Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

with its main campus on the Point Loma oceanfront in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the

Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members co ...

History

The college was founded by several female laypersons in the

with the assistance of

Phineas F. Bresee Phineas F. Bresee (December 31, 1838 – November 13, 1915) was the primary founder of the Church of the Nazarene, and founding president of Point Loma Nazarene University. Early life and ministry Bresee was born on a farm near Franklin, New ...

, co-founder of the Nazarene Church in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The "initiators," in the words of historian Timothy L. Smith, convinced "a reluctant Bresee to support the venture.""Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education," by Stan Ingersol
The institution envisioned was "a simple Bible college" to train ministerial and lay leadership for the newly established Nazarene denomination; however, a Bible college did not fit Bresee's notion of a real Christian school, and he "promised little or no assistance." The women went ahead with their plan, with money raised from their husbands, and Pacific Bible College opened in 1902 under Principal Mary Hill. In 1906, Bresee's interest in the college was piqued with a large donation from Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Deets. Bresee now saw the possibility for a real

in the newly renamed Deets Pacific Bible College. Bresee and Deets were soon planning Nazarene University together: academy, liberal arts college, and bible school. It became one of the first three "official" educational institutions affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene in 1908, and was named Deets Pacific Bible College in 1909. In 1910, it was renamed Nazarene University and, against the wishes of Jackson Deets and the advice of

Nazarene General Superintendent General Superintendent is the highest elected office within the Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness move ...

John W. Goodwin, the college moved to the Hugus Ranch property in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. It was renamed again to Pasadena University following a theological dispute and near bankruptcy in 1917. In 1924, the name was changed again, this time to Pasadena College. The school received accreditation from the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing School accreditation, accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary school, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, ...

in 1949. The college preparatory program was ended in the 1950s. In 1973, the college was relocated to the former

California Western University Alliant International University, often called Alliant, is a private for-profit university with its main campus in San Diego and other campuses in California. It offers programs in six California campuses – in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Ang ...

campus on Point Loma in

, after a rejected plan to move the school to Santa Ana. The Pasadena campus was later purchased by the

U.S. Center for World Mission The Venture Center was a collaborative Christian mission base located on a 15-acre campus in Pasadena, California. It has moved to a virtual "hub" approach, and sold the campus in 2019. The Venture Center sought to connect other like-minded organiz ...

and currently houses William Carey International University. After the move to San Diego, the college existed for ten years as "Point Loma College: An Institution of the Church of the Nazarene" until the name was changed to Point Loma Nazarene College (PLNC) in 1983. In 1998, the name was changed again, to Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU).

Presidents

Campus

PLNU has different locations besides the main campus in Point Loma, with graduate programs at regional centers in Bakersfield, and Mission Valley San Diego. Once owned by the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

, the Point Loma site has a lengthy pre-PLNU history.

Lomaland

Before it served as the Point Loma Nazarene University campus, the area was the location of a Theosophical commune run by

Katherine Tingley Katherine Augusta Westcott Tingley (July 6, 1847 - July 11, 1929) was a social worker and prominent Theosophist. She led the American Section of the Theosophical Society after W. Q. Judge. She founded and led the Theosophical community Lomaland ...

. It became known as "Lomaland". By 1900, the campus was dominated by the imposing Academy Building and the adjoining Temple of Peace of the Theosophical Society. Both buildings were constructed in the

Theosophical Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

vernacular that included the flattened arch

motif Motif may refer to: General concepts * Motif (chess composition), an element of a move in the consideration of its purpose * Motif (folkloristics), a recurring element that creates recognizable patterns in folklore and folk-art traditions * Moti ...

and whimsical references to

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

. The buildings were topped by

amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that t ...

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 Lomaland was a Theosophical community located in Point Loma in San Diego, California from 1900 to 1942. Theosophical Society leader Katherine Tingley founded it in 1900 as a school, cultural center, and residential facility for her followers. T ...

in 1896. The interior furnishings he carved for the Academy Building were influenced by the

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

style popular in Europe at that time. Machell also supervised the woodworking school at Point Loma. PL-amphitheater

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 Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

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 theater Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

in North America was built on this site in 1901. It was used for sporting events and theatrical performances. The

tessellated A tessellation or tiling is the covering of a surface, often a plane, using one or more geometric shapes, called ''tiles'', with no overlaps and no gaps. In mathematics, tessellation can be generalized to higher dimensions and a variety of ge ...

