Andrews University

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Aerial view of Andrews University.

Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is today the flagship university of the Seventh-day Adventist school system.^[5]

[edit] History

Andrews University was founded as a small, Seventh-day Adventist school called Battle Creek College in 1874. In 1901, the school moved from Battle Creek, Michigan to its current location in Berrien Springs. It is said that everything the school had was packed up in 16 boxcars and sent on its way. The school was renamed Emmanuel Missionary College, or EMC for short.^[6]

The school continued to grow slowly through the early 20th century. In the 1940s, Nethery Hall, the current location of the College of Arts and Sciences, was built as the administration building. In 1959 the graduate program and theological seminary of Potomac University were relocated from Washington, D.C. and joined with the school in Berrien Springs. Because of the addition of the graduate programs and the seminary in 1960, the school was renamed Andrews University in honor of John Nevins Andrews, an Adventist scholar and the first officially sponsored overseas missionary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Today the seminary is known as the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.

In 1974, the undergraduate school was reorganized into the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Technology. The School of Business was established in 1980, and the School of Education in 1983. In 1993 the architecture department was organized into the Division of Architecture, and has since established itself as one of the leading architecture schools of new urbanism in the United States.

On Thursday, April 11 2007, President Niels-Erik Andreasen announced at a special chapel assembly that the university had just received a gift totalling $8.5 million. The anonymous donors requested the money be spent on the following: Construction of the new entrance on Old US 31 (officially opened on June 2, 2008 and named J. N. Andrews Blvd.), Two endowed chairs: one for the Marketing Department in the School of Business Administration and the second in the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary's Christian Ministry Department, Construction of a milking parlor for the Andrews Dairy, Refurbish the kitchen and dining facilities in the Campus Center, and Support for the educational program of the Aeronautics Department.^[7]

[edit] Campus

Andrews University is located next to the Village of Berrien Springs in southwest Michigan. The entire campus is actually located within the Oronoko Charter Township, adjacent to the St. Joseph River and 12 miles away from the shores of Lake Michigan. South Bend, Indiana, home of the University of Notre Dame, is 25 miles away; thus, several Andrews faculty members hold joint appointments with Notre Dame.

The 1,600-acre campus was originally designated as an arboretum. The campus maintains a variety of indigenous trees, especially around the quad in the center of the campus. The campus is composed of 27 instructional buildings, the Howard Performing Arts Center, an airpark, three single-sex residence halls and four apartment complexes.

The three dormitories on campus are Lamson Hall, the women's hall, Meier Hall, the undergraduate men's hall, and Burman Hall, primarily for men who are either graduate or seminary students. The residence halls strictly enforce a curfew depending on a student's age, as well as a visitation policy which does not allow students of the opposite sex in dorm rooms at any time. Students living on-campus are also required to attend a number of worship services.^{[8] [9]}

[edit] Academics

The university is made up of six schools/colleges, offering 85 undergraduate majors and 50 graduate majors.^[10] In addition, post-baccalaureate degrees offered by all but the College of Technology are supervised by the School of Graduate Studies.

The College of Arts and Sciences, which was officially organized in 1974, is the largest of the six schools.^[11] It is divided into twenty departments specializing in a wide range of areas in the fine arts, science, the humanities, and the social sciences. The CAS also offers a variety of pre-professional programs in the fields of health, medicine, and pre-law. Many students opt to attend Loma Linda University to pursue a professional education in medicine.

The university has a total of 298 faculty members and a student-faculty ratio of 10:1.

The College of Technology is divided into four departments: Aeronautics, Agriculture, Digital Media & Photography, and Engineering & Computer Science.^[12] Additionally, a degree in aviation flight is offered through the Department of Aeronautics.

