History and Heritage
George Fox is the oldest Christian university in Oregon.
Land of the Kalapuya
The university’s Newberg campus is located in the fertile Willamette River Valley where the Kalapuya and other native tribes maintained hunter-gatherer societies for thousands of years. Their way of life changed with western expansion. Following catastrophic epidemics and treaties with the U.S. government in the 1850s, most of the remaining Kalapuya were forced to join an estimated 1,000 native Americans on the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. Today tribal members still maintain their connection to their homelands and contribute significantly to the ongoing development of the region.
Humble Beginnings
Several decades after the forced removal of the Kalapuya, Quaker pioneers came to Newberg. One of the settlers' first priorities, along with the founding of their church, was the education of their children. They established the Friends Pacific Academy in 1885, which focused on Christian instruction. Among those first academy students was a future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover.
At the same time, the founding pioneers were looking ahead with the dream of a college to provide further and more advanced education. That time came on Sept. 9, 1891, with the opening of the doors of Pacific College. Fifteen students were enrolled the first day of classes.
Since then, the institution has seen major changes, including a name change. In 1949, because of the many “Pacific” colleges, the school was renamed "George Fox College" in honor of the founder of the Friends (Quaker) movement.
From Small College to Nationally Renowned
The college remained a small and intimate learning environment in the years following and received accreditation in 1959. Over the next 20 years, the college would add facilities and increase the academic rigor of its programs.
During the 1980s, George Fox adopted an innovative mindset and rapidly expanded its program offerings, which triggered a growth spurt that continued for the next 20 years. Among the additions was adult education: George Fox became the first college in the Northwest to offer degree-completion programs for working adults in 1986.
With the school’s merger with Western Evangelical Seminary in 1996, the college changed its name to “George Fox University.” During the next 12 years, the university experienced rapid growth, quadrupling in size.
George Fox Today
Today, more than 4,100 students attend George Fox, a nationally recognized Christian university that provides students with personal attention, global opportunities to learn and serve, and a supportive community that encourages academic rigor and spiritual growth.
The university offers more than 60 undergraduate academic programs, Adult Degree Programs, seven seminary degrees, and 14 master's and doctoral degrees. In addition to a residential campus in Newberg, Oregon, classes are now taught in Portland and Redmond, Oregon.