Bob Nash is an educator, spiritual leader and builder.

He has had many roles over his 30 years of involvement in public and private education: athletic director, counselor, teacher, principal and president of different organizations.

Now comes perhaps one of his biggest challenges — managing the multimillion-dollar renovation of the former Golf Universe building on West Clearwater Avenue in Kennewick and turning it into Pacific Northwest Christian College’s newest campus.

Nash, president of PNWCC, must get everyone moved into the new facility by January 2025.

“We’re plugging along,” he said. “We’ve been working with an architect for about six months. And we’re hopeful that all of the permitting will be ready come June.”

Adams Enterprises donated the 8-acre driving range grass to PNWCC, and the college has a lease option to buy the remaining 3.33 acres.

The construction project is planned in two phases totaling more than $17.8 million.

The first phase will be to remodel the existing building and will involve 10,200 square feet — almost 7,000 square feet of which involves the current building. Another 3,200 square feet will be added in a build-out.

The project’s estimated cost is $2.6 million.

Nash is funding most of the work through donations — no loans are planned. He said he can’t announce how much has been donated yet, but there have been some significant pledges for the capital project that will be announced soon.

He has experience. He helped build Liberty Christian School in Richland by raising funds for special projects as the school was being built.

People can donate to the project by going to the school’s website at pnwcc.edu.

A rendering of the interior at Pacific Northwest Christian College.

| Courtesy Pacific Northwest Christian College

Getting established

Over the years and through seven location changes around the Tri-Cities, the school slowly grew.

In 2005, Nash formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Gather4Him ministries that spawned an annual youth event called The Gathering. It brought young people together to worship at the Toyota Center from 1999 to 2013.

The event helped Nash realize that a Christian college was needed in this area, and he launched Gather 4 Him Christian College in 2008. It was small.

“There were just four students taking Bible courses for credit,” he said.

The school was renamed Pacific Northwest Christian College in 2021, and it began to see steady growth.

Nash and his staff met the needed requirements to launch the two-year college: religious exemption granted by the Washington State Student Achievement Council in 2008; degree authorization by the council in 2011; VA benefits for the GI Bill approved in 2014; and approval of participation of student financial assistance programs in 2018.

In 2018, the school began taking steps toward accreditation, which had to be approved by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges. That happened in 2021.

Today, PNWCC offers two-year associate degrees in biblical studies. In February, the school announced it had added a general associate degree.

Two years ago, student enrollment was at 84. This year it’s up to 132.

“And we expect to have 200 students enrolled in the fall,” Nash said.

Sports drive growth 

A big part of that is the addition of sports programs. In August 2022, the school started a football program, men’s and women’s soccer teams, and a cross country team. 

The school’s mascot is the Gladiators.

This fall, Nash said PNWCC will add a band program, and men’s and women’s basketball teams are scheduled to be added in the fall 2025.

The National Junior College Athletic Association allowed PNWCC to join Region 18 and the Scenic West Athletic Conference, which encompasses schools in Utah, Nevada, California and Colorado.

Diversified student body

The addition of student athletes, many of whom can attend through scholarships, has greatly diversified the student body. About 70% are white and 32% are first-generation college students. Of the current 132 students, 75 are from the Columbia Basin.

And 50% qualify for Federal Pell Grants, with many making less than $15,000 for a family of one, or less than $31,200 for a family of four.

The current student-to-faculty ratio is 6-1; and 40-plus area churches are represented by staff and students. There are 55-plus course offerings, both online and on campus.

Construction plans

The first phase of construction includes state-of-the-art classrooms, a library, a student comfort center and patio, a fitness center, administration offices, and an in-house communal laundry.

Because the driving range was donated, the school will be able to put in sports fields for its football and soccer teams. That will save $50,000 alone on leasing fields.

The student body also will take over the idle miniature golf courses out front to keep some revenue stream coming in. Original plans had the mini golf courses opening back up in early May, “but we had some maintenance and repairs to do on the mini golf,” Nash said. “It took longer than we thought it would, and now the plan is to open early June.”

A rendering of the exterior of Pacific Northwest Christian College.

| Courtesy Pacific Northwest Christian College

Nash said the school and students will need to vacate the 7,000-square-foot current location at 3021 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick by the end of the calendar year.

But the school will keep the 8,000-square-foot space it has across the street in the strip mall behind Sterling’s. PNWCC bought it two years ago, and weekly chapel still will be held there.

Once the first phase is complete, Nash and his staff will turn their attention to the second phase. It involves a proposed second building of 38,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet on the old Golf Universe campus and would cost an estimated $15.2 million.

That building would include an auditorium, library, cafeteria, classrooms and space for administration and faculty.

The architect is Kyle Lepper of LPR Architecture in Richland. The contractor is Richland’s Siefken & Sons Construction.

First things first, though. Nash is worried about getting the first phase started and completed.

“It’s a tight timeline,” he admitted.

But then he remembered what PNWCC’s mission is to reach, motivate and equip college students for Christ-centered service in the church and community.

Nash and his staff will be ready.

“It’s been a ride,” he said. “The journey has been long, but there have been a lot of changed lives. We’re here because of the Lord. There is no other reason. We’re currently here because of him.”