La Sierra University
Encyclopedia
La Sierra University is a Seventh-day Adventist co-educational university accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
and the Adventist Accrediting Association
. Other schools and departments within La Sierra are also accredited, such as: the Department of Health and Exercise Science by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing; the Department of Music by the National Association of Schools of Music; the Social Work program by the Council on Social Work Education; and the School of Religion by The Association of Theological Schools. La Sierra University is located in Riverside, California
, United States. Founded in 1922 as Southeastern California Academy, it later became La Sierra College, and then was merged into Loma Linda University
in 1967. Modern-day La Sierra University began in 1990, when it once again became an independent institution. La Sierra is a leading school in Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), having won multiple national and world championships.
obtained 300 acres (121.4 ha) of land in an unincorporated area of Riverside County
from Willits J. Hole
. The land was once a part of a large Mexican land grant
named Rancho La Sierra
, giving La Sierra its current name. Since its founding in 1922 as La Sierra Academy, La Sierra has morphed through a number of stages. In 1927, the school became known as La Sierra Academy and Normal School, then in 1927, after course offerings were expanded, it became known as the Southern California Junior College. In 1939, the school became La Sierra College, it received accreditation as a four-year liberal arts college seven years later. In 1964 the city of Riverside annexed much of La Sierra lands and nearby Arlington, placing the college within Riverside's city limits. In 1967, the college merged with Loma Linda University
becoming the University's College of Arts and Sciences
of that school. Finally, in 1990, La Sierra in its current form was born when the campuses were reorganized as separate institutions.
In 1967, La Sierra College became part of Loma Linda University
. LSU in its current form began in 1990, when it separated from Loma Linda. However, La Sierra is still known to be a major feeder school for Loma Linda University. After the separation, Fritz Guy
became president of LSU; he was followed by Lawrence T. Geraty. In 2007, Randal Wisbey, previously president of Columbia Union College (now Washington Adventist University), became president of La Sierra University.
and doctoral level degrees. A biology professor at the school, Lee Grismer, is known for discovering multiple species of geckos
in Southeast Asia
.
was being taught in Biology classes, contrary to the teachings of the Adventist church. Concerned about the allegation, a campaign collected over 6,300 signatures to an online petition which called for Adventist universities to teach the Genesis creation narrative. The Board of Trustees unanimously affirmed those beliefs but some viewed that as inadequate. In 2010 the regional accreditation society, Western Association of Schools and Colleges
, gave LSU an eight-year extension despite concerns over academic freedom and institutional autonomy. La Sierra was accused of apostasy
by the executive committee of the Michigan Conference
, one of the church's regional governing bodies. In 2011 the denominational accreditation society, Adventist Accrediting Association, gave La Sierra an extension ending 2012 but required it to make changes to better promote Adventist teachings.
and sciences, business and management, religion, and programs for professional education in fulfillment of requirements for teaching credentials. The university opened its $23 million Thaine B. Price Science Complex in the fall of 2006; which houses mathematics, computer science and biology programs. The university also has plans to construct a new state-of-the-art home for its School of Business. The new building is expected to be ready by the fall of 2012, which will include a 500-seat conference center that will be the largest facility of its kind in western Riverside. The building will be named Pam and Mark Rubin Hall which will be the site for the new Thomas and Vi Zapara School of Business. The highest degree offered is the Ed.D.
La Sierra University's Extended Campus Program, located on the campus of Canadian University College
, offers a Master of Arts degree from the La Sierra University School of Education.
. They formerly played in NCAA Division III. Its sports include Men's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's Baseball, and Women's Softball.
, and the unrelated public high school, La Sierra High School
.
La Sierra University has recently been promoting "going green." In addition to its already present Service-Learning program (involved in local elementary schools and rest homes) many students participated in a community service project on September 15, 2008. The Service-Learning Office coordinated with "Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful" (KRCB), which is a volunteer program supported by the city of Riverside and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.
La Sierra University has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a "Community Engaged Campus" and "Curriculum Engaged." One of less than a hundred schools to receive this designation.
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
and the Adventist Accrediting Association
Adventist Accrediting Association
The Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools is an educational accreditation body operated by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists....
. Other schools and departments within La Sierra are also accredited, such as: the Department of Health and Exercise Science by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing; the Department of Music by the National Association of Schools of Music; the Social Work program by the Council on Social Work Education; and the School of Religion by The Association of Theological Schools. La Sierra University is located in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, United States. Founded in 1922 as Southeastern California Academy, it later became La Sierra College, and then was merged into Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
in 1967. Modern-day La Sierra University began in 1990, when it once again became an independent institution. La Sierra is a leading school in Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), having won multiple national and world championships.
History
La Sierra was founded in 1922 when the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
obtained 300 acres (121.4 ha) of land in an unincorporated area of Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
from Willits J. Hole
Willits J. Hole
Willits J. Hole was an American businessman and real estate developer of Southern California, during the early part of the twentieth century...
. The land was once a part of a large Mexican land grant
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
named Rancho La Sierra
Rancho La Sierra (Sepulveda)
Rancho La Sierra was a Mexican land grant in present day Riverside County, California, United States. In 1846 Governor Pio Pico issued the grant to Vicenta Sepulveda...
