betty and Kenneth Hawkins Centennial Chapel, the largest theater inKankakee 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, Howe and Williams). The university also has several off-campus apartment buildings (Old Oak, Oak Run, University Place, Grand, Stadium, Stratford, and Bresee). Centennial Chapel has showcased many Christian artists includingBill Gaither andChris 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 an Olympic-sized pool, Jacuzzi, lazy river, resistance pool, indoor track, one of the tallest collegiate rock climbing walls in North America, various classrooms, offices, a fitness center, game room and coffee shop.
ONU is one of nine regional U.S.liberal arts colleges[13] affiliated with theChurch 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 includeWisconsin,Michigan,Illinois, andIndiana.[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 agentlemen's agreement not to actively recruit outside its respective "educational region."[17] The school owns and operatesChristian adult contemporary radio station WONU, which broadcasts from the school's main campus.[18]
ONU has been accredited by theHigher Learning Commission since 1956[12] and offersbachelor's degrees in 67academic majors.[19] The School of Graduate and Continuing Studies offersmaster's degrees, nontraditional adult degree-completion programs, and adoctor of education degree offered only at Bourbonnais main campus as well as a master of "professional counseling" degree offered at a site in Hong Kong anddistance education for amaster in education degree.[12] The doctor of education degree was offered through a unique hybrid/cohort model (both in-class and online). Starting late 2018, the doctor of education program was switched to full online only version. The 2007 acceptance rate for students who applied to the college was 70.3 percent.[20]
There were 4,636 students at the college in 2007, 3,190 of whom wereundergraduates.[21] ONU students are from 40 states and 20 countries, and represent 30Christian 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 theInternational Justice Mission.
The school also supports one club sports team which is loosely affiliated with the university. In 2010, the Black Penguins, a clubUltimate Frisbee team was created and reached theUPA's College Nationals, reaching that level again in 2014.[citation needed]
The Olivet Nazarene athletic teams are called the Tigers. The university is member of theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in theChicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) since the 1996–97 academic year. They are also a member of theNational Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the North Central Region of the Division I level. The Tigers previously competed in theNorthern Illinois-Iowa Conference (NIIC) of theNCAA Division III ranks from 1974–75 to 1995–96; while also becoming a founding member of theMid-States Football Association (MSFA) in the 1994 fall season (football-only).
Olivet Nazarene competes in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading and marching bands. Club sports include ice hockey.
Thepurple andgold colors and theTigersathletic nickname at Olivet Nazarene have existed since 1940, when ONC students first playedBethany Nazarene College (BNC; now Southern Nazarene University), andintervarsity athletics began with another game between ONC and BNC in 1966.[22]
From 2002 to 2019, theChicago Bears held their summer training camp at the school. Although the Bears had an agreement to continue practicing at the university through 2022, they moved the camp toHalas Hall for the 2020 season.[23][24]
In 2007, PresidentJohn C. Bowling prohibited ONUalumnus andfaculty memberRichard G. Colling from teaching the general educationbiology course which he had taught since 1991.[25] 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)[25] 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."[25]
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."[26] 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."[27] 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."[28] 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."[29]
In a September 15, 2007 article about the Colling controversy published inNewsweek, 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."[25] In 2009, the conclusion of anAmerican Association of University Professors (AAUP) investigation[30] found problems with shared governance at ONU and that Colling's rights had been violated[31] when Bowling placed the concerns of the more conservative members of itsNazarene constituency higher than its principles of academic freedom.[32] In 2009, Dr. Colling resigned from the Olivet Nazarene University faculty in an agreement with the school.[33]
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."[34]
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."[35] 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."[35] 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.[35]
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.[36] According toThe Daily Journal "[t]his prompted a small group of students at Olivet to petition for tolerance and an open discussion about homosexuality."[36]
On June 28, 2019, the university rescinded its job offer of assistant professor to academic and author T. J. Martinson (Ph.D. IU Bloomington,The Reign of the Kingfisher), a third-generation Olivet alumnus, "citing complaints that his novel contained profanity and other elements [including the depiction of prostitution and the portrayal of a lesbian character] that conflict with the school's religious doctrine".[37]
On July 26, 2019, PEN America released a statement on the controversy: "A professor's dismissal on the basis of a work of fiction suggests a disturbing climate for open inquiry and creative expression at [Olivet Nazarene University]. Unfortunately, the circumstances of Martinson's dismissal give the impression that the institution is more committed to quelling potential criticism and controversy than it is committed to defending the academic freedom of its faculty. In this case, dismissing Martinson over the content of his novel, including the presence of a lesbian character, sends a message of exclusion to the ONU community and is likely to have a chilling effect on the free and creative expression of students and faculty."[38]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
41°09′16″N87°52′16″W / 41.154555°N 87.871219°W /41.154555; -87.871219
