Jessup University recently placed its 20-acre Multnomah campus at 8435 NE Glisan Street on the market, seeking a buyer for the entire property. The faith-based educational institution announced early this year that it would halt undergraduate programs at the campus in May and pare down postgraduate programs. The listing includes 16 campus buildings sold as a package but excludes the former dorm buildings facing NE Pacific Street that Volunteers of America Oregon started using in 2024 for its residential treatment program serving women with children.
With undergraduate students not returning to campus this fall, most campus buildings are unused at the moment, except the Travis Lovitt building, where some remaining educational activities will continue throughout 2025. The Multnomah Biblical Seminary will conduct its coursework primarily through distance learning, and the Master of Arts in Counseling program will end in December. After ceasing its academic athletics programs, the University rented the campus’s recently constructed soccer field and gym facilities to area groups.
A representative from Terraview Partners explained that the real estate development company is working with Jessup University to “lease or sell the unused assets on the campus property.” This group previously assisted the faith-based education institution with a land deal near its Rocklin, California, campus. The Charleston, South Carolina-based real estate firm promotes its blended approach of profit with environmental responsibility, which may influence what potential buyers the group engages with. The property is currently zoned Campus Institutional 1 (CI1), restricting future reuse to campuses or medical center uses. However, it can support buildings up to seven stories tall at its core with lower-scale structures at its edges abutting residential zoning.
The Terraview Partners representative was confident that the campus would remain active with student and non-student activity starting this fall term, and he expects Rogers Cafe to reopen to the general public after operators determine ideal hours based on the new campus activity.
Jessup University President, John Jackson, provided details in an open letter about why the California-based educational institution adopted the Portland campus only to close it 18 months later. He stated Multnomah University’s leadership approached Jessup University in November of 2023 seeking financial support so it could continue to meet its payroll obligations and remain open for students. “Jessup continued to fund Multnomah with millions of dollars of support over the next several months until Multnomah University ceased to exist in May of 2024, and the remaining assets and liabilities were contributed to Jessup,” wrote Jackson. However, according to the written account, assuming Multnomah University’s multi-million dollar deficits were not sustainable, Jessup University could not continue funding the Portland campus. Jackson explained that his organization’s support allowed more than 80% of students to graduate from the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University who would have otherwise needed to transfer to another school without this financial support.
The campus is over 100 years old, having started as the Oregon Employment Institution for the Blind in the 1920s. Multnomah School of the Bible purchased the property in 1952 and became Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary in May 1993. The name changed again in July 2008 to Multnomah University. As Colliers Commercial Realty works with Terraview Partners and Jessup University to find new uses or ownership for the property, its long-term future is unknown. However, its current caretakers have an interest in maintaining its positive presence in Montavilla.
