Centennial Corner: May/June 2007

In 1907, Holiness families in eastern Illinois who were passionate about wholesome, Christian, education established an elementary school for their children. By 1909, the school, located in Olivet, Illinois, offered college-level courses and became known as Illinois Holiness University. In 1912, the school became part of the Church of the Nazarene and was renamed Olivet University in 1915, and then Olivet College in 1922. In 1926, Olivet's future looked bleak because of bankruptcy. T. W. Willingham, president from 1926 to 1938, made a bold move to reclaim the school with his own funds. In November 1939, fire destroyed the main classroom, chapel, library, and administration building. A. L. Parrott led the move from Olivet to a vacant campus in nearby Bourbonnais, Illinois. Trustees renamed the school Olivet Nazarene College in May 1940. In 1942, Laurence Howe, vice president, coined the university's motto, "Education with a Christian Purpose." Academics in the 30s and 40s were organized in three schools: liberal arts, music, and religion. In 1939, 300 students enrolled at "old" Olivet. By 1947, after World War II, enrollment had risen to 881. Harold W. Reed, elected president in 1949, designed an academic structure of six divisions, which was implemented by Willis Snowbarger, then dean of the college, earning Olivet's North Central accreditation in 1956. Today, the institution offers more than 100 areas of study, organized into four schools and one college. Master's degree programs in religion began in 1965 and in education in 1973. Now, Olivet offers nearly 20 graduate and continuing studies programs. A tornado in April 1963 damaged several buildings. No lives were lost, few were injured, and buildings were restored and improved. Intercollegiate sports, which began with basketball in 1966 and football in 1976, have grown to include 17 sports for men and women, plus an enhanced intramural program. During Leslie Parrott's presidency, the trustees voted in 1986 to change the school's name to Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) to express the diversity of baccalaureate and graduate studies offered. Enrollment has gradually increased over the past decade to a high of 4,495 in the 2006-7 academic year, including nearly 2,500 undergraduate students. ONU President John C. Bowling observes, "Today Olivet has a reach that literally spans the globe. Thousands of ONU students and alumni live out the Olivet experience in their homes, their jobs, their churches." As ONU celebrates her 100th anniversary, Bowling has announced a series of Centennial Initiatives. Among these initiatives are the construction of a "Centennial Chapel" and the launch of the university's first doctoral program, the doctor of education in ethical leadership, to begin summer 2007. Olivet's Centennial Celebration began in November 2006 and will continue through Homecoming, November 2007. To learn more about Olivet Nazarene University and the Centennial Celebration, visit Gordon Wickersham is historian for Olivet Nazarene University. Holiness Today, May/June 2007