GENERAL INFORMATION
••••••••••• General Information
Dr. Clyde Cook became the seventh president of Bi ola on June I, 1982. Under hi s leadershi p, the School of ln lercul- Lural Studies was instituted as part of the Un iversity, begin- ning in the fall of 1983. Talbot Theological Seminary became Talbot School of Theology in the fa ll of 1983 as a result of the merger between the appropriate undergradua te and graduate level programs. The Board approved the establishment of the School of Business in 1993. Because of the Un iversity's heritage and commi tment , its academic basis is broader than that of the standard co llege of arts and sciences. Terminal and preparatoq' programs lead to service in church-related vocations and the many other vocations and professions embraced by the present curricula. In additi on, the University is a Christian institution of higher education without any denominational affiliation. From an institute Lo a unive rsi ty, Biola's cornerstone has remained the same: commiunent to Jesus Ch ris~ the inerrancy of Scri pture and biblical Christian ity (within an evange li cal ProlesLanl framewo rk), as well as Lo the spi1itual, academic and hol istic growth of those who are personallycommiued LO Him. THE MISSION OF BIOLA UNIVERSITY The mission of Biola Un iversity is Lo be a Christian univer- sity prmiding education at Lhe baccalaureate and post-baccalau- reate levels in bibli cal studi es and theology, in the liberal ans and sciences, and in selected applied and professional fi elds. IL is to be Christian in the sense that the biblical Christian world ,~ew sen,es as the all-encompassing framework and imegrating basis fo r the entire content and conduct of the institution. IL is Lo be a university in the full u·adiLional meaning of the term, 11~Lh knowledge and understanding being generated and dis- seminated, 11~Lh students and faculty con tinually developing LO high levels their cogn itive and effenive polential;and 11~th soci- ety being served benefi cially thereby. In combini ng the two terms, Christian and university, considerable emph asis is placed upon the scholarly integration of biblical faith with all of the fi elds of learning, and also upon the practical interrelationships and interdependencies of faith , learning and li,~ng, as they are developed throughou t the curriculum and the lifestyle. The mission of the Uni versity is Lo produce graduates who are (a) competent in tl1eir fields of study, (b) knowledgeable in biblical studi es, and (c) earnest Christians equipped Lo serve the Christi an community and society at large. An expanded version of this statement is printed elsewhere in the catalog, for the insti- tution as awhole and also for some of the specific programs. There are two additional "products"of the Uni versity, both of wh ich are to be ,~ewecl as outgrowths of the task of produc- ing graduates of its baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate pro- grams and nol as separate from it. One consists of the schol- arly contributions to knowledge and understanding which are generated bysLudenL, and facu lty in the disciplines and in ime- gration 111th the biblical Chri stian world 11ew. The OLher con- sists of public services as students, faculty and staff make their professional and personal expenise ava ilable to the Christian communityand Lo society at large throughout tl1 e world.
Can,~ng on a tradition of educational excellence that dates back over 80 years, Biola University now encompasses: the School of Ans and Sciences, Rosemead School of Psychology, Talbot School ofTheology, the School of lntercultural Studies, and special programs through the di1~sion of Continuing Stud- ies. Offering three baccalaureate degrees in 23 majors, 11 mas- ters and five doctoral degrees, Biola's commitment to academic exce ll ence is firml y rooted in its adherence to an in-depth , knowledgeable and living Ch ristianity. Each year, over 2,800 students find Biola's unique blend of faith and learn ing con- ducive to their academic and vocational goals. HISTORICAL SKETCH The cornerstone of the original Bibl e Institute building in Los Ange les - and the future university - was laid on May31, 1913, and dedicated with th ese words: "For th e Leaching of the tru ths for whi ch the Institute stands, its doors are to be open eve11, clayof the year, and all people , without reference LO race, color or class wi ll ever be welcome Lo its privileges." Spoken by Lyman Stewan, president of the In sti tu te and co-founder of the Union Oil Company, the words capture the vision of Biola's founders. Stewart , together with TC. Horton, had ini tiated the Bible Ins ti tute, with the fi rst permanent orga- nization taking shape in 1908. By 1912, the school had grown in its outreach and constituency sufficientlyLo ca ll R.A. Torrey, a leader in the fi eld of Chri stian Education, as the first dean. The next eight decades have 1,iu1essed u·emendous growth in the development and ouu·each of the school. Under the lead- ership of Dr. Louis T. Talbot, presiden t from 1932 to 1952, the Bible Institu te program became a four-year course, leading to degrees in th eology, Ch1istian education, and sacred music. The School of \1issiona1y Medicine came in to being in 1945, laing the foundation for Biola' s current baccalaureate nursing pro- gram. In 1949, the Bible lnstitllle was renamed Biola Coll ege. Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland became president in 1952, and 1,~th his leadership the college obtained regional and professional accreditation. Additionally, many new programs of studywere introduced , includi ng Talbot Theologica l Semin ary. The demands imposed by the gro1,~ng student bodyand the enlarged curriculum prompted the purchase of a 7!}-acre site in La Mirada. Biola moved to the new si te in 1959. Dr. Sutherland retired a, president in 1970, bul continues Lo lend leadership as a member of Riola's Board of Trustees. Thal same ye,u-, Dr.J. Richard Chase became Biola's sixth president. In 1977, the graduate programs of Rosemead Graduate School of Professional Psyc ho logy were acquired by Biola and re located on the La Mirada campus. The undergradu- ate programs in psyc hology were merged wi th Rosemeacl's graduate programs in the fa ll of 198 1, form ing the present Rosemead School of Psychology. Under the leadership of Dr. J. Richard Chase, Biola Col- lege became Biola Un iversity onJuly I, 1981. The university was composed of the Schoo l of Arts and Sciences, Talbot Theological Seminar,,, and Rosemead School of Psyc hology.
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker