View source for Organization:Jessup University

{{Short description|Private university in Rocklin, California}}
{{Infobox university
|image = JessupFullBlueSmall.png
|name = Jessup University
|motto = Transforming Tomorrow Today
|established = 1939
|type = Private university
|religious_affiliation = Christian churches and churches of Christ
|endowment = $1.1 million<ref>{{cite web  | title = 2008 NACUBO Endowment Study  | publisher = National Association of College and University Business Officers  | url = http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/NES2008PublicTable-AllInstitutionsByFY08MarketValue.pdf  | access-date = January 27, 2009  | archive-date = December 29, 2010  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101229055632/http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/NES2008PublicTable-AllInstitutionsByFY08MarketValue.pdf  | url-status = dead  }}</ref>
|president=
|city = Rocklin, California
|country = U.S.
|enrollment = 1700+ full time equivalent<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jessup.edu/|title=Home &#124; Jessup University|website=jessup.edu|accessdate=30 July 2023}}</ref>
|campus = Suburban
|former_names = San Jose Bible College (1939–1989)<br>San Jose Christian College (1989–2004)<br>William Jessup University (2005–2023)
|colors = Red, white, and blue<br>{{color box|#e31837}}&nbsp;{{color box|white}}&nbsp;{{color box|#00549e}}
|sports_nickname = Warriors
|athletics_affiliations = NCAA Division II – PacWest
|website= {{URL|www.jessup.edu}}
| coordinates     = {{WikidataCoord|display=it}}
| module        =  {{Infobox mapframe|wikidata=yes|zoom=14|marker=school|coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
| pushpin_map            = USA California
| pushpin_label_position = top
| map_size               = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = 
| footnotes              = 
}}

'''Jessup University''' is a private Christian university in Rocklin, California, with additional sites in San Jose, California and {{wipe|Portland, Oregon}}. The university had 1,743 (over 1650 [[Physics:Full-time equivalent|full-time equivalent]]) students during the 2019–20 academic year. Founded in 1939, it had a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,289 in the fall of 2020 on a {{convert|126|acre|ha|adj=on}} campus.<ref>{{cite web | title=William Jessup University - Profile, Rankings and Data | website=US News Best Colleges | date=10 March 2016 | url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/william-jessup-university-1281 | access-date=30 July 2023}}</ref>

==History==
The university was founded as '''San Jose Bible College''' in 1939, in San Jose by William Lee Jessup (1905–1992), the college's first president. Eugene Claremont Sanderson had originally started Evangel Bible University in San Jose in 1934 but was unable to make it viable. As a result, he recruited Jessup, one of his former students, to take over. By 1951, with the school expanding and the San José State University across the street encroaching, San Jose Bible College moved to a parcel bordered by Coyote Creek, 12th Street and nearly 30 years later by I-280. Spanish-style classroom buildings and several dormitory buildings made up the small campus.

William Jessup retired in 1960 and was succeeded by Alvan L. Tiffin. Later, Woodrow Phillips, an alumnus, was president from 1968 to 1979 and Chuck Boatman was president from 1979 to 1984. Bryce Leroy Jessup (1935-2020), a [[Organization:Pepperdine University|Pepperdine University]] alumnus and a son of the original president, was president from 1984 to 2010, when he retired. John Jackson, a former pastor at local megachurch Bayside Church, was selected to be the sixth president in March 2011.

In 1989, the school was renamed '''San Jose Christian College''' and regionally accredited by [[Organization:Western Association of Schools and Colleges|WASC]] in 2002. As administration was unable to find a new location in the Santa Clara Valley, they decided to move the institution to the Sacramento metropolitan city of Rocklin in April 2003. The college officially moved from its San Jose campus in June 2004. At this time the college was renamed '''William Jessup University'''. A branch campus has been retained in San Jose that primarily serves non-traditional and graduate students.

The current location was formerly a Herman Miller Furniture Factory and many of the buildings were designed by Frank Gehry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/1999/10/05/gehry/|title=Frank Gehry|date=October 5, 1999|website=Salon}}</ref>

Since 2017, William Jessup University has formally partnered with Placer County to address land conservation issues in the county.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Placer, William Jessup partnership {{!}} Placer County, CA |url=https://www.placer.ca.gov/605/Placer-William-Jessup-partnership |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=www.placer.ca.gov}}</ref> In 2022, the university and Placer County announced plans for the University to purchase a 487 acre piece of land known as the Clover Valley, with the goal of managing it as an ecological and recreational preserve.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TeSelle |first=Mike |date=2022-06-28 |title='Once in lifetime deal': William Jessup University aims to preserve Rocklin's Clover Valley |url=https://www.kcra.com/article/once-in-lifetime-deal-william-jessup-university-aims-to-preserve-rocklins-clover-valley/40446051 |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=KCRA |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Clover Valley Preservation {{!}} Placer County, CA |url=https://www.placer.ca.gov/8081/Clover-Valley-Preservation |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=www.placer.ca.gov}}</ref>

