Educational reformers E.A. Sutherland and P.T. Maga were placed in charge of Battle Creek College in 1897. They were the first to demonstrate genuine interest in moving the establishment from Battle Creek. Once Sutherland became President of the college, he urged Mrs. White to use her influence to relocate the college. However, Mrs. White told them to be patient and that God would work in His timing. This delay might have been foreseen by Ellen because the college had more than $80,000 in debt, and moving to another location might not have been wise. Nonetheless, Ellen found a way to reduce the debt of Adventist colleges by donating all the profits of the manuscript Christ’s Object Lessons.
After an interview with Dean Magan, Ellen G. White challenged the college to move out of Battle Creek and to “get an extensive tract of land.” Mrs. White realized that moving to the country would mean fewer students; however, this was not a sufficient reason to halt the movement. God provided because within the next several days the “sanitarium constituency agreed to buy the college buildings [of Battle Creek College] for use by the American Medical Missionary College and the sanitarium Nurses Training School.” Before the re-establishment of the college, Sutherland had been eyeing the peaceful and quiet little village of Berrien Springs. This tiny town is located in the southwestern corner of the mitten and on the banks of the St. Joseph River. Sutherland and Magan developed several goals for this college while they were searching for land for the relocation of the College. Their goals consisted of having an institution that was self-supporting, that belonged to the church, not requiring continuous operational subsidies, and cheaper tuition charges by creating school industries that students could work at to pay off a major part of their education.
In mid-July of 1902, the church officials convened to examine the property and voted on purchasing the 272 acres of farmland for $18,000. Around the same time, they agreed to rename the establishment since it was ninety miles from Battle Creek. In 1898, the college faculty liked the name “Emmanuel.” Dean Magan motioned to rename Battle Creek College to Emmanuel Missionary College since the reformers emphasized that all the training programs would help prepare students to be missionaries. Emmanuel Missionary College (EMC) thrived in its new location. Buildings were constructed, which brought more students to the college, and more undergraduate programs were slowly added. However, something was missing from EMC.
The General Conference established a seminary in Potomac University located in Washington D.C., which became the first Seventh-day Adventist Church seminary in 1936. This program flourished, and in 1959, the seminary was relocated to Emmanuel Mission College. After this transition,EMC campus hosted not only the undergraduate colleges, but also the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, the beginnings of graduate studies, and a secondary school. All these entities needed to be combined under one name, but what name is worthy enough to be used for these establishments? An exemplary man, theology pioneer, editor, and the church’s first missionary to serve outside North America was deemed worthy enough. John N. Andrews had a significant impact on Adventism, and his passion for missions fit with the values and morals of Emmanuel Mission College. He was an important leader in early Adventism and served along Mrs. White. Some of his leadership included: being the General Conference President, editor of the “Review and Herald,” and a local conference president. The renaming of EMC to Andrews University brought change to the university for good. Moving the seminary, creating a graduate school, and uniting different entities under one charter influenced the development of the secondary school, which received the name Andrews Academy.
The rich history of Andrews University gives us more of an insight of the true mission of the college, which is to prepare students to be missionaries in the various disciplines that they choose to study. Moving Andrews University and changing the name has allowed thousands of students to prosper and has prepared them to serve with a willing heart like John N. Andrews.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.