Alliant International University, often called Alliant, is a private for-profit university with its main campus in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

and other campuses in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It offers programs in six California campuses – in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, Irvine,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, and

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

. Its enrollment is approximately 4,000 students, of whom 95% are graduate students.

History

Alliant was formed in 2001 by the combination of two older institutions: the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and

United States International University United States International University (USIU) was a nonprofit university based in San Diego, California that was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. At its peak, it had two additional American campuses and three inter ...

(USIU). Like the institutions that it descended from, Alliant has its home campus in San Diego, California. Until 2007, USIU also had a Europe campus in a former public school in the UK, which was used as a site for many films, including the ''Harry Potter'' series. USIU is the descendant of the original Balboa School of Law founded by Leland Ghent Stanford as a private graduate institution, in 1924. The name was changed to Balboa University, and then to California Western University in 1952. With the name change to California Western University the school relocated to an oceanside campus in

Point Loma Point Loma (Spanish: ''Punta de la Loma'', meaning "Hill Point"; Kumeyaay: ''Amat Kunyily'', meaning "Black Earth") is a seaside community within the city of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the w ...

(the site of present-day

Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private Christian liberal arts college with its main campus on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California, United States. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene ...

). In 1968, the school's name was changed to

with the vision to become a global university. Land was purchased for a new campus in

Scripps Ranch Scripps Ranch is a community of San Diego, California in the northeastern part of that city. Its ZIP code is 92131. It is located east of Interstate 15, north of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and south of Poway. Scripps Ranch is a coastal/i ...

, and all USIU operations were moved there by 1973. The law school, however, retained the name of

California Western School of Law California Western School of Law 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 th ...

and moved to a new downtown location. In 1975 it split off to become an independent institution that is still in operation. Alliant SD entrance

William C. Rust was the president of California Western University who ushered in the transformation to USIU and led the school for the next 37 years. Rust's vision was "to create global understanding through a single university with campuses all over the world.". The founding goal for USIU was a focus on "human excellence" over "intellectual excellence." By 1971, Rust had transformed the former small liberal arts school of California Western University into what the

San Diego Reader The ''San Diego Reader'' is an alternative press newspaper in the county of San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With ...

referred to as an "international phenomenon." Besides the main Scripps Ranch campus, USIU had developed a network of campuses both nationally in Maui, Steamboat Springs, and

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

as well as internationally, with branch campuses in:

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

and

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

. In 1986, Rust was still breaking new ground for buildings and maintaining a focus on further expansion in Latin America, the Middle East, Europe and Russia. But by 1990, after 37 years of leading the university and enduring several rocky financial episodes, Rust was removed of all governing power by the board of trustees. Gary Hays, former chancellor of the Minnesota State University, took over as president of USIU in April 1990 and reorganized the University into just two remaining colleges; arts and sciences and business administration. In 1999, the

campus became its own independent entity known as

United States International University Africa United States International University Africa, also known as USIU Africa, is a private university in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. The university is accredited by the Commission for Higher Education (CUE) in Kenya an ...

. In 2001 the California School of Professional Psychology and United States International University merged to become Alliant, taking over the Scripps Ranch campus of USIU. At first Alliant was a nonprofit university like its two predecessors. In February 2015, Alliant became a for-profit

benefit corporation In the United States, a benefit corporation (or in several jurisdictions including Delaware, a public-benefit corporation or PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity, authorized by 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, that includ ...

and part of the Arist Education System, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann.

Schools

Alliant International University is composed of several academic schools: * California School of Professional Psychology The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) was founded in 1969 under the auspices of the California Psychological Association. CSPP offers programs in clinical psychology, clinical counseling, and marital and family therapy. * California School of Management & Leadership In 2011, Alliant International University renamed their management school to Alliant School of Management then to California School of Management & Leadership in 2018. Formerly the

Marshall Goldsmith School of Management California School of Management and Leadership is a private, non-profit business school recognized by the United States Department of Education and accredited by the WASC and the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities. The sc ...

, named for organizational consultant and executive coach

Marshall Goldsmith Marshall Goldsmith (born March 20, 1949) is an American executive leadership coach and author. Early life and education Goldsmith was born in Valley Station, Kentucky, and received a degree in mathematical economics from Rose-Hulman Institute o ...

, the School of Management offers a 4-year BSBA program, master's and doctoral degrees in Business, Management, and Leadership. * California School of Education The California School of Education offers programs in teaching, school psychology, educational leadership, and

teaching English to speakers of other languages English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...

. * California School of Forensic Studies The California School of Forensic Studies offers programs in criminology and criminal justice. *

San Francisco Law School San Francisco Law School is a private, for-profit law school in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest evening law school in the Western United States. The school became non-profit in 1941 and moved to Haight Street in 19 ...

San Francisco Law School became a constituent school of Alliant International University in 2010.

Accreditation

Alliant, including all of its programs, is accredited by the WASC Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities. The university's education programs are approved by the

California State Board of Education The California State Board of Education is the governing and policy-making body of the California Department of Education. The State Board of Education sets K-12 education policy in the areas of standards, instructional materials, assessment, and ...

. Clinical psychology programs are accredited by the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

(APA). Alliant's marital and family therapy programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.

Locations

*San Diego, California at *Los Angeles, California at *Fresno, California at *San Francisco, California at * Irvine, California *Sacramento, California * Mexico City, Mexico * Tokyo, Japan * Nairobi, Kenya

Recognition

Alliant was included in ''GI Jobs'' magazine's 2013 list of Military-Friendly Schools, the third year in a row the university had been included in this listing. It was also included on the ''Military Times EDGE'' magazine's list of Best for Vets Colleges in 2010 and 2011; in 2011, Alliant was ranked #10 on the list, making it the highest-ranked non-traditional university in California.

Athletics

During the 1980s and 1990s, prior to its merger with Alliant, the USIU Gulls fielded several Division I teams. The football team produced six professional football players and was once briefly coached by the legendary player and coach

Sid Gillman Sidney Gillman (October 26, 1911 – January 3, 2003) was an American football player, coach and executive. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or w ...

. USIU's international student body allowed it to field a competitive

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

hockey team, the USIU Gulls, which was the only

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

team "west of the Rockies." However, in 1990 after 10 successful years and producing two NHL players, the program was dropped due to the rising cost of traveling to distant campuses to compete. USIU also maintained an

basketball team. USIU's women's softball team appeared in one

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

in 1982. Alliant International University maintained a sports program for a few years but phased out its intercollegiate athletics programs in 2007.

Notable alumni

* Cheryl Arutt, retired actor, clinical and forensic psychologist * Barry Black, Rear Admiral and Chaplain of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Judy Chu Judy May Chu (born July 7, 1953) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she has held a seat in Congress since 2009, representing until redistricting. Chu is the first Chin ...

, Member of the US House of Representatives from California *

Denise Merrill Denise W. Merrill (born October 8, 1948) is an American politician who most recently served as the Connecticut Secretary of the State from 2011 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Merrill was previously a member of the Connecticut House o ...

Connecticut Secretary of the State The secretary of the State of Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Connecticut. (The definite article is part of the legal job title.) It is an elected position in the state government and has a term length of four ...

Reiko True Reiko Homma True (born 1933) is an internationally known Japanese American psychologist. True is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco, CA. She is recognized for her efforts to advance mental health ...

, clinical psychologist

Notable faculty

* Igor Ansoff, faculty 1983–2002 * Nick Cummings, faculty 1969–1981 *

Viktor Frankl Viktor Emil Frankl (26 March 1905 – 2 September 1997) was an Austrian psychiatrist who founded logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central human motivational force. Logotherapy is pa ...

, faculty 1970–1981 * Jay Douglas Haley, faculty 1998–2007 *

Paul Hersey Paul Hersey (January 26, 1931 - December 18, 2012) was a behavioral scientist and entrepreneur. He was best known for conceiving Situational Leadership. Hersey published ''Management of Organization Behavior'', which is now in its ninth edition. ...

, faculty 1978–1979 and 2006–2012 *

Max Lerner Max Lerner (December 20, 1902 – June 5, 1992) was a Russian Empire-born American journalist and educator known for his controversial syndicated column. Background Maxwell Alan Lerner was born on December 20, 1902 in Minsk, in the Russian Empi ...

, faculty 1973–1981

References

External links