ON CAMPUS AT VANGUARD UNIVERSITY:A vision to serve students

“Vision 2010 is about creating a university where students acquire the knowledge, character and training to change the world,” said Vanguard University President Murray Dempster when he announced the launch of the university’s historic capital and endowment campaign in the fall of 2000. “It is one of the most important initiatives in Vanguard’s 86-year history; a major milestone as we journey toward our centennial celebration in 2020, when we hope to see our entire new campus master plan built out.”

Vanguard University embarked on the $75-million campaign with the goal of becoming a leading Christian university by significantly expanding campus facilities, academic programs and the university endowment. This effort aims to transform future students’ lives by offering the best education possible in an environment where character is developed and service is highly valued.

The Vision 2010 Capital & Endowment Campaign seeks to raise funds for three strategic goals:

“By investing in these areas, we will elevate Vanguard from an excellent regional liberal arts institution, which it has been for years, into a top-tier, world-class Christian university,” Dempster said. “I am enthusiastic about the campaign.”

Dr. Doug Petersen was named executive director of Vision 2010 in the fall of 2004. He is an alumnus, faculty member and pioneer in missions with a passion to help young people. “We’re close to being a Christian university that is truly one of the best. That is what drives me,” Petersen said in characterizing his motivation in accepting the campaign’s leadership.

“The Vision 2010 campaign is about transforming lives,” Petersen continued. “It means investing in great programs, new buildings, and a healthy endowment, but ultimately this campaign is about producing students who change the world for the better, which is Vanguard’s mission and passion.”

The goal that stirs the most excitement among students and alumni is the construction of much-needed new buildings. Vanguard’s campus infrastructure is already stretched to capacity. Vision 2010 calls for several new facilities and the renovation of others to bring the campus up to a higher standard.

The first new building completed, the Heath Academic Center for Religion and Business, has provided tremendous relief and enthusiasm on campus. It houses Vanguard’s two largest majors — business and religion — and is the biggest academic facility on campus. This beautiful, high-tech building is a glimpse into Vanguard’s future.

The Townsend Academic Center for Science and Technology will have a similar invigorating effect when it is completed in 2010. The new center will be a world-class science building designed to host a full complement of natural science teaching, experimentation and research. The building will also house several key undergraduate programs.

The proposed Center for Music and the Performing Arts will house one of Vanguard’s flagship academic offerings, the music program. The University Concert Choir and Orchestra perform at Carnegie Hall nearly every year. This superb program has been housed in the oldest building on campus — the World War II army barracks with rehearsal rooms scattered among a number of buildings on campus, none of them designed for music. The new performing arts center will provide a facility to match the excellence of this program.

A new student services center and residence hall will vastly improve students’ quality of life. Because 70% of undergraduates live on campus, providing those students the best surroundings and services is of utmost importance.

The master plan also includes a new event center/gymnasium that will transform our current sports facilities. All of these new facilities will make Vanguard more attractive to everyone who spends time on campus.

Another significant goal of Vision 2010 calls on Vanguard to broaden and deepen its academic programs, reaching new levels of excellence in teaching, research and service while achieving national distinction in several disciplines. The goals set out in Vision 2010 will help the university attract scholars who have a passion for teaching, the capacity to engage in cutting-edge research and a commitment to Vanguard’s core values.

Another goal is to strengthen the endowment. A strong endowment is the foundation of any university’s greatness. Vanguard must expand the current endowment by at least $10 million to achieve its goal of recognition as a top-tier university. A strong endowment will give the University financial stability, attract and retain superior faculty through endowed professorial chairs, strengthen existing academic programs and launch new, highly competitive academic programs and fund student scholarships. Vision 2010 represents an exciting growth season in Vanguard University’s history and requires the generous involvement of alumni, friends and community leaders in order to realize its goals. For more information on Vision 2010, contact Doug Petersen at (714) 556-3610, ext. 2010 or go to www.vanguard.edu/vision2010.