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Published June 2024
Accreditation
Palm Beach Atlantic University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor of pharmacy, doctor of nursing practice, and doctor of philosophy. PBA also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Palm Beach Atlantic University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
1866 Southern Lane
Decatur, GA 30033-4097
(404) 679-4500 or www.sacscoc.org
Persons wishing to review documents related to the accreditation of Palm Beach Atlantic University should contact the University’s SACSCOC liaison at (561) 803-2059.
Palm Beach Atlantic University has received specialized accreditation, certification, or licensure from the following organizations:
Statement of Educational Effectiveness
The mission of PBA’s School of Ministry Graduate Department (GSOM) is to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and character for effective Christian ministry. This is accomplished through a cooperative effort between faculty, students, and other University departments and involves multiple levels of assessment and other student support services.
GSOM Learning Outcomes
All GSOM programs emphasize the following four learning outcomes:
- Evaluate and synthesize interpretive methods and traditions, and apply exegetical method to the interpretation of a biblical text
- Analyze and evaluate the broader heritage of the Christian tradition, the more specific character of particular Christian traditions and communities, the ways these traditions transcend particular social and cultural settings, and the ways they come to unique expressions within such settings
- Appraise the cultural realities and structures in which the church lives and carries out its mission and design a creative response to these realities
- Develop the capacities for personal faith, emotional maturity and moral integrity that are requisite to a life of ministerial leadership.
The Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Divinity and Master of Business Administration joint degree (M.Div./MBA), and the Master of Divinity and Master of Science Mental Health Counseling dual degrees (M.Div. + MSMHC) emphasize an additional fifth learning outcome:
- Cultivate the capacities for ministerial leadership within both the congregation and the broader public context
Direct measures of student learning from 2021-22 revealed that 100% of GSOM students met the prescribed for these degree learning outcomes.
Completions, Graduation Rates, and Placement Rates
Number of total completions (graduates) through summer 2022: 81 (64 M.Div.; 15 MACS; 1 MAIS; 1 Ph.D.)
With data available through the 2021-22 academic year, 55% of students who start a degree in GSOM progress to graduation.
Guiding Principles
Palm Beach Atlantic University is a comprehensive Christian university with a core emphasis in the liberal arts. Its purpose is to offer a curriculum of studies and a program of student activities dedicated to the development of moral character, the enrichment of spiritual lives, and the perpetuation of growth in Christian ideals. Founded under the providence of God with the conviction that there is a need for a university in this community that will expand the minds, develop the moral character and enrich the spiritual lives of all the people who may come within the orbit of its influence, Palm Beach Atlantic University shall stand as a witness for Jesus Christ, expressed directly through its administration, faculty, and students.
To assure the perpetuation of these basic concepts of its founders, it is resolved that all those who become associated with Palm Beach Atlantic as trustees, officers, and members of the faculty or of the staff must believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, that man was directly created by God; that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin; that He is the Son of God, our Lord and Savior; that He died for the sins of all men and thereafter arose from the grave; that by repentance and the acceptance of and belief in Him, by the grace of God, the individual is saved from eternal damnation and receives eternal life in the presence of God; and it is further resolved that the ultimate teachings in the University shall always be consistent with, and not contrary to, these principles. (These principles were adopted by the University’s founders and they serve as the preamble to the PBA bylaws).
Statement of Purpose
Purpose
Palm Beach Atlantic University is a Christian university that equips students to lead fulfilling lives through learning, leadership and service.
Vision
PBA’s vision is to be the premier, Christian university offering whole-person education that prepares students from around the globe to tackle the problems of their day with godly character, open arms and a servant’s heart.
Mission
PBA equips students to grow in wisdom, lead with conviction and serve God boldly.
Values
Seek Unity: “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” (Ephesians 4:3 NLT)
Pursue Excellence: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence.” (II Peter 1:3 ESV)
Show Respect: “Show proper respect for everyone; Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the King.” (I Peter 2:17 NIV)
Reflect Love: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14 NLT)
Demonstrate Integrity: “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity.” (Proverbs 2:7 ESV)
Be Accountable: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.” (Psalms 139:23 KJV)
Elaboration
Committed to the discovery, preservation, and application of knowledge, the University, through its undergraduate and graduate curricula, seeks to generate broad exposure to and experience in the arts and humanities, natural and social sciences, human resource development, and selected professions.
