# Chapman University

Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its founding affiliations with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, but is a secular university.

## History

Founded in Woodland, California as Hesperian College, the school began classes on March 4, 1861. Its opening was timed to coincide with the hour of Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration. Hesperian admitted students regardless of sex or race. Throughout its first decades, the school was renamed and relocated several times. In 1896, Hesperian merged with Pierce Christian College to form the Berkeley Bible Seminary in Berkeley, California. The college was subsequently moved to San Francisco as the California Bible College. In 1920, the school was acquired by California Christian College, and moved to southern California, becoming the California School of Christianity, in Los Angeles. In 1923, the school was once again retitled the California Christian College.
In 1934, the school became Chapman College after the chairman of its board of trustees (and primary benefactor), C. C. Chapman. In 1954, Chapman University permanently relocated to its present campus in the city of Orange, the former site of Orange High School. Chapman established a Residence Education Center Program to serve military personnel in 1958, which evolved into Brandman University and later University of Massachusetts Global. The college became Chapman University in 1991. In the same year, James L. Doti became president of the school, the Department of Education became the School of Education (now known as the Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies), and what is now known as the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences was established. The School of Film and Television, now the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Marion Knott Studios, opened in 1996.
Between 2000 and 2010, Chapman University expanded to include the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education, Leatherby Libraries, Fish Interfaith Center, the Erin J. Anderson Athletics Complex, the Schmid College of Science and Technology, and the Argyros School's Economic Science Institute led by Vernon L. Smith. The Rinker Health Science Campus opened in Irvine, CA in 2013, becoming the home for the School of Pharmacy. Mathematician Daniele C. Struppa became President in 2016. In the same year, the Musco Center for the Arts opened. The 1,110-seat concert hall hosts professional and student performances, drawing over 30,000 visitors annually.
The Keck Center for Science and Engineering opened in 2018, with the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler School of Engineering opening shortly after. Between 2018 and 2022, Chapman University earned a Carnegie Classification of R2: Doctoral University – High Research Activity, had its first Rhodes Scholar, Vidal Arroyo '19, and became nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report. On September 29, 2023, it was announced that a $10m gift from the Argyros family would elevate the Argyros School to the Argyros College of Business and Economics.
In 2019, President Daniele C. Struppa refused to take down two The Birth of a Nation posters at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Struppa outlined his reasons in an opinion piece called, "Why I won't take down the original 'The Birth of a Nation' poster." Black students at Chapman voiced opposition to Struppa's decision, and peaceful protests were organized on campus. Faculty members took a survey on their stance to remove the posters, and the posters were eventually taken down.
On December 10, 2024, it was announced that Matt Parlow was chosen serve as Chapman’s 14th president, effective September 2, 2025, following the planned retirement of President Struppa.

## Academics
### Argyros College of Business and Economics

The George L. Argyros College of Business and Economics is located in the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Business and Technology Hall. The school was founded in 1977, and renamed in honor of former U.S. Ambassador to Spain, George L. Argyros, in 1999. A Chapman alumnus, Argyros chaired the university's board of trustees from 1976 to 2001, and has made significant donations toward increasing the business school's ranking and resources. In 2019, Argyros College commemorated the 20th anniversary of the school's renaming with a fundraiser dinner featuring President George W. Bush. The event raised approximately $15 million for the school's endowment, $10 million of which was a surprise announcement by the Argyros family. Argyros School became Argyros College in 2023, following another $10m gift from the family.
Argyros College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, including the Master of Business Administration and Master of Science. The Argyros College of Business and Economics became nationally ranked as the 60th Best Undergraduate Bloomberg BusinessWeek Business School in 2014. In 2016, the Argyros College of Business and Economics rose to 34th. In 2023, Argyros was ranked the #60 business school in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
The Argyros College is home to several research centers and institutes, including the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research, the C. Larry Hoag Center for Real Estate and Finance, the Ralph W. Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Ethics, the Walter Schmid Center for International Business, the Economic Science Institute (founded by Nobel Prize winner Vernon L. Smith and others in 2008), the Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics and Society (founded by Dr. Laurence Iannaccone in September 2009), and the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy. The Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics is a program whose scope includes original research, scholarship, and the publication of several scholarly journals.

### Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies

The Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies offers an undergraduate Integrated Educational Studies (IES) degree; teaching, school counseling, and school psychology credentials; and graduate degrees in teaching, special education, school counseling, school psychology, and leadership, including a Ph.D. in education. The college is also home to various centers and programs for community engagement and research, including the Centro Comunitario de Educación, Paulo Freire Democratic Project (PFDP), and Thompson Policy Institute on Disability and Autism. The Attallah College or its programs are accredited by the Council Accreditation of Educator Preparation, Commission on Teacher Credentialing, National Association of School Psychologists, and International School Psychology Association.
The School of Education at Chapman University became the College of Educational Studies in August 2008. In 2017, the college was named in honor of alumna and benefactor Donna Ford Attallah. Attallah College is located in Chapman's Reeves Hall, one of the first buildings constructed on the site in 1913. It was added to the National Register for Historic Places in 1975, and renovated and reopened to the public in February 2018.

### Dodge College of Film and Media Arts

The college has been recognized as one of the top ten film schools in the world and ranked #4 by The Hollywood Reporter among American film schools.

### Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences

Formerly part of Chapman University's Schmid College of Science and Technology, the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences officially became an independent college at Chapman University on June 1, 2014. Undergraduate programs in Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences include: B.S. Applied Human Physiology, B.S. Health Sciences, and B.A. Psychology. Graduate and post-baccalaureate programs include: M.A. Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), M.S. Communication Sciences and Disorders, M.M.S. Physician Assistant, Doctor of Physical Therapy (PT) (accredited since 1928, making it one of the oldest such programs in the United States), and Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy. The physical therapy, communication sciences and disorders, and physician assistant programs are housed on Chapman University's Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine, California.

### Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is the largest college at Chapman University and is composed of the departments of art, English, history, world languages and cultures, peace studies, philosophy, political science, religious studies, and sociology.

### Dale E. Fowler School of Law

The Chapman University School of Law is located in Kennedy Hall. Law degrees offered include the Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees in various specialties.

### Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler School of Engineering

The Fowler School of Engineering is the newest school within Chapman University. The school opened in 2019, and offers several undergraduate programs and minors, as well as one graduate program. The school is located in Chapman's Swenson Hall of Engineering, which comprises classrooms, study spaces, research labs, and makerspaces. The Design/Create/Innovate Lab (DCI) is a makerspace divided into two labs: the Prototyping Lab houses various types of 3D printers, a poster and sticker printer, and embroidery machines while the Manufacturing Lab houses manufacturing equipment including laser cutters, CNC mills, a PCB printer, and a water jet.

### College of Performing Arts

Chapman University's College of Performing Arts, founded in 2007, operates in departments, namely the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, the Department of Dance, and the Department of Theatre. The Conservatory of Music offers a Bachelor of Music (B.M.), the Dance Department offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), and the Theatre Department offers the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). The Theatre Department also offers two Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) programs—Theatre Performance and Screen Acting—taught in conjunction with the Dodge Film School.

### Schmid College of Science and Technology

The Schmid College of Science and Technology was founded in 2008 when science-related degree programs, formerly housed in the Wilkinson School of Humanities and Social Sciences, were transferred to an independent college. In 2014, Schmid College was reorganized to splitting off the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences. In 2019, the undergraduate programs in computer science, data analytics, software engineering, and game development programming transferred out of Schmid College to start the new Fowler School of Engineering.
In addition to its undergraduate and graduate programs, Schmid College is home to various centers for research. Among them are the Center of Excellence in Computation, Algebra and Topology (CECAT), the Center of Excellence in Complex and Hyper-complex Analysis (CECHA), and the Center of Excellence in Earth Systems Modeling and Observations (CEESMO). Schmid College is also affiliated with the Institute for Quantum Studies, whose list of physicists includes a 2013 Nobel Prize recipient and a 2010 Presidential Medal of Honor winner.
Schmid College of Science and Technology expanded and moved into the new 140,000 sq. ft. Keck Center for Science and Engineering in 2018, on Chapman's main campus in Orange, California. The research facility contains 45 research and teaching labs, 50 faculty offices, seven student-collaboration spaces, and an outdoor amphitheater. The aesthetic of the building was inspired by the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

### School of Pharmacy

The Chapman University School of Pharmacy (CUSP) is located at the Rinker Campus in Irvine. Pharmacy degrees include a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Science (MSPS), and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Chapman School of Pharmacy also offers an accelerated five-year Doctor of Pharmacy program to qualified high school seniors.

### School of Communication

The School of Communication is located on the university's main campus and housed within Doti Hall. The school offers three undergraduate majors. The school also offers graduate programs, including an MS in Health and Strategic Communication as well as a PhD program.

## Student life

Chapman University has a vibrant Greek life community, consisting of nine national sororities and ten inter/national fraternities. The sororities on campus include Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Delta Delta Delta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Omega Phi Beta, and Pi Beta Phi. The fraternities at Chapman University include Alpha Delta Phi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Beta Theta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Kappa Tau, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Sigma Chi.
Approximately 26% of Chapman's undergraduate population is involved in fraternity and sorority life, totaling around 1,905 students.

## Rankings and admissions

In U.S. News & World Report's 2020 rankings of the best colleges in America, the university was moved from the master's-level universities in the Western region to the National Universities group, with a debut ranking of tied at 125th. The reclassification was due to Chapman's elevation to R2 status by Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in recognition of its high research activity. U.S. News uses the Carnegie Classifications for its categorization of universities.
For U.S. News & World Report's 2021 rankings, Chapman University was ranked tied for 124th overall among national universities, tied for 39th among 73 national universities evaluated for "Best Undergraduate Teaching", tied for 68th out of 83 for "Most Innovative Schools", tied for 86th of 142 for "Best Colleges for Veterans", and tied at 224th of 389 schools for "Top Performers on Social Mobility". The business school was ranked tied for 74th, and the law school tied for 111th, in the U.S. for 2021
For the Class of 2022 (enrolling fall 2018), Chapman received 14,198 applications, accepted 7,605 (53.6%), and enrolled 1,660. For the freshmen who enrolled, the average SAT score was 640 for reading and writing and 638 for math, while the average ACT composite score was 27.9. The average high school GPA was 3.75 (unweighted) on a 4.0 scale.

## Holocaust education

The Barry and Phyllis Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education was founded in February 2000. It sponsors an annual Holocaust remembrance writing competition and hosts a regular Distinguished Lecture series.
The Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library, funded by Henry Samueli, is located on the fourth floor of the university's Leatherby Libraries. On April 11, 2005, sixty years after he was liberated from the Buchenwald concentration camp, Elie Wiesel dedicated the Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library, and a large bust of Wiesel stands at the entrance to the facility.
The collection includes a first edition of The Diary of Anne Frank in Dutch.

## Athletics

Chapman's athletic teams are the Panthers. The university is a member of the Division III (non-scholarship) level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) since the 2011–12 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 1950–51 to 1951–52. The Panthers previously competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 1978–79 to 1992–93, and as an NCAA D-III Independent from 1993–94 to 2010–11.
Chapman competes in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports (10 men's and 11 women's): Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and water polo; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo.
Chapman University has won seven NCAA national titles. As a member of the NCAA Division II, the Panthers won one baseball title (1968) and three men's tennis titles (1985, 1987, 1988). After moving to NCAA Division III, the Panthers won the 1995 Division III softball championship and later the 2003 and 2019 Division III baseball championships.

### Accomplishments

The Chapman softball team appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1979.
In 2011, the women's lacrosse team won the WCLL National Championships in Arizona. In 2016, the men's lacrosse team won the MCLA National Championship.
In the 2014, 2017, and 2019 seasons, the Chapman University Panther football team ended their season undefeated in their conference and won the SCIAC championship.
The 2019 men's baseball team defeated Birmingham-Southern College to become the DIII NCAA National Champions.
In 2022, the men's soccer team won their first SCIAC championship.
The football and basketball teams are broadcast by the Chapman Sports Broadcast Network (CSBN) to local Channel 6 in Orange and on Chapman's athletic website. CSBN is a student-run, student-produced independent sports network created by students at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

