Since its founding in 1902, Northwestern has been committed to the preparation of graduates who have a deep understanding of biblical truth and who are able to provide service to the wider community. The institution has changed dramatically through the years, moving from primarily a missionary training school to a comprehensive university providing early college, undergraduate and graduate programs through multiple venues including online, face-to-face and blended teaching models. However, the focus on preparing students intellectually and spiritually for effective service has remained consistent. University of Northwestern’s (UNW) guiding mission documents include its Mission Statement, Philosophy of Education, Foundational Beliefs and Doctrinal Statement. In addition, all undergraduate programs are designed to meet the Core Curriculum Outcomes.
University of Northwestern exists to provide Christ-centered higher education equipping students to grow intellectually and spiritually, to serve effectively in their professions and to give God- honoring leadership in the home, church, community and world.
We believe that all intellectual inquiry starts from a set of assumptions based on faith. We
further believe that, from the beginning, God has revealed truth to humanity by His Word and by His creation. Because of the Fall, sin impairs our capacity to reason rightly and to know truth. It is only God’s redemptive work of new creation through Jesus Christ, revealed in the Bible, that has restored our potential for rightly discerning and interpreting truth.
All creation reflects God’s glory. Likewise, God has invested us with His image that we might glorify Him by seeking to know Him and the design and purpose of His creation in order to love and serve Him. Northwestern, as a community of faith and learning, is dedicated to that inquiry.
At the core of the university’s educational purpose is the pursuit of truth as revealed in the Bible and through God’s creation. Therefore, the study of the Bible is central in our approach to education. Our pursuit of truth begins with the assumption that the Bible is the “governing discipline”—the foundation from which all other disciplines emerge and the ultimate judge of all fields of inquiry. The Bible (correctly interpreted through the guiding instruction of the Holy Spirit and proper interpretive methods) is the lens through which we interpret knowledge discovered in all other subject areas. We believe that there is a consistency between biblical truth and truth discovered through reason and experience, but we hold that when apparent conflicts occur, all truth claims defer to the truth revealed in the Bible.
God has made His people stewards of His creation and provided a general revelation of Himself through all that He has created. Believers are called to use their God-given rational abilities to understand, organize and use what God has revealed. Consequently, University of Northwestern strives to instill in students the desire to pursue truth as a life-long calling and to provide them with the tools to learn the truths of the Bible and in all of God’s creation and to be witnesses of God’s redemptive glory throughout the world.
University of Northwestern endeavors to provide education that is grounded first and foremost in the truth of the Bible and in God as the Ultimate Reality of the universe. Based on an intimate knowledge of the Word of God and with a deep, growing relationship with Jesus Christ, all other knowledge is interpreted in its proper and accurate perspective. The study of the Bible, theology and the practice of personal spiritual disciplines are the foundation on which all other disciplines rest. When the apparent truths of an academic discipline conflict with the truth of God’s Word, we put our trust in God’s revealed truth in the Bible.
Having an educational philosophy with its central core steeped in the revealed Word of God, we endeavor to provide a well-rounded education that equips students to have a broad understanding of the world God has created. Our approach to education reflects a commitment to the values of community, life-long learning, ministry, integrity and the pursuit of excellence. This approach enables our students to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to be effective in a variety of professions, to become leaders and to be enthusiastic witnesses of God’s truth to the world. University of Northwestern equips students to study the world with rigor, to participate meaningfully in our society, to be able to apply critical thinking skills in all inquiries, to express themselves with confidence and to have an overwhelming sense of God’s infinite wisdom regarding all things.
Because UNW values biblical truth and believes that truth informs disciplines
Graduates will…
Articulate the integration of biblical teaching appropriate to their fields.
Know the basic content of the Bible and the redemptive-historical storyline of Scripture. Know the essential teachings of theology and God’s work through the church to the nations.
Apply critical thinking skills through a biblically informed worldview in the evaluation of all matters.
Because UNW values finding identity in Christ and following Him in all pursuits and actions Graduates will…
Understand their personal identity and future hope in Christ. Be able to interpret Scripture and apply it to their lives.
Be equipped to engage in a process of spiritual growth into the likeness of Christ.
Be able to examine their life experiences in light of Scripture and their relationship with God.
Live a life of physical wellness, personal integrity and holiness in Christ.
Because UNW values effective communication Graduates will…
Be able to speak and listen well.
Be able to read with comprehension and to write effectively. Be able to use technology effectively and ethically.
Be able to proclaim and defend the Gospel with an effective testimony in both life and word.
Because UNW values the importance of community and global perspectives Graduates will…
Understand the central call of service in the life of all Christians. Demonstrate the core biblical concept of servanthood in leadership. Understand elements of basic human behavior in historical and social contexts.
Act with integrity, humility, respect and understanding toward individuals and groups. Understand our own and other cultures as demonstrated by thoughtful and biblical engagement in a culturally diverse world.
Because UNW values the exploration and pursuit of knowledge Graduates will…
Be able to find, evaluate and use information effectively. Have a depth of knowledge in their fields of study.
Know core ideas that have shaped human thinking in the humanities, fine arts, natural sciences, behavioral sciences and mathematics.
Be able to employ critical thinking skills such as reasoning, problem-solving and analysis.
Demonstrate intellectual curiosity, creativity and pursuit of lifelong learning.
University of Northwestern (UNW) is a non-denominational comprehensive Christian university that has at the core of its purpose equipping students intellectually and spiritually for service and leadership that is God-honoring. Threaded throughout its guiding documents is a commitment to understanding and applying biblical truth. As described in its Philosophy of Education, “University of Northwestern strives to instill in students the desire to pursue truth as a life-long calling and to provide them with the tools to learn the truths of the Bible and in all of God’s creation and to be witnesses of God’s redemptive glory throughout the world.” The statement of Foundational Beliefs expands on this in stating, “All creation reflects God’s glory. Likewise, God has invested us with His image that we might glorify Him by seeking to know Him and the design and purpose of His creation in order to love and serve Him. Northwestern, as a community of faith and learning, is dedicated to that inquiry.” These foundational beliefs provide the purpose for applying rational God-given abilities to continually seeking a deeper understanding of the chosen discipline as well as deeper understanding of spiritual truth.
The theme of service is also threaded throughout the mission documents of the institution. The mission statement itself indicates that one of the purposes of University of Northwestern is to equip students so that they are able to “serve effectively in their professions” and provide “God-honoring leadership in the home, church, community and world.” This purpose is also reflected in the Core Curriculum Outcomes which state that
Because UNW values the importance of community and global perspectives Graduates will…
Understand the central call of service in the life of all Christians. Demonstrate the core biblical concept of servanthood in leadership. Understand elements of basic human behavior in historical and social contexts.
Act with integrity, humility, respect and understanding toward individuals and groups. Understand our own and other cultures as demonstrated by thoughtful and biblical engagement in a culturally diverse world.
Therefore, the institutional mission focuses on the intellectual and spiritual development of its students for the purpose of service and leadership to the wider community. It is within these missional constructs that the School of Education seeks to prepare graduates for service within public, private and global schools.