Cascade College was a private, four-year, liberal arts college associated with the
Churches of Christ. Located in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
, United States, it was a branch campus of
Oklahoma Christian University. Its mission was to emphasize spiritual growth and career preparation. Because of Cascade's ongoing financial problems, Oklahoma Christian University closed Cascade at the end of the 2009 academic year.
History
Cascade had been founded as Columbia Christian College in 1956.
For several years, Columbia had serious financial difficulties. Partially as a consequence, its regional accreditation was revoked. The school's board sought help from other colleges affiliated with Churches of Christ. Oklahoma Christian University agreed to fund the college as a branch campus. The newly renamed Cascade College opened in Fall 1994 after its acceptance as a branch by Oklahoma Christian University, with 143 students attending the first semester.
As a branch campus of Oklahoma Christian, Cascade College was accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and was authorized by the State of Oregon to offer and confer academic degrees. In October 2008, plans were announced to close Cascade, because of financial difficulties, at the end of the 2009 academic year.
Academics
The college operated on a
semester calendar. It offered degree programs in pre-nursing,
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
,
business, marketing, English, interdisciplinary studies, elementary education, biology, communications and
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...
. Cascade College also offered international study programs through its parent institution that created opportunities for students to experience other cultures.
Student life
Cascade College had a variety of activities, including service clubs (Delta Sigma Rho, Kingsmen Service Club ((AKA Kappa Sigma Chi)), Lambda Chi Omega, Phi Alpha Sigma, Phi Phi Phi, Alpha Kappa Sigma (a/k/a AXE established in 1997/98 school year)), SIFE, drama club (Grease Paint), psychology club (Psi Beta Sigma), diversity club (Naked Souls), instrumental groups, The Nature Society, Witness, campus ministry, academic clubs (Alpha Chi & Summit Society), theater (Visions/Second Story) and choir opportunities.
Athletics
The Cascade athletic teams were called the Thunderbirds. The college was 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) from 1997–98 to 2008–09. The mascot was the
Thunderbird
Thunderbird, thunder bird or thunderbirds may refer to:
* Thunderbird (mythology), a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture
* Ford Thunderbird, a car
Birds
* Dromornithidae, extinct flightless birds ...
.
Cascade competed in nine intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports included basketball, cross country, soccer and track & field; while women's sports included basketball, cross country, soccer, track & field and volleyball.
Campus
The 11-acre historic Cascade College campus was purchased from
Oklahoma Christian University and Cascade Inc. by
Columbia Christian Schools in 2012 after a "campaign to save the campus for Christian education" in Portland.
Warner Pacific College
Warner Pacific University is a private Christian university in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1937, the university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and affiliated with the Church of God.
History
The school w ...
, another
Portland area
Christian liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...
college, and former partner with Cascade College, houses several continuing education classrooms and a computer lab.
Mission statement
The mission statement was as follows: "Cascade College is a higher learning community which transforms lives for Christian faith, leadership, and service."
Controversies
Many questioned the decision to close the college in light of several multimillion-dollar projects which Oklahoma Christian had undertaken in recent years, including the erection of a clock tower estimated to cost $30 million.
References
External links
Information about the College on Oklahoma Christian University's websiteOfficial website
Official athletics website
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Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ
Universities and colleges in Portland, Oregon
Defunct Christian universities and colleges
Defunct private universities and colleges in Oregon
Educational institutions disestablished in 2009
1956 establishments in Oregon
2009 disestablishments in Oregon