Point Loma Nazarene University
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| Point Loma Nazarene University | |
|---|---|
| Image:PLNUSeal.jpg | |
| Motto: | Teach, Shape, Send |
| Established | 1902 |
| Type: | Private |
| President: | Bob Brower |
| Faculty: | 130 |
| Undergraduates: | 2,310 |
| Postgraduates: | 610 |
| Location | San Diego, CA, USA |
| Campus: | Suburban |
| Colors: | Green and Gold |
| Mascot: | Sea Lions |
| Athletics: | NAIA 14 varsity teams |
| Website: | www.pointloma.edu |
Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a Christian liberal arts college in San Diego, California, on the Point Loma oceanfront. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
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[edit] Affiliation
One of eight U.S. liberal arts colleges[1] and universities affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene,[2] PLNU is the college for the "Southwest Region"[3] of the United States. Although its name might suggest that it is the college for the "Point Loma" region, no such region currently exists.[4] In terms of the Church of the Nazarene, the "Southwest Region" is comprised of the Northern California, Sacramento, Central California, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii districts, which include California, Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii, and parts of Nevada, Utah, and Texas. Each college receives financial backing from the Nazarene churches on its region; part of each church budget is paid into a fund for its regional school. Each college or university is also bound by a gentlemen's agreement not to actively recruit outside its respective "educational region."[5]
[edit] History
The college was founded by several female laypersons in the Church of the Nazarene with the assistance of Phineas F. Bresee, co-founder of the Nazarene Church in Los Angeles. The "initiators," in the words of historian Timothy L. Smith, convinced “a reluctant Bresee to support the venture."[6] Their desire to recruit Bresee as their patron was understandable. He had chaired the committee that recommended Simpson College become a four–year college, raised the money for buildings there like College Hall, now "the college’s primary historic landmark," and served on the their board of trustees for 16 years, part of that time as board president. In Los Angeles, he was a trustee for the University of Southern California and worked with J. P. Widney to save the College of Liberal Arts there.[7]
The institution envisioned was "a simple Bible college"[8] to train ministerial and lay leadership for the newly established Nazarene denomination, but a bible college did not fit Bresee's notion of a real Christian school and he "promised little or no assistance."[9] The women went ahead with their plan, with money raised from their husbands, and Pacific Bible College opened in 1902 under Principal Mary Hill. Hill left for missionary work in China the next year, and left the school under Leora Maris' leadership.[10]
In 1906, Bresee's interest in the college was piqued with a large donation from Jackson Deets. Bresee now saw the possibility for a real liberal arts college in the newly renamed Deets Pacific Bible College. Bresee and Deets were soon planning Nazarene University together: academy, liberal arts college, and bible school.[11]
In 1910, the college moved to the Hugus Ranch property in Pasadena, California, and was renamed Nazarene University. It was renamed again to Pasadena University following a theological dispute and near bankruptcy in 1917. The school received accreditation from Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools in 1943, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 1949. The school was once again renamed, this time to Pasadena College. The college preparatory program was also ended in the 1950s.
In 1973, the College was relocated to the Point Loma peninsula in San Diego, after a rejected plan to move the school to Santa Ana. It existed for ten years as Point Loma College: An Institution of the Church of the Nazarene. In 1983, the name was changed to Point Loma Nazarene College, and, in 1998, it was changed to Point Loma Nazarene University.
[edit] The Theosophical Society and Historic Buildings
The Point Loma site has a history of its own. By 1900, the campus was dominated by the imposing Academy Building and the adjoining Temple of Peace. Both buildings were constructed in the Theosophical vernacular that included the flattened arch motif and whimsical references to antiquity. The buildings were topped by amethyst domes, which were lighted at night and could be seen offshore. The entrance to the Academy Building was dominated by two massive carved doors that symbolized the Theosophical Principles of "spiritual enlightenment" and "human potential." The sculptor, Reginald Machell, was educated in England, but moved to Lomaland in 1896. The interior furnishings he carved for the Academy Building were influenced by the Symbolist style popular in Europe at that time. Machell also supervised the woodworking school at Point Loma.
