Baker Years (2007-today)

Robin Baker began working at George Fox University in 1999, first serving as Provost. Then, in 2007, he became the university’s twelfth president and its 3rd non-Quaker President in a row after Steven and Brandt.  Dr. Baker received his degree in history and political science from Grand Canyon University and completed his PhD in history at Texas A&M. He joined the George Fox community filled with a passion for Christ and a genuine love of learning. Baker said in 2007 that “I believe God has called me now to help the George Fox community articulate and construct a vision for the university that is consistent with its past heritage and looks forward to the development of a dynamic Christian institution for the 21st century.”

Robin Baker takes a selfie with a group of students around him in Oxford, England
Robin Baker with students on Juniors Abroad

By the 2017- 2018 academic school year, the university had seen a boost in enrollment with a total of 4,080 students – undergraduate and graduate students combined, becoming one of the biggest private-colleges in Oregon. George Fox accomplished this despite low graduation rates in Oregon by using data-driven marketing and the promise of community embodied in its Be Known promise. Additionally, under Baker’s leadership, the school has become more diverse. Ethnic minorities account for 28.7% of the student population now. This was thanks to the Act Six scholarship program initiated in 2008 which connects local faith-based community affiliates with faith- and social justice-based colleges to equip emerging urban and community leaders to engage the college campus and their communities at home. Also important was the Bridge Scholarship which is a full-ride scholarship offered to select incoming freshmen who are first-generation college students.  

New additions were made to the sports program, the biggest of which was the return of Football, announced in 2011 and fully implemented by 2014. This proclamation brought in substantial funding as well as attracting new students who came in as a result of recruiting. With expansions made to the Austin Sports Complex and renovations in the Chehalem Aquatic Center lacrosse was also added as well as Men’s and Women’s swimming teams by 2018.

Austin Sports Complex
Covered Tennis Courts, Austin Sports Complex

The first new residence hall built under Baker was completed in August 2015 and is named after former university president Dr. David Brandt and his wife Melva.  Brandt Hall houses 149 students and currently functions as primarily a sophomore-inhabited residence. The 220-foot timber bridge that spans across the canyon and connects the east and west sides of campus was also completed in August 2015. The bridge leads straight to the new 30,000-square-foot dining hall called Canyon Commons which was completed in the summer of 2016. It seats 900 people and overlooks the natural beauty of Hess Creek Canyon. Directly next to Canyon Commons is the brand new Student Activity Center.  It includes basketball courts, an indoor suspended track, and meeting spaces for student government and clubs.

Hess Creek Bridge

Academically, the school has grown and added many new programs. In 2009 the College of Engineering began offering a civil engineering degree, making George Fox the first Christian university on the West Coast to do so. A full-time MBA program was added that year, and in the fall of 2012, a three-year doctor of physical therapy program began. The beginning of the 2014 school year saw a small part of the freshman class enter as part of the new William Penn Honors Program, a great books program that serves as an alternative general education track. The school brought in Dr. Joseph Clair to direct the program, which journeys through nearly 140 of the most influential books, poems, letters and arguments in human history. As of 2018, over 200 students were part of this program.  Beginning in the fall of 2018, undergraduate students were able to pursue yet another degree, biomedical engineering. In 2019, the School of Nursing began offering an innovative RN to BSN program. Examples of recent new graduate programs include the full-time MBA, a three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and a new Master of Social Work degree. In 2017 the George Fox Evangelical Seminary’s name was changed to Portland Seminary to help extend its outreach and its curriculum was expanded.

Dr. Brain Doak leading an honors seminar in 2014

The Idea Center was built in March 2014. Its purpose is to help students reach success in their academics and in their future careers. Students are able to schedule one-on-one meetings with their Cap coaches to discuss academic planning, job applications, or whatever else the student may need. 

Act Six Scholars

Under President Baker, the school has implemented initiatives to increase diversity and minority enrollment at the school. Implemented in 2008 to foster a more diverse student body, Act Six is a leadership and scholarship program that connects local faith-based community affiliates with faith- and social justice-based colleges to equip emerging urban and community leaders to engage the college campus and their communities at home. The Bridge Scholarship is a full-ride scholarship offered to select incoming freshman who are first-generation college students.

Overall, under President Baker George Fox has experienced a period of exponential growth physically, athletically, and academically.