University of Redlands

Founding the University

The University of Redlands had its roots in the founding of two other American Baptist institutions, California College in Oakland, and Los Angeles University. After the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 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 dollars and 40 acres (16 ha) for an interdenominational campus (on land donated by layman Mr. K.C. Wells). On June 27, 1907 the Commission voted all 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 newly completed administration building. Bekins Hall and the President's mansion were the only two other buildings completed. 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 Professor of Mathematics, 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 $2,592,000, the fourth largest in the state and among the top ten percent of American universities.

Redlands during 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, the day after the governor declared a moratorium on banks, President Duke died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

The administration of the University's third President, Dr. 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 Dr. William H. Roberts, a Redlands psychology professor who became the campaign manager of Upton Sinclair's run for governor in 1934, also severely strained town and gown relations.

Redlands during and after World War II

The 1940s brought many changes to the University of Redlands, beginning with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 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 lead 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 ("Vets' Village") were installed on campus. Of the 219 graduates of June 1949, 126 were veterans, 70 of whom were married.

The '50s 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. Hummex, 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 even Baptist. The campus became truly interdenominational and multicultural, going for some years without clergymen on the Board of Trustees.

Following Dr. Moore, Dr. James R. Appleton served as the eighth president of the University of Redlands for 18 years from 1987–2005. Under his leadership, the University of Redlands saw significant enhancements in campus facilities and technology — strong enrollments, balanced budgets and record-breaking private fundraising.

Dr. Stuart Dorsey served as the ninth president of the University of Redlands from 2005 to 2010. During this period, the University opened the 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m²) 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.

Organization

Students at the University study in one of several schools and centers: College of Arts & Sciences (including the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies), School of Business (including the School of Continuing Studies), School of Education, School of Music, and Center for Spatial Studies.

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) serves approximately 2,400 undergraduate students from 44 states and 11 foreign countries.

The College has 187 full-time faculty members serving more than 40 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 (8–10 students), tutorials (3–8), 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 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 (2010), taught by 22 full-time and 46 adjunct professors. Classes are held at the Redlands campus as well as satellite locations in Burbank, Orange County, Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario, Riverside, Temecula, Torrance, and San Diego.

The School of Business also offers a daytime MBA program, which was launched in 2006. The program provides an opportunity for a Redlands graduate to stay a fifth year and complete a Master's. Some aptly prepared students could even complete the program in as little as 30 units. According to Keith Roberts, associate dean, "The School of Business has traditionally only taught working adults in an evening program, but we saw there was a need for traditional students who completed their Bachelor's to move right into a graduate program, so this was a new market that our School of Business had never really addressed."

The School of Business also offers a Master of Art in Management Program in which students expand their knowledge of internal structure of an organization to create a solid foundation from which a business can grow.

School of Continuing Studies

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

"Standing for academic excellence and educational justice” is the credo adopted by the School. 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 for the working professional, the School partners with the College of Arts and Sciences to offer undergraduates a chance to earn their teaching credential. The School currently offers students the chance to obtain their Preliminary Teaching Credential, as well as Administrative and Pupil Personnel Services Credentials. It also offers Master's of Arts Degrees in School Counseling, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration and Higher Education. In January 2012, the School enrolled its first cohort of students in the Special Education Credential program; this mild/moderate credential also includes the autism certificate. As of the fall of 2012, the School offers a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, which will lead to eventual licensure in the State of California through the Board of Behavioral Sciences.

In 2001, the School of Education partnered with the Lewis Center for Educational Research in Apple Valley, California. They offer Preliminary Teaching Credentials onsite and serve Apple Valley and the surrounding high desert communities.

In the Fall of 2008, the University of Redlands School of Education expanded to a second satellite campus in Orange County. Working with the University of Redlands School of Business, the School of Education offers Multiple and Single Subject Teacher Credential Programs and an Education master's degree in Counseling. Credential courses are held twice a week, and Master's level courses are held one to three nights a week. As of 2009, the School serves 576 students in graduate coursework, with a full-time faculty of 16. As of 2012, the School now offers the multiple and single subject credentials in Temecula and Rancho Cucamonga.

The School offers a nationally unique "Doctorate in Leadership for Educational Justice" (Ed.D.), the only doctoral program on campus, which engages 20 students each year. The program prepares educational leaders who are grounded in theories of social justice and a commitment to ensuring equity for students from all backgrounds with respect to access, quality of instruction and resources, and outcomes.

Center for Educational Justice

The Center for Educational Justice (CEJ) 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.

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 (BM) degrees in Composition, Performance, and Education; Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in Music; and Master of Music (MM) degrees.

Any University student may participate in musical activities through enrollment (usually by audition) 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.

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.

National and regional rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Redlands among the top dozen regional universities in the western United States and places it among its picks for "Best Education Schools" for its graduate programs in that field. The Princeton Review also includes the University in its list of one of the country's best institutions for undergraduate education.

Washington Monthly places the University among the top 30 nationwide for master’s institutions based on contributions to the public good, including social mobility, research and service.

Forbes has selected the University of Redlands as one of its Best Value Colleges. In addition, The Economist puts the University of Redlands in the 93rd percentile among four-year non-vocational American colleges, ranked by alumni earnings above expectation.

Admissions and Retention

Admission to the University of Redlands is classified as "selective," with an acceptance rate of approximately 68% and a freshmen retention rate of 88%, on par with those of other similarly ranked regional universities.

Athletics

Redlands competes in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), 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 currently fields ten men’s teams and eleven women’s teams.

The team mascot is the bulldog. The University has traditionally maintained a live bulldog in this capacity. The recently retired mascot, Duke, named for the second president of the University, held the title from 2003–10. The current mascot is Thurber, named after the University's third president. Thurber is commonly seen at sporting events or around campus.

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 seniors 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.

Most students live in double-occupancy rooms with hallway or suite-style bathrooms, though triples and quads are available, as well as single rooms for students with special medical needs. In a suite-style layout, two rooms share a single bathroom. In a hallway bathroom layout, residents share a common hallway bathroom, with a sink provided in each residence hall room (except for East and Williams Halls, where sinks are only in the bathrooms). There are a few semi-private showers that are gender neutral, primarily in the Holt building of the Johnston complex.

Air conditioning is not provided in some residence halls. Where air conditioning is provided, it can be controlled centrally, or with a thermostat in each room. Many students, especially in older halls, complain of poorly functioning central heat/AC systems, leading to hot summer days and very cold nights and mornings in the winter.

Students live in the following halls and complexes:

New units

The University has recently added two new buildings: Lewis Hall (named after U.S. Congressman Jerry Lewis) and Appleton Hall (named after the University's former president). Lewis Hall opened in the fall of 2005, and is home to the Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems Program and the Environmental Studies Program. Appleton Hall opened in the spring of 2006, and is home to the physics, math, astronomy, and computer science departments, which were previously in Duke and Hentschke Halls. Appleton Hall, named after former Redlands Chancellor and President Jim Appleton, cost the University about $10.3 million. Its southern wall is graced by a giant sundial designed by physics professor Tyler Nordgren, including a version for daylight-saving time, that is accurate within 10 minutes. It is also sometimes referred to as the "Hall of Numbers."

Alternative living

The University also 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 compile the group of Greek housing are mostly on "Frat Row," which is located behind the school softball field, all with the exception of the Sigma Kappa Alpha and Chi Rho Psi houses. The Kappa Pi Zeta sorority does not have a house.

Greek life

Active social fraternities:

Active sororities:

Active business fraternities:

Active service fraternities:

Honors societies:

Diversity-based organizations

Rangi Ya Giza (RYG) – founded on May 15, 1992 – non-Greek, diversity based brotherhood that seeks to positively affect the campus and community by organizing service projects, raising awareness of local and global issues, and taking action against injustices in our society. Rangi Ya Giza is Swahili for "A Darker Shade" to represent their East African roots. RYG focuses specifically on benefiting organizations in the community such as Boys & Girls Club of Redlands, Emmerton Elementary school, and the Stillman House.

Wadada Wa Rangi Wengi (WRW) – founded on October 15, 1992 – non-Greek sisterhood dedicated to raising awareness about issues of diversity, gender, and social injustice. Wadada Wa Rangi Wengi means "Sisters of Many Shades" in Swahili. WRW sponsors many events on campus, including Breast Cancer Awareness Week, Diversity Mixer, and Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

(RYG and WRW are organizations that were founded as a result of the 1992 Los Angeles riots in response to communal apathy.)

Fidelity, Isonomy, Erudition (FIE) – founded on February 10, 2006 – co-ed siblinghood that prides itself in its commitment to service and awareness, creating a more empathetic community, and combating a gender binary. Service, Awareness, and Siblinghood are the three pillars the organization's members stand firm on. FIE was recognized as the University's Multicultural Organization of the Year in 2006 & 2010.

Filming at Redlands

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 (Lee Minho) attends during his exile in America.

Redlands culture and traditions

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Notable Faculty