President’s Perspective: The B and the LA of B-I-O-L-A

A number of years ago I took a call from a Christian leader. I’ve long forgotten the topic, but I remember his opening question: “How can you stomach being the president of a faith-based university in California?”

I knew what he meant. Implied in his curiosity was this: “Wouldn’t it be more stress-free leading a college in a part of the country benevolent to conservative organizations? Texas? Indiana? Alabama?”

For the better part of my life, I’ve lived in only two states: Massachusetts and California. My tongue-in-cheek follow-up quip is that “I’ve skipped all the easy states in the middle.”

If Biola were located in one of the Midwestern or Southeastern states, it might be easier. But for Biola, it would not be better. This is where we were planted 118 years ago. This is where we belong. This is where our light shines brightly. This is where opportunities abound. This is where ideas are formed. This is where the imagination is seeded. This is where our gospel strength flourishes. This is where we will stay.

The name “BIOLA” is not etymologically linked to some tropical disease. Most of us know it is an acronym. We were established in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles.

Of late, I have reminded our students, alumni, parents, donors and friends to think deeply not just about our B, as in Bible, but to think about our LA, as in Los Angeles. The B is where we are grounded. The LA is where we are founded.

We remain a university where the B matters: an education grounded in the truth of Scripture, the ancient wisdom of the Christian tradition and community standards that reflect the way God intended things to be. We are not capitulating to evolving social constructs common in many universities today.

And we remain a university where the LA matters: an enterprising vision founded in a strategic global city that was arising then and remains today an epicenter of culture creation and technology. We are not settling into ruts or complacency.

By B I mean that every undergraduate student receives the equivalent of a minor in biblical studies. By B I mean that worshiping together in chapel services is expected and not optional. By B I mean that faculty hold to both high and orthodox views of Scripture. By B I mean that every member of this community is a follower of Jesus. By B I mean that biblical truth is inseparable from all dimensions of our curriculum and co-curriculum.

By LA I mean that our founders chose Los Angeles — not Sioux Falls or Tampa or Fort Worth — as the city where this new college would be established. By LA I mean that we will not settle for status quo or mimicking others. By LA I mean we have resolved to be a university on the move and forward looking in an international hub of creativity and trends. By LA I mean Biola is determined to radiate light to the world with both excellence and principles.

Biola’s B means we look inward to make sure we’re true to our abiding convictions that hold us firm. Unapologetically, our mission is conservative in how we preserve and advance God’s eternal truths based on the Bible, on our century-old Articles of Faith and on the timeless Christian virtues.

Biola’s LA means we look forward to engage culture-shaping ideas that compel us into our strongest years. It means we are adapting to technological changes and embracing new opportunities, all within our flourishing mission.

When we wear both lenses — the B and the LA, or the inward and forward — we as a university are being faithful to our founders’ vision for BIOLA.

Universities that are abundantly clear on who they are in their mission (read: B) and who set out with high-impact ideas (read: LA) are the ones that will thrive in the years to come. My predecessor, the late President Clyde Cook, reminded me when he completed his 25-year tenure in 2007 and handed me the mantle that “Biola’s best years are still to come.”

By God’s grace, I believe this is true.