Corban University 
The information on this page was last updated 3/21/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Corban is a private university in the Pacific Northwest with an 80-year history of educating Christians to MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Situated on a beautiful forested hillside overlooking Oregon's capital, Corban is only an hour from Portland, the Cascade Mountains, and the Oregon coast.
Academic excellence at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, as well as online, prepares students for careers as business leaders, educators, medical professionals, politicians, ministry leaders, and more. Expert faculty with professional career experience remain active in their fields while building mentoring relationships with students. Outside the classroom, a tight-knit student community and opportunities for local and global engagement provide for students' growth through short-term mission trips, study abroad programs, and overseas teaching connections.
In addition to academic excellence, Corban is known for athletic excellence, as Corban athletes compete-and win-in 13 intercollegiate sports. Corban Warriors have earned 30 Conference Championships as well as four consecutive Presidents' Cup Academic Awards, which denote academic excellence among athletes.
Corban seeks to provide not only a quality education but also an affordable one. 99% of students receive financial aid. In addition, Corban is the only university on the West Coast to offer a Loan Repayment Assistance Program to both incoming freshmen and transfer students, which ensures that students won't be inhibited by the worry of student loan debt as they pursue their vocation to make a difference.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Corban University
5000 Deer Park Dr SE
Salem, OR 97317
Website: corban.edu
Phone: 503-581-8600
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 941312349
CEO/President: Dr. Thomas Cornman
Chairman: Rod Hoff
Board size: 13
Founder: Leland B. Entrekin and Roy O. Bancroft
Ruling year: 1956
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
Corban's goal is to equip men and women who will bring CHARACTER to their communities and COMPETENCE to their careers, all to the glory of CHRIST.
At Corban, who our students become is just as important as what they choose to do. One of our greatest goals for students is that they would grow in godly character. Corban is committed to integrating God's Word into every major, program, and course, so that students are trained to view their vocation through the lens of a biblical worldview and approach their careers with a biblical sense of ethics, integrity, and decision-making.
In addition to character, we strive to equip our students with competence. Hands-on experiences, internships, global opportunities, and a commitment to integrating technology and innovation into every program serve to prepare students for success in their chosen careers. We want our students to graduate with the skills and experiences necessary to succeed in the workplace and demonstrate competence as servant-leaders in their careers, families, and churches.
Finally, our vision for all students is that they would grow in Christ. Student programs such as Chapel, REACH (community service), mentoring by staff and faculty, and residence life each serve to create an environment for students to be sharpened and challenged in their faith. Every staff and faculty member is a professed believer in Jesus Christ, so that students are not only learning Christian principles but are encouraged to live them out in a unique Christian community. Our hope is that by the time our students graduate, Christ would be the foundation for every aspect of their lives.
Mission statement
Corban's mission is to educate Christians who will make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ.
To foster a transformative learning culture where a sustainable biblical worldview takes shape.
To build a vibrant Christian community that promotes worship, creative expression, and activities reflecting God's character.
To cultivate a life of stewardship and service toward God, humanity, and creation.
Statement of faith
We believe God has revealed Himself in creation, in the Scriptures, and supremely in Jesus Christ. God is the source of all truth.
We believe the Scriptures, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are divinely inspired and without error in the original writings. They are to be understood in their normal literary sense and serve as the final authority in all matters of faith and life.
We believe in the one true, personal, sovereign, eternal God, who is Spirit, and is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He exists in three equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe the biblical account of creation is neither allegory nor myth, but an historical account of the miraculous creative acts of God. All creation was good before the intrusion of sin and death.
We believe Jesus Christ is true God and true man, existing as one person. He was virgin born, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, was raised physically from the dead, and has ascended into heaven.
We believe the Holy Spirit indwells and gives life to believers, enables them to understand the Scriptures, empowers them for godly living, and gifts them for service. Some spiritual gifts are not normative for today because they were given to authenticate the Gospel and establish the early church.
We believe God specially and directly created human beings in His image. Human life is sacred, beginning at conception. God created humans male and female and has ordained marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
We believe the entire human race suffered spiritual death and became alienated from God and subject to physical death as a result of the disobedience of Adam, the first human.
We believe the death of Jesus Christ was a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. Before the creation of the universe, God sovereignly chose some from among sinful humanity to receive His grace in Christ.
Salvation is received by God's grace through faith apart from any works. Believers are saved eternally, progressively transformed into Christ-likeness in this life, and will be perfected at His coming.
We believe the Church, the Body of Christ, began at Pentecost and is expressed in the world through local churches. Its mission is to worship God, make disciples of all peoples, and live out the Gospel until Christ returns. It observes two ordinances: believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. The church is distinct from the state and upholds the individual's freedom before God in matters of faith.
