Christian College’s Rise to University Part of Trend

By some measures, Southern California College, a small Christian college in Costa Mesa, has been a university for several years.

With master’s programs in education, religion and family counseling, and independent admissions and financial aid programs for each, the college already had expanded far beyond its liberal arts designation.

On Tuesday, administrators announced that the 78-year-old college would become Vanguard University of Southern California as of July. The change is part of an expansion boom for local Christian colleges, such as Hope International University, once Pacific Christian College in Fullerton, and Concordia University in Irvine, once Christ College. It also mirrors a nationwide trend.

“There has been huge growth in graduate and doctoral programs, in part because there are not a lot of graduate level programs that reflect a Christian perspective,” said Julie Peterson, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities. “So institutions are trying to offer what the market will bear.”

Her organization’s own name bears witness to the growth. Once called the Coalition for Christian Colleges, 10 of its 93 members have become universities within the past six years.

Officials at Concordia University said the institution’s 1993 name change reflected its curriculum and population growth, but also brought it into line with nine other Concordia universities nationwide in a system managed by the Lutheran Synod out of Missouri.

“The whole purpose of the college here hasn’t changed too much, but the college has been growing,” spokesman Doug Fleishli said. The school began with 36 students in one building in 1976; now it has 1,400 students and 19 buildings.

Southern California College began as Southern California Bible Institute in 1920, with 37 students. Begun in Los Angeles, the institute moved to Pasadena and then to Orange County in 1950. It became the first institution within the Assemblies of God denomination to become a college and be accredited by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges.

Although little-known outside Christian educational circles, the college was the first four-year college of any kind in Orange County; Chapman University is older but was located in Los Angeles when Southern California College moved to Costa Mesa.

The college offers bachelor of arts and science degrees in 22 majors. Of its 1,350 students, 61% are women and 19% are ethnic minorities.

About 20% of the students take courses to become missionaries or ministers, but the rest study fields ranging from broadcast journalism to international business. All students are expected to attend chapel three days a week.

The key to Christian education is integrating faith and learning, according to Murray Dempster, Southern California College’s vice president for academic affairs.

Professors at the college are hired based on their ability to use both in their instruction, and students are admitted, in part, based on their willingness to learn in such a fashion. Tuition at the college is $11,200 and with room and board, expenses run about $15,000 a year.

Along with the name change to Vanguard, the school is launching a six-year, $33-million capital campaign and building expansion program, Dempster said. About $10 million of the anticipated money will be added to the school’s $4.5-million endowment and the rest will fund the building expansion.

The school anticipates its enrollment will grow from 1,350 to 3,000 students in the next six years.

Vanguard has no immediate plans to begin a doctoral program, Dempster said, but the school has a partnership with the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, through which it will offer a doctorate in ministry.

College officials also are hoping its new status will add some panache to the school.

Follow-up surveys with students who apply to--but opt not to attend--Southern California College found that many students believe a degree from a university carries more prestige than one from a college.

Recently the college has seen its acceptance rate drop from 42% of those who apply to 38%, Dempster said.

“What we’ve discovered was that when we would be part of an application pool with Biola, or Azusa or Cal State Fullerton, a significant number of students said they chose other institutions because they would rather graduate from a university,” Dempster said.

Research also found that international students had a more positive perception of a university than a college.

Officials at Hope International University in Fullerton--called Pacific Christian College until last year--said international students often equate a college with a high school.

“Also, for some of our international students, saying Christian in the name turns a lot of people off,” spokeswoman Lisa Gowdy said. “It can be political.”