Bushnell University is a private Christian university in Eugene, Oregon. It is historically affiliated with the

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

and the

Christian churches and churches of Christ The group of churches known as the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ is a fellowship of congregations within the Restoration Movement (also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement and the Reformation of the 19th Century) that have no forma ...

. The institution was renamed from Northwest Christian University in 2020.

History

The school was founded as a

divinity school A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

in 1895 by Disciple of Christ preacher and educator

Eugene Claremont Sanderson Eugene C. Sanderson (March 24, 1859 – February 16, 1940) was an American Christian minister and educator who founded Eugene Divinity School (EDS) in Eugene, Oregon in 1895. Today this school is known as Bushnell University. He served as it ...

as the Eugene Divinity School (EDS). In 1908 it became Eugene Bible University; in 1930 that name changed to Eugene Bible College. After a merger with Spokane University in 1934, it became known as Northwest Christian College and then Northwest Christian University in 2008. In 2020, it formally changed its named to Bushnell University, after James A. Bushnell, the first chairman of the university's board of trustees. On December 8, 2009, Dr. Joseph Womack was named as Bushnell University's 10th president, taking office on June 1, 2010. Womack is the son of Bushnell's eighth president, Dr. James Womack, who served from 1986 to 2004.

Presidents

*Eugene C. Sanderson, 1895–1929 *S. Earl Childers, 1929–1934 *Victor P. Morris, Acting, 1934–1936 & 1943–1944 *Kendall E. Burke, 1936–1943 *Ross J. Griffeth, 1944–1965 *Barton A. Dowdy, 1965–1978 *William E. Hays, 1978–1985 *H. Charles Pyron, Interim, 1985–1986 *James E. Womack, 1986–2004 *David W. Wilson, 2004–2010 *Joseph D. Womack, 2010–present

Academics

Bushnell University is organized into seven schools: Arts & Sciences, Bible & World Christianity, Business, Leadership & Teachnology, Education, Music & Performing Arts, Nursing, and Psychology & Counseling. Programs are offered in three different formats: traditional undergraduate, online & evening, and graduate.

Accreditation and affiliations

Bushnell University has been regionally accredited since 1962 by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). It is a member of the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities (OAICU), the

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is a global organization of evangelical Christian colleges and universities. The headquarters is in Washington, D.C. History In 1976, presidents of colleges in the Christian College Co ...

(CCCU), and the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). The education programs are approved by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC), the business programs are accredited by the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), and the Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs is CACREP accredited (2017)(Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs).

Campus

Bushnell University is located in east Eugene, at the corner of Alder Street and E. 11th Avenue, separated from the larger

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

by the width of a single lane street. Founder Eugene Sanderson envisioned a school at which students would study the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

and principles of Christian ministry under Eugene Divinity School's faculty, but take other subjects on the neighboring campus, a model he also attempted to set up at

Manhattan Christian College Manhattan Christian College (MCC) is a private Christian college in Manhattan, Kansas. It was founded in 1927 as Christian Workers University. The institution's name was changed to Manhattan Bible College in 1930 and Manhattan Christian Colle ...

, located near Kansas State University. The Eugene Divinity School and its successive institutions maintained this arrangement with the

until 1995, when the University of Oregon unilaterally discontinued it. Since that time Bushnell has grown to become a comprehensive liberal arts college. Today, Bushnell students occasionally take University of Oregon classes, have checkout privileges from Knight Library, and take advantage of lectures and other events on the neighboring campus.

Athletics

The Bushnell athletic teams are called the Beacons. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) since the 2007–08 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint during the 2006–07 school year as an associate member for women's volleyball and softball. The Beacons previously competed as an NAIA Independent from 2005–06 to 2006–07. Bushnell competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, eSports, golf, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, eSports, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball.

Baseball

In January 2021, the university announced a plan to revive its baseball program after a more than 50-year hiatus as the school's 17th varsity sport offering, and named Tommy Richards, a former

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

' prospect and

Whitman College Whitman College is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. The school offers 53 majors and 33 minors in the liberal arts and sciences, and it has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Whitman was the first college in the Pacific ...

Assistant, as the program's new head coach.

Cross country

During the fall of 2015 the woman's cross country team won first place in the NAIA Cross Country National Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina. This was the first time Bushnell University's (then known as Northwest Christian) cross country team won first place in this championship. The seven runners who competed at the meet were, Melissa Rios (Freshman), Rosa Schmidt (Sophomore), Shea Vallaire, (Junior), Michelle Fletcher, (Junior), Macie Gale, (Junior), and Alyssa Harmon (Junior).

Other sports

In 2018, Bailey Dell won the NAIA national championship in women's javelin. In 2019, Anika Rasubala won the NAIA national championship in women's steeplechase.

Notable alumni

* Mary Burrows, politician *

David Ray Griffin David Ray Griffin (August 8, 1939 – November 26, 2022) was an American professor of philosophy of religion and theology and a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.Sources describing David Ray Griffin as a "conspiracy theorist", "conspiracist", "conspirac ...

, process theologian and retired professor of theology at Claremont School of Theology * Bruce Hanna, politician *

Kylor Kelley Kylor Kelley (born August 26, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Oregon State Beavers men's basketball, Oregon State Beavers. Early life and high scho ...

, (attended, did not graduate), basketball player *

Mickey Loomis Mickey Loomis is the executive vice president and General manager of the NFL's New Orleans Saints. He was named NFL executive of the year for 2006. From 2012-2019, he was also head of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans of the N ...

, general manager of the New Orleans Saints (NFL) * E. R. Moon, class of 1903, Christian missionary to the Belgian Congo from 1908 to 1923 as well as Jamaica from 1938 to 1944 * Frank Morse, class of 1966, president of Morse Brothers construction company and Oregon state senator from 2003 to 2012 * Mike Petersen, basketball coach, assistant coach of the Atlanta Dream (WNBA) * Ryan Stevenson, singer * Paul Wright, lead singer of Rootdown

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Eugene, Oregon Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Education in Eugene, Oregon Educational institutions established in 1894 Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ Private universities and colleges in Oregon 1895 establishments in Oregon Cascade Collegiate Conference