Northwestern College: A Legacy of Faith, Learning, and Community

Northwestern College, located in Orange City, Iowa, stands as a testament to the enduring power of faith-based education within the Reformed tradition. From its humble beginnings as a classical academy to its current status as a comprehensive liberal arts college, Northwestern has remained committed to its founding principles while adapting to the evolving needs of its students and the wider world.

A Foundation Rooted in Faith and Heritage

Northwestern is a Christian college in the Reformed tradition. That tradition goes back to the 16th-century Protestant Reformation and to the work of John Calvin. Calvinist churches spread throughout continental Europe and the rest of the English-speaking world, including North America, where their best-known representatives have been the Puritans and the Presbyterians. Reformed Christianity was the dominant religious influence in colonial America. In the early 17th century, Dutch Calvinist immigrants settled in what is now New York, where the first Reformed Church was organized in 1628. This makes the Reformed Church in America, Northwestern's founding denomination, the oldest Protestant denomination in North America with a continuous ministry.

Settlement of Northwest Iowa

A second Dutch migration to the New World-this time to the Midwest in the 19th century-brought immigrants who desired freedom of religious expression and opportunities for a better life in general. The best-known settlements of the Dutch Reformed immigrants of this time were Holland, Michigan, and Pella, Iowa, both begun in 1847. Most of these immigrants soon joined the Reformed Church in America. In the 1870s some Pella residents led by Henry Hospers moved to inexpensive, fertile land in northwestern Iowa, about forty miles north of Sioux City. They named their main settlement "Orange City," after the Dutch royal house.

The Founding of Northwestern Classical Academy

In 1872, the Reverend Seine Bolks became the first pastor of Orange City's First Reformed Church. One of the founders of what became Hope College in Holland, Michigan, he desired to establish a Christian classical academy in Orange City to prepare students for college and ultimately for ministry in the Reformed Church in America. After considerable economic hardship, the area's Dutch Reformed people, led by Bolks and Hospers, incorporated the Northwestern Classical Academy on July 19, 1882. The constitution called for establishing an institution of learning "for the promotion of science and literature in harmony with, and religion as expressed in, the doctrinal standards of the Reformed Church in America."

Academic Excellence and a Christian Worldview

At Northwestern, history is taught consciously from a Christian perspective. History, as a discipline at Northwestern, aims to assist the student in the development of an informed perspective on the human past. Such a perspective is integral to a Christian liberal arts education. Lacking a sense of history, a person skims through life on the thin surface of the present. With the study of history, however, one can begin to comprehend the deep currents of culture which shape our lives and those of others today. With this comprehension one is well poised not only to reflect on the past, but also to apply insights gained thereby to resolving the problems of the present and future.

The curriculum “encourages us to pursue our faith through our academics,” and classwork often asks that students reflect on how their Christian faith is “connecting with literature, translation ethics, evolution, rhetoric, social justice issues.” Students also cite the resources available to them across campus, including “an incredible student tutoring program” wherein those individuals “who succeed in classes are selected as tutors and assist other students in their coursework.” Going along with that are the “helpful, understanding, positive, cheerful, and informative” professors at Northwestern.

A Wide Array of Academic Programs

NWC offers more than 135 programs of study and awards Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.), Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Education (M.Ed.), and Master of Science (M.S.) degrees. In addition to more than 135 academic program options for undergraduates, Northwestern also offers graduate and professional studies programs both online and on campus.

Students naturally are concerned about vocational opportunities beyond graduation. Students of history at Northwestern have a wide variety of options open to them because the study of history provides both basic training in disciplined thought and expression as well as a rich framework of knowledge within which to deal with contemporary challenges. Those who concentrate on the study of history therefore may pursue careers in education at every level. Others may go on to full-time historical research or archive management (whether in the business sector or in public institutions). Northwestern College believes, however, that the serious study of history should not be confined to those who major in the field and so introduces it to all students.

