After almost 25 years as the president of Northwest College, Hurst decided to retire in the summer of 1990. The school had seen physical development, spiritual direction, and academic advance under his guidance and leadership. The board of directors unanimously elected pastor and Superintendent of AG Oregon District Dennis A. Davis to be the fourth president of Northwest College. Above all else, Davis was committed to the highest spiritual aspect of the students, saying that “The challenge of the college is to always strengthen the academic programs in response to the mission and purpose of the college and to fulfill that mission and never to detour from it.” He invited the students, faculty, and staff to gather on Wednesday mornings for prayer, a tradition that still continues, and offered an open-door policy to the students and declared that Wednesday would be “Student Day in the life of the President.”