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 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 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 have been renovated and are still in use as designated historical sites. Since 1953, numerous additional buildings have been constructed, and today the campus includes art studio 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, Nicholson Commons, Draper Hall, the School of Theology and Christian Ministry, and the Bond Academic Center. Buildings of historical interest.include 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 San Diego 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 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 supports student learning in an environment that combines the traditional values of the liberal arts university with the technological advances of the 21st century. Library faculty and staff are dedicated to serving the information needs of students, faculty, and all others affiliated with the university. The library is home to a variety of comfortable learning spaces: rooms for group work and projects, clusters of soft seating, areas for quiet study, and more. In additional, Ryan Library is home to over 170,000 volumes, including books, periodicals, and several specialized collections. The library also subscribes to numerous on-line data bases, many of which provide full-text access. For items not held by the library, InterLibrary Loan services provide access to resources located throughout the region and the world. In classroom settings and one-on-one consultations, librarians teach students how to find appropriate resources, create effective search strategies, and evaluate on-line information. The work of the library faculty and staff fosters the pursuit of knowledge, excellence in teaching and learning, and respect for inquiry and diverse points of view.
Information Technology Resources
Academic Computer Center (Ryan Learning Center) Computer Labs
At the San Diego campus, undergraduate students find a robust network with more than 350 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 for 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 conduct research and communication using the campus wireless network as well as the computer labs, library, and residence hall rooms. Each student is given a network account, an e-mail account, and a network 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. Students are expected to read their university e-mail on a regular basis and 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 also able to go on-line to register for classes, check grades, and view their class schedule and other student information. The Point Loma Nazarene University homepage can be found 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 rooms for e-mail, research, Web browsing, etc. It is highly recommended that students bring 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 used in class (if allowed by the professor). During New Student Orientation (NSO), students receive informational flyers and CDs to facilitate their PLNU network connection and to help keep their computer healthy and useable.
A student help desk is available to students who are having trouble with computers. ResTechs and LabTechs answer calls from students to offer assistance. Students can also bring their computers to the ResTech Office, located inside the main campus lab of Ryan Library, where ResTechs will troubleshoot and scan the computers. ResTechs also can repair Dell computers that are still under warranty.
Media Services
Media Services, under the supervision of Information Technology Services, supports the use of non-print learning resources across the San Diego 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, a self-service materials preparation area, a Mac Lab that holds 24" widescreen iMacs, available for student use, 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 Center for International Development
Robert C. Gailey, M.Div., Director The Center for International Development exists to apply life-affirming business principles to the complex challenges of global poverty. The center places a particular focus on areas of economic and social development. The center is committed to equipping, training, and sending Christian leaders to serve international communities that are suffering 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 and opportunities 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 (M.Min.) 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
College Deans, Co-directors
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. Featured events each year include the Dealmakers of the Year Business Breakfast, the Bank of America Economic Forecast Breakfast, and the Entrepreneur Enrichment Program, as well as 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.
The Health Promotion Center (School of Nursing)
Mary Margaret Rowe, M.S.N., RN, FNP, Director
The School of Nursing’s Health Promotion Center (HPC) provides 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 the University of California, San Diego, and the Marriage and Family Therapy program at the University of San Diego.
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 campus and offers students and faculty a library of resources on gender issues and Christianity.
The Wesleyan Center for 21st Century Studies
Mark H. Mann, 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.