pavement and

stoa A stoa (; plural, stoas,"stoa", ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd Ed., 1989 stoai, or stoae ), in ancient Greek architecture, is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns, usually ...

were added in 1909. The theatre was the site of a number of productions of Greek and

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

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

after 1909. It was originally located on the west side of Pepper Tree lane. The hall is currently the location for the Communication Studies Department. Lomaland dissolved in the aftermath of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was used for bootlegging during the

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

period. The tunnel systems and site were later taken over by Fort Rosecrans before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. 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, California Western University relocated to Point Loma. In 1968, California Western changed its name to

United States International University United States International University (USIU) was a nonprofit university based in San Diego, California that was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. At its peak, it had two additional American campuses and three interna ...

and moved to

Scripps Ranch Scripps Ranch is a community of San Diego, California in the northeastern part of that city. Its ZIP code is 92131. It is located east of Interstate 15, north of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and south of Poway. Scripps Ranch is a coastal/i ...

, while the California Western School of Law retained its old name and relocated from its Point Loma location to downtown in 1973. Pasadena College moved from Pasadena to Point Loma to replace it.

Religious affiliation

PLNU is one of the eight U.S. liberal arts colleges and universities affiliated with the

. Although its name might suggest that it is the college for the "Point Loma" region, no such region currently exists; PLNU is the college for the "Southwest Region" of the United States, comprising the northern California, Sacramento, central California, Los Angeles, Anaheim, southern California,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

districts, which include

, and parts of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. 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 A gentlemen's agreement, or gentleman's agreement, is an informal and legally non-binding agreement between two or more parties. It is typically oral, but it may be written or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or th ...

not to actively recruit outside its respective "educational region." Point Loma Nazarene University offers many ministry opportunities including chapel, community and discipleship ministries, international and worship ministries. Attendance to chapel is based on the number of units the student is enrolled. Full-time students are required to attend chapel. Freshmen and sophomores must attend 33 chapels, and juniors and seniors must attend 25 chapels. Students can be fined for being absent from chapel too many times.

Academics

Point Loma Nazarene University has a "commitment to educating students as whole people." The university offers more than 60 areas of scholarship as

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degrees, as well as graduate degrees. There were 3,480 students at the college in 2007, 2,346 of whom were

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

s. The 2007 acceptance rate for students who applied to the college was 53.5 percent. In 2017, PLNU launched its first doctoral-level curriculum in the form of a

Doctor of Nursing Practice The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a professional degree in nursing. In the United States, the DNP is one of three doctorate degrees in nursing, the others being the research degrees PhD and the Doctor of Nursing Science. Internationally, ...

program.

Accreditations

The university is accredited by the

WASC Senior College and University Commission The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa ...

. Some programs and units at the university are accredited by specific organizations: *

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is a nursing education accrediting agency in the United States. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. CCNE accreditation is a voluntary, self-regulatory process, and the ...

(School of Nursing, B.S., M.S., and D.N.P.) *California Board of Registered Nursing * Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics *

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a U.S. organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on teaching and learni ...

(Fermanian School of Business) *California Commission on Teacher Credentialing *Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education * Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics * Council on Social Work Education * National Association of Schools of Music

Rankings

'' U.S. News & World Report'' 2019 ranked PLNU #9 in the Regional Universities West category out of 128 schools listed in that section. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' ranked PLNU as #263 in the country among all universities as of 2019 and #54 in the West. The average high school GPA for admitted freshmen in 2018 (unweighted) was 3.79, while the average SAT was 1,690/2,400. According to PayScale, the median mid-career salary of PLNU graduates in 2019 (bachelor's degrees only) was $90,100.

Student life

The institution has a debate team that won the National Parliamentary Debate Association championship in 2007 and met success as Sweepstakes Champions three times since 2003. PLNU has won the Christian College National Championship seven times since 1998. PLNU's resources include an honors program, career services, and study abroad opportunities. PLNU hosts numerous denominational and local community events: arts & culture gatherings, outdoor activities, and faith and ministry opportunities.

Athletics

The Point Loma Nazarene (PLNU) athletic teams are called the Sea Lions. The university is a member of the Division II level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) since the 2012–13 academic year. They were also a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic co ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the West Region of the Division I level. The Sea Lions previously competed in the

Golden State Athletic Conference The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference commissioner is Mike Daniels. Conference leadership is shared among the membe ...

