I. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
| Historical Profile | Denominational Affiliation | Lifestyle Covenant |
pplicants to the instructional staff of PLNU must be professing Christians, possess a philosophy of education consistent with the university mission and be personally committed to the objectives and principles of the university.
To be a faculty member at PLNU means to accept the challenge of creative, spirit-filled service to the educational goals of the university. The ideal faculty member is a scholar/teacher who seeks to awaken in the student a continuing thirst for knowledge and understanding and who strives to demonstrate the integration of faith and learning.
Historical Profile
In 1895, Dr. Phineas F Bresee, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Dr. J P Widney, a Methodist layman and former President of the University of Southern California, founded the Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles. Their primary purpose was to bring the good news of the gospel to the poor and underprivileged. In 1902, Dr. Bresee founded Pacific Bible College in Los Angeles, California, at the urging of several laypersons. The institution was to train ministerial and lay leadership for the new denomination. Pacific Bible College is the predecessor of Point Loma Nazarene University.
In 1910, the University purchased the Hugus Ranch property in Pasadena and moved to the Pasadena campus site. The scope of the curriculum was enlarged to include a typical program in the liberal arts. The school grew as Pasadena College, receiving accreditation from the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools in 1943, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 1949.
In 1973, the University was relocated to the historic Point Loma peninsula in San Diego as Point Loma College: An Institution of the Church of the Nazarene. In 1983, the name was changed to Point Loma Nazarene College. In 1998, the name was changed to Point Loma Nazarene University.
Denominational Affiliation
Point Loma Nazarene University is the regional University of the Southwest Educational Region of the Church of the Nazarene. A Board of Trustees, composed of an equal number of ministers and laypersons, oversees the affairs of the University. Board members are nominated from eleven districts in the Region and elected to the Board to serve on the self-perpetuating body.
The Church of the Nazarene is an international protestant denomination in the holiness tradition. The Church is Wesleyan in doctrine and evangelical in mission. Its polity is representative. Emphasis is given to the conversion of sinners, the entire sanctification of believers, and the spreading of the gospel to every person. The Church is a member of the Christian Holiness Association and the National Association of Evangelicals.
Lifestyle Covenant
Students confirm their commitment to support the ideals and standards of this University by signing a statement which includes the following:
- To be supportive of the University and all persons involved, including faculty, staff, and students, to the best of your ability.
- To give thorough attention to the development of your whole person, including regular class attendance and chapel attendance as required by the University.
- To abstain from using illegal drugs, alcoholic beverages, tobacco in any form, and profane language.
- To abstain from participating in behavior that detracts from spiritual growth and breaks down proper moral inhibitions and reserve.
All faculty are expected to support these statements and model them in their own behavior.