, giving La Sierra its current name. Since its founding in 1922 as La Sierra Academy, La Sierra has morphed through a number of stages. In 1927, the school became known as La Sierra Academy and Normal School, then in 1927, after course offerings were expanded, it became known as the Southern California Junior College. In 1939, the school became La Sierra College, it received accreditation as a four-year liberal arts college seven years later. In 1964 the city of Riverside annexed much of La Sierra lands and nearby Arlington, placing the college within Riverside's city limits. In 1967, the college merged with Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
becoming the University's College of Arts and Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly a unit within a university which focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, especially in North America and the Philippines, although they frequently include programs and faculty in fine arts, social...
of that school. Finally, in 1990, La Sierra in its current form was born when the campuses were reorganized as separate institutions.
In 1967, La Sierra College became part of Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
. LSU in its current form began in 1990, when it separated from Loma Linda. However, La Sierra is still known to be a major feeder school for Loma Linda University. After the separation, Fritz Guy
Fritz Guy
Fritz Guy is a Seventh-day Adventist theologian and Research Professor of Philosophical Theology at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. He has worked as a college and university professor, an academic administrator, and a church pastor...
became president of LSU; he was followed by Lawrence T. Geraty. In 2007, Randal Wisbey, previously president of Columbia Union College (now Washington Adventist University), became president of La Sierra University.
La Sierra in the 21st century
La Sierra University has four schools, the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Religion, and School of Education. It is known as a leading school in Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), having won six national championships and two world titles. The school recently opened its $23 million science complex. It is currently constructing a new home for its School of Business. The new building will include a 500-seat conference center. The school offers undergraduate, graduateGraduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
and doctoral level degrees. A biology professor at the school, Lee Grismer, is known for discovering multiple species of geckos
GeckOS
GeckOS is an experimental operating system for MOS 6502 and compatible processors. It offers some Unix-like functionality including preemptive multitasking, multithreading, semaphores, signals, binary relocation, TCP/IP networking via SLIP and a 6502 standard library.GeckOS includes native support...
in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
Teaching of origins controversy
The university's curriculum became controversial in the late 2000s. Students and others said in 2009 that evolutionEvolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
was being taught in Biology classes, contrary to the teachings of the Adventist church. Concerned about the allegation, a campaign collected over 6,300 signatures to an online petition which called for Adventist universities to teach the Genesis creation narrative. The Board of Trustees unanimously affirmed those beliefs but some viewed that as inadequate. In 2010 the regional accreditation society, Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
, gave LSU an eight-year extension despite concerns over academic freedom and institutional autonomy. La Sierra was accused of apostasy
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
by the executive committee of the Michigan Conference
Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
The Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the organizational body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the State of Michigan in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Lansing, Michigan. It is organized as a part of the Lake Union Conference, one of eight such unions within...
, one of the church's regional governing bodies. In 2011 the denominational accreditation society, Adventist Accrediting Association, gave La Sierra an extension ending 2012 but required it to make changes to better promote Adventist teachings.
Presidents
Since 1990:- Fritz Guy (1990–1993)
- Lawrence T. Geraty (1993–2007)
- Randal R. Wisbey (2007–present)
Academics
La Sierra University is composed of the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Religion, and School of Education. The university offers undergraduate and graduate curricula in applied and liberal artsLiberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
and sciences, business and management, religion, and programs for professional education in fulfillment of requirements for teaching credentials. The university opened its $23 million Thaine B. Price Science Complex in the fall of 2006; which houses mathematics, computer science and biology programs. The university also has plans to construct a new state-of-the-art home for its School of Business. The new building is expected to be ready by the fall of 2012, which will include a 500-seat conference center that will be the largest facility of its kind in western Riverside. The building will be named Pam and Mark Rubin Hall which will be the site for the new Thomas and Vi Zapara School of Business. The highest degree offered is the Ed.D.
La Sierra University's Extended Campus Program, located on the campus of Canadian University College
Canadian University College
Canadian University College is an independent publicly funded university located in Lacombe. It is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada and is affiliated with the Association of Theological Schools...
, offers a Master of Arts degree from the La Sierra University School of Education.
Athletics
La Sierra University's Golden Eagles play in the National Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
. They formerly played in NCAA Division III. Its sports include Men's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's Baseball, and Women's Softball.
Students in Free Enterprise
La Sierra is a six-time SIFE American national champion, and a two-time SIFE World Cup winner.Campus
Nearby are the affiliated Seventh-day Adventist K-12 school, La Sierra AcademyLa Sierra Academy
La Sierra Academy , formally known as La Sierra Adventist Academy, is a private, co-educational K-12 school in Riverside, California. La Sierra is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system....
, and the unrelated public high school, La Sierra High School
La Sierra High School
La Sierra High School, located in Riverside, California, United States, is a public high school in the Alvord Unified School District that was founded on August 28, 1969. As of 2010, Mr. Craig Shiflett serves as the principal. La Sierra High School's official school colors are blue and white...
.
La Sierra University has recently been promoting "going green." In addition to its already present Service-Learning program (involved in local elementary schools and rest homes) many students participated in a community service project on September 15, 2008. The Service-Learning Office coordinated with "Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful" (KRCB), which is a volunteer program supported by the city of Riverside and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.
La Sierra University has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a "Community Engaged Campus" and "Curriculum Engaged." One of less than a hundred schools to receive this designation.
See also
- Seventh-day Adventist educationSeventh-day Adventist educationThe Seventh-day Adventist educational system is the second-largest Christian school system in the world, after the Roman Catholic system ....
- List of Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities