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Biola University

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Biola University is a private Christian university, located in the city of La Mirada in Los Angeles County, California with satellite campuses in Chino, Inglewood, Thousand Oaks, Palm Desert, San Diego, San Bernadino and as of May 6, 2006 a new facility in Laguna Hills, Orange County [link].

Contents

History

Originally located in downtown Los Angeles at the corner of Sixth St. and Hope St., the university moved to its present location in 1959.

The University was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute Of Los Angeles by Lyman Stewart, co-owner of the Union Oil Company of California (currently known as Unocal), and T.C. Horton, a well known preacher and Christian writer.

In 1909, the Institute published a set of books called The Fundamentals, which was a series of essays defending the traditional conservative interpretation of the Bible in response to the growing influence of liberal interpretations. The term "fundamentalism" is derived from this book series. (However, it should be noted that the current ethos of the University is not fundamentalist, but evangelical.)

By 1912, the school had grown sufficiently in its outreach and constituency to call R.A. Torrey, a leader in the field of Christian education, as the first dean. Between 1912 and 1928, Biola was an established leader in conservative Christianity in North America, publishing The King's Business (a magazine similar to Christianity Today), operating one of the largest Christian radio stations in the U.S. (KTBI), and running the Biola Press, which sold and distributed Christian literature worldwide. After Stewart's death and Torrey and Horton's retirements, William P. White, a well-known Christian leader and speaker, became Biola's first president in 1929. Charles E. Fuller, a graduate of Biola, became chairman of the board. Fuller later founded Fuller Theological Seminary.

Biola fell into hard times during the Great Depression and was forced to sell its publishing company and radio station. The 13-story downtown building that housed the school was also under threat of loss. It was during this time that Louis T. Talbot became Biola's second president in 1932. Talbot also served as the pastor of the Church of the Open Door, which held services in the school's downtown building.

In 1935, Paul W. Rood became Biola's third president. He was instrumental in establishing the Torrey Memorial Bible Conference, which is one of the longest standing Bible conferences today. He resigned in 1938. During Rood's presidency, Talbot was instrumental in helping to save the school from financial ruin caused by the Great Depression.

Talbot entered a second term as Biola's president from 1938 to 1952. During this time, the Institute program became a four-year course, leading to degrees in theology, Christian education, and sacred music. The School of Missionary Medicine came into being in 1945, laying the foundation for Biola's current baccalaureate nursing program. In 1946, Talbot also established the Biola Institute Hour, a national radio program. It was later called the Biola Hour. The Institute was renamed Biola College in 1949.

Under the leadership of Samuel H. Sutherland, president from 1952 to 1970, Biola moved its campus to its current location La Mirada, Calif. in the summer of 1959. Sutherland and Russell Allder, Biola's business manager, were instrumental in purchasing and developing the new 75-acre campus, which was purchased from publishing magnate Andrew McNally, founder and president of Rand McNally Publishing Company. In those days, plans were still under way for the development of the soon-to-be city of La Mirada, which was mostly olive trees and rolling hills. La Mirada was incorporated as a city in 1960.

Under the leadership of Dr. J. Richard Chase, president from 1970 to 1982, the College became Biola University on July 1, 1981.In 1977, the graduate programs of Rosemead Graduate School of Professional Psychology were acquired by the College and relocated on the La Mirada campus. The undergraduate programs in psychology were merged with Rosemead's graduate programs in the fall of 1981, forming the present Rosemead School of Psychology. Clyde Cook became president of the University on October 8, 1982.

The School of Intercultural Studies was instituted as part of the University in 1983. Talbot Theological Seminary became Talbot School of Theology in the fall of 1983 as a result of the merger between the appropriate undergraduate and graduate level programs. In 1993, the Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the School of Business, and the School of Continuing Studies in 1994, now called the School of Professional Studies.

On November 16, 1996, the University hosted the first national conference on Intelligent Design. Later, Intervarsity Press published Mere Creation (ISBN 0830815155) which was a collection of the papers presented at the conference. Subsequent Intelligent Design conferences were held at the University in 2002 and 2004.

On June 1, 2006, Clyde Cook announced his retirement after 25 years of service as president. He will retire in June, 2007, one year before Biola's centennial anniversary. He was one of Calfornia's longest serving university presidents. [link] [link]

Institution

Biola offers 30 majors, 145 professional fields of study, as well as master's, doctoral and professional degrees. Degrees include B.A., B.S., B.M., M.A., M.B.A., M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., D.Miss., Psy.D., Ed.D., Ph.D. All are regionally and professionally accredited and are integrated with evangelical Christian doctrine. The schools are:

All undergraduate students are required to take 30 units of Bible classes, regardless of their major. The mission of Biola University is biblically centered education, scholarship, and service -- equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Biola is recognized as a "Best National University" by US News & World Report - one of 229 out of the 3,300 institutions of higher learning in the United States that are called the "major leagues" of higher education. Biola is the only school among the 100 American members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and the only Evangelical Christian University in the US to hold such a distinction. [link]

Accreditation and Affiliation

Biola University holds institutional accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (1961). In addition, the institution and certain of its programs are accredited by the American Psychological Association (1980), the Association of Theological Schools (1977), the National Association of Schools of Music (1970), the State of California Board of Registered Nursing (1966), the National League for Nursing (1972), and the California Commission for Teacher Preparation and Licensing (1960), the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (1977), and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (1998). Note: Dates in ( ) reflect the initial approval date.

Biola University is authorized to train students under the Veteran's Bill of Rights. In addition, the University is affiliated with a number of professional organizations, of which the following are representative:

Publications

The University is involved in the publication of academic journals, They are:

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

Trivia

See also

External links

 

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