Point Loma Nazarene University U.S.

Point Loma Nazarene University is known for being forward-thinking. At PLNU, academics, faith, and community are all vital. Students benefit from this balanced approach to education and leave PLNU prepared to think, act, and contribute to the world. 

PLNU offers more than 60 undergraduate areas of study and graduate program regional centers in Bakersfield, Mission Valley (San Diego), and the Inland Empire. Founded in 1902, PLNU serves more than 3,500 students.

When Dr. Phineas F. Bresee responded to the growing need for a Christian college in the Los Angeles area, God used him to answer the heartfelt prayers of a group of six women who called themselves the Bible College Prayer Circle. The group had come together in 1897, and on July 28, 1902, their prayers were answered. Bresee founded and became the first president of Pacific Bible College, which would become Pasadena College and later Point Loma Nazarene University. The women had envisioned a Bible college, but Bresee’s vision was for a liberal arts institution. He believed that spiritual and academic learning went hand-in-hand. That legacy is still with us today, as PLNU remains committed to the liberal arts and to whole-person education.

Pacific Bible College began with 41 students. In 1910, Bresee purchased the Hugus Ranch land in Pasadena and fulfilled his dream of creating not just a Bible college but a holiness university. Nazarene University opened in 1910 and from its beginning included women students.

By 1919, the name of the school had changed again to Pasadena College.

In 1964, W. Shelburne Brown became president of Pasadena College. He was instrumental in moving the college from its original location in Pasadena to its new Point Loma, San Diego home in 1973.

Dr. Bob Brower, PLNU’s current president, was inaugurated in 1998. In 1999, graduate programs in education were begun in Bakersfield and Mission Valley. A graduate program in education had remained in Pasadena since the move. In 2001, the program moved to Arcadia. Also in 2001, an MBA program was added in Mission Valley. PLNU now has five locations: the undergraduate campus in Point Loma and graduate programs at regional centers in Arcadia, Bakersfield, the Inland Empire, and Mission Valley San Diego. Point Loma currently offers graduate degrees in biology, business, education, nursing, and theology.

Bresee’s commitments to the message of holiness and to helping the poor set the stage for the future work of the Church of the Nazarene and PLNU. Nazarene churches are known for their outreach, for their service to those in need, and for addressing issues of social justice. Though the university began with only $4,000 in pledges, God has been faithful. Today, PLNU is home to more than 2,500 undergraduate students, and more than 1,200 graduate students.

There is a Bible on campus, encased in protective glass. This Bible belonged to Phineas Bresee. It’s opened to Isaiah 62, the chapter Bresee claimed for the school. Permanently marked with his fingerprints, it displays a double message: God’s words in Isaiah 62 and Bresee’s love for those words. It’s a message of being grounded in Scripture, of pursuing a well-rounded education and serving the poor out of a first and intense love for God and His Word. Bresee died in 1915, but his message still resonates. In fact, it defines Point Loma Nazarene University.

pointloma.edu

Saint Mary’s College of California U.S.

A Saint Mary’s education inspires learning that lasts a lifetime. It engages the intellect and spirit, and awakens the desire to transform society. We are all learners here — working together to understand and shape the world.

Who We Are

- A Catholic, Lasallian, liberal arts college, rooted in the life and work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers and the patron saint of teachers.

- We are committed to social justice, respect for all persons, and the power of education to transform lives.

- Saint Mary’s was founded in 1863, one of the oldest schools in the West, but our feet are planted firmly in the 21st century on a foundation of strong values.

- At the heart of our curriculum is Collegiate Seminar, in which undergraduates read and discuss great works and learn how to listen.

- We operate on a 4-1-4 calendar schedule, which means that during January term students can travel to entirely different points on the globe, lend a hand to others, explore new ideas or take a courageous step towards personal change.

Our Community

- Our students are men and women from diverse backgrounds and approaches to life, ambitious, curious and not likely to settle for easy answers.

- They are drawn to service learning, not because it’s a requirement, but because they know helping others makes their own lives richer and more interesting.

- Our graduate students bring their own unique experiences into the classroom and leave with the tools to transform the world in new ways.

- Our professors push the envelope, but aren’t all wrapped up in themselves; they guide students to dig deep and challenge them to fine-tune their opinions.

- Our students confront civilization’s big ideas, explore the world in Jan Term travel courses, learn to collaborate and discuss reasonably, and then translate these experiences into successful lives and careers — in the workplace, on the athletic field or in the Peace Corps.

Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve

That phrase, inscribed on the sculpture of Saint John Baptist de La Salle at the heart of our campus, inspires us and says a lot about who we are. La Salle had a big heart and a huge passion for the tranformative power of education. We follow in his footsteps.

The uncommon quality of a Saint Mary’s education makes this a unique place to live, work and study. But our real uniqueness is in the culture and character of our community. If you’d like to consider becoming part of that community, we invite you to apply.

stmarys-ca.edu

St. Patricks Seminary & University U.S.

Greetings and welcome to St. Patrick’s Seminary & University located in beautiful Menlo Park California. St. Patrick’s is an institution dedicated to the initial and ongoing formation of priests for service in the Roman Catholic Church. St. Patrick’s serves dioceses throughout the western United States and the Pacific Rim. The priests of the Society of St. Sulpice have dedicated themselves to this ministry of preparing diocesan priests here at St. Patrick’s since 1898 when the first Sulpicians came to San Francisco.

God continues to bless St. Patrick’s in so many ways. Amidst so many rich gifts and experiences the Lord teaches his disciples of today, just as he taught his first disciples, telling all to focus only on the tasks he gives each to do. This sets the stage at the outset of our academic and spiritual enterprise. As St. Patrick’s welcomes new men the community is humbled by the work of the Holy Spirit and the action of God in the lives of these individuals. The seminary focuses on cultivating the seeds of faith sown by their parents, family members, pastors, religious, vocation directors, catechists, friends, lay faithful and countless others. All are reminded to be very conscious of the sacrifice of those who have sowed the original seeds of faith in the hearts of the men who come to the seminary. Those who come here, who desire to study and be formed into priests of the Lord Jesus Christ, do so moved by the example of saints all around them and ultimately motivated by the One who provides for the growth. As the evangelist St. John records,  ”For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” (John 4:37-38)

The men of our time studying for the priesthood aspire to a noble enterprise. They will certainly need selfless and positive energy in these challenging and yet wonderful times. Many of these new priests will take assignments wherein they will be responsible for ministering to people in multiple locations. They will also be blessed to be ordained into service of a church that encourages the people of God to assist them in the tasks of addressing the many needs of their brothers and sisters in their communities.  In light of this reality the seminary is further convinced about the need to form pastors in the seminary today rather than simply parochial vicars who would, in previous decades, be named pastors later in their years as priests.

This requires ever renewing focus and ongoing research and study. Thus, “a day in the life of a seminarian” necessitates daily reflection on the stark and real challenges facing priests today. The programs of the Vatican II Institute also promise wonderful support to these new priests in their ministry. The Mantle of Elijah program, for example, prepares experienced priests and pastors in the dioceses to serve as mentors to the new priests. The mentors are formed to provide crucial insights, guidance and support to the new diocesan priest. The programs for new priests and pastors, including study days, also provide opportunities for priests to further equip themselves for the ongoing demands of their ministry.

As the seminarians today prepare for their ministry, they do so in light of a culture that seems to believe that the priesthood is obsolete. As Pope Benedict XVI relates in his letter to the seminarians of the world this year, “In different ways, though, many people nowadays also think that the Catholic priesthood is not a “job” for the future, but one that belongs more to the past. You, dear friends, have decided to enter the seminary and to prepare for priestly ministry in the Catholic Church in spite of such opinions and objections. You have done a good thing. Because people will always have need of God, even in an age marked by technical mastery of the world and globalization: they will always need the God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, the God who gathers us together in the universal Church in order to learn with him and through him life’s true meaning and in order to uphold and apply the standards of true humanity.” And learning to bring people to God in every age, particularly our own, is the raison d’être of this seminary. May God continue to bless the efforts of all who give of themselves to this mission. And, may God bless St. Patrick’s, its benefactors, patrons and holy ones now and always.

stpatricksseminary.org

Samuel Merritt University U.S.

