Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Rural | |
Colors | Green & Blue |
---|---|
Nickname | Cougars |
Sporting affiliations | NAIA – Crossroads NCCAA Division I – Midwest |
Mascot | Casey the Cougar |
Website | www |
Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) is a
History
The result of a 1960 education commission,[4] Mount Vernon Nazarene was first chartered as the Zone A College of the Church of the Nazarene in 1964 by the church's General Assembly.[5] A site in the town of Mount Vernon was chosen in 1966 for its proximity to a concentrated Nazarene population,[4] and Mount Vernon Nazarene College (MVNC) opened in 1968 on the old Lakeholm Farm property that had belonged to The Ohio State University.[6]
The Lakeholm Farm was the former home of
The town of Mount Vernon was just one of many sites proposed for the college, but it raised $209,000
MVNU is a
Stephen W. Nease | 1968–1972 |
John A. Knight | 1972–1975 |
L. Guy Nees | 1975–1980 |
William J. Prince | 1980–1989 |
E. LeBron Fairbanks | 1989–2007 |
Daniel J. Martin | 2007–2012 |
Henry W. Spaulding II | 2012–2023 |
Carson Castleman | 2023-present |
Organization and affiliation
MVNU is one of eight US colleges and universities[12] affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. MVNU is the university for the Nazarene East Central Region of the United States, which comprises the Northwestern Ohio, North Central Ohio, East Ohio, Southwestern Ohio, South Central Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia North, and West Virginia South districts (all of Ohio, part of Kentucky, and most of West Virginia).[13]
The trustees of the university, organized in 1966, are representatives from each of these Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia districts.[5] Each institution receives financial backing from the Nazarene churches in its region; part of each church budget is paid into a fund for its regional school. Each college or university is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement not to actively recruit outside its respective educational region.[14]
MVNU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission[15] and all of its academic programs are submitted to the Ohio Board of Regents for approval. The university is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the Council for Higher Education, and the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges.
Campus
MVNU's main campus is along the southern edge of Mount Vernon, Ohio. The campus consists of over fifteen different classroom and residence buildings. The main classroom buildings are Faculty Hall, Regents Hall, Founders Hall, The Clarence and Jennie K. Moore Center, and Jetter Hall. Freshmen entering the school live in one of three dorms: Pioneer or Galloway for first-year women and Oakwood for first-year men. Students who are beyond their first year have the option of staying in Galloway Hall (women) or Redwood Hall (men) or moving to one of the apartment complexes on campus. These apartments are Cedar, Birch, and Cypress (upperclass men and women) and Maplewood (upperclass men), Elmwood (upperclass women), Rosewood, and Spruce (upperclass men and women).[16]
Other buildings on campus include the R.R. Hodges Chapel, Hyson Campus Center, Ariel Arena and the Prince Student Union, and Hunter Hall, The Stephen W. Nease Center and the Buchwald Center in downtown Mount Vernon. The R.R. Hodges chapel is where most chapel services take place on campus and is also the center of all music and performing arts classes and performances on campus. Hyson Campus Center houses the Dining Commons, the Student Life offices, the campus post office, and several classrooms.[16] Ariel Arena is MVNU's athletics facility, opened on November 8, 2013. Connected to the arena is the Prince Student Union, which houses the campus cafe, "The 586.”
MVNU also owns several buildings in downtown Mount Vernon. The first of these is Hunter Hall, which houses the university's nursing program and Happy Bean Coffee Shop. This building now contains high-tech
MVNU also has satellite locations in
Academics
Traditional undergraduate
MVNU has programs for traditional students,
MVNU is organized into six schools: Arts and Humanities, Business, Education and Professional Studies, Theology and Philosophy, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Natural and Social Sciences. Within these six schools the university offers a variety of degree programs for traditional undergraduate students.[2] The five most popular majors on campus are Business, Nursing, Education, Biology, and Engineering.
Graduate and Professional Studies Program
The
WNZR
WNZR, operating at a frequency of 90.9 FM MHz, signed on the air in October 1986. The station is owned and operated by Mount Vernon Nazarene University. The station's studios are located in Founders Hall and are part of the university's Communication Department and the School of Arts and Humanities. WNZR's broadcast tower and transmitter building is located off of Glen Road on the east end of the campus. The station serves a dual purpose as a laboratory for radio broadcasting classes and a broadcast ministry of MVNU.
