Purpose
Trevecca Nazarene University, founded in 1901 by J.O. McClurkan, is a private, accredited, comprehensive institution of higher learning that exists to meet the higher educational needs of individuals who desire a university education in a Christian environment and from a Christian understanding. Its academic programs are based on Christian values that promote scholarship, critical thinking, and meaningful worship for students in preparation for lives of leadership and service to the church, the community, and the world at large.
As the official university for the Church of the Nazarene in the southeastern United States, Trevecca is guided by the Articles of Faith and the Covenant of Christian Conduct of the denomination. It emphasizes the authority of the Bible, time-honored tradition, reasoned thought, and authentic experience of Christian holiness as interpreted by the Wesleyan doctrine and worldview. The University welcomes any students who subscribe to these ideals and standards.
Trevecca intends that its graduates be socially-conscious, globally-aware, and actively-engaged individuals who are developing holistically in the cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual areas of being. The desire is that each student will develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are to be persons of strong Christian character able to make ethical decisions based on biblical principles and reflective thought. Their characteristics should include competence, responsibility, compassion, and the ability to integrate Christian faith and learning in practice.
The University provides a variety of face-to-face and distance education, nontraditional and continuing education professional programs at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. Traditional undergraduate curricular programs focus on the liberal arts and sciences as reflected in the core curriculum and emphasize a number of professional content areas. While the primary focus of Trevecca faculty is to teach, faculty members are encouraged as reflective practitioners to conduct action research that contributes to the practical wisdom of applied knowledge and enhances the learning experience. All programs strive to prepare students for positions of leadership and service in their chosen careers by clarifying their life calling, developing their intellectual abilities, and engaging them in research, service learning, internships, and/or other opportunities that will allow them to demonstrate practical application of their knowledge and skills.
To achieve its purpose, Trevecca employs faculty, administrators, and staff who model the ideals of the University and, as mentors, seek to foster a supportive and challenging environment in which every student can realize his or her full potential in Christ. Therefore, Trevecca seeks to employ Christians who are competent, professionally qualified, and fully committed to the University’s mission and purpose.