Adventist schools forge link; AUC-Loma Linda affiliation approved.

Byline: Karen Nugent

LANCASTER - A much anticipated affiliation between Atlantic Union College and Loma Linda University in California was approved unanimously by Loma Linda trustees this week.

The affiliation, which will likely evolve into a solid partnership and perhaps a merger between the two Seventh-day Adventist institutions, is expected to increase AUC's enrollment - currently around 330 full-time students - by several hundred students, College President Norman L. Wendth said yesterday.

"We were pacing around like expectant fathers in a waiting room," he said with a laugh while recounting waiting for the vote Wednesday night. "It's very exciting. I'd say `pumped' would be a good word."

Loma Linda, a private Adventist university about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, is basically a health science and medical university with about 4,000 students and eight schools: medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, public health, science and technology, and religion. It also has a graduate school with more than 200 degrees and programs.

The vote

specifies a two-year period during which Loma Linda will attempt to protect AUC's accreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, which has been in jeopardy in the past. The trustees will also review a final agreement, including financial implications, by the end of next month , according to a news release from Loma Linda President Dr. Richard H. Hart. If board approves the agreement, a merger plan will be presented to Loma Linda by May 2010.

"Right now, the legal term is affiliate," Mr. Wendth said.

Rick E. Williams, Loma Linda's vice chancellor for enrollment management and market studies, was at AUC yesterday for a press conference. He said about 1,000 of the students there are undergraduates, and those must come from a feeder school such as AUC, or spend a year or two at another college. Students cannot go to Loma Linda directly from high school.

A year ago, AUC reorganized into a more focused group of specialties involving social action and Christian leadership, rather than liberal arts. The new program includes health certificates in allied sciences similar to what Loma Linda offers. AUC will increase the types of associate degrees offered under the affiliation, Mr. Wendth said.

Initially, the affiliation will mean complementary academic programs allowing for cross-registration and dual enrollment. During the first six months of the partnership, the faculty and staff will identify programs that can be offered jointly, to cut down on duplication.

Applications for next semester have doubled since the talks with Loma Linda began a few months ago, Mr. Wendth said. It is hoped, he said, the affiliation will increase enrollment to 500 in the short term and to 700 or 800 in the long term. The college will also be able to boost its mission work and internships abroad, beginning immediately with a mission in Malawi, Africa. Mr. Williams said Loma Linda operates hospitals and clinics all over the world, including in Afghanistan and China.

Mr. Wendth said the affiliation will not mean cuts or layoffs to AUC faculty, but some staff positions may eventually be consolidated. He said the partnership will allow for some infrastructure improvements, including space at the college for visiting Loma Linda faculty members.

Mr. Williams said if a formal merger is approved in two years, it is unlikely that Atlantic Union College's name would change, although Loma Linda would hold its accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Founded in 1882 in South Lancaster, one of the earliest centers of Adventism, AUC is one of the oldest Adventist colleges and garners respect, Mr. Williams said.

Lloyd G. Brown, AUC's new chief financial officer, said the economic gain from the affiliation means some overdue infrastructure improvements and expansion at the college.

"There will be some cost savings eventually," he said.

Donald G. King, chairman of AUC's trustees and president of the Lancaster-based Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, described the several hours of discussion preceding the vote as spirited.

Talking via speaker phone from California during the press conference, Mr. King said trustees were cautious and careful when discussing the ramifications of a merger.

"Dr. Hart showed outstanding leadership - we have been able to work together from the get-go. Everyone has been very enthusiastic from the beginning," Mr. King said. "We believe this will go far in meeting the educational needs inside and outside of the church community."