Lomaland had public buildings for the entire community and several private homes. The home of Albert Spalding, the sporting goods tycoon, was built in 1901. The building combines late-Victorian wooden architecture with historical motifs such as the modified Corinthian column (now shaped like a papyrus leaf) and flattened arches. The amethyst dome was restored by a team of scholars led by Dr. Dwayne Little of the PLNC department of History and Political Science in 1983.
The first Greek amphitheater in North America was built on this site in 1901. It was used for sporting events and theatrical performances. The tessellated pavement and stoa were added in 1909. The theatre was the site of a number of productions of Greek and Shakespearean dramas. Cabrillo Hall, which served as the International Center Headquarters, the Brotherhood Headquarters, and "Wachere Crest" building, was completed in 1909. It served as office space for the Theosophical Society and as a residence for Katherine Tingley after 1909. It was originally located on the west side of Pepper Tree lane.
Lomaland dissolved in the aftermath of World War I and was used for bootlegging during the Prohibition period. The tunnel systems and site were later taken over by Fort Rosecrans before World War II. It served as an observation point and several barracks were installed on the site, which constitute some of the campus dormitories for PLNU.
In 1952, Balboa University became affiliated with the Southern California Methodist Conference, changed its name to California Western University and relocated to Point Loma. In 1960, the failing downtown law school re-located to Rohr Hall at Point Loma to join the rest of the institution. It received accreditation from the American Bar Association in 1962. In 1968, California Western changed its name to United States International University (USIU) and moved to Scripps Ranch. In 2001, it merged with California School of Professional Psychology to form Alliant International University. The California Western School of Law retained its old name but relocated from its Point Loma location back downtown in 1973. Pasadena College moved from Pasadena to Point Loma to replace it.
[edit] Academics
Point Loma Nazarene University has a "commitment to educating students as whole people."[12] The University offers more than 60 areas of scholarship as bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees, as well as graduate degrees in biology, education, religion, business administration and nursing. Faculty integrate their Christian faith with their academic disciplines, and, of 150 full-time faculty members, almost 75% have an earned doctorate or the highest degree offered in their fields.[13]
PLNU has five different locations besides the undergraduate campus in Point Loma, with graduate programs at regional centers in Arcadia, Bakersfield, Inland Empire and Mission Valley San Diego.
[edit] Extracurricular activities
The institution has a debate team that won the National Parliamentary Debate Association championship in 2007.[14]
[edit] Athletics
Point Loma Nazarene University is part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). The university sponsors 14 athletic programs, 7 for men and 7 for women, in cross-country, soccer, basketball, golf, baseball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and softball. The mascot is the Sea Lion.The Sea Lions play San Diego State University as an exhibition basketball game.
[edit] Notable persons associated with Point Loma Nazarene University
- James Dobson - Alumnus, prominent evangelical.
- Darrel R. Falk - current faculty, director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute outreach program, author of Coming to Peace with Science: Bridging the Worlds Between Faith and Biology (InterVarsity Press, 2004), forward by Dr. Francis S. Collins.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Eastern Nazarene College is the only Nazarene institution to retain the "college" moniker. Different states hold different standards for university status, but none of the Nazarene "universities" are research universities. Rather, Nazarene higher education is based on the liberal arts model.
- ^ LIBERAL ARTS AND THE PRIORITIES OF NAZARENE HIGHER EDUCATION by J. Matthew Price, Ph.D.
- ^ Southwest Region
- ^ Eastern and Northwest are the only Nazarene schools to use their regional names. Point Loma is named for its location on the Point Loma oceanfront.
- ^ Nazarene Educational Regions
- ^ Found in "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
- ^ "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
- ^ "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
- ^ "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
- ^ "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
- ^ "Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
- ^ PLNU About Page
- ^ CCCU College Profile for PLNU
- ^ Statistics
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
Colleges and Universities of San Diego County | |
|---|---|
| Four-year colleges and universities | California State University, San Marcos • Point Loma Nazarene University • National University • Alliant International University • San Diego State University • University of California, San Diego • University of San Diego |
| Two-year and community colleges | MiraCosta College • Palomar College • San Diego City College • San Diego Mesa College • San Diego Miramar College • Grossmont College • Cuyamaca College • Southwestern College |
Golden State Athletic Conference |
|---|
| Azusa Pacific • Biola • California Baptist • Concordia • Fresno Pacific • Hope International • The Master's • Point Loma Nazarene • San Diego Christian • Vanguard • Westmont |