The University esteems quality and currency in learning by encouraging faculty to conduct appropriate and meaningful professional activities and to utilize such experience to enhance student advisement and relevant classroom instruction.
Recognizing that human intelligence is more useful when animated by divine wisdom, the University seeks to complement its academic purpose with an emphasis on the spiritual, physical, and social development of its students. Accordingly, the University promotes a range of programs, services, and activities designed to impart a vision of the worldwide Christian community; a call to ministry within that community and a sense of responsibility to equip ourselves and others for effective service in a multicultural environment.
Believing also that freedom is an essential adjunct to the pursuit of spiritual and intellectual truth, the University encourages knowledge and understanding of democracy and the American heritage of private free enterprise.
Aspiring ultimately to prepare its students for service in a world of diverse cultural experiences, the University strives to model the community of faith by recognizing the intrinsic value of all persons as created by God.
Approved by the Palm Beach Atlantic University Board of Trustees December 9, 2005
History and Philosophy
Palm Beach Atlantic University was founded in 1968 as a coeducational Christian liberal arts university. The University was named for its location in the Palm Beaches and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The first classes were held in the fall of 1968 with 110 enrolled. PBA held its first graduation in the spring of 1972 and later that year received initial accreditation from the institutional accrediting association.
Classes were first held at 1101 South Olive Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach in the former facilities of the First Baptist Church. During the ensuing years, the historic auditorium building has served many different roles for the University. Today, the building has been renovated to serve as a portion of the Warren Library.
The University has a comprehensive campus master plan that incorporates approximately 29 acres of land from the Intracoastal Waterway west along Okeechobee Boulevard to Dixie Highway, south to Jefferson Street, and back east to the waterway. The first building completed was the Lassiter Student Center, which was occupied in 1983. In addition, the University has purchased nearly 100 acres just minutes from campus for the construction of an outdoor athletic complex. Recent additions to the campus, completed between 2005 and 2015, are:
- In 2005, the Orlando Campus opened, providing 6,600 square feet of classroom and office space for evening and graduate degree programs;
- In Fall 2006, the Wellington Campus opened serving the residents of western Palm Beach County;
- In Fall 2009, the second phase of the Warren Library was completed, including renovation of the historic octagonal building, the Lassiter Rotunda, which served as the original PBA structure;
- The Fern Street Theatre Building, which houses faculty offices, classrooms and performance space, was added to PBA’s ever growing campus in the Fall of 2010;
- An exchange of parcels along Olive Avenue between the University and Memorial Presbyterian Church consolidated the church’s holdings on the east side of Olive Avenue and added parking on the west side. During this period, Campus Information Services (CIS) moved into the Information Village at 355 Jefferson St. Health and Wellness moved to new quarters on the first floor of OceanviewHall;
- In 2013, the University acquired the former Quattlebaum property andconverted the lot into additional parking, reserving it for future development; and
- Coastal Towers Apartments at 1001 South Flagler Drive were acquired in 2014 to provide premium student residential housing.
- The Rinker Athletic Campus, Phase 1, opened lacrosse and soccer fields with six tennis courts in 2014. In the spring of 2015, baseball and softball fields opened at 3401 Parker Ave.
The University’s program has expanded significantly through the years. By the mid-1980s, the University was offering more than 20 major areas of study, and in 1988 the first graduate program was launched. In the late 1980s, the University also initiated a special program for non-traditional students. This program offers a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management through a curriculum offered in special modules in the evening hours throughout all 12 months of the year. The Supper Honors Program, a program for academically talented students, also began in the late 1980s. To be admitted to this program, which provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Western civilization and is designed to encourage the development of leadership skills, students must rank in the top 10 percent of the nation according to national test scores.
The University is organized into schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. School of Business, the Catherine T. MacArthur School of Leadership, the School of Education and Behavioral Studies, the School of Music and Fine Arts, the School of Ministry, and the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy. In 2003, the School of Nursing and the School of Communications and Media were established.
Over the years the University has experienced steady enrollment growth. The University reached a 1,000 student population in 1985, a 1,500 student population in 1990, and now has an enrollment of more than 3,900. Current plans call for continued moderate growth. The University’s resources have also grown significantly during these early years. The University faculty has grown to 174 full-time faculty members with 82 percent holding a doctorate or highest degree available in their fields.
