Cascade Christian College Closing After Spring Semester

The following announcement was made this afternoon by officials at Oklahoma Christian University. This is sad news for Christian education in the Northwest.

OC’s Cascade College Baccalaureate Programs to Close Following Spring 2009 Semester

Oklahoma Christian University’s Portland, Ore., campus, Cascade College, will close its baccalaureate degree programs after the conclusion of the spring semester, OC officials announced today. Approximately 280 students currently attend classes at the Portland campus, with 45 full-time faculty and staff.

Don Millican, chairman of the OC Board of Trustees, said, “After 15 years of considerable effort and investment, we were unable to find a viable financial or academic model that would sustain and allow Cascade to flourish for the foreseeable future. Following much prayer and discussion, the board reluctantly voted to cease offering baccalaureate degrees at the Cascade campus next spring. This is one of the most difficult decisions the board has ever made.

“We’re obviously disappointed for the students, faculty, staff and many others who worked so hard and gave of their time and financial resources to establish and maintain Christian higher education in the Pacific Northwest,” he said.

“We will continue to work to help those students in the Northwest achieve their goal of a Christian education. The Board highly commends Dr. Bill Goad and his outstanding team for their dedicated work at Cascade.”

OC president Dr. Mike O’Neal said that he was deeply saddened that closing Cascade became necessary, but he agreed with the board’s decision. The University, he said, had invested about $4 million, thousands of administrative staff hours, and other resources over its 15 years as a satellite campus. “The current economic crisis was not a significant factor in the decision, but it obviously did not help. While the Cascade Board of Governors had sought a different result, after four years of intensive effort, they had been unable to develop a financially and academically sustainable operation. The OC Board of Trustees and administration felt that it was not prudent for Oklahoma Christian to continue to subsidize that campus at a level sufficient to maintain a quality academic program.”

O’Neal also expressed great concern for the people most impacted by the decision. “We will go the extra mile in assisting the students to continue their education and the employees to find other employment during the transition period. The quality of theofferings on that campus will continue through Spring 2009. We will also be sensitive to the needs of Columbia Christian School, which uses a part of the Cascade campusfor their K-12 operations.”

Cascade was previously known as Columbia Christian College -- which was founded in 1956 -- when it closed in the early 1990s because of financial issues. After being closed for a year, it was reopened in August 1994 as a branch campus of the University.

Kerry Barnes, chairman of the Cascade Board of Governors, expressed his thanks for OC’s investment in Pacific Northwest. “OC has done much more than they agreed to do 15 years ago and much more than anyone would reasonably expect.”

Dr. Bill Goad, president of Cascade, said he was thankful for the impact that Cascade and its predecessor, Columbia Christian, have had in the Pacific Northwest for more than 50 years. “I believe we have had a positive impact on thousands of young people,” he said. “We’ve been blessed with outstanding students and very dedicated faculty and staff who took a personal interest in our students. We’re also grateful to the many generous individuals and families who have made significant contributions to Cascade over the past few years.”

“For the past 6 years I have had the privilege of serving the Cascade community. My family and I have grown to love the Cascade and Columbia Christian family.This decision brings a great deal of sadness, but I accept and support the decision of the Board of Trustees,” added Goad. He also said that he would encourage Cascade students to finish their degrees at Oklahoma Christian if at all possible. His focus now will be on supporting the students and affected faculty and staff during this time and assisting them in any way possible.

O’Neal added that Oklahoma Christian remains financially sound and will continue to honor all the endowments and financial commitments of Cascade College. O’Neal stated that although Cascade will be closed, our hearts remain open to the good people of the Northwest. “Through the creation of an endowment for students from the Northwest we will seek to provide an opportunity for these young people to have access to a high quality, affordable, faith based education. It is our hope to prepare young people with a heart for ministry who will return to the Northwest to nurture and strengthen the Church. We will do everything we can do to continue strengthening the bond we have with churches of Christ throughout the Northwest.”

O’Neal concluded by saying “The legacy of Cascade will continue to be written for generations to come.” “The work which has been done by the students, faculty and staff will continue to be realized over decades. Students have been prepared to lead lives of great meaning while studying at Cascade and they are going to make a difference in the world. It would be a mistake to assume that the quality of educational experience at Cascade was lacking. Through the dedication of talented faculty and staff, students were given a great learning experience on this campus.”