APU President Opportunity Profile - 2021

HISTORY THROUGH TODAY
Azusa Pacific University began on March 3, 1899, when a group of women and men passionate about creating a place for Christian education gathered to form the Training School for Christian Workers. It
became the first Bible college on the West Coast geared toward preparing men and women for ministry and service. Meeting in a modest home in Whittier, California, and led by President Mary A. Hill, the
school grew to an enrollment of 12 in its first term.
The early years of growth saw the school relocate and change leadership several times. Then, following mergers with three Southern California colleges, the university relocated in 1946 to the city of Azusa.
The mergers and early growth of the university brought great strides, as well as great challenges, and yet the focus on the school’s core vision never wavered.
In 1990, when Richard E. Felix, Ph.D. became APU’s 15th president, he sparked a lasting transformation at Azusa Pacific University. His inspiring leadership brought the construction of 7 new buildings, a
doubling of student enrollment, and the quadrupling of graduate programs, including the university’s first doctoral programs. His reframing of the university’s values as Four Cornerstones—Christ, Scholarship,
Community, and Service—remains an integral part of APU’s identity today.
In 2000, Dr. Jon Wallace, an Azusa Pacific alumnus, became APU’s 16th president. Known for his passion, energy, and connection with the campus community, he led the university through a period of
entrepreneurial growth, focusing on providing meaningful, transformational scholarship and diverse program offerings, including additional graduate degrees, and professional and online education. Under
his leadership, the university expanded its graduate program offerings, added new study away opportunities, and completed several new buildings, including the $54 million Segerstrom Science Center.
APU welcomed its 17th president, Dr. Paul Ferguson, in June 2019 after Dr. Wallace retired due to serious health issues. Dr. Ferguson brought more than 35 years of experience in higher education as a
professor in the field of toxicology/public health and as a university administrator, including serving as president of Ball State University and president of the University of Maine. Building on APU’s legacy and
looking toward the future, Dr. Ferguson initiated Renewal, APU’s Strategic Plan for 2020-2027, anchored in the university’s mission of cultivating a vibrant culture of God First, Christ-centered academic
excellence, to successfully guide APU in the next 5 to 10 years.
For more than a century, Azusa Pacific has prepared men and women to make a difference in the world for Christ. APU’s 18th President will write the next chapter of our story.
For a timeline of APU’s history, see APU Timeline.