Sanderson envisioned a school at which students would study the Bible and principles of Christian ministry under Eugene Divinity School's faculty, but take other subjects on the neighboring campus, a model he also attempted to set up at Manhattan Christian College, located near Kansas State University.

The Eugene Divinity School and its successive institutions maintained this arrangement with the University of Oregon until 1995, when it was discontinued.

[3] On December 8, 2009, Joseph Womack was named as Bushnell University's 10th president, taking office on June 1, 2010.

[9] In January 2021, the university announced a plan to revive its baseball program after a more than 50-year hiatus as the school's 17th varsity sport offering, and named Tommy Richards, a former Baltimore Orioles' prospect and Whitman College Assistant, as the program's new head coach.

This was the first time Bushnell University's (then known as Northwest Christian) cross country team won first place in this championship.