In fall 2025, the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University will cease offering traditional undergraduate classes, athletic programs, and its Master of Arts in Counseling at the Portland-based campus. The University announced these changes on January 13th, highlighting a renewed focus on Seminary, Graduate, and online education. In November 2023, Multnomah University announced they would join Jessup University, transitioning the 8435 NE Glisan Street facility into the third campus for the California-based Christian school. This partnership delivered financial stability to the Portland-based education institution, which is now rightsizing its program to meet current demands while remaining an active community resource.
At the start of the following curriculum year, the Portland Campus’s in-person education will focus on seminary, graduate, and certificate programs. They will no longer offer student housing or athletics programs, opening up the existing facilities for community benefit uses that align with the educational institution’s mission. Volunteers of America Oregon (VOA) is already using two campus dormitories for its residential treatment for women with children, and the soccer field is supporting the youth sports group Inter PDX, which removes the “pay to play” barrier that can keep some kids from participating in the sport.
Multnomah Campus of Jessup University Chancellor Jessica Taylor is committed to using the institution’s educational resources for positive community uses that also support student needs. “Our goal is to always utilize the campus for a community benefit. I don’t want anything shuttered, boarded up, and not being utilized,” said Taylor. However, the University is not interested in becoming a landlord renting space to any tenant. Student safety and support will remain top priorities when considering partner uses of the property. Taylor explained that the organization supports behavioral health services and other critical resources. Its VOA Oregon partnership is a prime example of auxiliary uses for excess campus resources fitting their goals. However, they would not consider programs with drop-in services that could disrupt their educational work or the wider community. “We want to care about the [partner’s] community, but of course balancing that with both safety and operational functioning,” remarked Taylor.
The University’s course reduction in Portland will significantly impact students and staff. At the end of the 2024-2025 academic year, the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University will eliminate over 70 percent of staff and faculty positions. Students continuing in-person classes have various options based on degree path, including transferring to the Rocklin California Campus of Jessup University if the program is supported. Alternatively, George Fox University‘s Newberg and Portland campuses, as well as Corban University’s Salem campus, will offer a teach-out option to enrolled Multnomah undergraduates. Western Seminary University and George Fox University will support Master of Arts in Counseling transfers. This path allows students to stay in Oregon and complete their work towards a degree. Students can also transfer to other higher education programs outside the teach-out options.
Online education is an option for some students due to a new offering from the University dubbed Jessup Global. In the Fall of 2024, the Portland Campus began headquartering that international online education platform for the organization. Chancellor Taylor explained that Jessup University did not offer a seminary education program and that its partnership with Multnomah University added that expertise to its course catalog. Taking the programs online lets the West Coast-based organization reach everyone seeking an Association of Theological Schools (ATS) accredited Seminary degree, regardless of location.
The reduction in courses and campus community has been difficult for Chancellor Taylor. However, this change secures a future for the school, which faced economic challenges with declining enrollment made worse during the last few years. The campus has dropped from a 1000-student maximum enrollment to a few hundred, with half the remaining students graduating this spring. Jessup University’s support gave the Portland campus enough time to reorganize and find its sustainable path. “Without the support and this partnership, Multnomah would have had a sudden and abrupt closure in the fall of 2023,” said Taylor. “The community’s been through so much change, but they are most resilient.”
The NE Glisan Street Campus will remain open to the community during its transition, and University leadership still welcomes people visiting Roger’s Cafe. Taylor said they are open to partnering with complimentary groups for facility uses and look forward to remaining an active part of the Montavilla neighborhood.