Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Encyclopedia
Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) is a Christian liberal arts college
located in Mount Vernon
, Ohio
.
The result of a 1960 education commission, Mount Vernon Nazarene was first chartered as the Zone A College of the Church of the Nazarene
in 1964 by the church's General Assembly. The Mount Vernon site was chosen in 1966 for its proximity to a concentrated Nazarene population, and Mount Vernon Nazarene College (MVNC) opened in 1968 on the old Lakeholm Farm property that had belonged to The Ohio State University
.
The Lakeholm Farm was the former home of Columbus Delano
, Secretary of the Interior under Ulysses S. Grant
.
Three buildings (Manor, Ice House, and Barn) original to Lakeholm Farm, are still in operation on the campus today. Originally a two-year junior college
, and thought to be a feeder school
for the much older Eastern Nazarene College
(ENC) in Massachusetts
, it became a four-year school in 1970, was accredited
for two-year degrees in 1972 and four-year degrees in 1974, and graduate degrees in Christian ministry
were added in 1991. It was renamed Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) in 2002.
. The town was just one of many sites proposed for the college, but it raised $209,000 USD to purchase a 209-acre
portion of the Lakeholm Farm before the Church of the Nazarene bought it from The Ohio State University, which owned the property. The colonial-style buildings were designed to resemble Williamsburg, Virginia
. Nine acres were added by Mary Starr in 1970, and the college acquired a neighboring 128 acre (0.51799808 km²) farm in 1999. MVNU also has satellite locations in Columbus
, Gahanna
, Polaris, Newark
, Cincinnati
, Mansfield
, Marion
, and Grove City
, Ohio
.
. Although its name might suggest that it is the college for the "Mount Vernon" region, no such region currently exists; MVNU is the college for the "East Central Region" of the United States, which comprises the Northwestern Ohio, North Central Ohio, East Ohio, Southwestern Ohio, Central Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia North, and West Virginia South districts (all of Ohio
, part of Kentucky
, and most of West Virginia
).
The trustees of the college, organized in 1966, are representatives from each of these Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia districts. Each college receives financial backing from the Nazarene churches on its region; part of each church budget is paid into a fund for its regional school. Each college or university is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement
not to actively recruit outside its respective "educational region". Until the founding of Mount Vernon Nazarene College in 1968, its region had been part of the Eastern Region associated with the Eastern Nazarene College since the first establishment of Nazarene Educational Regions in 1918. This territorial alteration immediately affected the enrollment at Eastern Nazarene. MVNU has been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
since 1972.
and "family and consumer sciences," in spite of its liberal arts college
model. 75% of all degrees awarded are bachelor's degree
s and the 2007 acceptance rate for students who applied to the college was 72.2 percent. Student-to-faculty ratio is 16:1 and 60% of full-time professors hold a terminal degree. Many of the faculty members completed their training at one of the other Nazarene institutions of higher education.
-affiliated, 60% are female while 40% are male, and 78% of students live on-campus.
"Social dancing" is prohibited, as are "drinking alcoholic beverages, sexual acts with anyone other than one's spouse," "entertainment that is promiscuous, pornographic, or occult, illegal drugs and misuse of legal prescriptions, and tobacco in any form." Students and faculty are "expected" to attend chapel
services three times each week.
MVNU's athletic nickname
is the "Cougars." The university competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) in the Mid-Central College Conference
and National Christian College Athletic Association
(NCCAA) in the D-I East Region. Men's sports include baseball
, basketball
, cross-country
, golf
, and soccer. Women's sports include basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball
, and volleyball
. MVNU was recently accepted into the Mid-Central College Conference.
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
located in Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is named after Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George Washington.-History:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
History
| 1. | Stephen W. Nease Stephen W. Nease Stephen Wesley Nease was an educator and president of four different institutions of higher education. He was the father of two daughters, Linda Scott and Melissa Wallace; four sons, Floyd Nease , Stephen Nease, Jr., David Hardy Nease , and David Wayne... |
1968-1972 |
| 2. | John A. Knight John A. Knight John Allen Knight was a minister in the Church of the Nazarene, general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene, president of Mount Vernon Nazarene College , and editor of the Herald of Holiness, now known as Holiness Today . He died in Daytona Beach, Florida.- References :... |
1972-1975 |
| 3. | L. Guy Nees | 1975-1980 |
| 4. | William J. Prince William J. Prince William J. Prince is a minister, college president, and emeritus general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene.Prince became the district superintendent for the Pittsburgh District Church of the Nazarene in 1979... |
1980-1989 |
| 5. | E. LeBron Fairbanks | 1989-2007 |
| 6. | Daniel J. Martin | 2007-present |
The result of a 1960 education commission, Mount Vernon Nazarene was first chartered as the Zone A College of the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
in 1964 by the church's General Assembly. The Mount Vernon site was chosen in 1966 for its proximity to a concentrated Nazarene population, and Mount Vernon Nazarene College (MVNC) opened in 1968 on the old Lakeholm Farm property that had belonged to The Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
.
