Cascade College
Encyclopedia
Cascade College was a private, four-year, liberal arts college associated with the Churches of Christ. Located in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, United States, it was a branch campus of Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma Christian University is a private comprehensive coeducational Christian liberal arts university founded in 1950 by members of the churches of Christ. OC is located on a campus in Oklahoma City. Enrollment for the fall 2011 semester numbered 2,194, which included 1,854 undergraduate and...

. 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 Partially as a consequence, its regional accreditation was revoked.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 1993 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
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

, marketing, English, interdisciplinary studies, elementary education, biology, communications and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

. 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, Kappa Sigma Chi, Lambda Chi Omega, Phi Alpha Sigma, Phi Phi Phi), SIFE
SIFE
SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders...

, 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

Cascade College's athletics program was part of the Cascade Collegiate Conference
Cascade Collegiate Conference
The Cascade Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Member schools are located in the Northwestern United States. Its basketball teams compete in Division II, the lower of the two levels of NAIA basketball competition. ...

, with teams in basketball, soccer, track, cross country, volleyball. The mascot was the Thunderbird
Thunderbird (mythology)
The Thunderbird is a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture. It is considered a "supernatural" bird of power and strength...

.

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.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK