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 because of 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.
The university was granted an exception to Title IX in 2015 which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students.[3] Same-sex sexual activity by students (as well as any heterosexual sexual activity outside of marriage) is a violation of university residential policies. In 2015 then-president Richard Kriegbaum stated that gay marriage was "anti-Christian."[4]
Chief executives
Campus
1944–1946 Sam W. Goossen – Acting President/Dean
1946–1947 George B. Huebert – Administrator
1947–1953 George W. Peters – President/Dean
1953–1954 Rueben M. Baerg – Acting President
1954–1955 Rueben M. Baerg – Acting President, one-half year; Administrative Committee last half of year, Dr. George W. Peters, Chmn.
1955–1960 B.J. Braun – President
1960–1961 Arthur J. Wiebe – Director of Pacific Bible Institute; Mr. Joel A. Wiebe – Interim Director
1961–1975 Arthur J. Wiebe – President
1975–1976 Edmund Janzen, Chairman, Presidential Council
1976–1982 Edmund Janzen – President
1982–1983 Silas Bartsch – Interim President; Edmund Janzen on leave
1983–1985 Edmund Janzen – President
1985–1997 Richard Kriegbaum – President
1997–2000 Allen Carden – President
2000–2002 Harold Haak – President
2002–2012 D. Merrill Ewert – President
2012–2014 Pete Menjares – President
2014–2017 Richard Kriegbaum — President
2017–2022 Joseph Jones — President
2022−present André Stephens – President
Academics
Fresno Pacific offers bachelor's degrees in more than 40 fields with over 100 areas of study. It also offers advanced degrees or credentials in the fields of Education, Business, Leadership & Organizational Studies, Social Work, Kinesiology, Nursing, Divinity, Ministry, and Marriage & Family Therapy. The university is organized into two schools: The School of Arts & Sciences, and the School of Graduate & Professional Studies. Fresno Pacific is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.
Graduation guarantee
McDonald Hall
In February 2009 Fresno Pacific University began offering a "Four Year Graduation Guarantee."[5] FPU already has the highest four-year graduation rate in the Central Valley, with 60 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:
Sign up for the guarantee during the freshman year, choose a major by the second semester of the freshman year and keep that major until graduation.
Make course plans with their adviser, follow those plans and meet all advising, registration and financial aid deadlines.
Complete at least 32 units per year with passing grades in each course and remain in good standing behaviorally.
Campuses
Fresno Pacific University's main 50-acre campus is located in the south east area of Fresno, hub of the Central Valley region of California and the fifth largest city in the state.
The university also maintains four regional campuses in Central California:
Merced Regional Campus
North Fresno Regional Campus
Visalia Regional Campus
Bakersfield Regional Campus
Buildings
Hiebert LibraryMcDonald HallAIMS Hall, Mathematics and Science
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.[1][6] Silas was an administrator and former interim president.[7] 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
Jost Hall
Formerly known as East Hall, changed in 2017 to current name.
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.
2010
Seminary House
Previously the administration building of Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, which became a part of the university in 2010.
2010
North Hall
Previously a classroom, student center, and office building of Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary.
2022
Warkentine Culture and Arts Center
Named for Al & Dotty Warkentine, primary contributors.
Fresno Pacific competes in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field and water polo; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball and water polo.
The Wittenberg Door, a board located in the atrium of Steinert Campus Center, near the entrance to the dining room, is a place for the exchange of ideas. People are free to post expressions of their views, but are asked to write pieces in a charitable spirit and to include the writer's name. It was built in approximately 1983 and the original version was located in Alumni Hall when it still served as the campus cafeteria. A new board was built in 2004 and the old one was dismantled. The Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary has a board with the same name and purpose outside the B.C. Lounge.
The Mennonite Central Committee holds its annual West Coast Relief Sale and Auction on the campus during the first weekend in April. Ethnic foods, used books, antiques, plants, world crafts and quilts are all sold on campus in various booths and auction events.
^
Wiebe, Arthur J. (2010). "Education and entrepreneurship: a personal journey"(PDF). 39 (1). Direction: 93. Retrieved 2021-01-22. Silas Bartsch resigned as Superintendent of Kings River Unified School District to launch our professional development program. While its mission was to improve education in Valley schools, it also generated income that helped fund undergraduate education.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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Steffen, Wayne (2001-10-25). "Silas Bartsch lived his passion for service, innovation and education". University News (FPU). Retrieved 2021-01-22. Wiebe remembered the telephone call where Bartsch offered, not just to serve on a board or advisory committee as Wiebe had thought, but to leave his post as superintendent of Kings Canyon Unified School District to teach at FPU.
Toews, Paul, ed. Mennonite Idealism and Higher Education: The Story of the Fresno Pacific College Idea. Fresno, Calif.: The Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies, 1995. ISBN1-877941-05-0.
Wiebe, Joel. Remembering...Reaching: A Vision of Service, a Fifty Year History of Fresno Pacific College. Fresno, Calif.: Fresno Pacific College, 1994. ISBN1-884397-01-8.
