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George Fox University is a private, Christian institution of the liberal arts and sciences and professional studies. Located in the heart of the beautiful Willamette Valley in Newberg, Oregon, (ranked as one of the “safest cities in Oregon”), George Fox was established in 1885 as the Friends Pacific Academy and to this day the school continues to be affiliated with the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends. A nationally recognized Christian university, George Fox consistently earns third-party recognition from publications such as Forbes and US News & World Report. The school is “committed to providing a Christian education and empowering students spiritually, academically and professionally to re-imagine the world.”
Academic Programs
Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since 1959, George Fox University endeavors to provide students with personal attention, global opportunities to learn and serve, and a supportive community that encourages both academic rigor and spiritual growth. The university offers a wide range of bachelor degree programs with more than forty majors and even more minors. In addition, George Fox offers a variety of adult degree programs as well as seminary, master’s, and doctoral degrees in areas such as Business, Counseling, Education, Physical Therapy, Psychology, Theology, Ministry and Social Work.George Fox has been listed among the top several schools in the country due to their study abroad participation – more than half of undergraduate students at the university take part in one of the several programs the school has to offer. From a semester spent overseas or in another part of the U.S., to George Fox’s three-week Juniors Abroad program, to participation in a “SpILgrimage” – George Fox’s short term mission trip program, – students have a variety of options from which to choose.
Student Life
With a total enrollment figure of nearly 4,000, more than 2,500 students at George Fox University are undergraduates. Students are housed in a variety of residence halls, apartments, and university-owned houses. George Fox’s residence halls and suites are primarily reserved for first-year students while upperclassmen enjoy a more intimate setting in the apartments and houses the university has to offer. Students of all levels can also enjoy becoming involved in one of the many student-led clubs and organizations that exist on George Fox’s campus with groups ranging from academic to interests based, outdoor recreation, to faith and spiritual.When they arrive, new students are quickly given instructions about one of the George Fox’s oldest and strangest tradition: should the leather, pillow-shaped Bruin Jr. ever make an appearance on campus, grab it and run for the nearest exit – all while trying to escape students from the other classes who are also attempting to capture the prize possession. Remembered as the Bruin Flash or the B.J. Fight, the tradition known today as the Bruin Brawl is an intense one and the irony regarding the “brawl” and George Fox’s affiliation with the pacifist Quaker movement is certainly undeniable.