Briercrest College and Seminary
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| Briercrest College and Seminary | |
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| Established: | 1935 |
| President: | Dr. Dwayne Uglem |
| Undergraduates: | 640 |
| Location: | Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Campus: | Rural area |
| Affiliations: | University of Saskatchewan, AUCC, ATS, ABHE. |
| Website: | www.briercrest.ca |
Briercrest College and Seminary is a private Christian post-secondary educational institution located in Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada. It comprises a college and a seminary, and operates the local Caronport High School.
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[edit] History
Its precursor was a home Bible study in the village of Briercrest, Saskatchewan, which grew to include several members of the community. Eventually the group formed a new church, the Briercrest Gospel Assembly. The people needed a pastor to lead the church and wanted to open a Bible school.
Henry Hildebrand was a student at Winnipeg Bible Institute and a circuit riding preacher with Canadian Sunday School Mission (CSSM). Mr. Sinclair Whittaker, one of the believers at Briercrest, was a businessman and a member of the provincial legislature. He contacted Henry, informing him of their need for a pastor and their desire to open a Bible school. Eventually Hildebrand agreed to join them at Briercrest.
Briercrest Bible Institute opened its doors on October 19, 1935, and 11 students enrolled. A rented house served as dormitory, classroom, and office for the school. Mr. Hildebrand was principal and Mrs. Annie Hillson, Mrs. Isabel Whittaker, Jean Whittaker, and Margaret Rusk helped with teaching and administration. Donald McMillan joined them in the second term as assistant principal.
By 1946, they had outgrown their facility, and Mr. Whittaker arranged the purchase of Royal Airforce Base #33 in Caron for $50,000. The new facility was dedicated on July 1, 1946, and the task of converting the airbase into dormitories, classrooms, offices, and staff housing began.
Caronport High School opened in September 1946. A grade school also began that year. Enrollment grew in all of the schools and many new buildings were constructed to accommodate the growing student body. In the early 1970s, the schools began to recognize the need for academic credibility. Briercrest became a candidate for accreditation with the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (now the Association for Biblical Higher Education) in 1973, and became accredited in 1976. In 1979, a distance learning program was launched. In 1982, the name Briercrest Bible Institute was changed to Briercrest Bible College. The seminary began in 1983. College enrollment grew from 285 in 1970 to 775 in 1985.
The school's mission statement is as follows:
- "Briercrest College and Seminary is a community of rigorous learning that calls students to seek the kingdom of God, to be shaped profoundly by the scriptures, and to be formed spiritually and intellectually for lives of service."
[edit] Academics
Briercrest College offers one-year certificates, Associate of Arts degrees, and Bachelor of Arts degrees. Each program includes courses in Bible and theology, Christian ministry, liberal arts, and the social sciences. The college has been accredited by The Association for Biblical Higher Education since 1976.[1]
Briercrest Seminary offers Master of Arts and Master of Divinity degrees for students pursuing ministry within the church. The school employs a modular format (typically one course in one week) for all of its courses.
Briercrest also offers Distance Learning courses at both the college and seminary levels.
The college is associated with the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) and has transfer agreements with the universities of Regina and Saskatchewan.
[edit] Student Life
The majority of Briercrest College students live in residence and participate in a school meal plan in a dining hall operated by Sodhexo-Marriott Foods.
The college dormitories have a history of being named after people who have had significant impact throughout the history of the schools. Current dormitories at Briercrest include:
- Isabel Whittaker (women), often called "Whit"
- Sinclair Whittaker (men), often called "Whit"
- Hillson Hall (varies between being a women's and men's residence from year to year)
- Bergren Place(women)
- Sundbo Place(married students, women, and men)
- Lewis Apartments (men), known fondly as "LA"
- Eliason Manor (men) built in 2005
- Brygmann Hall (men), often know as "Brygg"
The last of the war-building dormitories, known most recently as "Gable Heights," was demolished in summer 2005.
[edit] Facilities
The campus "landmark" is the 2,400-seat Hildebrand Chapel. Facilities also include a 25,000-square foot library, nine student dormitories, a 42-room inn, a recently renovated dining hall, a double-court gymnasium, a hockey arena, tennis courts, numerous sports fields, a recording studio, a Subway franchise, and two coffee shops.
[edit] Presidents
Throughout their 72-year history, Briercrest has had 5 presidents: Henry Hildebrand (1935-1977); Henry Budd (1977-1990); John Barkman (1990-1996); Paul Magnus (1996-2004); and Dwayne Uglem (2004-present)—Sinclair Whittaker served as president of the board until 1950.
[edit] Governance
Briercrest College and Seminary is governed by a 25-member Board of Directors who ensure that operational policies contribute to the guidance, empowerment, and direction of the senior leadership and staff while maintaining the health and mission of the schools.
[edit] External links
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