The Lakeholm Farm was the former home of Columbus Delano
Columbus Delano
Columbus Delano, was a lawyer and a statesman and a member of the prominent Delano family.At the age of eight, Columbus Delano's family moved to Mount Vernon in Knox County, Ohio, a place he would call home for the rest of his life. After completing his primary education, he studied law and was...
, Secretary of the Interior under Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
Three buildings (Manor, Ice House, and Barn) original to Lakeholm Farm, are still in operation on the campus today. Originally a two-year junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
, and thought to be a feeder school
Feeder school
Feeder school is a name applied to schools, colleges, universities, or other educational institutions that provide a significant number of graduates who intend to continue their studies at specific schools, or even in specific fields....
for the much older Eastern Nazarene College
Eastern Nazarene College
The Eastern Nazarene College is a private, coeducational college of the liberal arts and sciences in Quincy, Massachusetts near Boston, in the New England region of the United States. Known for its strong religious affiliation, distinctive liberal arts core curriculum, and excellence in science...
(ENC) in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, it became a four-year school in 1970, was accredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
for two-year degrees in 1972 and four-year degrees in 1974, and graduate degrees in Christian ministry
Christian ministry
In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith. 2003's Encyclopedia of Christianity defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", indicating that it is "conferred on each Christian in baptism." It is performed by all Christians...
were added in 1991. It was renamed Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) in 2002.
Campus
MVNU's main campus is along the southern edge of Mount Vernon, OhioMount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is named after Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George Washington.-History:...
. The town was just one of many sites proposed for the college, but it raised $209,000 USD to purchase a 209-acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
portion of the Lakeholm Farm before the Church of the Nazarene bought it from The Ohio State University, which owned the property. The colonial-style buildings were designed to resemble Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
. Nine acres were added by Mary Starr in 1970, and the college acquired a neighboring 128 acre (0.51799808 km²) farm in 1999. MVNU also has satellite locations in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Gahanna
Gahanna, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 32,636 people, 11,990 households, and 8,932 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,632.8 people per square mile . There were 12,390 housing units at an average density of 999.5 per square mile...
, Polaris, Newark
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
, Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Mansfield
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
, Marion
Marion, Ohio
Marion is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Marion County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus....
, and Grove City
Grove City, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,075 people, 10,265 households, and 7,544 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,941.2 people per square mile . There were 10,712 housing units at an average density of 768.0 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Organization and affiliation
MVNU is one of eight U.S. liberal arts colleges affiliated with the Church of the NazareneChurch of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
. Although its name might suggest that it is the college for the "Mount Vernon" region, no such region currently exists; MVNU is the college for the "East Central Region" of the United States, which comprises the Northwestern Ohio, North Central Ohio, East Ohio, Southwestern Ohio, Central Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia North, and West Virginia South districts (all of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, part of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and most of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
).
The trustees of the college, organized in 1966, are representatives from each of these Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia districts. Each college receives financial backing from the Nazarene churches on its region; part of each church budget is paid into a fund for its regional school. Each college or university is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement
Gentlemen's agreement
A gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette. The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties...
not to actively recruit outside its respective "educational region". Until the founding of Mount Vernon Nazarene College in 1968, its region had been part of the Eastern Region associated with the Eastern Nazarene College since the first establishment of Nazarene Educational Regions in 1918. This territorial alteration immediately affected the enrollment at Eastern Nazarene. MVNU has been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
since 1972.
Academics
MVNU has programs for traditional students, graduate students, and working adults. The format of the traditional undergraduate division has led some to call MVNU "a college of the past" because it still utilizes "traditional 'women-oriented' programs" common to schools of the early 20th century, such as home economicsHome Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
and "family and consumer sciences," in spite of its liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
model. 75% of all degrees awarded are bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s and the 2007 acceptance rate for students who applied to the college was 72.2 percent. Student-to-faculty ratio is 16:1 and 60% of full-time professors hold a terminal degree. Many of the faculty members completed their training at one of the other Nazarene institutions of higher education.
Student life
There were 2,675 students at the college in 2007, 2,169 of whom were undergraduates. 9% of students represent racial minorities, 93% of students are from the State of Ohio, over 50% are NazareneChurch of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
-affiliated, 60% are female while 40% are male, and 78% of students live on-campus.
"Social dancing" is prohibited, as are "drinking alcoholic beverages, sexual acts with anyone other than one's spouse," "entertainment that is promiscuous, pornographic, or occult, illegal drugs and misuse of legal prescriptions, and tobacco in any form." Students and faculty are "expected" to attend chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
services three times each week.
Athletics
Athletic nickname
The athletic nickname, or equivalently athletic moniker, of a university or college within the United States is the name officially adopted by that institution for at least the members of its athletic teams...
is the "Cougars." The university competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA) in the Mid-Central College Conference
Mid-Central College Conference
The Mid-Central College Conference is an athletic conference composed of NAIA private Christian colleges in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio . The current conference commissioner is J. D...
and National Christian College Athletic Association
National Christian College Athletic Association
The National Christian College Athletic Association is an association of approximately 100 Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada which see collegiate sports primarily as an opportunity for Christian fellowship and ministry. The national headquarters...
(NCCAA) in the D-I East Region. Men's sports include baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and soccer. Women's sports include basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. MVNU was recently accepted into the Mid-Central College Conference.