## Notable people
### Alumni

* George Argyros (1959) – U.S. Ambassador to Spain and former owner of Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball
* Ryan Bergara – creator of documentary entertainment web series BuzzFeed Unsolved
* David E. Bonior (MA 1972) – United States House of Representatives from Michigan (1977–2003), House Minority Whip (1995–2002), House Majority Whip (1991–95)
* Matt Duffer (2007) – film and television writer, director, producer, and co-creator of Stranger Things
* Ross Duffer (2007) – film and television writer, director, and producer
* Tim Flannery (1979) – Major League Baseball player for eleven seasons and coach for San Francisco Giants
* Cooper Hefner (2015) – chief creative officer and chief of global partnerships of Playboy Enterprises
* Randy Jones – former professional baseball player, San Diego Padres, New York Mets; 1976 Cy Young Award winner
* Joanna Rosholm (2007) – press secretary to First Lady Michelle Obama
* Loretta Sanchez (1982) – United States House of Representatives
* Rob Schneiderman (MA) – United States House of Representatives
* Justin Simien (2005) – filmmaker, actor, and author; director of Dear White People
* Kate Ziegler – 2012 Summer Olympics competitor and swimmer who specializes in freestyle and long-distance

### Current and former faculty

* Yakir Aharonov – professor, James J. Farley Professorship in Natural Philosophy; Wolf Prize and National Medal of Science recipient
* Brian Alters – professor and director, Evolution Education Research Center
* Richard Bausch – professor in the Department of English
* Andrew Carroll – Presidential Fellow in American War Letters; Founding Director of the Center for American War Letters
* Martha Coolidge – professor, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts; Emmy nominated film director; elected in 2001 as the first and only female president of the Directors Guild of America
* George Csicsery – 2017–2019 Presidential Fellow
* John Eastman – former Chapman University School of Law dean, recommended for disbarment for attempting to keep then-president Donald Trump in office and obstruct the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States presidential election
* Grace Fong D.M.A. – director of Keyboard Studies at Conservatory of Music; winner of such honors as the 2006 Leeds International Piano Competition
* Carolyn Forché – Presidential Fellow in Creative Writing; poet
* Kyle Harrison – men's lacrosse assistant coach and professional lacrosse player
* Hugh Hewitt – professor, Dale E. Fowler School of Law; He served for six years in the Reagan Administration in a variety of posts including Assistant Counsel in the White House and Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States
* Jack Horner – Presidential Fellow; technical adviser for all Jurassic Park movies and was Michael Crichton's basis for the Alan Grant character
* Laurence Iannaccone – director, Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Society; Professor of Economics
* Cheryl Boone Isaacs – lecturer, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts; served three terms as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame in 2014
* Bill Kroyer – professor, director of Digital Arts Program; one of the first animators to make the leap to computer animation as computer image choreographer on Disney's ground-breaking 1982 feature, Tron
* Tibor Machan (1939–2016) – held the R. C. Hoiles Chair of Business Ethics and Free Enterprise, Argyros School of Business & Economics
* Peter McLaren – Distinguished Professor in Critical Studies, Attallah College of Educational Studies
* Prexy Nesbitt – Presidential Fellow in Peace Studies
* Dimitar Ouzounov – research professor of geophysics at the Institute for Earth, Computing, Human and Observing (Institute for ECHO)
* Michael Shermer – Presidential Fellow in General Education, author of numerous books, and founder of The Skeptics Society
* Rebecca Skloot – Presidential Fellow in Creative Science Writing
* Mark Skousen – professor, Mark Skousen, Ph.D., editor of Forecasts & Strategies, is a nationally known investment expert, economist, university professor, and author of more than 25 books. In 2018, he was awarded the Triple Crown in Economics for his work in economic theory, history, and education; identified as one of the 20 most influential living economists
* Vernon L. Smith – Nobel Laureate in Economic Science (2002); founder of Economic Science Institute and Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy
* Joel Stern – chairman and chief executive officer of Stern Value Management, formerly Stern Stewart & Co, and the creator and developer of Economic Value Added "EVA"
* Bart Wilson – Donald P. Kennedy Endowed Chair of Economics and Law in the Argyros School of Business & Economics