Azusa Pacific University

By Ken Otto

Located in the community of Azusa, 26 miles northeast of Los Angeles, Azusa Pacific University is nestled among the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, which provide a rugged backdrop for two campuses. The 52-acre East Campus is situated at the intersection of Alosta and Citrus Avenues, while the 22-acre West Campus is located a quarter-mile away on Foothill Boulevard. The mission statement for the university declares that it is an evangelical Christian community of disciples and scholars who seek to advance the work of God in the world through academic excellence in liberal arts and professional programs of higher education that encourage students to develop a Christian perspective of truth and life. The university s four cornerstones are Christ, scholarship, community, and service. Throughout the history of the university, there have been several name changes and location changes; but, as illustrated in this pictorial history, the university s motto God First has remained unchanged.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jun 30, 2008
• ISBN: 9781439620816

Ken Otto

Ken Otto is the special collections librarian and university archivist at Azusa Pacific University. Using historical photographs that are housed in the university archives, he has compiled a chronological timeline of the university from its founding in 1899 to the present.

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INTRODUCTION

The diplomas of the alumni of Azusa Pacific University carry many names: the Training School for Christian Workers, Pacific Bible College, Azusa College, Azusa Pacific College, Azusa Pacific University, Los Angeles Seminary, Los Angeles Pacific College, and Arlington College. The students attended classes in many locations: Whittier, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Azusa, Highland Park, Riverside, and Long Beach. Names and locations varied, but the motto, God First, proved constant.

The organization of the Training School for Christian Workers began with a meeting of an interdenominational group at the home of Philena B. Hadley in Whittier, California, on March 3, 1899. In order to complete the organization, adopt a constitution and bylaws, obtain suitable quarters for the school, and secure teachers, a second meeting was held on September 19, 1899, and a third on December 26, 1899. Mary A. Hill of Ohio was called to be the school’s first president. She arrived in Whittier on February 24, 1900, and classes began shortly thereafter. In 1901, when the Training School moved to Boyle Heights, Hill became a missionary in China, and M. Anna Draper became the second president.

In 1902, a real estate lot was purchased and construction began on a building at the corner of First and Figueroa Streets in Los Angeles. Draper left the Training School the next year to work in the Quaker Sunshine Mission in San Francisco, and Bertha Pinkham was appointed the third president. The building at First and Figueroa was dedicated on April 5, 1904, and the fourth president, Matilda W. Atkinson, arrived on August 13, 1904. Atkinson came from Augusta, Maine, where she had served for eight years as the founder and superintendent of the Water Street Gospel Mission, together with the Maine Children’s Home Society. In 1906, land for a new building in Huntington Park was donated to the Training School. Dedication of that building occurred on September 17, 1907. Atkinson continued to serve as president until 1909, later spending many years as a missionary to the Native Americans of Metlakahtla, Alaska. The strong influence of these founding mothers played a vital role in establishing the Training School for Christian Workers, as well as setting the groundwork for what would become Azusa Pacific University.

Incoming president Cornelius P. Haggard, desiring to clarify the type of courses taught at the Training School, proposed a name change to Pacific Bible College of Huntington Park in 1939. Student enrollment continued to increase and, by 1943, had necessitated the expansion of the campus. On December 17, 1945, the board of trustees voted to purchase the Mabelle Scott Rancho School for Girls, located at the intersection of Highway 66 and Citrus Avenue in Azusa. During the 1947–1948 school year, Pacific Bible College of Azusa was accredited by the newly formed Accrediting Association of Bible Institutes and Bible Colleges, permitting its listing in the U.S. Office of Education’s Accredited Institutions of Higher Learning.

In 1957, three other schools bore the name Pacific Bible College, and at least five other institutions had similar names. On February 19, 1957, the board of trustees voted to change the name to Azusa College. In October 1963, a three-member committee from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges came for a campus visit, and on January 6, 1964, regional accreditation was granted to Azusa College.

The board of trustees discussed the possibility of merging Los Angeles Pacific College with Azusa College as early as 1965. Because the goals of both were aligned, in the spring of 1965, the merger was jointly announced by Dr. Cornelius P. Haggard of Azusa College and Dr. George L. Ford of Los Angeles Pacific College. After the merger, the college was known as Azusa Pacific College and continued on the Azusa campus. In 1966, the 40-acre campus of the Brown Military Academy was purchased and dedicated as the Hillside campus. A 1968 merger with Arlington College, a private, four-year institution founded by the Association of the Churches of God (Anderson, Indiana), brought those students to Azusa Pacific College as well. After serving 36 years as president, Cornelius P. Haggard died in office on August 16, 1975, and on June 22, 1976, Paul E. Sago became the school’s 14th president.

On May 1, 1981, the board of directors voted to change the structure and the name of Azusa Pacific College to Azusa Pacific University. Chairman John Morse and President Sago held a press conference on May 22 to announce the modification. In order to keep up with enormous growth in the student body, campus development continued with numerous building projects, including the Wilden Hall of Business and Management, and the Felix Event Center, as well as the purchase of several properties such as the Avery-Dennison plant and the Foothill Drive-in Theatre. On May 8, 1990, Richard Felix became the 15th president, followed by Jon Wallace on November 27, 2000.

Today Azusa Pacific University offers more than 50 areas of undergraduate study, 23 master’s degree programs, and 7 doctorates, with a total enrollment of more than 8,100 students. Alumni represent the university across the nation and around the world. More than a century after its founding, Azusa Pacific University serves as a comprehensive, Christian, evangelical university dedicated to God-honoring excellence in higher education, equipping disciples and scholars to advance the work of God in the world through liberal arts and professional programs that encourage students to develop a Christian perspective of truth and life. The university’s four cornerstones are Christ, Scholarship, Community, and Service, and its one enduring motto is God First.

One

TRAINING SCHOOL FOR CHRISTIAN WORKERS

1899–1939

The Training School for Christian Workers started with an initial meeting of ministers and laypersons at the home of Philena B. Hadley in Whittier, California, on March 3, 1899. The first president, Mary A. Hill, arrived from Ohio on February 24, 1900, at which point classes