Biola University Dedicates New San Diego Campus
Biola University held a dedication ceremony Thursday night for its new extension campus in Vista, Calif. The San Diego site, located on the first 7,701 square-foot floor of a three story commercial building, is the newest of seven locations that hous
Biola University held a dedication ceremony Thursday night for its new extension campus in Vista, Calif.
The Grand Opening ceremony for Biola's San Diego site began at 4 p.m. with addresses from several speakers including Biola University President Clyde Cook and Class of 2005 graduate of Biola's Adult Degree Programs, Mr. Jose Davila. The ceremony was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open campus tour.
The San Diego site, located on the first 7,701 square-foot floor of a three story commercial building, is the newest of seven locations that houses Biola's Adult Degree Programs, which offers a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Organizational Leadership.
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There are currently 115 students taking classes at this site, which includes three state-of-the-art classrooms, a student lounge, coffee bar, bookstore, library resource center, computer center, an outdoor patio and faculty offices.
Jim Griffith, director of the San Diego extension campus, said the he was grateful that the building owners, who where Christian, were patient with Biola's transitioning and waited two years until the construction and renovations for the site were completed before opening the first floor.
"We are thankful to God for allowing the owners to do something very unique in the Southern California real estate market — holding the entire first floor of the building open for Biola until the timing was right," said Griffith.
Biola staff moved to the site in May 2004. The first class was held on the site earlier this year in March.
According to Griffith, the building became somewhat of a necessity after enrollment to the Adult Degree Program nearly tripled over the past two years. Other Californian extensions campuses that house Biola's Adult Degree Programs are located in La Mirada, Chino, Inglewood, Orange County, Thousand Oaks, and Palm Desert. The Biola University main campus is located in La Mirada.
Also located in the building is the office of Congressman Darryl Issa.
"Congressman Issa is very happy to have Biola in the building and has agreed to providing guest lectures to our students from time to time," reported Griffith.
The Adult Degree Programs are part of Biola's School of Professional Studies. They are designed for adults who have completed two years of college and desire to complete a college degree while maintaining full-time life responsibilities, according to Biola's website.
More information on Biola's Adult Degree Programs can be found at: www.biola.edu/bold.
