Providence Christian College 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 ...

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 ...

. Founded in 2002, it is an independent, confessionally

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

college with no formal denominational ties. The college offers only one degree program, a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Liberal Studies.

History

On several occasions, as early as the 1960s, discussions were held about establishing a Reformed Christian College on the West Coast. In November 2001 a small group met in

Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino is adjacent to Chino ...

to consider the feasibility of such a college, and unanimously agreed to establish a quality four-year liberal arts program that would in all aspects of its life and learning seek to reflect a Reformed Biblical perspective.History of Providence
. Retrieved November 26, 2011. The group also agreed that the college should be governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Directors drawn from various Reformed and Presbyterian churches. The college has no denominational affiliation, but does hold to Presbyterian and Reformed confessional standards (the

Westminster Confession The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the " subordinate standard" ...

and Catechisms, the

Belgic Confession The ''Confession of Faith'', popularly known as the Belgic Confession, is a doctrinal standard document to which many of the Reformed churches subscribe. The Confession forms part of the Three Forms of Unity of the Reformed Church, which are still ...

, the

Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism (1563), one of the Three Forms of Unity, is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Calvinist Christian doctrine. It was published in 1563 in Heidelberg, ...

, and the

Canons of Dort The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Christian doctrine, Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is the judgment of the National Synod held in the Netherlands, Dut ...

). Providence Christian College was incorporated in the state of

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 ...

on November 12, 2002, and the first board meeting was held on January 18, 2003. On January 1, 2004, Providence took full possession of a campus in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

, and began renovating its five main buildings into classrooms, dorms, a library, a dining hall, and administrative offices.

Accreditation

Providence Christian College 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 ...

In 2004 PCC started the accreditation process and was granted permission to operate as a degree granting institution in the state of California on December 9, 2004, by the Bureau for Private Post-Secondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE). Immediately following approval by the BPPVE, Providence Christian College began the process of seeking eligibility by

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, ...

(WASC). The college is also a member of IAPCHE: the International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education.

Facilities

In August 2010, Providence moved from

. The Providence Christian College library holds approximately 12,000 volumes and 100 periodical subscriptions, with student access to an additional 5,500 online periodicals (many full text), 2,500 electronic books, 52 other scholarly databases through online subscriptions. The college resided on the campus of

William Carey International University William Carey International University (WCIU) is a private faith-based university in Pasadena, California, USA, that provides distance education programs. WCIU offers online-only graduate degree programs in International Development with various ...

, which it also shares with the U.S. Center for World Mission. The 17.5-acre residential college campus sits in the East Washington Village neighborhood on the north side of

, in close proximity to the foothills of the

San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains ( es, Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Tr ...

and the

Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County in southern Calif ...

. In January 2019, Providence Christian College moved again, this time into a church building and its adjoining offices in Old Town Pasadena right next to Fuller Theological Seminary.

Athletics

The Providence Christian athletic teams are called the

Sea Beggars Geuzen (; ; french: Les Gueux) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen (; ; frenc ...

. The college is a member 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), primarily competing in the

California Pacific Conference The California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference commissioner is Don Ott. Conference leadership is shared among the member ins ...

(Cal Pac) since the 2015–16 academic year. They are 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. Providence Christian includes ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball and track & field (outdoor); while women's sports include cross country, golf, soccer, track & field (outdoor) and volleyball.

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{Coord, 34.149441, -118.141045, display=title Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Universities and colleges in Los Angeles County, California Educational institutions established in 2005 Reformed universities and colleges Unaccredited Christian universities and colleges in the United States 2005 establishments in California California Pacific Conference schools Private universities and colleges in California Liberal arts colleges in California