WNZR is licensed by the
WNZR is funded through support from the university's general academic budget, donations from listeners, and underwriting support from area businesses and organizations. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, broadcasting primarily an
Student life
Enrollment in 2018 consisted of 2,243 students, 1,405 of whom were traditional and 838 non-traditional
While on campus, students participate in student-led small groups, chapel services,
The Student Government Association (SGA) is responsible for many of the events that take place on campus. It consists of 13 members who are responsible for various aspects of community life, from planning events to influencing policies on important issues. These members are elected yearly by the student body and include a president of each class, social, community and spiritual life, and other areas. Members of the SGA participate in meetings with the
Some campus events and traditions that take place annually are Welcome Week, Oaktoberfest, SonFest, and Block Party. Welcome Week includes activities such as a luau and dime-a-dog for sporting events. Oaktoberfest takes place on the lawn in front of Oakwood Hall and features hay rides,
Athletics
The Mount Vernon Nazarene (MVNU) athletic teams are called the Cougars. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Crossroads League (formerly known as the Mid-Central College Conference (MCCC) until after the 2011–12 school year) since the 2011–12 academic year. The Cougars previously competed in the defunct American Mideast Conference from 1975–76 to 2010–11.
MVNU competes in 21 varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading and eSports.
MVNU has added men's volleyball as a varsity sport for the 2020–21 season, with the sport spending the 2019–20 season as a club sport.
Facilities
MVNU hosts most of their sports at on-campus facilities, the newest of which is Ariel Arena. Opened in 2013, the arena was funded by the Ariel Corporation and is named for it. The main arena seats 2,100 for athletic events and 3,000 for concerts, performances and other events. The arena is attached to MVNU's older gymnasium, formerly known as the Physical Education Center, which provides auxiliary courts for practices. The arena also hosts a cardio center, weight room, athletics offices and classrooms. MVNU also has a baseball field built next to Ariel Arena, and a softball field and tennis courts found west of Martinsburg Road.
In addition to current facilities, MVNU has begun (2019) construction on a new soccer and lacrosse complex on the north side of campus. The new facility will feature a turf field, lights, grandstand seating for 500 spectators, locker rooms and additional amenities. The project is part of a larger community area that will include five grass soccer fields, and is built next to a new indoor facility being built by Mount Vernon High School. MVNU and MVHS will share access to both the soccer and lacrosse stadium and the indoor facility.
Accomplishments
In the 2018–19 season, MVNU saw great success on the field. The Cougars’ men's basketball program returned to the NAIA Division II National Tournament for the first time since 2009, reaching the second round. MVNU also had a number of NAIA All-Americans, most notably Mitchell Soviak, who won the NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field National Championship in shot put.
Intramurals
MVNU also supports a wide variety of intramural sports, such as tennis, softball, sand volleyball, indoor volleyball and flag football.
Notable alumni
- Tim Belcher, former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Tori Geib, chef and cancer patient advocate
- Tim Ginter, politician, member of the Ohio House of Representatives
- Marty McLeary, former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Floyd Nease, politician, former member of the Vermont House of Representatives
Notes and references
- ^ a b "MVNU Information". Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "MNVU Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ^ a b c Fall 2022. "Fact Sheet 2022-23" (PDF). Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ ISBN 9780873387637.
- ^ ISBN 9780664224097.
- ^ ISBN 9780873387637.
- ISBN 9780873387637.
- ^ "Area Development Foundation of Knox County". Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ISBN 9780873387637.
- ISBN 9780873387637.
- ^ ISBN 9780873387637.
- ^ "Nazarene Liberal Arts Colleges" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ^ "East Central Region" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ^ Guidelines and Handbook for Educational Institutions of the Church of the Nazarene (PDF). Church of the Nazarene International Board of Education. 1997. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2009.
- ^ "Higher Learning Commission". www.ncahlc.org. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ^ a b "MVNU Campus Map". Mvnu.edu. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ "Mount Vernon Nazarene University - Art and Graphic Design Department, School of Arts & Humanities". Mvnu.edu. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ "Mount Vernon Nazarene University: Graduate Professional Studies : Site Locations". Mvnu.edu. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ "Mount Vernon Nazarene University - Columbus New Albany, GPS, Adult, Graduate, Education". Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ "Mount Vernon Nazarene University". Guide to Best Colleges. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ "Adult and Graduate School Programs | Ohio Undergraduate, Graduate and Continuing Education at MVNU". Mvnu.edu. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ "Home". Wnzr.fm. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ "Mvnu Sga". Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ "SonFest".