Advantages of Location
Point Loma Nazarene University enjoys many advantages from its location in beautiful, culturally rich Southern California. San Diego itself is an area of unequaled climate and spectacular scenic vistas. Neighboring institutions affording advantages in library, culture, and nature study resources include the University of California-San Diego, San Diego State University, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Opera Company, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Palomar Observatory, and many others.
The University enjoys a quiet, natural setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean only ten minutes from the center of metropolitan San Diego. With Los Angeles two and one-half hours driving time to the north, Mexico 30 minutes to the south, the ocean immediately to the west, and San Diego Bay and the Laguna Mountains to the east, the Point Loma peninsula is a most desirable location.
The developing economy of the greater San Diego area is also advantageous in affording exceptional opportunities for part-time employment for students who desire work to help support themselves.
The Point
The main campus, located on San Diego’s picturesque Point Loma peninsula, is a 93-acre plot first established as an educational site by the Theosophical Society of America and has been occupied since by Balboa University, California Western College, and United States International University. The early occupants of this site erected a number of wooden buildings, some of which are still in use as designated historical sites. Since 1953, numerous additional buildings have been constructed, and today the main campus includes art facilities, a theatre, physical education complex, the Fermanian School of Business and Business Center, the Cooper Music Center with its 400-seat Crill Performance Hall, Colt Hall, the Nicholson Commons, Draper Hall, and the Bond Academic Center. Several buildings are of historical interest. Among these are the Greek Amphitheatre, first of its type to be built in the United States; Mieras Hall, built in 1901 by the Spalding family; and Cabrillo Hall, originally the home of Madame Katherine Tingley, leader of the Theosophical Society.
Special Collections
The main campus of Point Loma Nazarene University is not only a garden spot overlooking the San Diego Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It also is home to several collections and works of public art.
Paintings from the Spiros John Karras Collection of California Plein Air paintings, housed primarily in the Cooper Music Center, are prominently displayed for public viewing. The Fischer Collection (a rare and unique set of matched, hand-made string instruments for use by faculty and student string quartets) is housed in the Cooper Music Center and may be viewed and heard in public recitals.
Ryan Library has two collections of note: special collections of the writings of Arminius and John Wesley and the William C. and Frances Vaughters collection of pre-Columbian artifacts. In addition to these collections, the campus is home to various works of art. As a former center for the Theosophical Society, original buildings feature interior woodworking by Reginald Machel. Ryan Library houses sculptures of the artist Scott Stearman and an original Norman Rockwell painting created for use as a
Saturday Evening Post cover.
Two monumental works of sculpture grace the main campus in Point Loma:
The Calling, by Scott Stearman, and
Centenary Passage, by Peter Mitten. The first was presented to the University by the Women's Auxiliary to portray Jesus' calling of the disciple Peter as a symbol of the "divine calling to all, the assurance of Christ's constant companionship, and the invitation to become fishers of men." The second is a 10-foot work of granite and bronze created by local artist and former Point Loma Nazarene University faculty member in the Department of Art and Design. It was commissioned to commemorate the University's Centennial during the 2001-2002 academic year.
Ryan Library
Ryan Library is the book and periodical repository of the University. These facilities contain approximately 150,000 volumes and 53,143 microforms. Facilities for reading, research, and study are provided for students and faculty. Ryan Library also offers on-line databases for registered students, faculty, and staff. In addition, students may receive in-person as well as on-line reference assistance via both e-mail and chat technologies. Users receive a reply to e-mail queries within two days. Chat reference is a live, real-time exchange with a reference librarian, available during posted service hours. On-line library services are accessible via the Ryan Library home page at
http//www.pointloma.edu/RyanLibrary.htm.
Information Technology Resources
Academic Computer Center (Ryan Learning Center) Computer Labs
At the main campus, students find a robust network with more than 250 state-of-the-art computers in the Ryan Learning Center computer labs and in a number of school and department computer labs. These computers provide students, faculty, and staff with resources for education, research, and communication. The labs make available over 100 applications ranging from word processing to sophisticated statistical, art, programming, and discipline–specific applications.
Software
As part of the Microsoft Campus Agreement between Point Loma Nazarene University and Microsoft, students may purchase the Microsoft Office suite of application software for only the cost of the media and shipping (approximately $50 per software version). This agreement entitles students to use the software on their personal computer during the duration of their education at the University. Graduates may continue to use the software after leaving, as long as Point Loma Nazarene University continues to participate in the Microsoft Campus Agreement. Students are also provided with anti-virus software.
