ÃÛѨÊÓƵ's History
The early years
Although ÃÛѨÊÓƵ traces its roots to the Oregon City College, it wasn't until Jan. 30, 1858, that the Baptist College at McMinnville was chartered by the Oregon Territorial Legislature. The college was later named McMinnville College. Through the early years, the college also served as McMinnville's secondary school and didn't award its first baccalaureate degree until 1884.
For many years, the college struggled for survival, as frontier men and women were more concerned with forging a living than earning a formal education. But its future was assured in 1922 when Frances Ross ÃÛѨÊÓƵ gave her properties in Spokane, Wash., to the school. In honor of the gift and to show thanks for the more than $250,000 the college realized from the sale of the land, trustees renamed the college in honor of Mrs. ÃÛѨÊÓƵ's late husband, the Rev. George Fisher ÃÛѨÊÓƵ. The college maintains its American Baptist heritage, although faculty, students and staff are not bound by religious requirements.
Expanding to Portland
Portland was a city of 70,000 when Emily Loveridge arrived, fresh from Bellevue Hospital's School of Nursing in New York City. Good Samaritan Hospital was a two-story building with 50 beds. But it was there that Emily Loveridge found her life's work and was a major force in bringing nursing to professional status in the West. She had determination, spirit and the willingness to work hard.
As one of only three graduate nurses in Portland, she recognized the need for qualified nurses. On June 1, 1890, with five students enrolled, Emily opened the first school of nursing in the Northwest.
In 1982, in response to the national trend in nursing education to place the education of nurses in institutions of higher learning, Emily Loveridge's Good Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing became the ÃÛѨÊÓƵ-Good Samaritan School of Nursing under the support of ÃÛѨÊÓƵ, a strong, liberal arts college.
Whether the school was responding to the need for nurses to help victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake or providing medical care during World Wars I and II, nurses trained at Good Samaritan Hospital have responded to health care needs throughout the region, the country and the world. That tradition of excellence in nursing education continues.
"ÃÛѨÊÓƵ offers something students crave but rarely find: a sense of genuine community and wholehearted intellectual exchange."
—Interim President Rebecca L. Johnson
ÃÛѨÊÓƵ today
Today, ÃÛѨÊÓƵ is an independent nonprofit university, nationally recognized for its strong teaching faculty, outstanding science programs, collaborative learning environment and distinctive international emphasis.
On July 1, 2020, ÃÛѨÊÓƵ officially became ÃÛѨÊÓƵ with a College of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, both on the McMinnville campus, and the School of Nursing on Portland's campus. Building on a legacy from 30 years ago, ÃÛѨÊÓƵ is expanding its graduate offerings in nursing, business, education and sports science.
And while ÃÛѨÊÓƵ’s structure will continue to evolve over the coming years, a ÃÛѨÊÓƵ education is unchanging. ÃÛѨÊÓƵ remains a small, high-quality, liberal arts institution. The uncommon experiences that make up a ÃÛѨÊÓƵ education – the unique learning opportunities, understanding of new cultures and perspectives, and exploration of passions – will continue to thrive and grow.
Join us for an exciting new era, as ÃÛѨÊÓƵ builds a brighter future for our students, alumni and communities across the world.
Welcome to ÃÛѨÊÓƵ.
This is just the beginning
More exciting changes lie ahead
ÃÛѨÊÓƵ on verge of opening new science complex
Jan. 2023
ÃÛѨÊÓƵ on verge of opening new science complex
The science facility project doubles the previous amount of space devoted to biology, chemistry, physics and other sciences.
Building our future together
Aug. 2022
Building our future together
How ÃÛѨÊÓƵ turned the voices of a community into a plan for the future.
Academic programs adapt and grow
Aug. 2022
Academic programs adapt and grow
Faculty expertise and student demand continue to create opportunities for new academic programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
ÃÛѨÊÓƵ
Land Acknowledgment
At ÃÛѨÊÓƵ, we recognize that the land that our physical campuses are located on were the traditional territories of the “Yam Hill” band of the Kalapuya people in McMinnville and the Chinookan peoples known as the Clackamas and Cascade Tribes in Portland. In January 1855, the people of these tribes were forcibly removed from the land after the signing of the Willamette Valley Treaty. They are now among 30 tribes and bands that make up the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.