(GSAC) of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA) from 1986–87 to 2011–12. Point Loma became an active member in the NCAA since the summer of 2014, which signified the conclusion of their three-year transition process from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. Point Loma competes in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, soccer and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

Notable persons

Notable alumni include Edward J. Blakely, educator and researcher on urban and suburban issues,Edward J. Blakely Center for Sustainable Suburban Development at the University of California Riverside
/ref> James Dobson, prominent

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

, Greg Laswell, musician and producer, and

Mildred Bangs Wynkoop Mildred Olive Bangs Wynkoop (born September 9, 1905 in Seattle, Washington, died May 21, 1997 in Lenexa, Kansas) was an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene, who served as an educator, missionary, theologian, and the author of several b ...

, noted Nazarene

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. The school has produced four college presidents. Two were presidents of the Eastern Nazarene College:

Fred J. Shields Frederick James Shields was a minister, educator, and president of the Eastern Nazarene College. Education Shields earned his bachelor's degree from the Nazarene University in 1915 and master's degrees from the University of Southern California ...

and

Floyd W. Nease Floyd William Nease (1893–1930) was an American minister and the president of the Eastern Nazarene College until his death in 1930. He is the grandfather of Floyd William Nease II, as well as Linda Nease Scott (a recently retired /2020emp ...

, 1919-1923 and 1924–1930, respectively. One,

Orval J. Nease Orval John Nease (1891–1950) was a minister, Nazarene General Superintendent, and president of Pasadena College. He was the brother of Floyd W. Nease, also a Nazarene college president. Early life and education Nease was born December 25, 189 ...

, was president of his alma mater from 1928 to 1933. The fourth, David Alexander, has been president of Northwest Nazarene since 2008.

Hoku Hoku Ho Clements (born June 10, 1981) is an American singer and actress. She is known for her 2000 hit single " Another Dumb Blonde" from the soundtrack and film '' Snow Day'' and the song "Perfect Day" from the soundtrack and film ''Legally Blo ...

, singer and daughter of the late Don Ho, studied business at PLNU briefly, but left during her first semester.

William De Los Santos William De Los Santos is a Hawaiian American author, poet, screenwriter, film director and producer. He is best known for having written and produced the 2003 film ''Spun'', which starred Jason Schwartzman (who portrays De Los Santos in the film) ...

, author, poet, screenwriter and motion-picture director, attended (enrolled as William Hilbert).

Micah Albert Micah Luke Albert (born January 2, 1979) is an American photojournalist who is represented by Redux Pictures in New York City. Based in California, he typically covers under-reported foreign affairs issues in Africa and the Middle East, but also w ...

, photojournalist who has covered issues in Africa and the Middle East, earned a degree in graphic communications.

Robert Pierce Robert Pierce (1914–1978) was an American Baptist minister and relief worker. He is best known as the founder of the international charity organizations World Vision International in 1950 and Samaritan's Purse in 1970. Early life and educati ...

, the evangelist who founded

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

and Samaritan's Purse, studied on the Pasadena campus.

Destin Daniel Cretton Destin Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his films ''Short Term 12'' (2013), ''The Glass Castle'' (2017), ''Just Mercy'' (2019) and the Marvel Studios film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' (2021). He has ...

, a filmmaker, majored in communications. Notable faculty members include

Frank G. Carver Frank Gould Carver (May 27, 1928 – July 14, 2017) was an American scholar and professor of Biblical theology and Greek. Carver was born in Crookston, Nebraska to Frank Alonzo and Greeta (née Gould). He earned his Bachelor of Arts, B.A. (1950) f ...

, Wesleyan Center Scholar in Residence;

Darrel R. Falk Darrel R. Falk (born 1946) is an American biologist. He is Professor Emeritus of Biology at Point Loma Nazarene University and is the past president and a current senior advisor with BioLogos Foundation, an advocacy group that emphasizes compat ...

, author of ''Coming to Peace with Science''; and director of the

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, fil ...

outreach program,

Michael Lodahl Michael Lodahl is a theologian in the Church of the Nazarene. He graduated from Northwest Nazarene College in 1977, graduated summa cum laude from Nazarene Theological Seminary in 1981, and earned a Ph.D. from Emory University. He has pastored one ...

. Another notable former faculty member is Olive Winchester.

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Liberal arts colleges in California Point Loma, San Diego Universities and colleges in San Diego Educational institutions established in 1902 Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Evangelicalism in California Council for Christian Colleges and Universities 1902 establishments in California Private universities and colleges in California