Dordt University

Dordt University is a private evangelical Christian university in Sioux Center, Iowa. It was founded in 1955 and is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The university name is a reference to the Synod of Dordt (Dordrecht). Dordt annually enrolls about 1,500 students. The university is committed to a Reformed, Christian perspective that embraces the Bible as the word of God. The university offers 90 programs of study that lead to Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Master of Education degrees. History Dordt University was founded as Midwest Christian Junior College in 1953. In 1954, a group of men from local Christian Reformed Churches in Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota agreed to establish the college in Sioux Center. It was tentatively referred to as Midwest Christian Junior College, and the first classes were held at the college in the fall of 1955 with about 40 students. In April 1956, the name was changed to Dordt College. This name was chosen to honor a historic 17th century Reformed church meeting called the Synod of Dordt that took place in the Netherlands in 1618–1619.