History of Trevecca

J. O. McClurkan, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, founded the school that later became Trevecca Nazarene University.
Trevecca Nazarene University was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1901 by the Reverend J.O. McClurkan as the Literary and Bible Training School for Christian Workers. In 1911 the curriculum was enlarged and the name changed to Trevecca College. This name was taken from an institution started in Wales in 1768 during the Wesleyan revival.

In 1914 the College was moved from downtown Nashville to a site on Gallatin Road in East Nashville and in 1935 was established at its present location on Murfreesboro Road in southeast Nashville (Check the map on Google Maps). Trevecca became an official college of the Church of the Nazarene in 1917 and graduated its first four-year class in 1942. It was first accredited by the Southern Association of Schools in 1969. Master’s degree programs were added in education in 1984, in religion in 1987, and in organizational management in 1992. The doctorate in education was begun in 1999. In 1995 the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the school from Trevecca Nazarene College to Trevecca Nazarene University. The University's current president is Dan Boone.

A more complete account of Trevecca's history is available in The Trevecca Story by Mildred Wynkoop. This volume covers the years from 1901 to 1976. In 2001, Trevecca's centennial year, the University published a centennial history; A Vine of God's Own Choosing, by John F. Chilton, recounts Trevecca's history from 1976 to 2001. It is the final book in the five-volume Trevecca Centennial Book Series.

Links:
The Story of Trevecca Video (2007)
Alma Mater
Statement of Purpose