Vanguard University of Southern California is a
private Christian university in
Costa Mesa, California. It was the first four-year college in
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
. The university offers over 39 undergraduate degrees and emphases in 15 different departments. The university also offers adult-learning programs in its professional studies department and features six graduate degrees. It 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 Sam ...
.
History
In summer 1920, Harold K. Needham, D. W. Kerr, and W. C. Pierce opened Southern California Bible School, an institution intended to prepare Christian workers for the various ministries of the church.
The school moved from Los Angeles to Pasadena in 1927, and was chartered by the
state of California in 1939 to grant degrees. Given this new distinction, the former Southern California Bible School became Southern California Bible College, the first four-year institution of the Assemblies of God.
In 1943 the college received recognition by the government for the training of military chaplains. It moved to the present campus in 1950, becoming the first four-year college in Orange County. Its name was changed to Southern California College nine years later when majors in the liberal arts were added to the curriculum.
Regional accreditation and membership in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges were granted in 1964. In 1967 the college received recognition and approval of its teaching credential program from the California State Board of Education. In June 1983 the Graduate Studies Program received approval from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. A Degree Completion Program was started in 1994 for adult learners. On July 1, 1999, university status was achieved when Southern California College registered with the Secretary of State's Office as Vanguard University of Southern California. The university comprises the Undergraduate College and the School for Graduate and Professional Studies.
Campus
Vanguard is in
Costa Mesa, California, centrally located in Orange County and about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Two graduate programs (organizational psychology and clinical psychology) are housed nearby at a satellite campus in Santa Ana.
Organization and administration
In addition to its founding president, Harold K. Needham, Vanguard University of Southern California has had nine subsequent presidents: Daniel W. Kerr, Irvine J. Harrison, John B. Scott, O. Cope Budge, Emil A. Balliet, Wayne E. Kraiss, Murray W. Dempster, Carol Taylor, and Dr. Michael J. Beals, who took office on February 7, 2014.
Rankings
In 2019, the school was ranked #43 in U.S. News & World Report' Western Regional Colleges ranking, and was named by The Princeton Review as one of its 124 “Best Western” Colleges. Vanguard was named in the 2012-13 list of Christian Colleges of Distinction and was 99th on the ''Forbes'' list of best universities in the West.
Athletics
The Vanguard athletic teams are called the Lions. The university 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 st ...
(NAIA), primarily competing 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) for most of its sports since the 1986–87 academic year; while its men's & women's wrestling teams compete in the
Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC).
Vanguard competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, dance, golf, soccer, sideline dance, softball, stunt, track & field, volleyball and wrestling.
Accomplishments
In 2014, Vanguard won the NAIA Division I men's basketball championship in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2008, the women's basketball team won the NAIA Division I National Championship in Jackson, Tennessee.
Facilities
* "The Pit" - men's and women's Basketball, Stunt, men's and women's Volleyball
* Dean Harvey Field - Baseball
* Soccer Complex - Soccer
* Softball Complex - Softball
Notable alumni and faculty
*
Daniel Amen
Daniel Gregory Amen (born July 1954) is an American celebrity doctor who practices as a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist as director of the Amen Clinics. He is a five-time ''New York Times'' best-selling author as of 2012.
Amen has ...
, psychiatrist and author
*
Heidi Baker
Heidi Gayle Baker''Long-time resident had a love of teaching'', https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-cpt-1022-farrell-obit-20101021-story.html (born August 29, 1959) is a Christian missionary, itinerant speaker, and the CEO of Iris ...
, Christian missionary and author
*
Ila Borders
Ila Jane Borders (born February 18, 1975), is a former left-handed pitcher in college and independent professional baseball player. As a female pitcher in men's leagues, Borders achieved numerous baseball milestones at the college and professiona ...
, professional female baseball player
*
Stephanie Borowicz, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
*
Ralph Carmichael
Ralph Carmichael (May 27, 1927 – October 18, 2021) was an American composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music.
Early Life and Career
...
, jazz and contemporary Christian musician and arranger
*
Cubbie Fink, musician
*
Jason Frenn
Jason Frenn (born October 24, 1966, in Los Angeles, California) is an international missionary evangelist, author, and conference speaker, whose live ministry events have attracted a cumulative worldwide audience of over 7 million people. As a bil ...
, Missionary Evangelist, conference speaker, and author
*
José Rojas, professional baseball player
*
Julius Kim Julius Jason Kim is a Korean-American theologian and president of The Gospel Coalition.
Biography
Born in Los Angeles, Kim spent part of his childhood in South Korea before returning to California at the age of 12. He received a BA from Vanguard ...
, President of
The Gospel Coalition
The Gospel Coalition, or TGC, is a union of Evangelicalism, evangelical and Reformed church, Reformed churches.
History
It was founded in 2005 by theologian D. A. Carson and pastor Tim Keller (pastor), Tim Keller. TGC describe their mission ...
and former professor of
Westminster Seminary California
Westminster Seminary California is a Reformed and Presbyterian Christian seminary in Escondido, California. It was initially a branch campus of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia until 1982 when it became fully independent. It cur ...
*
Brent Kutzle
Brent Michael Kutzle (born August 3, 1985) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and film composer originating from Fountain Valley, California. He is the bassist and cellist for the pop rock band OneRepubli ...
, musician
*
Larry Mantle, radio show host
*
Emily Rose Emily Rose may refer to:
* Emily Rose (actress) (born 1981), American television actress/voice actress
* '' The Exorcism of Emily Rose'', a 2005 supernatural horror crime film about demonic possession, loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel ...
, actress
References
External links
*
Official athletics website
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*
Buildings and structures in Costa Mesa, California
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Educational institutions established in 1920
Pentecostalism in California
Religion in Orange County, California
Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Universities and colleges in Orange County, California
Universities and colleges affiliated with the Assemblies of God
1920 establishments in California
Private universities and colleges in California