San Diego Christian College (SDCC) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

university in Santee, California. Founded in 1970, SDCC offers traditional, non-traditional, and graduate programs.

History

In January 1970, Tim F. LaHaye, pastor of the former Scott Memorial Baptist Church of San Diego and co-author of the fictional '' Left Behind'' series of books, Art Peters and

Henry M. Morris Henry Madison Morris (October 6, 1918 – February 25, 2006) was an American young Earth creationist, Christian apologist and engineer. He was one of the founders of the Creation Research Society and the Institute for Creation Research. He i ...

discussed the need for a Christian college on the West Coast where studies could be developed within the framework of

creationism Creationism is the faith, religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of Creation myth, divine creation, and is often Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific.#Gunn 2004, Gun ...

based on the

Genesis creation narrative The Genesis creation narrative is the creation myth of both Judaism and Christianity, told in the book of Genesis chapters 1 and 2. While the Jewish and Christian tradition is that the account is one comprehensive story, modern scholars of ...

. That year, classes began at Christian Heritage College, supported by Scott Memorial Baptist Church.History of SDCC
The first degrees were awarded in 1973. In 1984, it was first

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...

(WASC). In 2005, the college changed its name to San Diego Christian College. In 2015, it moved to its new location in Santee, California.

Campus

In 2005, Christian Heritage College became San Diego Christian College and in 2014, SDCC moved to its new campus in Santee. The new campus consists of five buildings, with an athletic annex office and residential apartments which are located 1.8 miles off campus. Its five buildings include smart classrooms, laboratories, chapel auditorium, cafeteria, counseling rooms, a library and faculty and staff offices. The library has a growing collection of over 450,000 items. Aviators train at

Gillespie Field Gillespie Field is a county-owned public airport in El Cajon, California. It is located 11.5 miles (18.5 km; 10 nmi) northeast of downtown San Diego. History : ''Section reference dates.'' In 1942 the United States Marine Corps chose a s ...

in El Cajon. San Diego Christian College

SDCC's fountain displays the institution's core values of truth, purpose, and impact.

Academics

The institution offers

Associate of Arts An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degrees as well as

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

and

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

Degrees, and teacher's credentials. San Diego Christian College has been accredited by the

(WASC) since 1984. On June 23, 2006, WASC reviewed San Diego Christian College and placed its accreditation on probation. This was because the institution was unable to demonstrate its "autonomy." The commission on February 2, 2007, found the institution had taken a "number of significant and positive steps" in addressing its concerns, but still found it to be in "noncompliance," so another visit was scheduled for the Spring of 2008. In June 2008, San Diego Christian College received a reaffirmation of accreditation. In its 2024 rankings, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked San Diego Christian College as #98 in its "Regional Universities West" category.

Athletics

The San Diego Christian College (SDCC) athletic teams were called the Hawks. The institution was a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) from 1999–2000 to 2022–23. The Hawks were also a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic c ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the West Region of the Division I level. SDCC competed in 14 intercollegiate varsity teams: Men's sports included baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis; while women's sports included basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.

Tennis

In just their first year of a program in 2015, the SDCC men's tennis team went to the NAIA National Tournament held in Mobile, Ala. The Hawks lost in the Quarterfinal round against eventual winner and No. 1 team Georgia Gwinnett. The Hawks were ranked as high as No. 8 in the NAIA Top 25 Poll during the season.

Baseball

In 2014, the SDCC baseball team was a finalist in th
NAIA World Series
after a record breaking year. The Hawks finished with a 42–20 overall record that included a GSAC Regular Season Championship as well as being ranked fifth in the NAIA Top 25 Poll.

Men's basketball

Competing at that time in the NCCAA, the Hawks won the NCCAA men's basketball championship in 1990, 1997, 1998 and 2004. They were second in 2000, losing to Bethel by a score of 83–82. They finished third in 1996 and 2003. They also went to the 2001 NAIA Final Four in that sport.

Women's basketball

The Hawks won the NCCAA women's basketball championship in 2003.

Volleyball

The Hawks women's volleyball team won the first national titles for the school in that sport in 1998 and 2000, and took second in 1996 and 1999.

Notable people

Students and alumni

Faculty and employees

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Universities and colleges in San Diego County, California Santee, California Liberal arts colleges in California Private universities and colleges in California Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Evangelicalism in California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges 1970 establishments in California Educational institutions established in 1970 Evangelical universities and colleges in the United States Aviation schools in the United States