Olivet Nazarene University

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Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a private Christian university in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It is affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene and traces its roots to 1907, when Miss Mary Nesbitt’s Grammar School began near Georgetown, Illinois. The school moved to Olivet and went through several name changes before becoming Olivet Nazarene University in 1986.

History in brief:
- 1907: Founded as Miss Mary Nesbitt’s Grammar School in Georgetown, Illinois.
- 1909: Chartered as Illinois Holiness University.
- 1915: Renamed Olivet University; later Olivet College (1921).
- 1926: Financial difficulties led to bankruptcy; bought back by the school’s treasurer and president.
- 1939: Main campus building destroyed by fire.
- 1940: Relocated to the current Bourbonnais campus and became Olivet Nazarene College.
- 1986: Renamed Olivet Nazarene University.

Campus and setting:
ONU sits on about 250 acres in Bourbonnais, just outside Kankakee, Illinois. The campus has around 30 buildings, including several original sites from St. Viator College, plus modern facilities such as the Betty and Kenneth Hawkins Centennial Chapel and the Student Life and Recreation Center (opened in 2012). The university also operates satellite campuses for adult education in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and Hong Kong.

Academics:
ONU has seven academic units: College of Arts and Sciences; McGraw School of Business; Martin D. Walker School of Engineering; School of Education; School of Life and Health Sciences; School of Theology and Christian Ministry; and School of Graduate and Continuing Studies. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1956 and offers about 67 bachelor’s majors and various graduate programs.

Students, endowment, and culture:
As of fall 2022, ONU enrolled about 3,255 students (2,519 undergraduates and 736 graduates). The university’s endowment was about $69 million in 2024. ONU’s campus newspaper is The Olivet Gazette, the school colors are purple and gold, and the athletic teams are known as the Tigers. The college’s sports programs compete primarily in the NAIA, with affiliations in the CCAC and MSFA. The school also maintains a Christian radio station, WONU.

Student life and athletics:
ONU supports more than 80 clubs and organizations, many linked to faith, service, and student life. The Tigers participate in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports, with a range of opportunities for competition and recreation, along with club sports such as ice hockey.

values and public discussion:
ONU describes its mission as education with a Christian purpose and emphasizes academic programs within a Nazarene framework. Over the years, the university has faced public debates around science and religion and around issues of academic freedom and sexual morality within its Nazarene tradition. The university has stated commitments to academic integrity and to engaging questions from science, faith, and culture while maintaining its religious identity.