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 scenery. Neighboring institutions affording advantages in library, culture, and nature study resources include the University of California-San Diego, San Diego State University, San Diego Symphony 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 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 1995, many new classrooms and offices have been added to the historic buildings to provide a unique campus setting. Newer facilities include an expanded athletic complex, the Fermanian School of Business and Business Center, the Cooper Music Center with its 400-seat Crill Performance Hall, Ryan Library & Learning Center, Colt Hall, Nicholson Commons, Draper Hall, Smee Hall - School of Theology and Christian Ministry, Bond Academic Center, Sator Hall, Latter Hall, and the Prescott Prayer Chapel. 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 Ryan Library, may be viewed upon request. 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 Cooper Music Center and may be viewed and heard in public recitals.

Ryan Library has three collections of note: writings by and about Jacobus Arminius and John Wesley, the Pasadena/Point Loma Authors collection, 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 a small Peter Mitten sculpture, a Salvador Dali marble cross, sculptures by  Scott Stearman and an original Norman Rockwell painting used as a 1931 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 digital infrastructure of the 21st century. Library faculty and staff are dedicated to serving the research and information literacy needs of the PLNU community. Students can engage with library resources in a variety of formats and can communicate with librarians via chat, email, phone, or in person. In classroom settings and one-on-one consultations, librarians teach students how to formulate meaningful questions, create effective research strategies, and evaluate the quality and relevance of various information sources. 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. 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 addition, Ryan Library is home to approximately 130,000 physical items, including books, periodicals, media materials, and specialized collections, as well as nearly 300,000 e-books. The library also subscribes to numerous online research databases, 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. Online access to library resources and services is available through the Ryan Library webpage.

Department of Public Safety

The Department of Public Safety exists to provide a safe living, learning, and working environment for university students and employees. The department operates 24 hours a day on the Point Loma Campus and staffs the Liberty Station Conference Center, Mission Valley Campus, and Balboa Campus during business hours. All Public Safety Officers are licensed by the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services and are trained in first aid, CPR, and AED use.

The university encourages students to report campus crimes and suspicious activity to Public Safety or other campus officials as well as to the San Diego Police Department. In addition to overseeing campus security and emergency preparedness, Public Safety also enforces the University Vehicle Code (UVC) and Freshman Vehicle Policy. Students should refer to the Traditional Undergraduate Student Handbook and the UVC for complete rules and regulations concerning parking and driving on campus.

Additional resources regarding campus safety are available at the website maintained by the Department of Public Safety. Students may contact Public Safety at (619) 849-2525 for assistance 24 hours a day.

Information Technology Resources

Academic Computer Center (Ryan Learning Center) Computer Labs

At the Point Loma campus, students in an undergraduate program will find a robust network with more than 250 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. The Windows computer lab environment can also be accessed from your own computer through https://view.pointloma.edu/.

Software

Students have the opportunity to purchase third-party software at a discounted rate through OnTheHub.

Internet Services (Email and Web)

Students can conduct research and communication using the campus wireless network as well as the computer labs, library, and residence hall rooms. Students are given a PLNU login account which provides access to a Google Workspace account (which includes email and Google Drive access), as well as login privileges to University websites, PLNU computer labs, and the campus wireless network. Students are also able to go online to register for classes, check grades, and view their class schedule and other student information in Workday Student. Workday Student may be accessed at https://workday.pointloma.edu or with the Workday app on a mobile device. In addition to telephone and written correspondence, email is a recognized means of official university-to-student communication. Students are expected to read their university email on a regular basis.

Undergraduate students have access either on-campus or remotely to a variety of technology resources:

• Workday Student - https://workday.pointloma.edu
• Email - https://gmail.pointloma.edu
• Learning management system - https://canvas.pointloma.edu
• Library research materials - https://www.pointloma.edu/library
• Virtual lab environment - https://view.pointloma.edu
• ITS self-service knowledge base - https://help.pointloma.edu

Residential Computing

PLNU has extensive wireless coverage across our campuses including the residence halls. There is 24/7 access to the network from the convenience of the student’s rooms for email, research, web browsing, etc. It is highly recommended that students bring a computer, preferably a laptop or tablet, to campus as these offer the most flexibility. During Welcome Week, students receive information and assistance connecting to the PLNU network as well as their accounts.

Solution Center

The Solution Center is available for students who have technology questions related to accessing PLNU provided resources (i.e. troubleshooting connectivity and account access issues). Students may also visit the Solution Center, located on the third floor of Ryan Learning Center. Assistance for PLNU-related technology is also available by phone and email:

• 619-849-2222
• help@pointloma.edu

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

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

The Center for Justice and Reconciliation (CJR) leverages research, advocacy, and innovation to proactively address the injustices in our world and pursue the flourishing of our community. Our work is informed by community leaders, made rigorous by its connection to academics, and prioritizes practical application to help students engage in the world through the lens of their faith.

Throughout the academic year, students have opportunities to connect around the issues of human trafficking, poverty, immigration, unethical consumption, and other social issues. Through on-campus events, community activities, internships, and co-curricular learning, the CJR connects community issues with campus learning. The CJR manages the Beauty for Ashes Scholarship Fund for survivors of human trafficking, the kNOw MORE Human Trafficking Prevention Curriculum for middle school and high school youth, and the Human Trafficking Research and Data Roundtable (HT-RADAR). The CJR also partners with other on and off-campus partners to examine supply chains, race, and immigration.

The Center for Teaching and Learning

Established in 2000, PLNU’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) exists to provide leadership, encouragement, advocacy, and resources to enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship for all faculty, including full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty. The Center is committed to cultivating a culture at PLNU that values and facilitates ongoing professional development and growth. CTL supports faculty as they design coursework, improve classroom techniques, contemplate and adapt new techniques and technologies into their classrooms, and assess the effectiveness of their teaching methods.

The Center supports professors in a wide variety of ways as they further their scholarship and seek effective strategies to engage students in learning. CTL houses a substantial library, offering books on loan on a wide range of topics relevant to teaching, learning, scholarship, writing and research. CTL also runs workshops on pertinent topics, using our own faculty experts and bringing in outside experts to share new ideas and strategies amongst faculty that can facilitate lasting change across our campus.

The CTL office is located in the Center for Faculty Development on the west side of lower Bond Academic Center. It is open during normal business hours as a resource for all faculty.

The Early Childhood Learning Center

The Early Childhood Learning Center has the unique opportunity of serving the PLNU campus and Point Loma community as an interactive Christ-centered laboratory school. The mission of the Early Childhood Learning Center is to provide a high quality educational experience for university students through observations, demonstration teaching, and individualized experiences with young children. The Center is designed to encourage the social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual growth of children and to give guidance and support to parents in achieving a more effective and fulfilled parenthood.

Although the Early Childhood Learning Center functions as a laboratory school in the Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Family 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, and students interact, play, work, and learn together. The Center gives guidance to the university student in modeling the practice of alternative philosophies of early childhood education.

The Fermanian Business and Economic Institute

The Fermanian Business and Economic Institute is a strategic unit of PLNU that specializes in a variety of consulting services dedicated to discovering insights that effect change for organizations around the globe. Our skilled team of consultants, economists, and researchers provide clients and partners with individualized, actionable results that support strategic decision-making. Consulting services include economic analysis and forecasting, economic impact studies, business plans, customer and consumer trends, market research, feasibility studies, expert opinion, and many other contemporary needs of the business and economic community, public and private, for-profit and nonprofit.

Our current and former clients include the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Brookfield Properties, The Salvation Army, California State Treasurer, San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC), the California Attorney General, Building Industry Association (BIA) San Diego, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego Housing Commission, City of Coronado, National Association for Business Economics (NABE), Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute (CLFMI), Sempra Generation, San Diego Zoo Global, and many other public and private firms and organizations.

The Health Promotion Center (School of Nursing)

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 in underserved communities. The free clinic is located at Mid-City Church of the Nazarene in the City Heights neighborhood. Using a service learner model, the HPC offers preventative health assessments, management of chronic health conditions, and assessment of acute illnesses. It also offers TB skin tests, vaccinations, laboratory services, individual health teaching, and health education classes.

The Margaret Stevenson Center for Women’s Studies

The Center for Women’s Studies was created as a result of the university’s historic affirmation of the value and dignity of women. The Women’s Studies minor is a sequence of interdisciplinary courses of interest to both women and men that examine important gender issues. Cross-campus engagement offers the opportunity for dialogue about a transformational Christian praxis in these areas. In addition to the academic minor, the center regularly hosts events, including film forums, panel discussions, and speakers from on and off the campus, which offers students and faculty opportunity to engage in a rich dialogue on gender issues and Christianity.

The Wesleyan Center

Point Loma Nazarene University’s Wesleyan Center seeks to inspire a new generation of Wesleyan scholars who will influence the broader church and society. The Center promotes a deep understanding of Wesleyan theology and practices and their application to higher education, the church, and society. The Center’s mission rests on the conviction that Wesleyan beliefs and practices may be fruitfully embodied in every academic discipline.