Patten University is an

online college Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. Its parent organization, Patten Educational Foundation, was founded in 1944 by

Bebe Patten Bebe Patten (September 13, 1913 – January 25, 2004) was the founder of Patten University (formerly Oakland Bible Institute), Patten Academy, Christian Cathedral and the Christian Evangelical Churches of America, Inc. denomination. Born Willa ...

as a

bible college A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological educ ...

, and went through several stages in its history, variously under the names Oakland Bible Institute, Patten Bible Institute, Patten College, then Patten University. It is accredited by the

Distance Education Accrediting Commission The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), formerly the National Home Study Council and then as the Distance Education and Training Council, is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in t ...

History

Founded in 1944 as the Oakland Bible Institute by Bebe Patten, Patten University emphasized faith-based teaching and created programs for students with broad academic and career interests. In December 2012, Patten began the transition from a non-profit, sectarian institution to a for-profit, secular institution under the umbrella of the parent company UniversityNow. In 2018 the online learning platform used by Patten University was acquired by the secular nonprofit National University System.

Athletics

The Patten athletic teams were called the Lions. The university was 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 as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2005–06 to 2011–12; and formerly 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 1996–97 to 2004–05. Patten competed in two intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports included baseball; while women's sports included softball. The school discontinued its athletic program after the 2011–12 academic year.

Notable alumni

Wade Harper Wade Harper (born 1963/1964) is an American politician, the former mayor of Antioch, California. He is the first African American to be elected as mayor. Biography Harper was born and raised in Oakland, California, the youngest of three children. ...

, first African-American mayor of

Antioch, California Antioch is the third-largest city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The city's population was 115,291 at the 2020 Unite ...

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Education in Oakland, California Universities and colleges in Alameda County, California Educational institutions established in 1944 Pentecostalism in California 1944 establishments in California Private universities and colleges in California