Fresno Pacific University (originally Pacific Bible Institute) also known as FPU is an accredited Christian university located in Fresno, California, United States. It was founded in 1944 by the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The university awarded its first Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. The first master's degree program was introduced in 1975.
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Campus locations
Fresno Pacific University's main 50-acre campus is located in the south east area of Fresno, hub of the Central Valley region of California and the fifth largest city in the state.
The university also maintains four regional campuses in Central California:
- Merced Regional Campus
- North Fresno Regional Campus
- Visalia Regional Campus
- Bakersfield Regional Campus
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Mission and academics
According to its mission statement, "Fresno Pacific University develops students for leadership and service through excellence in Christian higher education."
Fresno Pacific offers bachelor's degrees in 29 fields (and minors in an additional 10) with over 60 areas of study. It also offers advanced degrees or credentials in four areas: Education, Individualized Master of Arts, Leadership & Organizational Studies and Peacemaking & Conflict Studies. The university is organized into five schools: The School of Business; the School of Education; the School of Humanities, Religion and Social Sciences; the School of Natural Sciences; and the School of Biblical Seminary. In the most recent U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Fresno Pacific's peer assessment score tied it for 26th in the Western United States in the Universities-Master's category.
Fresno Pacific is accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
- The School of Business
- The School of Education
- The School of Humanities, Religion & Social Sciences
- The School of Natural Sciences
- The School of Biblical Seminary
Graduation guarantee
In February 2009 Fresno Pacific University began offering a "Four Year Graduation Guarantee." FPU already has the highest four-year graduation rate in the Central Valley, with 51 percent of traditional undergraduate students already graduating in four years,compared to 12-15 percent in the CSU system.
The university will guarantee graduation within four years to qualified students entering the traditional undergraduate program. The guarantee is limited to basic graduation requirements for a single major with no minor. Transfer, degree completion and graduate students are not part of the guarantee.
Student responsibilities include:
- Sign up for the guarantee during the freshman year, choose a major by the second semester of the freshman year and keep that major until graduation.
- Make course plans with their adviser, follow those plans and meet all advising, registration and financial aid deadlines.
- Complete at least 32 units per year with passing grades in each course and remain in good standing behaviorally.
History
At the time of its founding, Pacific Bible Institute was located in a large home at 1095 N. Van Ness Ave. There were five staff members and twenty-eight students. By the time the first school year was finished, a former YWCA building at the corner of Tuolumne and L streets (originally designed by Julia Morgan) had been purchased, and the next school year began in this building.
By 1958, land was purchased for the construction of the current campus near the corner of Butler and Chestnut, along with the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary and the new Butler Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church. Construction began on a new classroom building that year, and two dormitory buildings one year later. The classroom building was ready for use in the fall of 1959, but the dorm buildings were not completed until 1961 because of financial difficulties.
The Bible Institute became an accredited junior college in 1961, and decided to develop a four-year program two years later, in 1963. In 1964, Pacific Bible Institute changed its name to Pacific College, and became accredited with the WASC the next year. By 1967, the decision was made to add graduate courses, and the accreditation for the first master of arts program was received from WASC in 1975. The college changed its name to Fresno Pacific College in 1976 and to Fresno Pacific University in 1997.
In 2010 the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary became a part of the university, and changed its name to Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary.
Buildings
Athletics
The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds compete in the Pacific West Conference of the NCAA Division II. The university sponsors 16 intercollegiate sports, eight each for men and women:
Mascot
The athletics mascot is Sunny the Sunbird. Sunny is a much loved figure in the campus community.
Traditions
- The Wittenberg Door, a board located in the atrium of Steinert Campus Center, near the entrance to the dining room, is a place for the exchange of ideas. People are free to post expressions of their views, but are asked to write pieces in a charitable spirit and to include the writer's name. It was built in approximately 1983, and the original version was located in Alumni Hall when it still served as the campus cafeteria. A new board was built in 2004, and the old one was dismantled. The Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary has a board with the same name and purpose outside the B.C. Lounge.
- The Mennonite Central Committee holds its annual West Coast Relief Sale and Auction on the campus during the first weekend in April, at approximately 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday and 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Saturday. Ethnic foods, used books, antiques, plants, world crafts and quilts are all sold on campus in various booths and auction events.
- University Family Thanksgiving Meal
- Winter Formal
Chief executives
- 1944-1946 Rev. Sam W. Goossen - Acting President/Dean
- 1946-1947 Rev. George B. Huebert - Administrator
- 1947-1953 Dr. George W. Peters - President/Dean
- 1953-1954 Dr. Rueben M. Baerg - Acting President
- 1954-1955 Dr. Rueben M. Baerg - Acting President, one-half year; Administrative Committee last half of year, Dr. George W. Peters, Chmn.
- 1955-1960 Rev. B.J. Braun - President
- 1960-1961 Dr. Arthur J. Wiebe - Director of Pacific Bible Institute; Mr. Joel A. Wiebe - Interim Director
- 1961-1975 Dr. Arthur J. Wiebe - President
- 1975-1976 Rev. Edmund Janzen, Chairman, Presidential Council
- 1976-1982 Rev. Edmund Janzen - President
- 1982-1983 Mr. Silas Bartsch - Interim President; Edmund Janzen on leave
- 1983-1985 Rev. Edmund Janzen - President
- 1985-1997 Dr. Richard Kriegbaum - President
- 1997-2000 Dr. Allen Carden - President
- 2000-2002 Dr. Harold Haak - President
- 2002-2012 Dr. D. Merrill Ewert - President
- 2012-2014 Dr. Pete Menjares - President
- 2014-present Dr. Richard Kriegbaum
Notable alumni
- Ron Adams, Assistant Coach for the Golden State Warriors
- Rachel Belman, Christian recording artist
- Karl Dewazien, Pioneer for the sport of soccer in the United States. Founding member of the California Youth Soccer Association. Well-published author whose youth soccer books have become the standard throughout the U.S. and Canada.
- Rev. Brian Fuller, President of Eston College
- Aaron Henderson, Director of Athletics at Fresno Pacific University
- Mike Niehoff, Principal at Minarets High School
- Dan Quisenberry, former Major League Baseball all-star pitcher for the Kansas City Royals.
- Jaime Ramirez, soccer coaching legend in the Central Valley, founder of the Fresno Fuego and head coach of FPU men's soccer.
- Chris Schwinden, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Mets
- J.T. Thiesen, nationally known triple jump and long jump coach that has worked with U.S. Olympians.
- Pakisa Tshimika, Public health professional that was instrumental in changing the infrastructure of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, turning its health zone system into one of the best designed and decentralized systems in all of Africa. Founder of the non-profit organization "Mama Makeka House of Hope" and author of "Grief, Grace and Hope".
- Milika Tuivanuavou, Fiji national record holder in the women's triple jump and shot put
- Joshua Urbiztondo Professional Basketball Player In The Philippines PBA
- Eugene Vollmer, Fiji national record holder in the men's triple jump
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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