University of Redlands


The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout California largely provide programs for working adults.

History

Founding

While currently a secular institution overall, the University of Redlands' roots go back to the founding of two other American Baptist institutions, California College in Oakland, and Los Angeles University. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake damaged the finances of California College, a Baptist commission began exploring the liquidation of both institutions to develop a new institution in Southern California. The Reverend Jasper Newton Field, a Baptist pastor at Redlands, persuaded the Redlands Board of Trade to propose a donation of at least $100,000 and for an interdenominational campus on land donated by a K.C. Wells. On June 27, 1907 the Commission voted in favor of the Redlands proposal.
Ground was broken on April 9, 1909, on the hill where the administration building now stands. Nine founding faculty members held their first day of classes in the Redlands Baptist Church on September 30, 1909, with 39 students attending.
On January 27, 1910, the University of Redlands opened its physical doors by occupying the administration building. Bekins Hall and the President's mansion were the only two other buildings completed. Now-university president Field was charged with further securing $200,000 for endowment, but the 1912 United States cold wave, which wiped out half the California citrus crop and severely damaged the local economy, made this impossible.
President Field resigned in 1914. Victor LeRoy Duke, dean and mathematics professor, became the next president. The southern California Baptist community initiated a campaign to raise $50,000 to clear outstanding debt. The following spring the Northern Baptist Education Board endorsed the school, promising to help raise an endowment.
By 1925, the faculty numbered 25, and student enrollment had increased to 465. Finances had improved to the extent that, with significant volunteer help, the University was able to erect 12 new buildings by the end of the decade. New dormitories, classrooms, a library, a gymnasium, and Memorial Chapel were built. A school of education was added. A developing alumni base also started to support the University. By 1928, the University's endowment was $2.592 million, the fourth largest in the state and among the top ten percent of American universities.

The Great Depression

By the beginning of 1932, the effects of the Great Depression started to be felt at the university. Enrollment soared, as there was no work to be found, but student indebtedness also increased exponentially, as well as the amount the university owed banks. Salaries were cut, and employees were laid-off. On March 3, 1933, President Duke died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
The administration of the university's third president, Clarence Howe Thurber, soon ran afoul of ultra-conservative churches. Student members complained of a liberal attitude toward Baptist doctrine being taught at the campus. The later affair of William H. Roberts, a psychology professor who became the campaign manager of Upton Sinclair's run for governor in 1934, also severely strained town and gown relations.

During and after World War II

The 1940s brought many changes to the University of Redlands particularly with the onset of direct U.S. involvement in World War II. As conscription and enlistments for the war depleted classes, courses were set up for the soldiers at Camp Haan and March Field.
The July 1, 1943, arrival of a Navy V-12 unit, composed of 631 men for officer candidate training, along with a civilian enrollment of 473 women and 110 men, was Redlands’ largest enrollment ever, and gradually led to the easing of social restrictions. Military men were not required to attend chapel, and on New Year's Eve the Marines clandestinely held the first impromptu dance ever on the campus. Two months later, the Navy held the first formal dance on the commons, and the trustees finally discarded the "no dancing" policy in 1945, after the Redlands V-12 unit had been disbanded.
The passage of the G.I. Bill further opened the doors at Redlands. By special action of Congress, housing units for 50 veterans' families were installed on campus. Of the 219 graduates of June 1949, 126 were veterans, 70 of whom were married.
The 1950s saw other changes. Fraternity houses were established for the first time, and other improvements were made to the university. The first Ph.D. ever granted by the university was received in 1957, by Milton D. Hunnex, in Philosophy.
Compulsory chapel attendance fell to the student militancy of the 1960s and 1970s. The seventh president of the university, Dr. Douglas Moore, was not Baptist. The school went some years without clergymen on the Board of Trustees.
Following Moore, James R. Appleton served as the eighth president of the University of Redlands for 18 years from 1987–2005.
Dr. Stuart Dorsey served as the ninth president of the University of Redlands from 2005 to 2010. During this period, the university opened the Center for the Arts, and renovated the Armacost Library, adding five computer laboratories and a café. Dr. Dorsey resigned his position on March 16, 2010, amid controversy over budget deficits and proposed cuts.
On March 17, 2010, the then-current chancellor and former president Dr. James R. Appleton was appointed for a two-year term.
In August 2012, Dr. Ralph Kuncl became the 11th president of the University of Redlands. As president, he has focused on expanding the internationalization of the University, raising its stature by bringing public intellectuals into campus residence as University Distinguished Fellows, leading a comprehensive campaign, and strengthening the University's financial health.
In February 2019, the university announced an agreement in principle to acquire San Francisco Theological Seminary in a transaction that would preserve the secular nature of the university as a whole, while maintaining the historic religious affiliations of SFTS. The deal closed on July 1, 2019, creating a new U of R graduate school—the Graduate School of Theology—and a U of R campus in the Bay Area that hosts programming from both institutions.

