Our History

1922

La Sierra Academy is founded on acreage once part of an 1846 Mexican land grant known as Rancho La Sierra;
the school’s first bulletin proclaims that students will “learn to render effective service.”

1923

With the addition of coursework in preparation for teaching, La Sierra Academy becomes La Sierra Academy and Normal School.

1927

Course offerings expand; La Sierra Academy and Normal School becomes Southern California Junior College.

1939

Southern California Junior College becomes La Sierra College.

1953

Course offerings expand; first year of formal accreditation as a four-year liberal arts college.

1967

La Sierra College merges with Loma Linda University as its College of Arts and Sciences.

1968

The School of Education is organized.

1986

The School of Business and Management and the Division of Continuing Studies are introduced.

1987

The School of Religion is established.

1990

The Loma Linda and La Sierra campuses of Loma Linda University are reorganized as separate institutions.
Four schools (The College of Arts and Sciences; the Schools of Education, Business, and Religion) and the Division of
Continuing Studies become La Sierra University.

2002

The ENACTUS Team (former Students in Free Enterprise - SIFE) wins the SIFE World Cup in 2002.
La Sierra ENACTUS students win the SIFE World Cup again in 2007.

2008

La Sierra named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Program: Honor Roll with Distinction.
The award recognizes the many hours of community service provided by La Sierra students.

La Sierra University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational institution that began as La Sierra Academy in 1922, on acreage that had been part of an 1846 Mexican land grant known as Rancho La Sierra. It is now part of the city of Riverside. In 1923, with the addition of coursework in preparation for teaching, the school became La Sierra Academy and Normal School. As the offerings continued to grow, it became Southern California Junior College in 1927 and La Sierra College in 1939. Accreditation as a four-year liberal arts college was received in 1946. In 1967, La Sierra College was merged with Loma Linda University as its College of Arts and Sciences. The School of Education was organized in 1968, followed in 1986 by the School of Business and Management and the Division of Continuing Studies, and in 1987 by the School of Religion. The Loma Linda and La Sierra campuses of Loma Linda University were reorganized into separate institutions in 1990, and four schools (the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, the School of Business and Management, and the School of Religion) and the Division of Continuing Studies became La Sierra University. <<back to brief history