University History, Vision, Mission, Values
History
The University of La Verne was founded in 1891 as Lordsburg College by members of the Church of the Brethren who moved west. Both the college and the agricultural community were renamed La Verne in 1917. In the 1920s and 1930s, three quarters of the student body was in teacher education. During the next three decades, campus facilities multiplied fourfold, the Board of Trustees became independent of church control, and the student body increased while the college maintained its commitment to service and to sound, values-oriented education. In 1955, the Western College Association (now WASC) accredited La Verne. A decade later, the college awarded its first master’s degree, and in 1979, it conferred its first doctorate.
In 1969, La Verne began offering degree programs off campus, and the following year, it opened its College of Law and Public Service. Reflecting these profound changes, the college reorganized in 1977 as the University of La Verne. In 1981, the university founded its Orange County Campus and, in 1983, a campus in San Fernando Valley. A decade later, it created campuses in Ventura County and San Bernardino/Riverside Counties. In 2000, the College of Law and Public Service moved to Ontario, California. Continuing the trend to provide programs throughout the region, campuses developed in Kern County, San Luis Obispo, and Victorville. The university is an Hispanic and minority serving institution.
Academic Organization
The University of La Verne is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University in Southern California enrolling over 7,000 students in four colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the College of Business (COB), the LaFetra College of Education (LFCE), and the College of Law and Public Service (CLPS). The branch campuses are administered through the Regional and Online Campuses.
Although the College of Business offers masters degrees online, the LaFetra College of Education (LFCE) does not offer entire degrees online. Most programs in LFCE offer one or more courses delivered through a hybrid or online format. The college does not offer any alternative paths to teacher credentialing. Teaching and other educational professional candidates can complete their credential or degrees on the main campus and at branch campuses.
University Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision. The University of La Verne will be widely recognized as a learning community of increasing prominence. It will provide challenging and rewarding educational opportunities for a diverse student body and will assure academic excellence for students of all ages and backgrounds.
Mission. It is the mission of the University of La Verne to provide opportunities for students to achieve their educational goals and become contributing citizens to the global community.
This is accomplished by offering high-quality degree programs to both traditional-aged and adult learners; providing liberal arts and professional programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels; and delivering programs to students at the central La Verne campus as well as regional campuses and satellite class locations throughout California.
The university provides a student-centered, values-based, and diverse learning environment. It takes pride in offering small class sizes in a highly personalized setting.
The university encourages effective teaching, research, scholarly contributions, and service to the greater community by sharing its academic, professional and individual resources.
Values. The University of La Verne shares four core values that promote a positive and rewarding life for its students through fostering a genuine appreciation and respect for:
- Values Orientation: The university affirms a philosophy of life that actively supports peace with justice, the health of the planet and its people. Therefore, in light of this affirmation, it encourages students to become reflective about personal, professional, and societal values. It also encourages values-based ethical behavior.
- Community and Diversity: The university promotes the goal of community within a context of diversity. Therefore, it encourages students to understand and appreciate the diversity of cultures that exists locally, nationally, and internationally. It also seeks to promote appreciation and preservation of biodiversity by helping students understand the impact/dependence of human beings on their environment.
- Lifelong Learning: The university commits itself to promoting education that facilitates lifelong learning. Therefore, it teaches students how to learn, to think critically, to do constructive research, and to access and integrate information in order to prepare them for continued personal and career growth.
- Community Service: The university believes that personal service is a primary goal of the educated person. Therefore, it encourages students to experience the responsibilities and rewards of serving the human and ecological community.