Introduction to MNU

Official Information

 

 

Our History

Founded in 1966, MidAmerica Nazarene University opened its doors to students in 1968 with an enrollment of 263 students. Since that initial semester of operation, enrollment has increased dramatically and now totals approximately 1,753. The University offers undergraduate academic majors in over 40 areas, including a bachelor's degree-completion program in Management and Human Relations, a baccalaureate degree affiliation with European Nazarene College in Germany, and graduate-level programs in education, nursing, business administration and counseling.

The permanent control of the University is vested in a board of trustees elected from the various districts of the North Central Region of the Church of the Nazarene: Iowa, Joplin, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, Nebraska and Prairie Lakes.

 

Our Location

MNU is located 19 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, on a 105-acre campus in Olathe, Kansas, the county seat of Johnson County. Because of its strategic location in the Greater Kansas City area, students and faculty have access to the cultural, recreational and employment advantages of this 10-county metropolitan area.

The campus is conveniently located just a few minutes from Interstate 35, and makes for easy traveling from anywhere in the country. Check our campus map/directions page for detailed information.


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MNU Mission Statement

...to educate and inspire servant leaders.

MNU Vision Statement

...to be a premier Christian university with global impact.

Our Institutional Goals

The University has four primary goals:

Development of the Student

In seeking to meet the needs of whole persons, the University provides a wide variety of intellectual, social, and religious activities that serve a developmental function in students. These include the general education program, the major fields of preparation, chapel and convocation emphases, campus social events, annual fall and spring revival services, and intercollegiate/intramural athletics.

Service to God and Humanity

The University promotes its ideal of service through emphases on social concerns, the Office of Compassionate Ministries and other organizations of the Associated Student Government (ASG), chapel programming, and special events such as the annual Festival of Youth in Missions.

Career Preparation

Preparation for a rewarding professional life is a goal that is reached in the successful educating of students in a major field of their choice, and is assessed by means of a required senior comprehensive examination or project. All academic divisions of the University emphasize formal objectives and a balance between the liberal arts and courses in specialized areas. The ultimate goal is to develop broadly educated individuals with specific skills and career knowledge related to a potential field of service and work.

Understanding America's Heritage

The goal of understanding America's heritage and an awareness of its distinctive opportunities and responsibilities in the world community is accomplished in several ways. These include participation in campus governance through the ASG, the sponsoring of political clubs on campus, the annual American Heritage Lectures featuring articulate speakers on appropriate themes, a Multicultural emphasis each year and an Americana section in Mabee Library and Learning Resource Center. General education courses seek to address the uniqueness of America’s position in the world and to challenge students to develop an appreciation of both Western and non-western cultural aspects of the human family.

Economic Impact of MNU on the Community

  • In 1966, ten generous citizens of the Olathe community purchased and donated 100 acres of land to be used for the construction of MidAmerica Nazarene University, which complements the community with its stately colonial design.
  • MNU's operational income has increased from $747,998 in 1968 to $30 million in 2009.
  • The yearly economic impact of the college is approximately $50 million, not including expenditures by students and campus visitors, and the large fiscal resources represented by MNU’s $16 million endowment.
  • 1,730+ students frequent local restaurants and retail stores.
  • MNU employs over 250 faculty and staff members. Nearly 66 percent of all MNU employees live in Olathe.
  • MNU's plant assets totaled $35,000,000 in 2002.
  • There are more than 2,500 MNU alumni living in Olathe.