The Library collections now include more than 288,000 volumes (books and audiovisual material), significant computer and online resources providing access to national and international databases and a variety of other technologies, which enhance educational support. The University has a high quality intranet, which links faculty, administrative offices, student residence hall rooms, commuter students and off campus sites in a comprehensive computer network with a path to the information superhighway. The system provides access to email, databases, and libraries, the Internet, the World Wide Web and numerous other resources. In 2000, the University became Florida’s first wireless campus.
The University’s endowment support has grown dramatically in the past decade and, including funds functioning as endowments, the University now has one of the largest university endowments in Florida on a per student basis.
Palm Beach Atlantic has three guiding principles that have formed the core of the University’s total program. First, the University was founded by Baptist pastors and lay persons with a very strong commitment to the central role of the teachings of Christ in the affairs of the University. From its inception, the University has welcomed students of all faiths. The general spiritual tone of the University is in the historic Judeo-Christian tradition, guided by a commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of Scripture.
The Christian character of the University is evidenced in a faculty consisting of committed Christians, a curriculum that incorporates Christian teachings throughout all disciplines, a core of general education requirements that include the study of Christian scriptures, and rules and regulations governing campus life that reflect traditional Christian values. The University makes a concerted effort through many different aspects of university life to encourage each student to grow in his or her personal faith.
Second, the University was founded in the late 1960s. This was at a time when many American campuses were witnessing a breakdown in respect for the country, in respect for our symbols of patriotism and in respect for our American economic system of free enterprise. In this milieu, the founders committed PBA to the task of instilling in our students a love for country, traditional American values, and an understanding of and appreciation for the free enterprise economic system. This commitment is lived out through a general education course in the American free enterprise system and through a variety of other curricular and student life initiatives.
Third, the University’s founders were committed to a unique requirement that every student should be involved in community service. The original concept was based on the Judeo-Christian teaching, stressed so much by Christ himself through teachings and example, that a person should treat others as he or she would want to be treated. Christ lived the life of a servant and showed us the way to give of ourselves in service to others. The University called this program Workship, a blending of the words “work” and “worship.” Workship is a distinctive community service program that responds to human needs with Christ-like action in the community and the world. Through community service, students can discern their vocation and develop a life-long habit of servant leadership. To date, Palm Beach Atlantic students have volunteered more than 2.3 million hours.
In addition to these guiding principles, the University has adopted a distinctively Christian operating style that recognizes the importance of the individual as the key element in the collective community. Granting each student significant individual rights, that are limited by corporate rights framed by the traditions of the institution, the University operates as an extended family. Close personal interaction between faculty and students encourages cooperative effort toward common goals. The University encourages students to seek their maximum potential during their college years and to be well prepared to make a significant positive contribution to society.
Locations
West Palm Beach Campus
Situated on the tropical southeast coast of Florida, Palm Beach Atlantic University is located in West Palm Beach. The campus overlooks the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway and Palm Beach, with the Atlantic Ocean only minutes away.
Students enjoy the many cultural benefits of the famous South Florida winter season, such as Broadway plays, operas, concerts, and lectures by national and world leaders. The magnificent Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, only a few blocks from the campus, brings world-renowned performers to Palm Beach County. Students also benefit from the cultural facilities of the Norton Museum of Art, the Flagler Museum, the Society of the Four Arts, and the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium.
Sporting events are numerous in South Florida. The area’s many golf courses and tennis courts, as well as facilities for water skiing, surfing, sailing, and sport fishing, are easily accessible. Just 60 minutes away in Miami are the Miami Dolphins professional football team, the Miami Marlins professional baseball team, the Miami Heat professional basketball team, and the Florida Panthers professional hockey team. The University is, by car, less than 60 minutes from Miami and three hours from Walt Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios and, by air, an hour from the Bahamas Islands.
The Gulf Stream keeps the Palm Beaches warm in the winter and pleasant in the summer, providing a valuable “laboratory” for the oceanography, marine biology, and SCUBA-diving courses.
Orlando Campus
The Orlando campus is located off Interstate 4 in the Millenia Lakes office complex, easily accessible from all major roads surrounding Orlando. The Mall at Millenia, within sight of the campus, offers students a range of choices for dining and shopping. Attractions include the Sea World, Universal Studios and Disney World properties just minutes away.
West Palm Beach Campus Facilities
The PBA campus is a comprehensive college community including classroom, research, library, residence, food service, health care, recreation, theatrical, musical, and study facilities.
