Gordon College (Massachusetts)
| File:GordonLogo.png Seal of Gordon College | |
Former names | Gordon Bible Institute (1889-1916), Gordon Bible College (1916-1921), Gordon College of Theology and Missions (1921-1962), Gordon College and Divinity School (1962-19 |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1889 |
| Affiliation | Christian |
| Endowment | $27,059,080 |
| President | R. Judson Carlberg |
| Provost | Mark L. Sargent |
| Students | 1,648 |
| Undergraduates | 1,529 |
| Postgraduates | 119 |
| Location | , , 42°35′23″N 70°49′22″W / 42.589780°N 70.822880°W |
| Campus | Rural |
| Colors | Navy blue and white |
| Nickname | Fighting Scots |
| Affiliations | Annapolis Group, CCCU, CCC, NEASC |
| Website | www.gordon.edu |
Gordon College is a liberal arts college located on the former Princemere estate in Wenham, Massachusetts, northeast of Beverly. Founded by Baptist minister A. J. Gordon as a missionary training institute, the college is largely undergraduate and evangelical.
History
Adoniram Judson Gordon opened a Bible school named Gordon Bible Institute in the basement of his Baptist church in 1889[1] to train Christian missionaries for work in the Belgian Congo.[2] It was renamed Gordon Bible College in 1916[1] and moved out of its church and Newton Theological Institution facilities to The Fenway, into a facility given by Martha Frost, in 1919.[3] In 1921, it was renamed to Gordon College of Theology and Missions.[1] In the early 1950s, a Gordon student named James Higginbotham approached Frederick H. Prince about selling his 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) estate to the college and, in 1955, Gordon moved to its Wenham campus.[3] Gordon sold its old facilities to the Wentworth Institute of Technology, the Prince Memorial Chapel on the new campus (since razed) was named for Frederick Prince, and Prince's mansion was renamed Frost Hall after Martha Frost. In 1962, the school changed its name again to Gordon College and Divinity School.[1] In 1970, the Gordon Divinity School separated from the college and merged with the Conwell School of Theology in Philadelphia, once part of Temple University to form the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.[3] Then in 1985, Barrington College of Rhode Island went bankrupt and merged into Gordon College.[3][4]
Organization
As a product of its Baptist heritage, Gordon is largely evangelical, but not tied to a Christian denomination. Students are required to be professing Christians to attend the school.[5][6]
Academic associations
Gordon is a member of the Annapolis Group and the Christian College Consortium. It is also a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Gordon has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) since 1961.[7] The music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Its teacher education program is recognized by the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under the Interstate Service Compact.[8]
Academics
Gordon College offers the BA, BM, BS, MAT, MEd, and MMEd degrees.[8]
Student life
There were a total of 1,648 student enrolled at Gordon College in 2007, of whom 1,529 were undergraduates.[9]
Extracurriculars
Gordon College has a student association, student ministries, intramural sports, and a Campus Events Council. There are student-led community service and outreach organizations, ranging from drama troupes to Big Brothers Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity. Varsity sports are NCAA Division III, The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Teams represent Gordon College in baseball, basketball, cross-country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor).
Christianity
Students who attend the college must be professing Christians and are asked to fill out a Statement of Faith.[10] Students must also sign a Life and Conduct Statement agreeing to the standards of behavior that Gordon values. Gordon College prohibits alcohol, tobacco, and narcotic or hallucinogenic drugs on-campus[11] and has a dorm visitation policy that allows for male-female visitation only during particular hours.[12] Chapel is offered on Mondays and Wednesdays while an academic convocation takes place on Fridays; attendance is required to graduate.[13] On Sunday nights, students are able to participate in Catacombs, a student-led worship service of quiet music in the darkened chapel.
References
- ^ a b c d American universities and colleges: a dictionary of name changes by Alice H. Songe. Rowman & Littlefield (1978), p. 79
- ^ A. J. Gordon Heritage Project at Gordon College
- ^ a b c d History at Gordon College
- ^ History of Barrington College at Gordon College. Gordon's history describes Barrington as "New England's other Christian liberal arts college," but this is in error, as it excludes the existence of Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts and Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, as well as several other Roman Catholic colleges in Massachusetts.
- ^ Staff Application for Gordon College
- ^ Faculty Handbook for Gordon College
- ^ Details on Gordon College, NEASC
- ^ a b Stats and Facts
- ^ National Center for Education Statistics: Gordon College
- ^ Assumptions and Principles of the Gordon College community
- ^ Summary of Behavioural Expectations at Gordon College
- ^ Residence Life Information and Policies
- ^ Chapel Attendance Policy at Gordon College
External links
- Universities and colleges in Massachusetts
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- Nondenominational Christian universities and colleges
- Christian College Consortium
- Educational institutions established in 1889
- Council of Independent Colleges
- National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
- Liberal arts colleges