Azusa Pacific University history

The Training School for Christian Workers moves three times before settling in Huntington Park in 1907.

Faculty and students at the Huntington campus in 1919.

As faculty members began to embrace Evangelicalism and reject a growing liberal trend in the California Yearly Meeting of Friends, a campus church was established in 1933.

Pictured here is the 1938-39 Pacific Bible College Orchestra.

It began offering degrees in 1939.

Then, following mergers with three Southern California colleges, the university relocated in 1946 to the city of Azusa, where it resides today.

Years following, the school merged with three Evangelical colleges in Southern California, and ultimately relocated to Azusa in 1949 where it resides today.

By 1965, Azusa College had become Azusa-Pacific College (APC), and three years later, APC merged with Arlington College.

APU Archives In 1968, flames burned through the hills behind the APC campus, lasting 6 days, causing $5 million worth of watershed damage, nine deaths, and costing $650,000 to extinguish.

In addition to the destructive fire, the campus deals with two unexpected student deaths, floods in 1969, and extreme winds later that year.

Upon its achievement of university status in 1981, the college changed its name to Azusa Pacific University.

After Haggard’s death, Paul E. Sago, PhD, became president, serving until 1989.

Richard E. Felix, Ph.D., became president in 1990, and initiated the university's first doctoral programs.

When nearby institution, Ambassador College closed in 1997, the Worldwide Church of God and Azusa Pacific University jointly established the Ambassador Center at Azusa Pacific University for the continuation of classes for former Ambassador College students.

He announces his retirement in April 2000, after the celebration of the university’s centennial.

The High Sierra Program (formerly called the Great Works Program) debuts fall 2001, offering students an opportunity to study classic Western art, music, and thought in the scenic setting of California’s High Sierras.

Dedicated September 3, 2009, the $54 million Segerstrom Science Center provides 72,000 square feet of lab, office, and classroom space.

These new acquisitions were displayed in an exhibit, Treasures of the Bible: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Beyond, in summer 2010.

In 2011, APU was recognized by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of the nation’s top schools in awarding degrees to minority students.

G.I. Jobs magazine names APU a Military Friendly School for the 2012-13 school year, positioning the university in the top 15 percent of United States educational institutions that provide the best services to help educate America’s veterans.

In 2017, a new independent economic study found that APU generates $1.25 billion in economic impact within California each year.

In April 2018, Wallace announced his plan to retire and accepted his new role as president emeritus.

On April 10, 2019, APU named Paul W. Ferguson as its 17th president.

Andrew Barton, EdD, vice president for strategic planning and mission integration, was named interim president, effective November 5, 2021, following President Ferguson’s retirement.