Is George Fox University Still Quaker?
Illustration by Breanna Newburn
Article by Jayden Forsyth
NEWBERG, Ore. – Quaker pioneers established George Fox University (GFU) as Pacific College in 1891. It was constructed by the Religious Society of Friends with the goal of providing a Christian education rooted in Quaker values.
A lot of things about the university have changed since then, with one of the biggest aspects being Quakerism and its presence and impact on campus. Throughout this change, has GFU remained Quaker?
Along with many changes over the course of GFU’s 134 year history, such as the location change of Minthorn Hall, institution status changes and three name changes, Quakerism’s presence has shifted. This shift has been observed, even over a short period of time, by former student and now Assistant Professor of English Jay David Miller.
In addition to being an associate director of the Honors Program, Miller is a Quaker. Quakerism is a movement within Christianity that values simplicity, peace and inner spiritual guidance. This founding system of belief for GFU is still lived out daily by Miller.
“To live as a Quaker is to try to be attentive to God’s presence in one’s life and to try to live in a way that’s responsive to that presence,” said Miller.
Before pursuing graduate studies at Penn State and the University of Notre Dame, Miller was an English student at GFU, graduating in the fall of 2011. Since then, he has seen noticeable changes in Quakerism on campus.
“As the university has grown, the Quaker student and faculty population has grown smaller and, to a lesser extent, there are fewer Quakers on the George Fox University Board of Trustees than when I was a student,” said Miller. “[The decline] has been pretty gradual in some ways, but then again, it’s been a lot of change for ten years’ time.”
Although Quakerism may not be as prevalent on campus, there are strong elements of it at the university’s core.
“I think the Be Known promise is actually anchored in a certain Quaker sensibility, in that we recognize you as a holistic person, not just a mind, but as a heart and a soul,” said Miller. “The fact that most students are on a first-name basis with their professors, and that students and professors welcome that—there’s a kind of conviction there that’s based in Friends tradition.”
Through Miller’s experience as both a Quaker student and professor at GFU, it is clear there are Quaker fundamentals the university maintains. It remains to be seen whether GFU’s perpetual population growth will bring more Quaker spirit to campus, or continue to shift away from our founding beliefs.