We believe angels are spirit beings created to serve and worship God, that some rebelled and followed Satan, and that this rebellion was defeated at the cross.
We believe in the imminent and glorious return of Jesus Christ, who will gather His people, raise the dead, judge the nations, establish His millennial kingdom on earth, and fulfill His promises to Israel.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead, the unsaved to everlasting punishment and the saved to an everlasting, blessed life with God.
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
C
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Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 295 of 1106 | 36 of 129 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 661 of 1107 | 84 of 129 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 501 of 1107 | 64 of 129 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 71 of 1106 | 6 of 129 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 10% | 12% | 16% | 29% | 88% | 27% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 22% | 13% | 12% | 10% | 4% | 11% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 78% | 87% | 88% | 90% | 96% | 89% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 84% | 83% | 84% | 85% | 86% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 96% | 97% | 92% | 89% | 96% | 99% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 78% | 82% | 77% | 75% | 81% | 86% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 4% | 3% | 8% | 11% | 4% | 1% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 5% | 6% | 19% | 34% | 19% | 4% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 13% | 14% | 15% | 13% | 12% | 11% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.51 | 1.49 | 1.44 | 1.59 | 1.79 | 1.86 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.64 | 3.05 | 2.39 | 3.04 | 5.90 | 6.80 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.40 | 4.53 | 3.45 | 4.84 | 10.56 | 12.67 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 8.60 | 3.15 | 3.38 | 3.09 | 1.19 | 0.72 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.12 | 0.32 | 0.30 | 0.32 | 0.84 | 1.40 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 7.34 | 1.81 | 2.45 | 1.68 | 0.18 | -0.38 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 24% | 36% | 38% | 46% | 59% | 70% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 11% | 25% | 25% | 35% | 45% | 49% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 151% | 43% | 43% | 34% | 23% | 16% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Cash | $2,753,598 | $3,904,677 | $6,444,552 | $2,572,077 | $2,186,619 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $989,838 | $2,137,078 | $1,375,328 | $961,009 | $1,162,434 |
| Short-term investments | $4,651,096 | $4,921,739 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $8,394,532 | $10,963,494 | $7,819,880 | $3,533,086 | $3,349,053 |
| Long-term investments | $523,757 | $595,908 | $668,370 | $745,657 | $860,134 |
| Fixed assets | $16,456,167 | $13,288,591 | $13,778,265 | $14,752,728 | $15,474,108 |
| Other long-term assets | $200,000 | $1,380,000 | $1,520,000 | $1,808,247 | $3,098,118 |
| Total long-term assets | $17,179,924 | $15,264,499 | $15,966,635 | $17,306,632 | $19,432,360 |
| Total assets | $25,574,456 | $26,227,993 | $23,786,515 | $20,839,718 | $22,781,413 |
| Liabilities | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $2,040,216 | $2,011,546 | $1,763,838 | $1,961,140 | $2,459,942 |
| Other current liabilities | $624,352 | $1,236,519 | $770,934 | $1,012,705 | $2,217,475 |
| Total current liabilities | $2,664,568 | $3,248,065 | $2,534,772 | $2,973,845 | $4,677,417 |
| Debt | $6,415,301 | $6,621,424 | $8,341,728 | $9,406,813 | $11,081,257 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $91,781 | $91,937 | $0 | $0 | $145,196 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $6,507,082 | $6,713,361 | $8,341,728 | $9,406,813 | $11,226,453 |
| Total liabilities | $9,171,650 | $9,961,426 | $10,876,500 | $12,380,658 | $15,903,870 |
| Net assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Without donor restrictions | $14,311,431 | $10,778,495 | $9,842,637 | $5,888,539 | $3,849,224 |
| With donor restrictions | $2,091,375 | $5,488,072 | $3,067,378 | $2,570,521 | $3,028,319 |
| Net assets | $16,402,806 | $16,266,567 | $12,910,015 | $8,459,060 | $6,877,543 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Total contributions | $5,217,233 | $5,044,268 | $4,376,067 | $1,538,576 | $4,660,986 |
| Program service revenue | $33,464,350 | $35,460,954 | $37,572,430 | $36,927,521 | $37,767,880 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $185,692 | $343,741 | $200,978 | $251,256 | $159,033 |
| Other revenue | $153,003 | $106,867 | $148,800 | $170,953 | $146,378 |
| Total other revenue | $33,803,045 | $35,911,562 | $37,922,208 | $37,349,730 | $38,073,291 |
| Total revenue | $39,020,278 | $40,955,830 | $42,298,275 | $38,888,306 | $42,734,277 |
| Expenses | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Program services | $31,904,550 | $31,354,399 | $31,777,946 | $31,538,512 | $36,606,675 |
| Management and general | $5,486,683 | $5,625,278 | $4,811,734 | $4,420,323 | $4,561,390 |
| Fundraising | $635,407 | $831,024 | $1,257,640 | $1,347,954 | $1,265,833 |
