| Fresno Pacific University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Founded on Christ |
| Established | 1944 |
| Type | Liberal Arts |
| Religious affiliation | Mennonite Brethren Church |
| President | Dr. Merrill Ewert |
| Academic staff | 200 |
| Undergraduates | 2800 |
| Postgraduates | 850 |
| Location | Fresno, California, United States |
| Campus | 42 acres (17 ha), 16 buildings |
| Athletics | NAIA (leaving in 2012) NCAA Div. II (2012- ) |
| Mascot | Sunbird |
| Website | www.fresno.edu www.fpuathletics.com |
Fresno Pacific University (originally Pacific Bible Institute) also known as FPU is an accredited Christian university located in Fresno, California, United States. It was founded in 1944 by the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The university awarded its first bachelor of arts degree in 1965.[1] The first master's degree program was introduced in 1975.[1]
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According to its mission statement, "Fresno Pacific University develops students for leadership and service through excellence in Christian higher education."[2]
Fresno Pacific offers Bachelors degrees in 28 fields (and minors in an additional 10) with 45 areas of study. It also offers advanced degrees or credentials in four areas: Education, Individualized Master of Arts, Leadership & Organizational Studies and Peacemaking & Conflict Studies. The university is organized into four schools: The School of Business; the School of Education; the School of Humanities, Religion and Social Sciences; and the School of Natural Sciences. In the most recent U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Fresno Pacific's peer assessment score tied it for 26th in the Western United States in the Universities-Master's category.
Fresno Pacific is accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
In February 2009 Fresno Pacific University began offering a "Four Year Graduation Guarantee."[3] FPU already has the highest four-year graduation rate in the Central Valley, with 51 percent of traditional undergraduate students already graduating in four years,compared to 12-15 percent in the CSU system.
The university will guarantee graduation within four years to qualified students entering the traditional undergraduate program. The guarantee is limited to basic graduation requirements for a single major with no minor. Transfer, degree completion and graduate students are not part of the guarantee.
Student responsibilities include:
At the time of its founding, Pacific Bible Institute was located in a large home at 1095 N. Van Ness Ave. There were five staff members and twenty-eight students. By the time the first school year was finished, a former YWCA building at the corner of Tuolumne and L streets (originally designed by Julia Morgan) had been purchased, and the next school year began in this building.
By 1958, land was purchased for the construction of the current campus near the corner of Butler and Chestnut, along with the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary and the new Butler Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church. Construction began on a new classroom building that year, and two dormitory buildings one year later. The classroom building was ready for use in the fall of 1959, but the dorm buildings were not completed until 1961 due to financial difficulties.
The Bible Institute became an accredited junior college in 1961, and decided to develop a four-year program two years later, in 1963. In 1964, Pacific Bible Institute changed its name to Pacific College, and became accredited with the WASC the next year. By 1967, the decision was made to add graduate courses, and the accreditation for the first master of arts program was received from WASC in 1975. The college changed its name to Fresno Pacific College in 1976 and to Fresno Pacific University in 1997.
| Completed | Name | Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Sattler Hall | Named for early Anabaptist leader Michael Sattler in 1973. |
| 1961 | Krause Hall | Named for Arthur and Lydia Krause in 1990. Further units added to in 1962. |
| 1961 | Nachtigall Hall | Named for Ben W. and Anna Marie Nachtigall in 1989. Further units added in 1962. |
| 1961 | Schlichting Hall | Named for Marvin and Loree Schlichting in 1994. Further units added in 1962. |
| 1961 | Warkentine Hall | Named for Al and Dotty Warkentine in 1989. Further units added in 1962. |
| 1962 | Hiebert Library | Named for Cornelius and Elizabeth Hiebert, the primary contributors. |
| 1964 | Alumni Hall | Building costs were mostly covered by alumni (renovated 2005). |
| 1966 | Marpeck Center | Named for early Anabaptist leader Pilgram Marpeck in 1973. |
| 1968 | Kriegbaum Hall | Part of Witmarsum Quad, renamed for former college president Richard Kriegbaum. |
| 1968 | Witmarsum Quad | Named for the city of Witmarsum, birthplace of Menno Simons, in 1973. |
| 1971 | Strasbourg Hall | Named for the city of Strasbourg, where early Anabaptists often sought refuge, in 1973. |
| 1981 | Special Events Center | |
| 1986 | Bartsch Hall | Named for Silas Bartsch and his wife Nadine Bartsch. Silas was an administrator and former interim president. The building was an existing residence which was purchased and remodeled. |
| 1990 | Wiebe Education Center | Named for Arthur and Evelyn Wiebe. Arthur was a former president and member of the faculty, as well as the president of the AIMS Foundation, which provided a large portion of the funding. |
| 1992 | McDonald Hall | Named for Arthur and Barbara McDonald, contributors and co-chairs of the fundraising campaign. |
| 1998 | East Hall | |
| 2002 | AIMS Hall | Named for The AIMS Foundation, which provided a large portion of the funding by means of a grant. |
| 2003 | Steinert Campus Center | Named for Marvin and Nadine Steinert, primary contributors. |
The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds compete in the Golden State Athletic Conference of the NAIA. The university has announced that it is currently transitioning to NCAA Division II as a future member of the Pacific West Conference.[4] The university sponsors 16 intercollegiate sports, eight each for men and women:
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Men's sports |
Women's sports |
The Sunbirds boast one of the top programs in the NAIA, finishing in the top five of the NACDA Directors' Cup in each of the last four years. FPU has won a total of 44 conference titles and nine national titles, including three during the 2009-10 season (volleyball, men’s swimming, women’s tennis). Within the last five years, FPU has won national titles in Volleyball, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s Tennis and Women’s Tennis. They’ve also taken home GSAC titles in Men’s Basketball and Men’s Soccer, and garnered national attention in Women’s Swimming, Men’s Water Polo, Women’s Soccer, Baseball and Men’s & Women’s Track & Field.The university has hosted a number of NAIA special events, including the Track & Field National Championships, Men’s Soccer Nationals and most recently a round of the NAIA World Series.
The Women’s Volleyball program is currently the top program in the country at the NAIA level, having won four consecutive national titles[5] including an undefeated 38-0 season in 2009. FPU won the 2010 title without dropping a single set in the entire national tournament. The Sunbirds have consistently defeated crosstown institution NCAA Division I rival Fresno State of the Western Athletic Conference, with a 6-0 all-time record against the Bulldogs.
In June 1, 2011, the university announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the Pacific West Conference in NCAA Division II competition, joining fellow GSAC members Azusa Pacific University, Point Loma Nazarene University, and CalPac member Holy Names University as part of the conference's expansion from 10-14 members.[4] While the majority of sports will compete in the PacWest, water polo will join the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA).[6] The Sunbirds will compete in conference play beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year. They will be eligible for conference championships and awards immediately but ineligible for NCAA postseason play during the three year transition process.[6]
On July 11, 2011, Fresno Pacific along with fellow conference mates, Azusa Pacific and Point Loma Nazarene, learned that their application for NCAA membership had been approved. The 2011-2012 athletic season will be the final one in GSAC competition for the Sunbirds. The 2012-2013 season will mark the beginning of Pacific West Conference play for FPU.
The athletics mascot is Sunny the Sunbird. Sunny is a much loved figure in the campus community. Unfortunately he was 'birdnapped' at the beginning of February 2009.[7] The site features videos and potential clues to the whereabouts of the mascot.
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