William Jessup University 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 university in
Rocklin, California
Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California, about from Sacramento, and about northeast of Roseville in the Sacramento metropolitan area. Besides Roseville, it shares borders with Granite Bay, Loomis and Lincoln. As of the 2010 census, Ro ...
, with an additional site in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
. The university had 1,743 students during the 2019–20 academic year, over 1650 being full-time equivalents. Founded in 1939, it had a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,289 in the fall of 2020 on a campus size of 126 acres.
History
The university was founded as San Jose Bible College in 1939, in
San Jose by William Lee Jessup (1905–1992), the college's first president.
Eugene Claremont Sanderson
Eugene C. Sanderson (March 24, 1859 – February 16, 1940) was an American Christian minister and educator who founded Eugene Divinity School (EDS) in Eugene, Oregon in 1895. Today this school is known as Bushnell University. He served as it ...
had originally started Evangel Bible University in San Jose in 1934 but was unable to make it viable. As a result, he recruited Jessup, one of his former students, to take over. By 1951, with the school expanding and the
San José State University
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...
across the street encroaching, San Jose Bible College moved to a parcel bordered by
Coyote Creek, 12th Street and nearly 30 years later by I-280. Spanish-style classroom buildings and several dormitory buildings made up the small campus.
William Jessup retired in 1960 and was succeeded by Alvan L. Tiffin. Later, Woodrow Phillips, an alumnus, was president from 1968 to 1979 and Chuck Boatman was president from 1979 to 1984. Bryce Leroy Jessup (1935-2020), a
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...
alumnus and a son of the original president, was president from 1984 to 2010, when he retired. John Jackson, a former pastor at local megachurch
Bayside Church, was selected to be the sixth president in March 2011.
In 1989, the school was renamed San Jose Christian College and regionally accredited by
WASC in 2002. As administration was unable to find a new location in the
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends 90 miles (145 km) south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered on the west by the Santa Cruz Mountains and on the east ...
, they decided to move the institution to the
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
metropolitan city of
Rocklin in April 2003. The college officially moved from its San Jose campus in June 2004. At this time the college was renamed William Jessup University. A branch campus has been retained in San Jose that primarily serves non-traditional and graduate students.
The current location was formerly a Herman Miller Furniture Factory and many of the buildings were designed by
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions.
His works are considered ...
.
Since 2017, William Jessup University has formally partnered with Placer County to address land conservation issues in the county. In 2022, the university and Placer County announced plans for the University to purchase a 487 acre piece of land known as the Clover Valley, with the goal of managing it as an ecological and recreational preserve.
Academics
Jessup offers 25 undergraduate majors, 10 graduate programs, 5 degree completion programs and 9 fully online programs. All programs are regionally and professionally accredited and integrated with a vibrant faith based principles that provide students with a foundational understanding of themselves, the world and its Creator.
Schools
Faculty and programs are divided into six schools:
* School of Business
* School of Education
* School of Humanities and the Arts
* School of Natural and Applied Sciences
* School of Psychology
* School of Theology and Leadership
Centers and Institutes
* Center for American Sign Language (ASL)
* Center for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (Casa Latina)
* Institute for Bio-Diversity and the Environment
* Institute for Public Policy
Athletics
The William Jessup athletic teams are called the Warriors. 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 stu ...
(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) since the 2014–15 academic year. The Warriors previously competed 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) from 2004–05 to 2013–14.
William Jessup competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, stunt, tennis, track & field and volleyball.
Controversy
William Jessup has a partial exception to
Title IX
Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons. The school's handbook states "Students who engage in unmarried heterosexual cohabitation or any homosexual/bisexual activity will be subject to judicial action". A student and cross-country athlete claims that he was kicked out of the school in 2014 for being gay. In response to the student's claims, university president John Jackson stated that "we do not discriminate against students based on their sexual orientation. However, student participation in WJU is a voluntary association governed by a biblically-based code of conduct for every student enrolled at the University."
In response to LGBT policies and other controversial steps, current and previous students have shared their stories and frustrations with the school's policies and practices on several different online forums.
The school's current president, John Jackson, has not shied away from making controversial statements online, especially with regard to social issues. In his personal blog, he stated that he has "observed at least five cultural giants of our time: historical revisionism, abortion and euthanasia, religious repression, racism and injustice, identity and family" and is “'against' these five giants". He also "believe
that a socialist economic and political system is the greatest natural threat to religious liberty around the world." He also was one of the first religious leaders in the state of California to advocate the return to in-person religious services, calling for the "restoration of 100% of building capacities" by July 2020.
Notable alumni
*
JJ Heller
Jennifer Judy "JJ" Heller (born October 19, 1980, '' née'' Kellner) is an American Christian folk singer. After releasing multiple albums, she had two songs that charted. "Your Hands" from her 2008 album ''Painted Red'' and "What Love Really M ...
, singer
See also
*
List of colleges and universities in California
This is a list of colleges and universities in California.
Federal institutions
Graduate institutions
* Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey)
Other academic institutions
* Defense Language Institute (Monterey)
State institutions
Two-year inst ...
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial athletics website
{{coord missing, Placer County, California
1939 establishments in California
Association for Biblical Higher Education
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Educational institutions established in 1939
Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ
Universities and colleges in Placer County, California
Universities and colleges in Santa Clara County, California
Frank Gehry buildings
Private universities and colleges in California