The School of Business first began to offer graduate education in business in 1964. It has been housed in its current location in Chan Shun Hall since 1989 and offers Bachelor of Business Administration, Master of Science in Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees. The school is a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

School of Education

SDA Theological Seminary

The architecture program began in 1974 as an associates degree and the program received full accrediation as a bachelors program in 1987. In 2002 the program was approved to offer a masters of architecture. On October 29, 2007, the Board of Trustees voted the Division of Architecture to be reclassified as the School of Architecture. The Andrews University School of Architecture is one of five accredited architecture programs in the United States located at a Christian university. ^[13]

[edit] Enrollment

2006 Enrollment^[14]

1730-Undergraduate

396-Seminary/Professional

891-Masters/Doctoral

3195-Total

Freshmen retention rate 83.9%

Graduation Rate 53.3%

[edit] Diversity

The international population includes 885 students representing 98 countries. Sixth in the nation for largest proportion of international students, and 14th in the nation for campus diversity (compared to other national universities according to U.S. News & World Report 2005).

[edit] Study Abroad Opportunities

Andrews University co-sponsors Adventist Colleges Abroad^[15], a program in which qualified students study overseas while completing requirements for graduation at Andrews. This language and cultural immersion is available in nine locations: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, France, Greece, Italy, Singapore, Spain, and Taiwan. Undergraduate students may also study abroad in the Andrews University Year in England at Newbold College program. Affiliation and Extension Programs are offered in Puerto Rico, Nigeria, Trinidad, South Africa, Mexico, England, Jamaica, Romania, India, Russia, Kenya, Thailand, Italy, Ukraine, Bolivia, Peru and Korea.

[edit] Administrative Changes in 2006

An official briefing on the university website states that during a March 6, 2006 meeting of the university's Board of Trustees an executive session of the Board - one which "includes only its non-university members" - decided that "perhaps the best way to achieve new strategic directions for the university was through the opportunities that might be offered by new leadership at the school." ^[16]. During a break in that meeting the leadership of the board asked the university president for his resignation.^[17] Dr. Niels-Erik Andreasen (President), Dr. Patricia Mutch (vice president of academic administration), and Dr. Ed Wines (vice president of financial administration) immediately offered their resignations^[16]. President Andreasen's resignation letter included the phrase "effective immediately", but three weeks later, the board announced that Andreasen would continue to serve as President until June 30, 2006, and the position of University Provost would be created to serve as the university's Chief Operating Officer.^[18] The official explanation for the board action was that student enrollment - and the resulting revenue - had increased much more modestly than expected^[17], but there has been speculation about other possible causes^[19]. Dr. Andreasen has spoken publicly about these events^[20].

In its March 30 meeting, the Board of Trustees of Andrews University met and took two significant actions. First, the creation of the position of University Provost was voted, which is intended to function as the Chief Operations Officer of the University, focusing on day-to-day operations and execution of strategy. Second, the Board asked Dr. Niels-Erik Andreasen to continue his service to the University as President, and he agreed.

[edit] Notable Alumni

Alumni include:

• Samuele Bacchiocchi
• Delbert Baker
• Barry Black
• Donovan Courville
• Homer Drew
• Jon Dybdahl
• Desmond Ford
• Gary Hamel
• Michael G. Hasel
• George R. Knight
• Thomas Mostert
• Morihiko Nakahara
• Julius Nam
• Ole Andres Olsen
• Arthur Patrick
• Jan Paulsen
• Shirley Neil Pettis
• Melba Phipps
• Ángel Manuel Rodríguez
• John Luis Shaw
• Philip T. Sica
• George Speight
• Edwin R. Thiele
• Alden Thompson
• Juan Carlos Viera
• Ellet J. Waggoner
• John D. Waihee III
• Neal C. Wilson

[edit] References

http://www.andrews.edu/news/2006/3/board_briefing_30th.html

[edit] See also

• Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary
• Andrews University Seminary Studies
• Andrews University Press
• John Nevins Andrews
• Andrews Academy
• List of Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities
• Sidney Brownsberger

[edit] External links

• Andrews University

• Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University

• Howard Performing Arts Center
• Getting to Know the Andrews University Faculty: A Library Survey