Our History
During the summer of 1920, Harold K. Needham, D. W. Kerr, and W. C. Pierce opened a school to prepare Christian workers for the various ministries of the church. The new institute, Southern California Bible School, moved from Los Angeles to Pasadena in 1927. In 1939 it was chartered by the State of California as a college eligible to grant degrees, and it became Southern California Bible College-the first four-year institution of the Assemblies of God. In 1943 the college received recognition by the government for the training of military chaplains. It moved to the present campus in 1950. The name was changed to Southern California College nine years later when majors in the liberal arts were added to the curriculum.
Regional accreditation and membership in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges were granted in 1964. In 1967 the college received recognition and approval of its teaching credential program from the California State Board of Education. In June 1983 the Graduate Studies Program received approval from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. A Degree Completion Program was started in 1994 for adult learners. On July 1, 1999 university status was achieved when Southern California College registered with the Secretary of State's Office as Vanguard University of Southern California. The University is comprised of the College, the Graduate School, and the School for Professional Studies.
In addition to its founding president, Harold K. Needham, Vanguard University of Southern California has had the able leadership of six presidents: Irvine J. Harrison, John B. Scott, O. Cope Budge, Emil A. Balliet, Wayne E. Kraiss, and Murray W. Dempster.
For over three-quarters of a century, Vanguard University has been a leader in educational innovation within its denomination, preparing students for all types of ministry. As a Christian university, VUSC is constantly seeking to expand its influence and service through education that provides excellence without compromise for the glory of Jesus Christ.
About Vanguard University
Vanguard University of Southern California is a community of thoughtful Christians dedicated to honoring Christ and serving his church. As an evangelical comprehensive university within the Pentecostal tradition, VUSC is committed to providing an educational experience that integrates faith, learning, and living, and to preparing students for a lifetime of learning and service in a variety of vocations and ministries.
The University believes that a liberal arts education illuminated by Christian truth fosters the intellectual and spiritual development that prepares and challenges students to take an active role in shaping their culture and their world.
The vision that guides the VUSC community is rooted in the University's heritage as an institution of the Pentecostal tradition which was birthed out of the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, California, at the turn of the twentieth century. From its inception, the movement generated a multicultural, multiracial, and gender-inclusive community of Spirit-empowered Christian believers who were committed to peacemaking and reconciliation. With global consciousness, these foremothers and forefathers of a renewed Christian faith carried the good news of the gospel around the world.
A strong commitment to cultural diversity, racial reconciliation, and gender equality is a consequence of VUSC being deeply grounded in the faith tradition that brought the University into existence. Moreover, these core values continue to define the institutional vision that pulls the VUSC community forward toward its mission and educational targets and goals. Within this Christian context of inclusiveness, the University aims to provide a quality educational experience marked by the pursuit of truth, the cultivation of character, and the desire for service.
These three basic pursuits inherent in the VUSC educational experience-truth, virtue, and service-are enshrined in the University motto and embossed on its official seal. "Truth, Virtue, and Service" summarizes the institution's educational vision.
Truth
As members of the VUSC community we strive to . . .
- pursue truth by understanding the Word of God and by knowing Christ, who is Truth;
- develop critical and creative thinking skills for careful, reasoned, and independent analysis of competing ideas;
engage in scholarship with integrity and excellence; and - explore, participate in, and contribute to our cultural, intellectual, and spiritual heritage.
Virtue
As members of the VUSC community we endeavor to . . .
- honor God and commit ourselves to the person and model of Jesus Christ;
- develop personal integrity and character by applying biblical values to our lives;
- understand and accept the responsibilities of living in a free society; and
- transcend the limitations and errors of the prevailing culture, and through a wholeness of vision, choose and hold to the path for a righteous life.
Service
As members of the VUSC community we work to . . .
- develop our talents to their potential and discern God's purpose for our lives;
- strengthen the skills necessary for effective communication of ideas and for a productive place in society;
- prepare students for diverse vocations, graduate programs, and leadership roles; and exercise civic responsibility, respect cultural and individual differences, and care for others.
In order to develop continuously as an inclusive community growing in truth, virtue, and service, the University invites its members to a life lived in response to the claims of the Kingdom of God, in which the transcendent realities of the gospel are brought to bear on the real life challenges which they will face as citizens of the twenty-first century.