Internet Services (E-mail and Web)
Students can do research and communication using the campus wireless network or from computer labs, library, or residence hall rooms. Each student is given a network and an e-mail account along with a network storage area for storing files, presentations, assignments, attachments, etc.
In addition to telephone and written correspondence, electronic mail is a recognized means of official University-to-student communication. Consequently, students are expected to read their University e-mail on a regular basis. Students may access their e-mail account from residence halls, computer labs, or University computers. When away from the University, students may access their e-mail account via the Web, using their own Internet Service Provider (ISP). Students are able to use Web browsers to register for classes, check grades, and view their class schedule and other student information. Point Loma Nazarene University has a homepage at
www.pointloma.edu.
Residential Computing
All residential students have a network connection in their residence hall room. There is twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week access to the network from the convenience of the student’s room for e-mail, research, Web browsing, etc. Each residence hall has a ResCon (Residential Consultant) to assist students in their hall with network connectivity, Internet, and e-mail access. It is highly recommended that students have a computer, preferably a notebook or tablet computer, and a printer to campus. Notebook (laptop) or tablet computers offer the most flexibility to students as they can be connected around campus and can also be used in class.
Media Services
Media Services, under the supervision of Information Technology Services, supports the use of non-print learning resources across the main campus. These resources range from computerized presentation systems to video in several formats, audio in most forms, and various types of film. Audio and video production, viewing and listening carrels, preview rooms, and a self-service materials preparation area are located in Media Services.
Centers and Institutes
The University sponsors several centers and institutes that are directly linked to the academic enterprise and extend the institutional mission in practical ways that assist both students and the broader community.
The Armenian Center for International Development
Robert C. Gailey, M.Div., Director The Armenian Center is committed to equipping, training, and sending Christian leaders to serve international communities in crisis and to support the work of the church. The Center supports the vision of the University and the Fermanian School of Business by preparing students for professional service with international humanitarian and missions agencies. The Center grew out of an exploratory visit to Armenia by PLNU faculty and George Fermanian to identify ways the University could proactively prepare students to address the humanitarian and economic challenges of globalization.
The Center for Justice and Reconciliation
James F. Gates, Ph.D., Director As an organization of Point Loma Nazarene University, in the prophetic traditions of the Holy Scriptures highlighting God’s special concern for the poor and the oppressed, and consistent with John Wesley’s call to a holiness that is lived out in ministry among and to the poor, the Center for Justice and Reconciliation (CJR) exists to study poverty and oppression and teach Christian means of social engagement.
The CJR directs Urban Term (a summer intensive cross-cultural theological and sociological immersion education program in City Heights, one of San Diego’s poorest and most diverse neighborhoods) and promotes study abroad in the poorer nations of the world. The CJR promotes involvement in off-campus activities and networking, hosts co-curricular inter-disciplinary forums and workshops for ongoing faculty, staff and student enrichment on the themes of poverty, globalization, racism, gender discrimination and cross-cultural awareness, and coordinates research projects that address particular needs of the poor in San Diego/Tijuana with a specific focus on the role that communities of faith have in addressing these needs.
The Center for Pastoral Leadership
Norman V. Shoemaker, D.Min., Director
The Center for Pastoral Leadership exists to enhance the educational mission of the University through its work with ministerial students, pastors, and the Church. The Center is an educational and service resource designed to strengthen the relationship of the University and the sponsoring denomination, the Church of the Nazarene, and to promote effectiveness in pastoral ministry.
Activities of the Center include oversight of the Master of Ministry program, mentoring of pre-ministerial students, continuing education for pastors, and other aspects of Church/University relations including, especially, pastoral support.
The Center for Teaching and Learning
Hadley Wood, Ph.D., Director
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) was established to meet the challenge of inspiring and sustaining teaching excellence. Although some CTL programs help faculty address in meaningful and practical ways the rapid pace of current research and technological advances, the majority of the Center’s programs are designed to support faculty as they learn to develop relationships to their discipline and their students, relationships that “create a space in which the community of truth is practiced” (Parker Palmer). Programs in the CTL include professional workshops and conferences, reading groups, cooperative mentoring groups, and collaborative groups focused on specific teaching issues.