| Total expenses | $38,026,640 | $37,810,701 | $37,847,320 | $37,306,789 | $42,433,898 |
| Change in net assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $993,638 | $3,145,129 | $4,450,955 | $1,581,517 | $300,379 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $993,638 | $3,145,129 | $4,450,955 | $1,581,517 | $300,379 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Sheldon Nord | President (thru Feb 2022) | $293,842 |
| Tom Cornman | Provost/Interim President | $170,462 |
| Bryce Bernard | Professor of Business | $125,647 |
| Christopher Vetter | Interim Provost | $123,127 |
| Denise Wendler-Associate VP of | Finance/Controller (thru March 2022) | $122,374 |
| Eric Straw | Professor of Business | $116,939 |
| Brenda Roth - VP for Student | Life (thru May 2022) | $114,094 |
| Shannon Johnson | VP for Advancement | $107,421 |
| Steve Sammons - VP for | Strategic Initatives (thru Aug 2021) | $100,774 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2022
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/21/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Corban's history stretches back to 1935 when it began as a small Bible institute in Phoenix, Arizona. You'll notice, as you dive into Corban's story, that the school has been called by several different names. Each name marks a significant season in Corban's history and helps illustrate the transitions and periods of growth the school experienced to become the University it is today.
But the common thread in each of the school's iterations has been a commitment to the authority of Scripture and a foundation on the person of Jesus Christ. Corban's name and location may have changed, but its roots haven't. Today, the school is just as committed to discipling Christians and preparing them for a lifetime of impact as it was in 1935.
Beginnings
In the growing city of Phoenix, Arizona, Evangelist Leland B. Entrekin and Pastor Roy O. Bancroft founded Phoenix Bible Institute (PBI) in 1935. Bancroft carried the work into 1943, and at that time a resolution was passed to hand over the Institute to the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, who were better equipped to provide support for the school.
In the fall term of 1943, 30 students had applied for enrollment. By 1946 the decision was made to move the school to Oakland, California.
A New Home, A New Era
At a meeting in April 1946, a motion was made for purchase of the property of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Oakland, California, for the sum of $37,500.
A new name was chosen for the school: Western Baptist Bible College. By 1954 enrollment had reached 94. The college remained at the Oakland site for ten years.
The Maturing Years
The "El Cerrito property," as it was first called, caught the attention of the Board. Its six acres and facilities just north of Oakland were said to be available for $150,000. An offer was made, and by the fall of 1956 classes began on the El Cerrito, California campus for 103 students.
In 1957-58, with enrollment at 128, the largest department continued to be missions, while the second largest was the pastoral department. The library collection continued to grow to 10,000 volumes.
On to Oregon
On July 15, 1969, administrators used $5,000 from the President's Club as a down payment for the new 100-acre campus in Salem, Oregon. (The down payment figure was adopted as the school's new address: 5000 Deer Park Drive.) The sale was personally signed by then Governor Tom McCall.
In October, several of the buildings on the new campus were named for John Schimmel, Herbert Farrar, Carrel and Fern Aagard and Dr. H.O. Van Gilder, laying the foundation for decades of growth, building, and expansion.
Investing in the Future
Corban's sixth president, Thomas Younger, brought to the school a passion for equipping Christian leaders for professional vocations. He helped institute the school's education and business programs, two of Corban's mainstays today. Younger believed that the world desperately needed educators, healthcare professionals, business leaders, and ministry leaders whose daily lives are founded in the Word of God.
This belief, ironically, caused some turmoil when Dr. Younger suggested removing the word "Bible" from the school's name. But by becoming "Western Baptist College," the school didn't lose any of its biblical heritage; rather, the name change highlighted the importance of biblical training for men and women in all vocations. Every calling is a sacred calling, the name "Western Baptist College" suggested, and pastors and missionaries weren't the only ones who could make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ.
Becoming Corban
In 2005, Corban's ninth president, Dr. Reno Hoff, made the move to change the school's name to Corban College. He recognized that by affiliating with the Baptist denomination, the college was potentially limiting its reach. A non-denominational name would allow the school to reach all Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching evangelical churches, and thus expand its impact for Jesus Christ. "Corban," a biblical word meaning "a gift dedicated to God," better reflected the mission of the school: "To educate Christians who will make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ."