Traditional undergraduate enrollment passed a milestone in the fall of 2012, surpassing 1,200 for the first time in the school’s 68-year history.

Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary enrollment also grew, from 116 in 2011 to 143 in 2012. A total of 3,460 students study at the main FPU campus and at centers in Merced, North Fresno, Visalia and Bakersfield, down from 3,603 in the fall of 2011.

Fresno Pacific University and other colleges and universities where Hispanics make up a significant sector of the student body are being honored this week.

A presidential proclamation designates September 16-22 as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) Week. FPU is among the institutions of higher education named an HSI by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

A pair of projects should make for a merry Christmas season at Fresno Pacific University.

Work is set to begin in September on a Commuter Lounge and a Fitness Center on the main campus, 1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno. The facilities are to open in December.

Fitness Center

Pete Menjares, Ph.D., took the baton July 28 as the 11th president of Fresno Pacific University—and he’s already running at full speed.

Menjares got a literal hand-off from retiring President D. Merrill Ewert at the national convention of FPU’s sponsoring denomination, the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, in Omaha, receiving a baton inscribed with Hebrews 12:1: “….let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

The many faces that make up FPU were recognized at the Night of Cultural Celebration May 4 in Ashley Auditorium on the main campus.

D. Merrill Ewert told the 2012 graduates what he has told every Fresno Pacific University graduating class for a decade: “Commencement is my favorite day of the year!”

 

What’s significant about Ewert’s May 5 announcement is that this favorite day was his last as a college professor, administrator and president. Ewert, who became FPU president in June 2002 after a career at Wheaton College, the University of Maryland and Cornell University, will retire July 31, 2012. Pete Menjares, a faculty member and administrator at Biola University, will be 11th president.

Pete Menjares, Ph.D., will be the 11th president of Fresno Pacific University. The FPU Board of Trustees voted to appoint Menjares during regular board meetings March 2-3.

The Fresno Pacific University Board of Trustees has selected a candidate for the university presidency.

Pete Menjares, Ph.D., was approved by the board January 27 on recommendation of the presidential search committee. He currently serves as Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Academic Effectiveness at Biola University.