Borbé Hall
Borbé Hall contains offices for the School of Education and Behavioral Studies, the School of Arts and Sciences, and faculty in English department. Accounts Payable is located in the northeast corner of the first floor.
Catherine T. MacArthur Hall
Catherine T. MacArthur Hall houses classrooms, the science laboratories, and offices for science and math faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences, as well as faculty in behavioral sciences.
Clifford and Mary Tolerton Hood American Free Enterprise Building
This building houses the Office of the Registrar and the Financial Aid Office.
Fern Street Theatre
The Fern Street Theatre expands the University campus northward into the heart of West Palm Beach’s cultural district. The two-story building located at 500 Fern Street is used by the Theatre Department for faculty offices, classrooms and performance space.
Greene Complex for Sports and Recreation
The Greene Complex for Sports and Recreation houses a 1,750 seat arena/convocation center, intramural gymnasium, handball and racquetball courts, indoor jogging track, fitness center, human performance laboratory, aerobics room, training room, classrooms, Chick-fil-A, and offices for the Athletic and Campus Recreation departments.
Gregory Hall
This building houses the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy, providing more than 40,000 square feet of research and educational space designed to accommodate three hundred pharmacy students and requisite faculty.
Information Village
Located on south end of campus east of Gregory Hall, houses the Department of Campus Information Technology Services.
Oceanview Hall
Oceanview Hall houses the Oceanview Residence Hall, Dixie Garage, School of Nursing, University Counseling Center, the Center for Global Leadership, David and Leighan Rinker Center for Experiential Learning and the Campus Store, as well as faculty offices for Athletic Training and Physical Education.
Okeechobee Hall
This building houses classrooms, the administrative and faculty offices of the Catherine T. MacArthur School of Leadership and the School of Ministry.
Pembroke Hall
This building contains film, television and radio production studios, as well as editing suites, media classrooms and faculty offices for the College of the Arts.
Rinker Athletic Campus
Located 1.5 miles from the downtown campus, the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus is a 76-acre facility for intercollegiate sport competition and campus recreation. Baseball, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, lacrosse and tennis have home fields and courts. Outdoor basketball, racquetball and sand volleyball courts are available for student use. The newest addition is the Rinker Sports Center, which contains athletic training, team and locker rooms, coaches’ offices and event space.
Rinker School of Business Building
This building contains the Titus Center for Franchising in addition to classrooms, administrative offices, and faculty offices for all disciplines of the Rinker School of Business. Several disciplines from the School of Arts and Sciences reside here.
Sachs Hall
Sachs Hall houses the major administrative offices of the University including the offices of the President, the Provost (Academic Programs), Business Affairs, and Enrollment Management.
Vera Lea Rinker Hall
This building houses many departments that comprise the College of the Arts. A 160-seat recital hall, a large instrumental rehearsal hall, and administrative offices are contained on the first two floors. The upper floors house practice rooms, studios, classrooms, labs, and a large choral rehearsal hall. In addition, the building contains classrooms and labs for graphic design students as well as a dance rehearsal hall.
Warren Library
The Warren Library provides a collection of more than 200,000 items including books, journals, and media resources, some available in print in the Library buildings at West Palm Beach and Orlando, and some delivered digitally through the university network. Library users have access to the digital resources, such as research databases and the online library catalog (Primo). The service-oriented staff offers one-on-one reference assistance in the Library, by phone, video, and through email. Librarians partner with faculty to offer course-related instruction in research skills in the Library’s Hanley Classroom, or in the traditional classroom. The Warren Library is a member of the Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SELFIN), a resource-sharing network of over 100 academic and public libraries in South Florida. Through membership in OCLC, the Library also offers access to the resources of over 15,000 libraries across the world, many of which are available through the Interlibrary Loan.
The Office of Academic and Accessibility Resources, which includes Tutoring Services, the Testing Center, Writing Central and eLearning, is in the basement of the Lassiter Rotunda.
The Office of Advancement, which includes Development and Marketing, is located on the second floor.
William G. Lassiter, Jr. Student Center
The Lassiter Student Center provides offices for Residence Life, Workship, Career Development, SAIL and the Dean of Students. A cafeteria dining hall, Commuter Recreation Lounge, conference room, and other amenities are housed within the center. The Weyenberg Center, located on the second floor, provides flexible space for numerous campus and community events. The Annan Chapel provides a quiet place for personal worship and reflection.
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