La Sierra was founded in 1922 when the Seventh-day Adventist Church obtained 300 acres of land in an unincorporated are of Riverside County. The land was once a part of a large Mexican land grant called Rancho La Sierra, giving La Sierra its current name. In 1964, the City of Riverside annexed the land the school was built on, putting the school within the city limits.[1] Since its founding in 1922 as La Sierra Academy, La Sierra has morphed through a number of stages. In 1927, the school became known as La Sierra Academy and Normal School, then in 1927, after course offerings were expanded, it became known as the Southern California Junior College.[2] In 1939, the school became La Sierra College, it received accreditation as a four-year liberal arts college seven years later.[2] In 1967, the college merged with Loma Linda University becoming the University's College of Arts and Sciences of that school.[2] Finally, in 1990, La Sierra in its current form was born when the campuses were reorganized as separate institutions.[2]
About La Sierra
La Sierra University has four schools, the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Religion, and School of Education. It is known as a leading school in Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), having won six national championships and two world titles.[3][4] The school recently opened its $23 million science complex.[5] It is currently constructing a new home for its School of Business.[5] The new building will include a 500-seat conference center.[5] The school offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level degrees. A biology professor at the school, Lee Grismer, is known for discovering multiple species of geckos in Southeast Asia.[6]
1967 - 1990, Branch campus of Loma Linda University
La Sierra College merged with Loma Linda University in 1967 and was administered as a branch campus known as the Loma Linda University-Riverside Campus.[27] During this time, Presidents of Loma Linda also were the President of the Riverside campus. From 1980 to 1990, when it began operating independently, La Sierra also had a Provost, R. Dale McCune.[28]