Northwestern College

About Northwestern College

Northwestern College is lighting the way in the Twin Cities and beyond through its educational philosophy of "faith, learning and living." Northwestern is a community in which all learning is framed within the context of a biblical worldview—30 credits of Bible are integrated into every major. Under the leadership of Dr. Alan S. Cureton, Northwestern enrolls more than 3,000 students in more than 50 undergraduate and graduate programs. They also own and operate 16 listener-supported Christian radio stations throughout the Midwest and Florida.

Northwestern College exists to provide Christ-centered higher education equipping students to grow intellectually and spiritually, to serve effectively in their professions, and to give God-honoring leadership in the home, church, community, and world.

About Northwestern College Online

The Distance Education (DE) programming at Northwestern College has been offering courses since 1994. Credits earned through Distance Education are regular Northwestern College credits, accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Collegesand Schools (www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org, 312-263-0456).

Northwestern College Purpose

Distance Education develops and delivers college courses to you anywhere in the world. These courses are written by Northwestern College faculty members who are experts in their field. Their students come from many countries around the world. Some students live overseas as missionaries, tentmakers or business people. Taking distance education courses provides a way for them to achieve their educational goals. Distance Education currently offers over 40 courses in Bible, communication, psychology, history, science and general education. We offer a Certificate in Bible, Associates of Arts and Bible, Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, and Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies.

Vision Statement

Because of God's compelling love, Northwestern College will teach wisdom and understanding to reach all nations for Christ.II Corinthians 5:14, Proverbs 1:7, Matthew 28:19

Mission Statement

Northwestern College exists to provide Christ-centered higher education equipping students to grow intellectually and spiritually, to serve effectively in their professions, and to give God-honoring leadership in the home, church, community, and world.

Accreditations and Affiliations

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org, 312-263-0456). Thus, credits earned at Northwestern are recognized by other colleges and universities. Also, Northwestern students are eligible for all federally-funded financial aid programs and other aid programs. ... incorporated under the laws of the state of Minnesota as a College of the Bible, Arts and Sciences, and Professional Education.

Note: Northwestern College is registered with the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (MHESO). Registration is not an endorsement of the institution. Registration does not mean that credits earned at the institution can be transferred to other institutions or that the quality of the educational programs would meet the standards of every student, educational institution, or employer.

... approved by the Minnesota Board of Teaching to offer programs leading to teacher licensure.

... approved for the training of students under government educational programs for veterans and war orphans, including Public Law 634 (War Orphans Educational Assistance Act) and Public Law 89-358 (Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act). Orphans eligible for Social Security, Railroad Retirement, and other government educational benefits may receive them while attending Northwestern College.

... an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music . ... a member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities .

... a member of the Council of Independent Colleges .

... a member of the North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals and endorses the NACCAP principles of good practice.

... a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

... an Associated School of Jerusalem University College (formerly the Institute of Holy Land Studies). Students and faculty members are eligible to participate in courses and tours conducted by this institution.

... a member of the Evangelical Training Association. Students are eligible to receive the diploma of the association based upon course work completed at Northwestern.

... a charter member of the Association of Christian Schools International. Any student interested in reviewing the documents of the College's accreditation and licensure should contact the Director of Financial Aid or the Vice President for Academic Affairs to set up a time for this review.

History

1902 October 2Northwestern Bible and Missionary School founded at First Baptist Church, Minneapolis, with four women and three men. "A little fire kindleth a great matter."

1904 First graduate Anna Gooch receives her diploma May 4 and sails for Burma Sept. 21 to serve under the Women's American Baptist Missionary Society.

1905 The School's first purchased property at Sixth South (later known as Fireside and finally as Firetrap) is refurbished for offices, classrooms and a residence as the School outgrows the Church space.

1914 Dr. Riley envisions a 12-storied Tremont-Temple-style building for Bible teaching and evangelism in the heart of Minneapolis. He writes a promotional brochure and hires an architect, but WWI invalidates his dream.

1920 In the greatest single step forward by the School, Lyman Court is purchased to accommodate the increasing enrollment after WWI. The three residence buildings house 225 students and are renamed Lyman, Russell and Stimson Halls.

1922 The growing number of married students necessitates the purchase of two more buildings at Yale and 13th St. The School welcomes these mature men who are highly motivated to complete their schooling and enter into Christian ministry.

1923 Jackson Hall is completed with offices and classrooms.

1932 The 150 students in summer mission work in nine states enroll 8200 in 204 DVBS and report 982 saved. Student evangelists hold 301 meetings with 93 conversions. Students sleep in tents, deserted shanties and school houses. Food is cooked over the open campfire or an oil stove.

1935 With 47 students, the Northwestern Theological Seminary opens its doors to equip men to fill larger pastorates whose congregations do not want to draw from Modernist seminaries. Appeals to the School for pastors are multiplying faster than the growth of both the Bible School and Seminary.

1941 The annual budget for the School is $80,000 with an enrollment of 514 and a faculty numbering 17.

1944 Northwestern Schools becomes the single name for the institution, which now includes the Bible School, the Theological Seminary and the four-year College of Liberal Arts.

1947 Dr. Riley passes away at age 86. From his sickbed he points his finger at a young evangelist he has chosen to succeed him as president. "You are the man!" he proclaims to William Franklin Graham, better known as Billy Graham.

1948 The campus moves to Memorial Hall on Loring Park. The Robert L. Moyer gymnasium is a boon for the burgeoning varsity sports program for both men and women.

