The Heart of ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅
Mission
ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor.
ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅′s mission is student-focused, emphasizing Christ, comprehensive education, and service to God and neighbor. This is consistent with the college′s charter, bylaws and Foundational Concepts of Christian Education, as well as ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅′s historic motto, Pro Christo et Patria (For Christ and Country).
Vision
ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ will be known nationally for advancing integration of faith and learning under Christ and His word, preparing students for courageous engagement throughout their life’s work.
Values
With Christ as King and under scripture, we:
- Serve with grace
- Pursue Godly wisdom
- Foster academic strength
- Engage culture faithfully
- Inspire vibrant hospitality
- Honor one another
Our Purpose
To develop, provide and maintain a Christian Institution of higher education emphasizing the liberal arts and certain professional fields within the context of a Biblical view of life and the world as expressed in the Westminster Standards and the testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, open to men and women of any race and faith.
Pro Christo Et Patria
(For Christ and Country)
ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅’s motto conveys a commitment to honoring Christ Jesus in every aspect of life, actively engaging our communities with his love and truth. It is another way of saying what Jesus taught His followers to pray: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.”
About Our Seal & MottoThe Meaning Behind our Seal
The open Bible at the center of ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅’s seal signifies our belief that the inerrant Word of God can reveal a person’s thoughts, no matter how modern. At the heart of ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅'s curriculum is the conviction that the Word of God is truth and that all authority in heaven and earth belongs to Jesus. The Word of God is not bound; the Bible is always open.
ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅’s seal also displays the college’s founding year of 1848 and our motto: Pro Christo et Patria (For Christ and Country).
Historical Highlights
After teaching young men in his study since 1838, Rev. John Black Johnston formally opens ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ Hall in Northwood, Ohio. Named in honor of ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅, Switzerland, the center of the Reformed faith movement.
A dedicated building for a Female Seminary is built. ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ became fully co-educational in 1865—praised for providing an equivalent education for both genders.
Read moreOpens its doors to freed southern slaves around 1865, an uncommon practice during the post-Civil War period
Read moreTo better accomodate growing enrollment, ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ chooses Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania as a strategic location and growing industry.
A leader in providing adult learners a path to earning a degree, ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ initiated its Extension Program in the early 1900s, which laid the foundation for its current online degree programs.
Read moreΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ defeats Harvard in football at Cambridge, MA, 16-7. Team coached by “Bo” McMillin. The campus celebrates with no classes and a huge bonfire on the athletic field.
Read moreA Heritage of Reformed Faith
ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA). ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅’s worldview acknowledges Christ’s kingship over every aspect of His creation. Thus, a ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ education emphasizes the connection between the Christian faith and every academic, athletic and student activity.
Foundational Concepts of Christian Education
What is Christian Education?
Christian education seeks to develop the students' abilities to know God and to relate themselves and the created universe to God through the study of His Word and Works. The philosophical basis on which ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ rests, referred to as the Foundational Concepts of Christian Education, was prepared by a joint committee of the Board of Corporators and Board of Trustees of ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ and adopted by the Board of Trustees at their meeting on October 26, 1967.
ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅'s Alma Mater
Every college has an alma mater—but few have a story as rich, personal, and enduring as ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅’s. Discover the campus songs that have become a lasting expression of community, tradition, and Christ-centered mission that still unites ΊΓΙ«ΚΣΖ΅ns today.