Linfield College is an independent, comprehensive college recognized for its strong teaching faculty, outstanding science programs, and distinctive international emphasis. Linfield has a challenging and exciting academic program that features a broad liberal arts core and an atmosphere in which there is genuine concern for individuals and the progress. Linfield is one of the oldest colleges in the west. It traces its roots to an institution established by the Baptists in 1849 - a time of expansion and excitement in the western frontier before Oregon was granted statehood. The Baptist College at McMinnville was chartered in 1858, and later became McMinnville College. In 1922 the name was changed to Linfield College in memory of a Baptist minister whose widow, Frances Ross Linfield, gave property to the college. In 1928, Linfield was fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, and has never lost that accreditation. The college continues its historical affiliation with the American Baptist Churches.