Social Studies Teaching Major

If you want to share your passion for history with others, the social studies teaching major combines courses in history, political science, and psychology with education courses, preparing you to lead your own classroom. If you want to become a high school teacher, you'll complete both a social studies teaching major and a secondary education major. To build your confidence, you’ll spend more than 100 hours in area classrooms before you student teach. You’ll also have the opportunity to student teach within a 60-mile radius of campus or with an international school.

Campus Life and Community

Northwestern College is located in Orange City, Iowa, a community of more than 6,000 residents in Sioux County, Iowa. Northwestern's 100-acre campus is a few blocks south of Orange City's downtown at the intersection of Highway 10 and Albany Avenue and features a campus green that stretches from the DeWitt Family Science Center to De Valois Stadium.

Read also: Northwestern Kellogg Programs

Facilities and Resources

Northwestern's DeWitt Family Science Center, built in 2019 for $24.5 million, anchors the west edge of campus. Lining either side of the campus green are Van Peursem Hall, where the majority of classes are held; the DeWitt Learning Commons, the college's library; and the DeWitt Music Hall, with rehearsal and practice rooms for NWC's band, vocal and orchestra students. Connected to DeWitt Music Hall is Christ Chapel, a 900-seat auditorium where chapel and concerts are held. The Vogel Welcome Center, located just inside Northwestern's main entrance, is a first stop for visitors, including prospective students and their parents. A main boulevard leads toward Zwemer Hall, which houses the offices of the president and vice president for academic affairs; business, registrar's, advancement and human resources offices; Graduate & Professional Studies staff; and print room.

Residential Life

86% of Northwestern's traditional undergraduate students live on campus. Residence halls are staffed by professional resident directors and student resident assistants and mix first-year students with upperclassmen/women. Each residence hall maintains a number of hall-specific traditions.

Athletics

Northwestern's athletic facilities include the Bultman Center, Juffer Athletic Fieldhouse, DeWitt Fitness Center, and De Valois Stadium. De Valois Stadium seats 3,100 for Northwestern football games, home track meets, and marching band competitions. The Bultman Center contains coaches' offices, athletic training facilities, classrooms and locker rooms, as well as a 2,200-seat gymnasium. The Juffer Athletic Fieldhouse features an indoor practice arena for the baseball, softball and soccer teams, as well as the Korver Athletic Performance Center weight room for Raider athletes and a golf practice room.

The Raiders compete in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor teams), and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, dance, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor teams), and volleyball. The Raiders have won 15 national championships: 10 by teams and five by individuals. In 2001, both the men's and women's basketball teams won the national title, the first time an NAIA school accomplished the feat and only the second instance in collegiate history.

A Diverse Student Body

Northwestern's fall 2023 enrollment totaled 1,715 students, of whom 1,162 were undergraduate students, 543 were graduate students, and 10 were enrolled in the Northwestern NEXT program. Traditional undergraduate students came from 25 states, with 42% from outside of Iowa. 52% are men and 48% are women. 11% are students of color, and another 3% are international students from 23 countries.

Read also: GPA and SAT/ACT for Northwestern

A Vision for the Future

Northwestern's Vision for Learning includes four goals: to help students learn to trust, love and worship God; engage ideas; connect knowledge and experience; and respond to God's call.

Northwestern College in the 21st century is a standout higher education institution, earning awards for academic excellence, spiritual fervor, co-curricular opportunity and vibrant campus life. Two faculty members were named Iowa's Professor of the Year in 2004 and 2006, and Red Raider teams have won eight national championships since 2001. New facilities have been constructed for art, theatre and athletics, and an impressive learning commons/library opened in 2013. Standing next to Christ Chapel, the two flank the college's entrance and signal that this is a place committed to the integration of faith and learning. Adhering to its original mission of providing a Christ-centered education, Northwestern identifies as Reformed in commitment, evangelical in engagement and ecumenical in spirit. As in the past, Northwestern looks to the future with confidence and faith that God’s light will continue to guide.

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