Organization

Students at the university study in one of several schools and centers: College of Arts & Sciences ; School of Business ; School of Education; and Graduate School of Theology.

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences serves approximately 2,400 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students from 41 states and 28 countries.
The College has 187 full-time faculty members serving more than 50 major areas of study. Eighty-five percent of full-time faculty have a Ph.D. or terminal degree. The student-faculty ratio is approximately 13:1; the average class size is 19. Professors or instructors teach all courses and sections.

Johnston Center for Integrative Studies

Born in the midst of the Experiential Education Movement, Johnston College is an endowed college that began as an experiment in professor-student mentor relationships and a student-initiated, contract-driven education, and operated as an autonomous unit of the University for approximately 10 years. The first class of approximately 30 students graduated in 1972. The structure of the educational system was based on seminars, tutorials, and independent studies. In 1979, it was integrated into the College of Arts and Sciences as the Johnston Center for Individualized Studies. It operated under that name until the mid-1990s, when it was renamed the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies.
Today, about 200 Redlands students live and learn together in the Johnston complex, which includes two residence halls and five faculty offices. Students design their own majors in consultation with faculty and write contracts for their courses, for which they receive narrative evaluations in lieu of traditional grades.

School of Music

The University of Redlands School of Music was founded along with the University as its School of Fine Arts. It is today an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, and its requirements for entrance and graduation comply with the standards of this accrediting organization.
Approximately 350 students study music with 13 full-time and 26 adjunct faculty. The School of Music offers Bachelor of Music degrees in Composition, Performance, and Education; Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music; and Master of Music degrees.
Any University student may participate in musical activities through enrollment in the University Choir, Chapel Singers, Madrigals, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Studio Jazz Band, Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, University Opera, and a variety of chamber music ensembles. Students are invited to register for private, group, or class lessons, available on all instruments and for voice.

Center for Spatial Studies

The Center for Spatial Studies endeavors to create a spatially infused learning community at the University of Redlands, through faculty-student interaction, research, and community service.

School of Business

Founded in 1976 as the Alfred North Whitehead College for Lifelong Learning, the School of Business began as an experiment in providing educational services to working adults in locations throughout Southern California. It was one of the first successful ventures in quality education through off-site learning. It evolved to become the School of Business in 2001.
The School of Business currently has approximately 700 undergraduate students and close to 800 graduate students, taught by 22 full-time and 46 adjunct professors. Classes are held at the Redlands campus as well as regional campuses in Burbank, Orange County, Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario, Riverside, Temecula, Torrance, and San Diego. Programs are also planned on the University's new campus in Marin County, California.
Degrees granted by the School of Business include: B.S. in Management; B.S. in Business; MBA ; MBA Concentrations in Location Analytics, Marketing, Global Business, and Financing; M.S. in Organizational Leadership; and M.S. in Information Technology.

School of Continuing Studies

Part of the School of Business, the School of Continuing Studies offers certificate programs, individual courses, workshops, and onsite custom programs offered as open enrollment, with no formal admission or application required of participants.

School of Education

The oldest graduate division within the University, the School of Education was founded in 1924. As of 2006, it serves 516 students in graduate coursework, with 17 full-time professors and 30 adjunct professors.
Geared primarily to the working professional, the School also partners with the College of Arts and Sciences to offer undergraduates a chance to earn their teaching credential. The School offers master's degrees in learning and teaching, curriculum and instruction, clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, educational administration, and higher education, as well a number of credentials: Preliminary Teaching Credential, Education Specialist Teaching Credential, Pupil Personnel Services Credential—School Counseling, Preliminary Administrative Services Credential, and Clear Administrative Services Credential. In addition, a Doctorate in Leadership for Educational Justice, the University's only doctoral program, is grounded in theories of social justice and a commitment to ensuring equity for students from all backgrounds.
In 2001, the School of Education partnered with the Lewis Center for Educational Research in Apple Valley, California to offer Preliminary Teaching Credentials onsite and serve Apple Valley and the surrounding high desert communities. In 2008, the University of Redlands School of Education expanded to a second regional campus in Orange County. In 2012, the School began offering programs in Temecula and Rancho Cucamonga. Programs are also planned on the University's new campus in Marin County, California.

Center for Educational Justice

The Center for Educational Justice sponsors institutes, symposia, workshops, and other educational efforts. Topics relate to social advocacy, research, policy development, and professional training on equity, fairness, care, respect, and critical consciousness of broader societal inequities.
The center was founded in 2005, and is currently under the direction of Dr. Jose Lalas.