Samuel Merritt University (SMU) is the largest source of registered nurses in the state of California and is the only provider of physical and occupational therapists, physician assistants, and podiatric physicians in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area.

SMU is breathing new life into the health sciences by creating a generation of highly skilled and compassionate professionals ready to tackle twenty-first century healthcare challenges.  The University’s reputation for peronalized instruction and hands-on clinical training is enhanced by its affiliation with Sutter Health and Alta Bates Summit Medical Center.  Because of the academic excellence of the institution, graduates are in high demand and experience amonthe the highest rates of employment within one year of graduation.  Graduates earn passing scores far above national averages on license and certification exams.

The University currently enrolls over 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students in roughly equal proportions (Fall 2012).  Of that total, approximately 60 percent are enrolled in nursing and the balance, in the disciplines listed above.  Enrollment at the University has increased by 43 percent since 1999 due to the expansion of new programs.

Private support provides a critical element in enabling a bright, young, qualified student to continue their education and fulfill their dream of becoming a health care professional.

samuelmerritt.edu

San Diego Christian College U.S.

San Diego Christian College

Located in beautiful Southern California, San Diego Christian College provides an excellent liberal arts education that thrives on making the Bible come alive. Our faculty and administration desire each and every student to purposefully seek after God in all they do, to pursue an incredible educational experience while earning a Bachelor’s degree, and to learn how to become the next generation of Godly leaders.

Location and Attractions

SDCC is a short distance from nearby mountain, desert, and beach resort areas. Modern freeways allow easy travel to any of San Diego’s attractions within a half hour.

San Diego’s many cultural, entertainment, and research centers afford SDCC students and excellent opportunity to participate in a wide variety of educational, recreational, and cultural activities.

SDCC Mission and Values Statement

Mission Statement

The mission of San Diego Christian College is to engage Christians in an academic community that offers a liberal arts education, promotes an environment of scholarship, and fosters the examination of truth, preparing them to influence the world through Godly character within a framework of the authority and inerrancy of Scripture.

Learning goals centered on the mission are directed toward enabling students to:

Obtain a foundational knowledge of the humanities, sciences, and social sciences that provides a framework for life-long learning.

Specialize in at least one academic discipline with specific career and life applications.

Demonstrate effective communication and social skills.

Apply critical thinking skills to scholarly, professional, and personal endeavors.

Practice individual responsibility to God, to others, and to the environment.

Explore a variety of opportunities for active participation in local and global communities in preparation for a lifestyle of service and ministry.

Interact effectively with individuals of diverse cultural perspectives.

Exercise self-discipline and personal integrity based on biblical principles and an active personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

sdcc.edu

San Francisco Art Institute U.S.

Founded in 1871, the San Francisco Art Institute is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious schools of higher education in contemporary art.

We boast an illustrious list of faculty and alumni in all areas of focus. Most importantly, we have consistently held fast to a core philosophy of fostering creativity and critical thinking in an open, experimental, and interdisciplinary environment. At SFAI, we educate artists who will become the creative leaders of their generation.

Mission Statement

San Francisco Art Institute provides its students with a rigorous education in the fine arts and preparation for a life in the arts through an innovative, intensive studio environment; a vital liberal arts experience; and engagement with the world at large. SFAI also strives to be a leader in promoting awareness of the relevance of the arts in contemporary culture.

To fulfill this mission, SFAI:

- Encourages art making that reflects a broad spectrum of forms and philosophical and aesthetic approaches

- Fosters critical thinking and creative development through ongoing intensive critiques

- Promotes artistic and intellectual freedom, imagination, creativity, experimentation, and risk taking in a diverse and heterogeneous environment

- Engages a broad cross-section of local, national, and international artists, scholars, and communities in mutual exploration of art, and of the roles, responsibilities, and integrity of art and the artist in society

- Emphasizes a combination of creative individual expression and technical skills in its academic programs: the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees; the Master of Fine Arts and Master of Arts degrees; and certificate and non-degree programs

- Encourages public understanding of an involvement in the practices and issues of contemporary art and generates public dialogue concerning these topics

Adopted by the San Francisco Art Institute Board of Trustees, December 1995.

sfai.edu