In 2019, the university refinanced roughly $75 million in debt as bonds through the California Municipal Finance Authority.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCormick |first=Ryan |date=2019-05-08 |title=The CMFA Completed the issuance of $74,170,000 in Bonds for the William Jessup University |url=https://www.cmfa-ca.com/the-cmfa-completed-the-issuance-of-74170000-in-bonds-for-the-william-jessup-university/ |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=California Municipal Finance Authority |language=en}}</ref> The origin of the debt is unclear, although the financing is earmarked as for the refinancing of "a portion of one or more loans used to acquire, construct, furnish and/or equip educational facilities of the Borrower’s campus." The school made little mention of the action, noting simply in one of its regular publications that "For the first time in our history, we have fixed rate long-term debt financing."<ref>{{Cite web |title=My Story - Issue 03 |url=https://jessup.edu/about/giving/mystory-issue-03/ |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=Jessup University |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2020, the school announced a partnership with Bethel Church to create Bethel Music College.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jessup Bethel Music Partnership {{!}} William Jessup University |url=https://jessup.edu/admissions/bethel-partnership/ |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=Jessup University |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-02 |title=Bethel Music Launches Its Own College |url=http://www.hallels.com/articles/24164/20200625/bethel-music-launches-its-own-college.htm |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=www.hallels.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bethel Music College {{!}} Bethel |url=https://www.bethel.com/ministries/bethel-music-college |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=www.bethel.com |language=en}}</ref> The school, which is accredited through Jessup, allows students to study with Bethel Music leaders and other industry experts while gaining credits that can be used toward a bachelor's degree. It is structured similarly to the university's partnership with another Bethel program known as the Bethel School of Technology, which operates a "nine-month technology bootcamp."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bethel School of Technology {{!}} Bethel |url=https://www.bethel.com/ministries/bethel-school-of-technology |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=www.bethel.com |language=en}}</ref> Although the impact of the programs is unclear, Jessup, in a press release, noted that, in the fall of 2020, the "partnership program with Bethel brought in 150 students in the first four months of the program."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Jessup |date=2020-09-22 |title=Jessup's Enrollment Up 6.5% Amid Global Pandemic |url=https://jessup.edu/blog/cultural-impact/jessups-enrollment-up-6-5-amid-global-pandemic/ |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=Jessup University |language=en-US}}</ref>

The press release further argued for the university's successful navigation of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that enrollment had grown by 6.5%, with the growth powered by an increase in online students, students in graduate programs, and students involved in the Bethel Music College program.<ref name="auto"/> The statistics presented, however, suggest a possible drop in traditional undergraduate students that has been "filled in" by growth in other areas.

The school added a bachelor of science in nursing program in 2023, which saw its first students in classes for the Spring semester.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-04-25 |title=Jessup University Hosts Nursing Program Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony |language=en-US |work=EIN News |url=https://world.einnews.com/pr_news/629859497/jessup-university-hosts-nursing-program-dedication-and-ribbon-cutting-ceremony |access-date=2023-10-11}}</ref>

On November 7, 2023 [[Organization:Multnomah University|Multnomah University]] in {{wipe|Portland, Oregon}} announced a merger with Jessup University.<ref>{{cite web |title=Multnomah University and Jessup University Announce Transformative Partnership |url=https://www.multnomah.edu/multnomah-university-and-jessup-university-announce-transformative-partnership/ |website=Multnomah University |access-date=Nov 7, 2023}}</ref>

==Academics==
Jessup offers 25 undergraduate majors, 10 graduate programs, 5 degree completion programs, and 9 fully online programs. The university is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission with some programs accredited by discipline-specific accreditors.

===Schools===
Faculty and programs are divided into six schools:<ref>{{Cite web |title=2021-2022 Academic Catalog |date=21 December 2022 |url=https://jessup.edu/academics/schools-institutes/}}</ref>
* School of Business
* School of Education
* School of Humanities and the Arts
* School of Natural and Applied Sciences
* School of Psychology
* School of Theology and Leadership

===Centers and Institutes<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Schools & Institutes |url=https://jessup.edu/academics/schools-institutes/ |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=William Jessup University |language=en-US}}</ref>===
* Center for American Sign Language (ASL)
* Center for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (Casa Latina)<ref>{{Cite web |title=School of Theology & Leadership |url=https://jessup.edu/academics/schools-institutes/school-of-theology-and-leadership/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=William Jessup University |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Institute for Bio-Diversity and the Environment
* Institute for Public Policy

==Athletics==
The Jessup athletic teams are called the Warriors. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) since the 2014–15 academic year. The Warriors previously competed in the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) from 2004–05 to 2013–14. In the summer of 2023, the school announced that it had been accepted into NCAA Division II and will compete in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) starting in the fall of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NCAA Announces Jessup’s Acceptance into NCAA Division II |url=https://jessupathletics.com/news/2023/7/13/general-ncaa-announces-jessups-acceptance-into-ncaa-division-ii.aspx |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=Jessup University Athletics |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-17 |title=William Jessup University athletics moving to NCAA Division II |url=https://fox40.com/sports/william-jessup-university-athletics-moving-to-ncaa-division-ii/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=FOX40 |language=en-US}}</ref> The move echoed decisions by several other Christian universities in California that have left the GSAC and joined the PacWest Conference over the last decade.

