The Wonders of University of La Verne
Posted on: Friday, 16 May 2008, 03:00 CDT
Address: 1950 Third St., La Verne
Home page: www.ulv.edu
Switchboard: (909) 593-3511
Enrollment: 7,646 (5,947 full-time equivalents)
- 64 percent female, 36 percent male
- 51 percent undergraduate, 49 percent graduate, doctoral or law
Top three undergraduate programs by enrollment:
- Business Administration
- Organizational management
- Diversified Education/liberal studies (students studying for teaching credentials)
Top three graduate programs by enrollment:
- Masters in Business Administration (MBA)
- Educational Counseling Program
- Education with special emphasis - educators earning a special- emphasis degree
Sports Science and Athletics Pavilion
Imagine four giant upside-down snowcones and you have the University of La Verne's Sports Science and Athletics Pavilion, popularly known as the "Super Tents."
Erected in 1973, the Pavilion is made of Teflon-coated fabric. It's "the first permanent tensioned-membrane structure in the world," according to the university.
"Absolutely outlandish (and successful)," was used to describe the structure in "An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles" by David Gebhard and Robert Winter.
The structure went through a major renovation in 2006 when a new two-level classroom and gymnasium structure was built inside.
The upper level, open to the tent as its roof, is the school's basketball court. The bottom floor holds classrooms, a conference room and an athletic equipment storage area.
All together, the updated structure was newly dubbed the Sports Science and Athletic Pavilion.
Prior to its new life as the school sports center, the Super Tents were used to house various student services, including a health center, student government offices, an art studio and a space for weight training.
Professor Robert Neher
If there were ever a living icon of the University of La Verne, professor Robert Neher would be him.
Neher has spent the past 50 years teaching biology at the university, and currently teaches environmental biology, or ecology.
"The main idea is, since everything is interconnected, we need to understand those connections and see how they all interrelate," Neher said.
Neher said he became a biology teacher because his father taught biology at Manchester College in Indiana, "a sister school to the University of La Verne."
"I've been exposed to it all my life since my father taught biology at Manchester College, in Indiana," said Neher, who has lived in La Verne for the past 49 years.
"I can't believe it," Neher said of his remarkable stay as a biology teacher at the university. "It doesn't seem that long."
At the age of 77, Neher said he has no plans of retiring.
"I really enjoy nature, natural history and the outdoors," he said.
In addition to teaching, Neher is also chairman of the school's natural science department. He holds a comfortable office in the second floor of the school's Maniero Building.
"The whole philosophy of the university makes it pleasant for me to work here," he said. "Our mission statement talks about improving the environment and the importance of education and life-long learning."
REACH Program
In addition to higher education, the University of La Verne also provides outreach and encouragement to young people who dream of going to college.
The university's REACH Program is a three-week course for high school juniors in the region. Students stay in the school dorms and attend lectures and workshops leading up to the creation of their own simulated business.
The three-week course is run by business professor Issam Ghazzawi.
The students, who are chosen by high school administrators for their interest or aptitude in business, participate in five-person teams to create a business plan that will cover economics, online marketing, accounting and management.
"They have to create a business and show what is required to run the business," Ghazzawi said. "They will create an organizational hierarchy, show us the location of the business and show how to make a profit. College professors train them through morning lectures. In the afternoon they apply what they have learned in workshops."
The REACH Program, which is sponsored by Southern California Edison, is now in its third year. Coordinators are expecting 75 students this year.
"The main goal of this program is to provide underserved high school students exposure to business and business education as well as a way to gain entrance and succeed in college," Ghazzawi said.
FUTURE PLANS:
The University of La Verne is now in the process of modernization to meet the needs of its students and the region in the 21st century.
Officials are implementing a three-phase plan over the next 20 years to enhance the institution with state-of-the-art facilities, increased parking, new student housing, more open spaces and walkways and renovations to existing buildings.
A big part of the plan is construction of the $21 million Sara and Michael Abraham Campus Center. Construction on the three-story building began in January and it is set to open in the fall of 2009.
Officials say the new building will serve as the "living room" of the university - where students, facility, staff and alumni will gather to socialize, study, hold meeting, host receptions, and participate in student orientations.
The 37,000-square-foot building will also house a cafe (with indoor and outdoor dining), recreational facilities, study lounges, classrooms, a career counseling center, student registration, club meeting rooms, and mail service.
The center's large multipurpose room on the third floor will accommodate 300 people in a lecture-style configuration or about 200 people for banquets.
- neil.nisperos@inlandnewspapers.com
(c) 2008 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
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