Rochester Christian University, legally Rochester University before 2024, is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian college in

Rochester Hills, Michigan Rochester Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Rochester Hills is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

, United States. It was founded by members of the

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ, also commonly known as the Church of Christ, is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations located around the world. Typically, their distinguishing beliefs are that of the necessity of baptism for salvation ...

in 1959. Rochester Christian University is primarily undergraduate-focused and offers some graduate programs, such as a

Master of Religious Education The Master of Religious Education (MRE) is a terminal academic degree in preparation for professional teaching ministry, usually offered by Christian institutions. The curriculum includes two years of theological study and sometimes a thesis. Al ...

program. It also offers a degree completion program for adult students.

History

In 1954, members of the

formed a board of trustees to establish an educational institution in the North Central region of the United States. After months of consideration, the board decided to establish a liberal arts college and purchased a country estate in Rochester Hills, Michigan, for a campus site. In September 1959, the college opened as North Central Christian College, retaining that name until 1961. In the years that followed, the institution operated under the name of Michigan Christian College. In 1997, the board adopted the name Rochester College to more clearly portray the institution's nature as a liberal arts college in a Christian setting. The campus has grown to exceed . In 2019, the institution's name was changed to Rochester University. Four years later, the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...

sued for trademark infringement, alleging that the name Rochester University caused confusion. The university changed its name to Rochester Christian University in 2024 after "an amicable resolution with the University of Rochester concerning this matter".

Academics

Rochester Christian University's most popular majors, by 2021 graduates, were: ::Early Childhood Education and Teaching (67) ::Mass Communication/Media Studies (23) ::Psychology (23) ::Business Administration and Management (18) ::Organizational Leadership (18)

Athletics

Rochester Christian University's athletic teams are the Warriors. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference The Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. The conference consists of twelve colleges and u ...

(WHAC) since the 2017–18 academic year; although they had competed as an associate member for baseball during the 2016–17 school year prior to apply for full membership.Rochester Approved as Full Members for 2017-18 , Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference
/ref> The Warriors previously competed as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2011–12 to 2016–17. Its men's wrestling team competed in the

Sooner Athletic Conference The Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Originally developed as a five-team conference of Oklahoma-based schools, the SAC now boasts 13 ...

(SAC) from 2018–19 to 2019–20. Prior to joining the NAIA, they were also a member of the

United States Collegiate Athletic Association The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) is a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 72 mostly small colleges, including community/junior colleges, across the United States. The USCAA holds 15 national ...

(USCAA) and the

National Small College Athletic Association The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) is a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 72 mostly small colleges, including community/junior colleges, across the United States. The USCAA holds 15 national ...

(NSCAA) prior to that, in which the college won a combined eight national championships. Rochester Christian University competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include, baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, ice hockey, soccer, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include competitive cheer and esports.

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{Coord, 42, 40, 02, N, 83, 08, 43, W, type:edu_region:US-OH, display=title Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ Universities and colleges established in 1959 Universities and colleges in Oakland County, Michigan USCAA member institutions Private universities and colleges in Michigan 1959 establishments in Michigan Rochester Christian University