Corban University is a private, independent college in Salem, Oregon, United States. The school of about 1,200 students offers undergraduate work in biblical studies, liberal arts, and professional studies, and graduate work in business, ministry, education and counseling. Corban is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and athletically is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
History
First established in 1935 in Phoenix, Arizona as the Phoenix Bible Institute, the college moved in 1946 to Oakland, California and took the name Western Baptist Bible College, being affiliated with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC). In the mid-1950s the school moved to El Cerrito, California,. In 1969, the college moved to Salem, Oregon, where it operates today.
The school shortened the name to Western Baptist College in 1973. In the 1970s, Western added liberal arts programs in addition to ministry programs. Reno Hoff became the president of the institution in 1999, replacing David Miller. In 2001, Beth Bartosik became the first Fulbright Scholar in the school's history. Corban received a $2.1 million donation in 2001 to go towards a new performing arts center and chapel, the largest donation ever for the school.
In 2004, U.S. News and World Report ranked the school as the eighth best in the western United States for comprehensive colleges, and ninth the following year. The college's name was changed from Western Baptist College to Corban College on May 7, 2005. "Corban," a Hebrew word, means "a gift dedicated to God." Later in 2005 the college opened Davidson Hall, a residence hall, and had their largest incoming class to that point with 207 freshman and an overall enrollment of 860. In 2006, U.S. News & World Report listed the school at eight, the fifth year in a row the school was in the top ten. As of 2009, the college had an endowment of about $3 million. In 2013, U.S. News Best Colleges listed Corban in its Top 10 for the West for the 13th year in a row.
Corban accepts Christian students, and holds a Title IX exemption from the US Department of Education. Students are required to provide their testimony of their saving relationship with Jesus Christ in their application to Corban. In the summer of 2007, Corban's name was extended to Corban College and Graduate School in order to reflect the institution's graduate programs in education and business. In honor of the institution's 75th anniversary, the school became known as Corban University on May 1, 2010. Dr. Reno Hoff retired as president on June 30, 2013, and was succeeded by Dr. Sheldon C. Nord, who serves as the university's 10th president.
Academics
Corban's motto is "Dedicating heart and mind to God," and Corban's mission is "To educate Christians who will make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ" (Matthew 28:19-20). Corban operates as a liberal arts college and a Bible college. All Corban graduates, regardless of major, take a minimum of 24 semester units of Bible classes. Also, all classes are taught from a biblical perspective to show that Christ should be integrated in all areas of life. Corban is theologically conservative, yet attracts men and women from a wide variety of denominations and traditions. Most of the faculty hold advanced degrees, and all are professionally active in their disciplines. Corban is committed small class sizes and interactive pedagogy, where students are treated as individuals. In order to graduate, students must also complete a minimum of 50 hours of community outreach. The school was ranked as the fifth best amongst western regional colleges by U.S. News & World Report in 2016.
Campus
Corban's campus is on a wooded hillside on the outskirts of Salem, and the college owns approximately 222 acres (0.90Â km2) of the wooded hillside. The trees are mainly Douglas Fir and Oregon White Oak with a smattering of Big Leaf Maple. The site was previously the site of the Oregon Institute for Deaf-Mutes and then the Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital. Some buildings on campus date to those facilities. Over one hundred bird species have been identified on campus. The school also operated the Corban School of Ministry in Tacoma, Washington, after the Northwest Baptist Seminary was merged with Corban in 2010.
Throughout the years Corban has emphasized community. Freshmen and Sophomores, unless over the age of 21 or are married, must live on campus. They have six resident halls: Aagard, Farrar, Prewitt, Van Gilder, Balyo, and Davidson. Also on campus is the 683-seat Psalm Performing Arts Center opened in 2005 at a cost of $3.7 million. The library also houses the Prewitt-Allen Archaeological Museum with collections from Greece and the Middle East.
Radio station
Corban University operates KWBX (90.3 FM), a non-commercial educational radio station with its transmitter in Salem, Oregon. It is part of the Air-1 Network, a Christian Hit Radio format. KWBX breaks from the network on the 20s for local news, weather, and announcements.
Athletics
Corban University teams, nicknamed athletically as the Warriors, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball. The school colors are navy and gold.
The C. E. Jeffers Sports Center is a multi-purpose 1,500 seat sports arena in Salem, Oregon which is home to the Corban Warriors. It was opened in 1979 and houses the basketball and volleyball teams. The student section, which is reserved for "Fanatics," is small but passionate. The building namesake, Clarence E. Jeffers, was a Corban graduate and building contractor. The exterior of the arena was renovated in 2013.
Notable alumni
- Patrick Daka
- Elizabeth Halseth, Nevada State Senator
- Frank Prewitt
- Steve Reese
- Sherrie Sprenger, member of Oregon House of Representatives
References
External links
- Corban University
- Corban University Athletics
- Corban's Student Government Website
- OneCorban, unofficial LGBT student and alumni group
- US News & World Report
- Baker's Guide
- Salem-News coverage
- Picture of the grounds in 1958 as a hospital
- "Corban College". The Oregon Encyclopedia.Â