Jessup competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, stunt, tennis, track & field and volleyball.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jessup University |url=https://www.naiahelp.com/iFrames/schoolInfo.php?schoolID=974&TB_iframe=true&width=450&height=600 |website=www.playnaia.com}}</ref>

==LGBT policy==

William Jessup has a partial exception to Title IX which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons.<ref>{{cite news |last=Redden |first=Elizabeth |date=April 13, 2021 |title=Colleges Seek to Intervene in Title IX Religious Exemption Suit |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/04/13/colleges-seek-intervene-title-ix-religious-exemption-suit |work=Inside Higher Ed |access-date=August 25, 2021}}</ref> The university's handbook states "Students who engage in unmarried heterosexual cohabitation or any homosexual/bisexual activity will be subject to judicial action".<ref>{{cite news |last=Hoang |first=Lien |date=June 19, 2014 |title=William Jessup University in Rocklin expels gay student |url=https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content/william-jessup-university-in-rocklin-expels-gay-student/13765525/ |work=Sacramento News & Review |access-date=August 25, 2021}}</ref>

A student and cross-country athlete claims that he was kicked out of the university in 2014 for being gay.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=May 31, 2014 |title=Sanger man claims he was kicked out of university for being gay |url=https://abc30.com/gay-university-student-kicked-out-anthony-villareal-william-jessup-unversity/86788/ |work=ABC 30 Action News |location=Fresno, California |access-date=August 25, 2021}}</ref> In response to the student's claims, university president John Jackson stated that "we do not discriminate against students based on their sexual orientation. However, student participation in WJU is a voluntary association governed by a biblically-based code of conduct for every student enrolled at the University."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeigler |first=Cyd |date=2014-06-01 |title=Read Christian univ. memo on expelled gay athlete |url=https://www.outsports.com/2014/6/1/5771244/william-jessup-university-anthony-villarreal |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Outsports |language=en}}</ref>

A group of students filed a lawsuit in 2021 arguing that the school should not receive federal funding while subjecting LGBT students to denial of housing and health care, expulsion, shame, loneliness, and sexual and physical harassment. The lawsuit was dismissed by federal judge Ann Aiken.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/01/13/christian-colleges-lgbtq-lawsuit-dismissed/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Judge dismisses suit from LGBTQ students who alleged bias at Christian colleges |first=Nick |last=Anderson |date=January 13, 2023 }}</ref>

==Controversy==

The university's current president, John Jackson, has made controversial statements online, especially about social issues.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |date=2023-02-06 |title=The Prevailing Church: Confronting the Giants of Culture - John Jackson Communications |url=https://drjohnjackson.com/the-prevailing-church-confronting-the-giants-of-culture/ |access-date=2023-06-08 |language=en-US}}</ref> In his personal blog, he stated that he has "observed at least five cultural giants of our time: historical revisionism, abortion and euthanasia, religious repression, racism and injustice, identity and family" and is “'against' these five giants".<ref name="auto1"/> He also "believe[s] that a socialist economic and political system is the greatest natural threat to religious liberty around the world." He also was one of the first religious leaders in the state of California to advocate the return to in-person religious services, calling for the "restoration of 100% of building capacities" by July 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=An Appeal for California Churches – Dr. John Jackson, Pastorpreneur |url=https://drjohnjackson.com/2020/04/28/an-appeal-for-california-churches/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In response to LGBT policies and other controversial steps, current and previous students have shared their stories and frustrations with the university's policies and practices on the blog ''Liberated Jessupians''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article266182266.html |newspaper=The Sacramento Bee |title=Rocklin's Destiny Church advances religion's role in politics |date=October 22, 2022}}</ref>

==Notable alumni==
*JJ Heller, singer<ref name=ChristianExaminer>{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Holly|title=J.J. Heller's poetic style noted on secular folk chart|url=http://www.christianexaminer.com/Articles/Articles%20Apr11/Art_Apr11_11.html|publisher=Christian Examiner|access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
* List of colleges and universities in California

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.jessup.edu Official website]
* [http://jessupathletics.com Official athletics website]

{{CCCU}}


[[Category:Private universities and colleges in California]]

{{Sourceattribution|Jessup University}}