European Nazarene College is “Coming Home”

European Nazarene College (EuNC) announced in its December 2010 newsletter plans to discontinue residential programs at its main campus in Büsingen, Switzerland. The change will allow the college to strengthen and grow educational programming at its various learning centers, including the one in Romania.

From a school for many nations, it will become a school in many nations, said Rector Klaus Arnold and Academic Dean Antonie Holleman, the leadership team at EuNC.

European Nazarene College was founded in 1965 to be a school for many countries – helping the Church of the Nazarene on the European continent prepare ministers for service. Students were called to leave their churches and homes and move to the little German exclave in Switzerland: Büsingen. Now, after forty-five years, EuNC will only be providing ministerial education in the home context of the students. This means that EuNC will discontinue its residential programs at the campus in Büsingen and fully concentrate its energy and resources on education in the learning centers in the various European countries. From a school for many nations, it will become a school in many nations. European Nazarene College – in the truest sense – is coming home.

The decision was precipitated by rapid growth in the 15 learning centers in 17 countries while enrollment on campus steadily declined. This semester about 300 students are enrolled in learning centers like the one in Romania.

What does this mean for the Romania learning center? During the past five years, EuNC has been developing an integrated educational model for use in the learning centers. EuNC is becoming a decentralized school with one curriculum, one faculty, and one student body. In short, the quality and consistency of education students in the learning centers receive today is higher than it has ever been since the inception of EuNC’s learning by extension program in the 1990s.

This success demands more investment from EuNC in its decentralized education, making the college more effective in fulfilling its mission of “enabling disciples of Christ to participate in the mission of God and serve local communities of faith.”

Read more in NCN News:
European Nazarene College plans to discontinue residential programs at its Switzerland campus
Friday, December 3, 2010

Trustees approve EuNC plan
February 11, 2011

EuNC to close campus
Wednesday, April 6, 2011

EuNC has final commencement ceremony on Büsingen campus
Wednesday, June 29, 2011