California Pacific University


California Pacific University or Cal Pacific University was a private business school dedicated to the instruction in all aspects of business at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels, and located in Escondido, San Diego County. The university was aimed towards working professionals in business management and was recognized by the California Department of Education as a higher education degree-granting institution. Its graduates and alumni include professionals in business, government, academia, federal and state employees, law, authors, healthcare, technology, and finance.

History

CPU was founded in 1976. The founders are as follows:
The university was located in Escondido, California, 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego. California Pacific later moved to the city of Pinole in northern California. For over four decades, California Pacific University provided alternative educational programs for adults wishing to obtain bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees and to provide a complete business education on and off campus. It has been reported to have had a staff of 7. California Pacific University once had an affiliation with Alabama A&M University, in a partnership to host its evening MBA program in San Diego California. California Pacific University was a member of The Cooperative Education and Internship Association, a method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience.
The university was the first collegiate institution to be approved under the qualitative standards mandated by the State of California Educational Reform Act of 1977. Moreover, it was the first institution approved by the State of California to offer academic degree programs by distance study without residency requirements. It was a member of the American Council on Education. Based on the recommendations of the American Council on Education's collaborative link between the US Department of Defense and higher education, the university awarded college credits to members of the armed forces through review of military training and experiences.
The university was one of several California universities to participate in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, and California Student Aid Commission's initiative to make higher education more accessible and affordable by providing low cost tuition. In June 1986, the California Postsecondary Education Commission in cooperation with the Student Aid Commission listed California Pacific University as an eligible and approved university to participate in the California Cal Grant student aid program on the recommendation of The California State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Education.
In a 1989 report protecting the integrity of California degrees to the Governor and to the California Legislature, the California Postsecondary Education Commission described California Pacific University's programs as follows:
The university received an honorable mention from widely known Author John Bear in his 1989 book "Bear's Guide to Earning Non-Traditional College Degrees" and further mentioned in his 1995 book "College Degrees by Mail" as one of the nations top 100 good schools that offer, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorates and Law Degrees by Home Study.
Founder of California Pacific University, Charles Dalton was instrumental in helping to get the Assembly Bill 1993 amended. On June 21, 1990, he appeared and gave a public testimony on behalf of California Pacific University alongside representatives of many other California postsecondary colleges and universities expressing concerns as to multiple articles of the and new regulations for California state oversight of private colleges, universities, and vocational schools. After review of all oral testimonies, a public preliminary draft of regulations to implement the "Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education Reform Act of 1989" was issued by the California Postsecondary Education Commission in October 1990. This was in response to the Assembly Bill 1993. In 1991, the California Postsecondary Education Commission found that the state's standards relating to institutional stability, institutional integrity, and consumer protection, were more stringent than those required by the accrediting agencies. The commission, therefore, advised against the state's relying directly on regional and national accrediting agency processes in lieu of the State's licensure processes.
Founder Dr Dalton stepped down as the Chief Academic Officer due to health issues and aging. David Oxenhandler, former president and board member of the University of Fairfax, and current chairman of the educational accreditation agency Distance Education Accrediting Commission later took over as the Director of Education, and Chief Academic Officer. Dr Dalton passed away on 4/11/2011 of natural causes in Escondido, California.

2016 closure

On July 22, 2016, the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education denied California Pacific's annual application to renew its approval to operate due to non-compliance of an annual report required by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Under the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education California Education Code Section 94888, an institution that is denied renewal of an approval to operate may file an appeal. However, the university waived its right to appeal and closed its doors. The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education recognized California Pacific University as an approved institution until September 12, 2016 The university officially closed on September 18, 2016.
Student records are maintained by the custodian of record for third-party credential verification as required under the California Department of Education and the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education's, local law Article 3. Maintenance of Records 71930. Student records are referred to the "closed school" unit of the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education

Academics

The university observed the quarter system. Credits were earned in 5 quarter units and covered courses in Business Administration and Management, Operations, General, Health and Medical Administration.
The university offered the following degree programs:
Later on, it offered
Upon completion of an MA in Healthcare Administration or MA in Management and Human Behavior, degree holders were eligible to sit for Licensure as a California Nursing Home Administrator
Bar review courses were also offered for local law school graduates in preparation of the California bar examination
The university's Master of Arts in Management and Human Behavior was California's oldest California state-approved degree program. This program demonstrated that quality education could be delivered to students via an off-campus format and was approved by the California Department of Education in 1978. Students were enrolled in programs designed for the achievement of personal, professional, and career goals.
According to an annual catalog issued by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, California Pacific University had two Proctored Comprehensive Examinations in each of its programs to assure that the student earning the degree or credit is the person who completed the coursework. The courses are administered by a qualified credentialed Proctor who was nominated and approved by the university. However local students had the option of taking courses at night on site in a classroom setting. Students were required to study on a course-by-course basis, studying one course at a time, building upon their personal experiences prior to entry in the program and daily application of what is learned in the program to their own business careers. Upon completion of all courses, credits and passing scores on the five-part College Level Examination Program Test, students are conferred a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. Potential students for Master programs were required to submit or complete Graduate Record Examinations prior to admission. Master of Business Administration degrees are awarded when the candidate has completed fifty quarter hours in a ten course outline with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. There were two doctorate level programs: Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D. degree for a professor, researcher, or scientist in many fields, and a Doctor of Business Administration D.B.A. in Business administration for business professionals. Candidates for doctoral degrees are required to have completed a minimum of 125 quarter hours of post-baccalaureate credits, complete all required courses and prepare a proposal for a dissertation and complete the Final Doctoral Dissertation or project of original research to be presented and approved by the faculty. The university's doctoral programs were designed to provide advanced courses in management for the successful executive in business, government, labor unions, the military, and non-profit organizations. Candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy in Management complete the same courses as candidates for the Doctor of Business Administration D.B.A. degree. The final product, the Proposal and the Dissertation are significantly different in that the dissertation requires original research on a topic in business or management.

Recognition and authority

The university was awarded recognition by the California Department of Education in the mid 1980s and later received full recognition through the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education. However, the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education ceased operation on July 1, 2007. In 2009, CPU was a listed applicant to gain accreditation in a report issued by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, an educational accreditation agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the United States Department of Education. In 2010, the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, a new agency contracted by the California Department of Consumer Affairs was established to replace the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education in order to continue regulating private postsecondary educational institutions operating in the state of California. Under the new agency regulations, California Pacific maintained its recognition to grant BBAs, MBAs, MAs, DBAs and PhDs in Management, Business, Health Care, and Human Behavior.