1 GENERAL INFORMATION
General Information Carrying on a tradition of educational excellence that dates back over 80 years, Biola University now encompasses four schools: The School of Arts and Sciences, Rosemead School of Psychology, Talbot School of Theology, and the School of Intercultural Studies. Offering three baccalaureate degrees in 23 majors, 11 masters and five doctoral degrees, Biola's commitment to academic excellence is firmly rooted in its adherence to an in-depth, knowledgeable and alive Christianity. Each year, over 3,000 students find Biola's unique blend of faith and learning conducive to their academic and vocational goals. HISTORICAL SKETCH The cornerstone of the original Bible Institute build ing in Los Angeles - and the future university- was laid on May 31, 1913, and dedicated with these words: "For the teaching of the truths for which the Institute stands, its doors are to be open every day of the year, and all people, without reference to race, color or class will ever be welcome to its privileges." Spoken by Lyman Stewart, president of the Institute and co-founder of the Union Oil Company, the words capture the vision of Biola's founders . Stewart, togeth er with TC. Horton, had initiated the Bible Institute, with the first permanent organization taking shape in 1908. By 1912, the school had grown in its outreach and constituency sufficiently to call R.A. Torrey, a lead er in the field of Christian Education, as the first dean. The next seven decades have witnessed tremendous growth in the development and outreach of the school. Under the leadership of Dr. Louis T Talbot, president from 1932 to 1952, the Bible Institute program became a four-year course, leading to degrees in theology, Christian education and sacred music. The School of Missionary Medicine came into being in 1945, laying the foundation for Biola's current baccalaureate nurs ing program. In 1949, the Bible Institute was renamed Biola College. Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland became president in 1952 and with his leadership, the college obtained regional and professional accreditation. Additionally, many new programs of study were introduced, including Talbot Theological Seminary. The demands imposed by the growing student body and the enlarged curriculum prompted the purchase of a seventy-five acre site in La Mirada. Biola moved to the new site in 1959. Dr. Sutherland retired as president in 1970, but continues to lend leadership as a member of Biola's Board of Trustees. That same year, Dr. J. Richard Chase became Biola's sixth president. In 1977, the graduate programs of Rosemead Graduate School of Professional Psychology were acquired by Biola and relocated on the La Mirada campus. The undergradu ate programs in psychology were merged with Rosemead's graduate programs in the fall of 1981, forming the present Rosemead School of Psychology. Dr. Clyde Cook became the seventh president of Biola
on June 1, 1982. Under his leadership, the School of lntercultural Studies was instituted as part of the University, beginning in the fall of 1983. Talbot School of Theology also began in the fall of 1983 as the result of a merger between appropriate undergraduate programs and the graduate programs of Talbot Theological Seminary. Because of the University's heritage and commit ment, its academic basis is broader than that of the stan dard college of arts and sciences. Terminal and preparatory programs lead to service in both church related vocations and the many other vocations and professions embraced by the present curricula. In addi tion, the University is a Christian institution of higher education without any denominational affiliation. From an institute to a university, Biola's real corner stone has remained the same: commitment to Jesus Christ, the inerrancy of Scripture and biblical Christianity, (within an evangelical Protestant frame work) as well as to the spiritual, academic and holistic growth of those who are personally committed to Him. THE MISSION OF BIOLA UNIVERSITY The mission of Biola University is to be a Christian university providing education at the baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate levels in biblical studies and theolo gy, in the liberal arts and sciences, and in selected applied and professional fields. It is to be Christian in the sense that the biblical Christian world view serves as the all-encompassing framework and integrating basis for the entire content and conduct of the institu tion. It is to be a university in the full traditional mean ing of the term, with knowledge and understanding being generated and disseminated, with students and faculty continually developing to high levels their cogni tive and affective potential, and with society being served beneficially thereby. In combining the two terms, Christian and university, considerable emphasis is placed upon the scholarly integration of biblical faith with all of the fields of learning, and also upon the prac tical interrelationships and interdependencies of faith, learning and living as they are developed throughout the curriculum and the life-style. The mission of the University is to produce graduates who are (a) competent in their fields of study, (b) knowl edgeable in biblical studies, and (c) earnest Christians equipped to serve the Christian community and society at large. An expanded version of this statement is print ed elsewhere in the catalog, for the institution as a whole and also for some of the specific programs.
Bio/a 's environment is unique: a close-knit atmo sphere combined with exten sive university programs and resources. Balancing our outstanding professional preparation is a friendly, caring community with accessibility to faculty, widespread student activi ties, and opportunities to cultivate life-long friendships.
There are two additional "products" of the University, both of which are to be viewed as
outgrowths of the task of producing graduates of its baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate programs and not as separate from it. One consists of the scholarly contributions to knowledge and understanding which are generated by students and faculty in the disciplines and in integration with the biblical Christian world view. The other consists of public services as students, facul ty and staff make their professional and personal exper-
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