From its humble beginnings as the Training School for Christian Workers to one of the top Christ-centered universities in the nation, Azusa Pacific University has been an instrument of God throughout its 125-year history to advance His work in the world. APU students graduate transformed to answer a higher calling and make a difference in the lives of others. As we celebrate this special anniversary, APU looks forward to extending its legacy of transformation to new generations of disciples and scholars. As part of this issue, three university leaders share APU’s vision and strategies for boldly advancing APU toward a promising future while living out the Four Cornerstones of Christ, Scholarship, Community, and Service.
Christ
How does APU remain deeply rooted in our God First mission as we move the university forward?
Adam J. Morris, PhD, President:
This question is at the very heart of who we are as a Christ-centered university. I believe one of the greatest risks institutions face is “going soft” on mission. It’s rarely a single, glaring decision. Instead, it’s often a series of small, seemingly insignificant decisions made over time. Examples include recruiting the wrong board members, hiring misaligned faculty or staff, changing university policy, lacking institutional accountability, and giving in to external pressures. We need to be exceedingly attentive and diligent as we steward APU’s mission, and this is what will keep us faithful as we move the university forward. It’s why I’ve told our community that faithfulness to God is our top institutional priority!
Early in my time at APU, our leadership team identified six key ingredients of a faithful Christian university:
- Mission
Faithfulness begins with clarity of mission, and answers the questions: Who are we? Why do we exist? At our Faculty/Staff Kickoff event in August 2023, we revisited our Christian identity, as outlined in our What We Believe document.
- Leadership
The Board of Trustees, administration, full- and part-time faculty, and staff must be aligned in order to effectively carry out our mission.
- Curriculum
We know that the Word of God is the source of all Truth, and therefore must be what anchors all our academic offerings.
- Faith Integration
APU must take seriously the practice of faith integration. Regardless of the academic discipline, it’s vitally important that we equip our students with a biblical worldview in order for them to be the salt and light our world desperately needs.
- Hiring Practices
We need to be exceedingly diligent in who we hire, and who we retain. Since my arrival in summer 2022, I’ve asked to have the final interview with all new faculty hires and all new full-time coaches. I’ve also asked to interview all full-time faculty who are up for their five-year contract renewal.
- Spiritual Formation
Staying rooted in our God First mission calls us to be intentional in the spiritual formation of our students. Curricular and cocurricular programs must work together to encourage spiritual transformation. We saw this happen this last academic year, resulting in nearly 40 APU students baptized, more than 500 in Discipleship Groups, and more than 400 students involved in local and global engagement.
What new opportunities lie ahead to infuse our Christian commitment into every aspect of an APU education?
President Morris:
Provost Anita Henck has initiated a complete redesign of APU’s General Education core, including the 18 units of biblical, theological, and philosophical formation required of all undergraduate students. The redesigned core weaves the very best of the liberal arts and the Truth of God’s Word together in a way that captures the hearts of our students and fosters life transformation. Aiding this effort will be the opening of an Office of Faith Integration on our Azusa campus, which will come alongside all of our faculty to provide the tools and training necessary to fully integrate God’s Word across all of our academic disciplines. I’m super excited about this initiative! We’re also expanding our discipleship efforts, growing our commitment to local and global missions, investing more in our weekly chapel programming, sponsoring on-campus worship nights, and so much more.
How is open enrollment a benefit to APU amidst the competitive landscape?
President Morris:
As you may know, open enrollment means we accept students who may or may not share our faith commitment. This means that APU is expressly “evangelistic” and accepts non-Christian students and families. In contrast, “covenant” schools only knowingly accept students who have made a clear profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
As a university with open enrollment, anyone interested in furthering their education is a prospective APU student, increasing our prospective student pool. The overwhelming benefit of APU’s model of open enrollment is the opportunity our faculty and staff have to point students to Jesus Christ. The spiritual curiosity we see among this generation of students is what contributes to the spiritual vitality of our campuses. My first two years here have been filled with story after story of first-time decisions to follow Christ, measurable spiritual growth among our students, and a deepening love for one another. This makes my heart sing!
