History of Northwestern College
Celebrating its 125-year anniversary in 2007-08, Northwestern College had its start in 1882 when residents of northwest Iowa established a school to prepare students for college and ultimately the ministry. Known as Northwestern Classical Academy, the school had as its motto “Deus est lux” (God is light). Among its founders were the Rev. Seine Bolks, the first pastor of Orange City’s First Reformed Church, and businessman Henry Hospers, who donated land in the southeast corner of Orange City as a site for the new school.
By 1889, enrollment had reached 75 students, and five years later, Zwemer Hall, the school’s first permanent building, was erected. Zwemer is now the college’s administrative center and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. As the academy grew, the curriculum expanded to embrace modern subjects like education and business, in addition to classical studies such as Latin. Soon academy graduates included educators and other professionals.
As new opportunities arose, the Board of Trustees approved new programs. In 1928 a junior college was added. The junior college became a four-year teacher training college, and spring of 1961 marked both the first graduating class of the four-year college and the last graduating class of the academy, which ceased operation.
Four years later, the Board of Trustees approved the development of a liberal arts program at Northwestern. Since that time, the college has significantly developed its academic program; in 1970 the North Central Association granted the college full accreditation.
The years since then have seen important changes, including new academic and co-curricular programs, a substantial increase in the number of faculty members with doctorates who are active in research and publication, and growing numbers of students drawn from outside the region, the nation and the Reformed Church in America.
Now in its second century, Northwestern—a member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities—is recognized both for the high quality of its academic programs and for the distinctively Christian education it provides.
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