Graduate School of Theology

The Graduate School of Theology is a multi-faith and interdisciplinary program that resulted from a merger between the San Francisco Theological Seminary and the University of Redlands on July 1, 2019. A member of the Graduate Theological Union, the Graduate School of Theology also provides its students with access to classes and resources from the GTU's member and affiliate institutions.

San Francisco Theological Seminary

Through the Graduate School of Theology, San Francisco Theological Seminary offers Doctor of Ministry, Master of Divinity, and Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree programs, as well as several diplomas and certificates.

The Shaw Chaplaincy Institute for Spiritual Care + Compassionate Leadership

The Shaw Chaplaincy Institute is an accredited clinical pastoral education provider offering interfaith programs that explore the spiritual side of providing health care.

Applied Wisdom Institute

A spiritual rather than religious hub, the Applied Wisdom Institute provides certificate programs, seminars, and conferences.

Academics

The University of Redlands offers traditional undergraduate liberal arts degree programs within the College of Arts and Sciences, along with graduate programs in business, education, communicative disorders, music and geographic information systems. The Johnston Center for Integrative Studies offers customized degree programs for undergraduates, based upon a contract system and narrative evaluations.

Admissions and retention

In its 2020 rankings, U.S. News & World Report classified admission to the University of Redlands as "selective," with an acceptance rate of approximately 68% and a freshmen retention rate of 88%.

Athletics

Redlands competes in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which operates within NCAA Division III. Redlands was one of the founding members of the SCIAC in 1915 and is one of only two schools to have had continuous membership.
The university competes in 21 sports: ten men's teams and eleven women's teams. The men's teams include: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swim and dive, tennis, track and field, and water polo. The women's teams include: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swim and dive, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo.
The mission of Bulldog Athletics is to provide student-athletes with an opportunity to compete successfully in an intercollegiate athletic program that is an integral part of their educational experience. About 20 percent of U of R's College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates are student-athletes; including intramural sports more than 50 percent of College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates participate in athletics. The average GPA of student-athletes is 3.2, and 90 percent of student-athletes return for their second year of study at the U of R. In addition to numerous championships, 70 percent of the University's varsity teams have ranked in the top 25 nationally in NCAA Division III and SCIAC since 2009.
In 2018, the University embarked on a $20 million campaign for Bulldog Athletics to create a new home for the program on Brockton Avenue, build a new tennis complex, and revitalize the Currier Gymnasium.

Mascot

The Bulldogs are represented by a live bulldog mascot, a tradition dating back to 1918. The bulldogs name began not with a dog, but with a football game; in 1917, after Redlands embarrassed a rival school 20-0, the opposing coach was quoted as saying, “The U of R football team might well be called the bulldogs of the conference for the fight they put into the game.”
The current mascot is Adelaide, or "Addie," named after founding first lady of the University and wife to the university's first president, Jasper Newton Field. Adelaide is the first female mascot in U of R's 100-year-old Bulldog tradition.

Community service

The university's Community Service Learning program, which is now more than 25 years old, provides students the opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom in activities from mentoring local youths to building houses in Mexico. Each year, University of Redlands students complete more than 120,000 hours of service. These efforts have been recognized by the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Role.

Campus housing

The university, whose Redlands campus has been consistently honored by Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA School, offers its undergraduate students guaranteed housing during their four years of study and, for the most part, undergraduate students are required live on campus. Exceptions include students who are over the age of 23, living with a parent, or married; sometimes exemptions are also granted to upperclass students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Many residence halls are "living-learning communities," with themes such as "freshmen," "social justice," "substance-free," etc. These themes and configurations change from time to time.

Alternative living

The university offers alternative housing to various organizations. Merit houses are awarded to organizations for use during the school year. The university also offers a Greek System, unaffiliated with national Greek organizations, which also contains several houses for residence by the groups' members. The houses that comprise the group of Greek housing are mostly on "Frat Row", which is located behind the school softball field, all with the exception of the Chi Rho Psi house.

Greek life

; Active social fraternities
; Active social sororities
; Active business fraternities
;
;Active service fraternities
; Honors societies
In October 2017, the University of Redlands partnered with Tuskegee University, a private, historically black university in Alabama, enabling student and faculty exchanges between the institutions and opening the door to a variety of other joint programming.
Diversity-based organizations on the University of Redlands campus include:
Due to its location in the Greater Los Angeles Area, The University of Redlands campus has been used as the setting for films such as Goodbye My Fancy, with Joan Crawford and Robert Young, Hell Night, Joy Ride, Slackers, and The Rules of Attraction. It has also been used in at least one Perry Mason episode as a stand-in for the fictional Euclid College. The campus was also used for the Korean drama The Heirs, where Kim Tan attends during his exile in America.

Redlands culture and traditions

Government and politics