Scholarship
How does a Christian liberal arts education equip the leaders of tomorrow?
Anita Fitzgerald Henck, PhD, Provost/Chief Academic Officer:
A commitment to the liberal arts is rooted in balancing an education focused on a particular major or discipline with a General Education curriculum that educates broadly in the humanities, arts, sciences, social sciences, theology, and more. To learn broadly and think deeply, while focusing on enduring questions of the ages—the nature of good and evil, where we can see God at work in the world, what it means to live an honorable and integrated life—shapes our undergraduate students for a lifetime.
How does APU’s status as an R2 institution set us apart from other CCCU schools, and how does this distinctive aid our academic success and the future of our programs?
Provost Henck:
APU’s status as an R2 (ranking by Carnegie as a high research activity, doctoral-granting university) is unique within the CCCU and exemplifies our institution’s commitment to financial investment in supporting faculty research, faculty investment in student research at all levels, from undergraduate to graduate student, and students earning doctorates in research-based programs. APU has long had a commitment to excellence in teaching and the student experience. The investment over time in expanding teaching and learning to include significant emphasis on research adds to the body of knowledge that makes a difference and improves the world around us.
A hallmark of an APU education is its world-class faculty. How do we continue to attract and retain such scholars?
Provost Henck:
APU is blessed with remarkable faculty, many of whom have invested decades in teaching and mentoring their students and continuing their own professional development. The launch of new programs has slowed in recent years, so recent hiring has been to replace faculty who have retired or moved on to other professional pursuits. In our work to redesign some programs and launch new ones, our commitment is to recruit broadly and hire with intentionality—first, faculty who are fully committed to APU’s faith and identity statements and able to integrate their faith across the curriculum that is rooted in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ; and second, faculty who are exemplary in their discipline, evidenced by their advanced degrees, research, and professional development.
What are new areas for growth in APU’s academic offerings?
Provost Henck:
In developing our strategy for launching new programs, we are focusing on developing new offerings adjacent to our current expertise, particularly in health care and education. For example, with the reality of an aging population, there will likely be multidisciplinary programs developed in gerontology. The recent realignment of schools and colleges established the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, bringing child life, kinesiology, and physical therapy under the same college as our multifaceted nursing programs. We anticipate incredible synergy around shared teaching, research, and professional collaborations for students and faculty alike.
With California’s renewed focus on early childhood education, APU’s School of Education secured a grant to develop an early childhood education program, again drawing on faculty and alumni expertise and partnerships with school districts and community colleges across Southern California. With the relaunch of an Advisory Board for the School of Business and Management, a review of existing programs and plans for introducing new ones are under way, as we see potential for growth and impact. Meanwhile, other programs continue their partnerships with the communities they serve, ensuring up-to-date programming to match an ever-changing landscape for employers and industries.
How does APU envision the delivery of education changing in the next several years to meet the diverse needs of our students (different ages, backgrounds, goals)?
David Shynn, MBA, Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer:
The composition of APU’s student body has changed significantly over the past decade, and we expect it to evolve as demographics, educational expectations, and career opportunities continue to shift. Over the last decade, APU has moved from being a primarily traditional undergraduate campus to a point where roughly two-thirds of our student population is enrolled in graduate or degree-completion programs. While there have been other changes, this shift alone requires us to take a step back to ensure that how we offer an APU education in 2024 and beyond is best designed for our current and anticipated mix of students.
For example, we need to be even more intentional about considering modalities and venues where we should deliver our education (i.e., when is it better to offer a program in person versus fully online versus hybrid versus at an employer/partner location?). We also need to consider operational details that affect our students, such as our service hours that are more friendly to working professionals, allocation of space, student services offerings, and spiritual formation programming.
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