The Early Childhood Learning Center
Susan D. Rogers, M.A., Academic Director
Aleta Slater, M.A., Site Director
The Early Childhood Learning Center is designed as an interactive laboratory school. The mission of the Early Childhood Learning Center is to provide a high quality educational experience for University students from observations, demonstration teaching, and experience. Although the Early Childhood Learning Center functions as a laboratory school in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, it is open to all academic disciplines of the University in a variety of ways. The Center is an open environment where teachers, children, students, and parents interact, play, work, and learn together. The programs of the Center are designed to teach the whole child socially, emotionally, cognitively, physically, creatively, spiritually, and to give guidance to the University student in modeling the practice of alternative philosophies of early childhood education.
The Fermanian Business Center
Randy M. Ataide, J.D., Director
The Fermanian Business Center (FBC) seeks to be a connecting point between students, faculty, alumni, and business constituencies through deliberate, intentional, and focused opportunities. Both undergraduate and graduate students are provided valuable resources to enhance their personal and professional success including networking, mentoring and internship opportunities, individual guidance and coaching, resume and business card services, and access to many FBC alumni, corporate, non-profit, and entrepreneur connections. The FBC also provides a variety of professional development events throughout the year where diverse business topics are discussed over a business dinner with a selected group of industry leaders, thus providing a more intimate venue for personal meetings, interaction, and networking. The Center also is available as a full-service conference facility to the University community, San Diego businesses, and various non-profit organizations.
Health Promotion Center
Margaret Stevenson, Ed.D., RN, Founding Director
Mary Margaret Rowe, M.S.N., RN, FNP, Director
The School of Nursing’s Health Promotion Center (HPC) was established in May 2000 to provide needed health care services, referrals and advocacy for individuals and families in the San Diego community in order to promote optimal health. The program is located at the Mid-City Church of the Nazarene.
In fall 2003, the HPC affiliated with the San Diego Health and Faith Alliance to begin providing a free clinic two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) for those adults in the community with little or no access to health care. Using a service learner model, the HPC offers medical care, nursing care, and counseling utilizing students and their supervising faculty as providers of care. Participants include the School of Nursing at PLNU, the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy from University of California San Diego, the Marriage and Family Therapy program at University of San Diego, and the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program from the Vitas Hospice.
The Institute of Politics and Public Service
Ronald B. Kirkemo, Ph.D., Director
The Institute of Politics and Public Service seeks to promote the public good by inspiring students to consider careers in public service and by bridging the gap between the campus and the real world of politics. Toward that end, the Institute sponsors speakers and conferences at the University, subsidizes student participation in off-campus conferences, organizes non-classroom related activities, projects, and trips such as the Sacramento Legislative Seminar, the Outreach Conferences of the American Association of Political Consultants, and the quadrennial presidential inaugurations.
The Margaret Stevenson Center for Women’s Studies
Linda M. Beail, Ph.D., Director
The Center for Women’s Studies was created as a result of the University’s historic affirmation of the value and dignity of women and features a minor in Women’s Studies. The minor is a sequence of courses of interest to both women and men that examine important gender issues and offers the opportunity for dialogue about a transformational Christian praxis in these areas. In addition to the academic minor, the Center regularly sponsors speakers from on and off the main campus and offers students and faculty a library of resources on gender issues and Christianity.
office of Distinguished Scholarships
Ronald B. Kirkemo, Ph.D., Director
Twelve nationally-competitive scholarships, from the Fulbright to the Rhodes, are means of access to the highest levels of intellectual life. The Center was created to help superior students compete for these prestigious and life-changing scholarships. The sophomore year is a critical time to begin thinking and preparing for a senior-year application-effort for one of these scholarships. High achieving students are urged to come by the Center for more information.
The Wesleyan Center for 21st Century Studies
Maxine E. Walker, Ph.D., Director
The Wesleyan Center exists to inspire a new generation of Wesleyan thinking that will influence the broader church and social worlds of the 21st century. The Center provides research opportunities for resident faculty and visiting scholars on vital contemporary issues. To further its mission, the Center sponsors individual and collaborative scholarship, convenes conferences and symposia, and funds projects capable of producing Wesleyan perspectives bearing on faith, thought, and practice.