Olivet Nazarene University
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Template:Infobox University (There is a college in Michigan named Olivet College)
Olivet Nazarene University is a liberal arts university located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school is affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene.
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History
Olivet traces its roots to 1907 when a group of families in East-Central Illinois started a school to provide a Christian education for their children. Classes were first held in a house in Georgetown, Illinois.
In 1908 the school's founders acquired several acres in the village of Olivet. On this land they build a small simple building. In 1909 the liberal arts college was started and the school was giving the name "Illinois Holiness University". The school was given to The Church of the Nazarene in 1912. The school was renamed Olivet College in 1915.
The economic solvency of the school became a problem in the 1920s, and the trustees were forced to declare bankruptcy in 1926. The school's treasurer Dr. T. W. Willingham purchased the school back at an auction and was elected president.
In 1938 the main building on campus was destroyed by fire. This prompted the school to look for a new location. The current campus was purchased in 1939 and the school moved in the Summer of 1940. The present campus was previously the location of St. Viator’s College from 1868 until it closed in 1938. With the move the school's name was changed to Olivet Nazarene College.
The school grew rapidly from 1946 until 1975 with over twenty major building being built during this time. The school's name was changed again in 1986 to Olivet Nazarene University. Since 2003, the Chicago Bears have held their summer training camp at the university.
School presidents
- Dr. T. W. Willingham (1926 to 1938)
- A.L. Parrott (1938 to 1949)
- Dr. Harold W. Reed (1949 to 1975)
- Dr. Leslie Parrott Sr. (1975 to 1991)
- Dr. John C. Bowling (1991 to current)
Contact information
- Olivet Nazarene University
- 1 University Avenue
- Bourbonnais, IL 60914-2345
- (800) 648-1463
- (815) 939-5011
See also
External link
- Olivet Nazarene University (http://www.olivet.edu/)