Since its inception in 1902, this institution has gone through a number of name changes for various reasons. This is intended to guide the casual reader quickly through the history of this institution and to hopefully ease the reader of any confusion regarding these changes.
Special thanks is given to Dr. Ronald Kirkemo for his book, "For Zion's Sake: A History of Pasadena/Point Loma College", from which much of the research for this and other history pages on this site is taken.
Pacific Bible College (July 28th, 1902-June 7th, 1906)
Through the urgings of various small holiness groups, Dr. Bresee became convinced of the need for a Bible College in California. An organizational meeting was held at Los Angeles First Church on July 28th, 1902. A site was found at the corner of San Pedro and 28th streets in Los Angeles with a large Victorian-style building and two adjacent homes (used for the first dormitories), and money was pledged towards its purchase. An early idea was to name the institution the Bresee Bible School, but Dr. Bresee demurred on that name2. Pacific Bible College started operation in September, 1902, and remained at the Los Angeles site for eight years.
Nazarene University and Deets Pacific Bible College (June 8th, 1906-September, 1910)
The little college was very successful. So much so that enrollment was too large for the facility by 1905. Jackson Deets, a rancher and speculator, heard about the small college and donated more than thirty thousand dollars to purchase a new campus site. In honor of Deets' first wife, Sarah, who passed away in 1894, Pacific Bible College was renamed to Deets Pacific Bible College on June 8th, 1906. The corporate name of the college became "Nazarene University and Deets Pacific Bible College". Subsequent Bible College bulletins identified Deets Pacific Bible College as "the First Established Department of the Nazarene University."
Nazarene University (September 1910-June 1917)
Shortly after purchasing a small seven-acre site in Hollywood, Dr. Bresee was alerted to the availability of a sixty-five acre ranch with a Victorian-style home in Pasadena. Bresee decided to purchase the site and add new departments to the University. This Pasadena campus was to be the institution's home until the move to San Diego in 1973. After an explosive theological split in 1917, half of the student body departed, leaving the institution facing bankruptcy. At this time, Board of Trustees member Dr. Andrew O. Hendricks came up with a plan whereby a new corporation would be formed, free of the debt of the old. Nazarene University would continue with its own Board of Directors, but only as a paper organization. The new corporation, known as Pasadena University, would be founded under Nazarene precepts and would continue to serve the community.
Pasadena University (June 1917-1924)
This was a trying period for the University. Fallout from the theological split, as well as other power struggles, decreasing enrollment and other financial problems continued to threaten the life of the institution.
Pasadena College (1924-December 31st, 1973)
In an effort to reverse these trends, and to associate the institution with an image of academic integrity, Dr. H. Orton Wiley changed the name of the institution to Pasadena College. During this time, a move to Santa Ana was considered and rejected. The institution endured through periods of financial crisis, but had golden years during this period as well. In 1972, the opportunity arose to move to Point Loma, and with the goal of pursuing Dr. Bresee's dream of an academically strong Nazarene university, college president Dr. W. Shelburne Brown orchestrated the move.
(Please note: The exact date of the move from Pasadena to San Diego, and the accompanying name change is hard to place. The move to the new campus began on August 1st, 1973, so that the 1973-74 school year could be held at Point Loma, but full legal possession of the Point Loma land was not accomplished until January 1st, 1974
Point Loma College (January 1st, 1974-Summer, 1983)
The College flourished in the new location under Dr. Brown as enrollment rates steadily rose. A shift in faculty (due to faculty either unwilling or unable to make the move to San Diego), as well as the natural shift of students led to the institution taking on a new character unique to its San Diego location.
Point Loma Nazarene College (Summer, 1983-Summer 1998)
This name change was prompted by the fact that all other Nazarene schools had the word "Nazarene" in their name, and by a desire to reaffirm the spirituality of the institution, and its faculty and students. The main architect of this change was the school president at that time, Dr. Bill Draper.
Point Loma Nazarene University (Summer, 1998-Present)
This latest name change was a result of the Institution's desire to present itself with a name that it felt more fitting to the enrollment totals, number of doctorates in the faculty and educational quality. As PLNU nears its one century anniversary, it is guided by the leadership of current president, Dr. Bob Brower.