The story
At the time of its founding, Pacific Bible Institute was located in a large home at 1095 N. Van Ness Ave. There were five staff members and twenty-eight students. By the time the first school year was finished, a former YWCA building at the corner of Tuolumne and L streets (originally designed by Julia Morgan) had been purchased, and the next school year began in this building.
By 1958, land was purchased for the construction of the current campus near the corner of Butler and Chestnut, along with the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary and the new Butler Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church. Construction began on a new classroom building that year, and two dormitory buildings one year later. The classroom building was ready for use in the fall of 1959, but the dorm buildings were not completed until 1961 because of financial difficulties.
The Bible Institute became an accredited junior college in 1961, and decided to develop a four-year program two years later, in 1963. In 1964, Pacific Bible Institute changed its name to Pacific College, and became accredited with the WASC the next year. By 1967, the decision was made to add graduate courses, and the accreditation for the first master of arts program was received from WASC in 1975. The college changed its name to Fresno Pacific College in 1976 and to Fresno Pacific University in 1997.
In 2010 the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary became a part of the university, and changed its name to Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary.
The university was granted an exception to Title IX in 2015 which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students. Same-sex sexual activity by students (as well as any heterosexual sexual activity outside of marriage) is a violation of university residential policies. In 2015 then-president Richard Kriegbaum stated that gay marriage was "anti-Christian."
Chief executives
1944–1946 Sam W. Goossen – Acting President/Dean
1946–1947 George B. Huebert – Administrator
1947–1953 George W. Peters – President/Dean
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1953–1954 Rueben M. Baerg – Acting President
1954–1955 Rueben M. Baerg – Acting President, one-half year; Administrative Committee last half of year, Dr. George W. Peters, Chmn.
1955–1960 B.J. Braun – President
1960–1961 Arthur J. Wiebe – Director of Pacific Bible Institute; Mr. Joel A. Wiebe – Interim Director
1961–1975 Arthur J. Wiebe – President
1975–1976 Edmund Janzen, Chairman, Presidential Council
1976–1982 Edmund Janzen – President
1982–1983 Silas Bartsch – Interim President; Edmund Janzen on leave
1983–1985 Edmund Janzen – President
1985–1997 Richard Kriegbaum – President
1997–2000 Allen Carden – President
2000–2002 Harold Haak – President
2002–2012 D. Merrill Ewert – President
2012–2014 Pete Menjares – President
2014–2017 Richard Kriegbaum — President
2017–2022 Joseph Jones — President
2022−present André Stephens – President
From Wikipedia’s article on Fresno Pacific University, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5