Northwest Nazarene University history

1915 The groundbreaking for the first building on what was to become the NNU campus took place in 1915.

1916 H. Orton Wiley became the first president of NNC in 1916.

1917 Harvard graduate Olive M. Winchester joined NNC's Department of Hebrew and Bible Literature in 1917.

1923 NNC founder Eugene Emerson was elected mayor of Nampa in 1923.

1926 26-year-old Russell V. DeLong accepted a faculty position at NNC in 1926 to teach philosophy and theology.

NNU is also a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). NNU has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) since 1930, making it the first Nazarene school to achieve an accredited status.

1931 The administration building was restructured in the summer of 1931.

1932 United States senator William E. Borah spoke to an audience in the new NNC auditorium on October 25, 1932.

1935 Russel V. Delong returned as NNU's 5th president in 1935.

1937 The Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools voted full accreditation to NNC as a four-year institution on April 7, 1937.

1941 On the day that the United States declared war on Japan, President DeLong expressed confidence in the leadership of President Roosevelt and reminded the student body that staying in college would prepare them for leadership after the war.

1942 The Civil Aeronautics Authority established a Ground School at NNC in 1942 and offered studies in aviation for noncombat pilots.

1948 President Corlett taught a course for seniors in 1948 designed to help them make the transition after graduation from college into everyday life.

1952 John E. Riley became NNC's 7th president in 1952.

1961 The National Science Foundation granted NNC $37,000 to develop the mass spectrometer in 1961.

1973 Kenneth H. Pearsall was inaugurated as NNC's 8th president in 1973.

1978 Oxford Hall was renamed Sutherland Hall in 1978 in remembrance of Francis Sutherland.

1979 Senator Frank Church addressed the student body at convocation in 1979.

1981 Many students who chose to enroll in 1981 cited Bruce Webb, Director of Admissions, as the "deciding factor." That year he sent out almost 5,000 handwritten letters and postcards.

1982 Jeff Hanway became the first NNC student to receive the honor of academic All-American in 1982.

1983 A. Gordon Wetmore was inaugurated as NNC's 9th president in 1983.

1990 Myron Finkbeiner became Director of Development in 1990 after 12 years as Executive Secretary of the NNC Alumni Association.

Leon Doane became NNC's 10th president in 1992.

1993 Doctor Gayman Bennett was inducted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.

1994 Doctor Richard A Hagood was inaugurated as the 11th President of NNC in 1994.

It was renamed Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) in 1999.

2001 NNU was among the first universities in Idaho to go wireless in 2001.

2009 Doctor David Alexander was inaugurated as NNU's 12th president in 2009.

NNU added tennis as a club team in the Fall of 2013.

2014 Adding onto the John E. Riley Library, the Leah Peterson Learning Commons construction is completed.

2015 Howard and Mary Conrad, long time supporters of NNU, make a transformational gift to the university that exceeds $18 million dollars.

2016 Following a one year term as interim president, Joel Pearsall accepts a four-year term as president in March 2016.

2017 On October 16, 2017, NNU unveiled its new mascot the “Nighthawks,” officially retiring the “Crusader.”

2018 In February, NNU installed a new soccer turf, FieldTurf CORE 2.0, a top of the line surface that is similarly used at Gillette Stadium where the New England Patriots and New England Revolution play.

2019 NNU introduced its men’s and women’s Club Sports program.