Former names
|
Miss Mary Nesbitt's Grammar School (1907–1909), Illinois Holiness University (1909–1915), Olivet University (1915–1923), Olivet College (1923–1939), Olivet Nazarene College (1939–1986) |
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Motto | Gratia et Veritas |
Type | Private |
Established | 1907 |
Affiliation | Church of the Nazarene |
Endowment | US $13.6 million |
President | John C. Bowling |
Students | 5,000 |
Undergraduates | 3,000 |
Postgraduates | 2,000 |
Location | Bourbonnais, IL, US |
Campus |
Suburban 250 acres (1.0 km2) |
Newspaper | The Glimmerglass |
Colors | Purple and Gold |
Athletics | 21 intercollegiate teams NAIA Division 2 |
Nickname | Tigers |
Affiliations |
CCAC MSFA CCCU |
Mascot | Toby the Tiger |
Website | olivet.edu |
Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a Christian liberal arts university located in the village of Bourbonnais, Illinois, United States. Named for Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. It is affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene and is the annual site of the Church's "Regional Celebrate Life" youth gathering for the Central USA Region. It is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Olivet Nazarene University traces its roots to 1907, when the Eastern Illinois Holiness Association started Miss Mary Nesbitt's grammar school in a house in Georgetown, Illinois. In 1908, the school's founders acquired 14 acres in the village of Olivet, and moved the grammar school to the proposed campus. A Wesleyan–holiness community sprang up around the school.
In 1909, the liberal arts college was chartered and named Illinois Holiness University, with A. M. Hills from Texas Holiness University as its first president. It was then given to the Church of the Nazarene in 1912, with E. F. Walker as president, and inherited one of the most populated Nazarene regions in the United States. It was renamed Olivet University in 1915, and again in 1921 to Olivet College.
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, T. W. Willingham, purchased the school back at an auction and was elected president. In 1939, the main building on campus was destroyed by fire. This prompted the school to look for a new location. Under President A.L. Parrott, the school moved in 1940, onto the previous 42-acre (170,000 m2) campus of St. Viator's College. With the move, the school's name was changed to Olivet Nazarene College (ONC). The school's name was changed again in 1986 to Olivet Nazarene University (ONU).