1949 Radio station KTIS goes on the air. Hawthorne Hall is purchased for freshmen and Plymouth Hall is leased for married students.

1950 The Fine Arts Building (FAB) is purchased for the music and speech departments, and Mitchell Hall houses the department of missionary medicine and school infirmary.

1953 Dr. Richard Elvee becomes the school's third president and begins laying the groundwork for accreditation.

1956 Financial tension leads to the closing of Northwestern Theological Seminary and the Bible School. The surviving liberal arts college becomes known as Northwestern College.

1957 Dr. Curtis B. Akenson, another First Baptist pastor in the tradition of Dr. Riley, becomes the fourth president.

1963 McAllister Library is dedicated with 23,000 volumes and seating for 250 students. The library enables the College to build its Biblical literature collection as well as periodicals and audio-visual equipment.

1966 North Central Association delays accreditation for two years, citing need for a stronger financial and constituency support base. Music department chair William B. Berntsen becomes president and closes the College while making plans for an emerging "New Northwestern."

1970 The 87-acre Nazareth Hall campus is purchased from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul/Minneapolis for $2,579,000. The purchase comes 20 days after the sale of the Loring Park campus to the State Junior College System for $2,779,000.

1972 After over $1 million in major remodeling and refurbishing, classes start at the "New Northwestern" with 186 students and 11 faculty.

1973 Moyer Residence, a new concept in residential living, is completed to house 80 women as Northwestern's first on-campus residence. Remaining residential students are housed in four Centennial Apartment buildings located about a mile away. A shuttle bus system is used, employing both students and staff.

1977 Northwestern celebrates its 75th Diamond Jubilee with an outdoor rally featuring Rev. Billy Graham and George Beverly Shea.

1978 Twenty-two years after the process began, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools grants accreditation, a historic step in the Northwestern's emergence as a liberal arts college.

1980 Hartill-Knutson Residences and Robertson Student Center completed to house all residential students on campus.

1982 Totino Fine Arts Center completed thanks to a generous $4 million gift from Rose Totino, who came to know the Lord through Northwestern Media's KTIS. Café Nazareth completed in the lower level of Nazareth Hall to give Northwestern a much bigger and aesthetically-pleasing dining hall.

1985 Dr. Donald Ericksen becomes president and Dr. Berntsen becomes the college's first chancellor.

1990 Northwestern College mourns the passing of Chancellor Bill Berntsen. The FOCUS degree completion program is introduced, signaling the beginning of Northwestern's emergence into alternative education. Reynolds Field is completed.

1992 The library is moved into the new Berntsen Resource Center as the fourth floor of Nazareth Hall is remodeled for much-needed office space and classrooms.

1994 The Center for Distance Education is introduced and the Child Development Center in nearby Eagle Crest retirement center opens. South Residence is purchased just outside the campus gates for junior and senior residential students.

1996 The Ericksen Center is completed, finally giving Northwestern an intercollegiate-level sports facility. The City of Arden Hills approves an increase in the Full Time Enrollment cap from 1,250 to 1,425, a major decision in the College's growth potential.

1997 Dr. Wesley Willis becomes the seventh president. Denler Gallery and the Fischer Tennis Courts are completed and the Southeast Residence is purchased as climbing enrollment increases housing needs. North Minneapolis Campus is established as a way to bring Christian higher education into the inner-city.

1999 FOCUS introduces the Pathway Project, an associate of arts program for adults. Northwestern Media's KTIS celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a year-long celebration that features a family fair on campus and a Target Center rally with Charles Swindoll. Snelling Terrace Residences are purchased.

2000 A partnership with MacLaurin Institute on the University of Minnesota campus enables Northwestern faculty to teach Bible courses to university students for transferable credit. The Urban Bible Institute in downtown Minneapolis succeeds the North Minneapolis Campus as a Christian discipling outreach.

2001 Northwestern receives NCA accreditation for the Christian Center for Communications, a branch campus in Quito, Ecuador, offering a three-year program in radio, TV and journalism. Northwestern conducts its first-ever fall commencement to accommodate growing enrollment.

2002 Dr. Alan Cureton becomes Northwestern's eighth president as the College celebrates its centennial with special events and observances throughout the 2002-03 academic year.

2003 The Mel Johnson Media Center is completed as the headquarters for Northwestern Media and KTIS. The building also houses the academic department of communication.

2004 The Riley Hall gym undergoes a renovation which adds more classroom space, faculty offices, two computer labs and a lounge area. Residence Life implements the integration of all class years (freshmen - seniors) throughout all of its residence halls. Antioch residence is established.

2005 The Center for Graduate Studies begins, offering a master's of organizational leadership program. The Department of Science and Mathematics open new Research Lab facility. The Robertson Student Center remodels the annex into a coffee-house-style study lounge.

2006 Majors in Urban Studies, Digital Media, and Criminal Justice are added. Total student headcount reaches 3,500. Endowment reaches $15 million.

2007 Increased honors program. Academic entrance standards rose. Graduates accepted to Harvard and Chicago law schools. Acquired Northwestern Office Center building, adding needed office space. Launched public phase of Envision Excellence capital campaign.

2008 For the first time, Fulbright Fellowships awarded to NWC faculty members. Construction of a new parking lot and the ring road behind Riley prepare for the Community Life Commons. Also acquired additional student housing in Arden Hills.