Woodbury University

Woodbury University
Established	1884
Type	Private
Endowment	$27 Million
President	Kenneth R. Nielsen, Ed.D.
Students	1,500+
Undergraduates	1,258
Postgraduates	169
Location	Burbank, California, U.S.
Campus	Suburban, 22.4 acres (9.1 ha)
Website	www.woodbury.edu

Woodbury University, founded as "Woodbury Business College", is a private, non-profit, coeducational, nonsectarian university located in Burbank, California.

History

The Los Angeles Times Library at Woodbury University

The school was founded in 1884 as Woodbury's Business College by its namesake, Francis Chute Woodbury, formerly a partner in Heald's Business College in San Francisco, thus making it one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in California and the American West. That historic link between Woodbury and the world of business has been maintained throughout the years.

In 1931, the division of professional arts was established to focus on those fields of design that are closely allied to business. Woodbury then became a college of business administration and design. In 1969, Woodbury introduced a graduate program leading to the Master of Business Administration (MBA). In 1974, Woodbury College became Woodbury University. In 1982, Computer Information Systems was added as a major, followed in 1984 by Architecture. In 1987, the Weekend College program for working adults was established with the aid of grants from The Fletcher Jones Foundation and The William Randolph Hearst Foundation. In 1994 the University formally organized its undergraduate and graduate programs into three schools: the School of Architecture and Design, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Business and Management.

That year three majors in Arts and Sciences came into being: Psychology, Politics & History and Liberal Arts & Business. Additional undergraduate degree programs have been added in the areas of Marketing, Animation Arts, Communication, and Organizational Leadership.

Today, Woodbury's undergraduate and graduate programs are formally organized in four schools: the School of Architecture, the School of Business, the School of Media, Culture and Design, and the Institute of Transdisciplinary Studies.

For a time, Woodbury could boast that 10% of Los Angeles' citizenry were attending the institution and its earliest alumni lists form a literal who's who of 19th century Los Angeles. The original mission of Woodbury University was to educate Angelenos in the practical areas of business; bookkeeping, commercial law and telegraphy. In 1931, the College created a division of professional arts centered on entertainment and design. In 1974, Woodbury College became Woodbury University and in 1984 added Architecture to its professional degrees. In 1987, the University moved to a 22.4-acre (9.1 ha) campus in Burbank, on the site of Villa Cabrini.

For the first 103 years, the University was located in central Los Angeles. In 1937, new facilities at 1027 Wilshire Boulevard were occupied, and for 50 years that location served as the University’s classroom and administrative building. In 1985, the University acquired a 22.4-acre (9.1 ha) campus in Burbank and moved to these new facilities in September 1987. In 1998 the institution opened a satellite campus in San Diego where it offers the B.Arch. and M.Arch degrees. In Fall of 2008, Woodbury University San Diego moved from their downtown location to Barrio Logan. The new building features a new computer lab, studios, classrooms, and a library.

Academics

Currently Woodbury University comprises four schools, including graduate and undergraduate programs: Business; Architecture; Media, Culture, and Design; and Transdisciplinary Studies, offering undergraduate degrees in Business, Architecture, Animation, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior Architecture, Psychology, Communication, Politics and History, Organizational Leadership, and Interdisciplinary Studies and graduate degrees in Business, Architecture, and Organizational Leadership.

• School of Business
  • Accounting
  • Business and Management
  • Fashion Marketing
  • Marketing
  • Organizational Leadership

• School of Architecture
  • Architecture (B.Arch., M.Arch)
  • Interior Architecture (B.FA)

• School of Media, Culture & Design
  • Animation Arts
  • Fashion Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Psychology
  • Communication

• Transdisciplinary Studies
  • Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Politics & History
  • Art History
  • Urban Studies

• School of Graduate & Professional Studies
  • Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
  • Master of Architecture in Real Estate Development (M.Arch.)
  • Master of Organizational Leadership (M.O.L.)

Diversity

Woodbury University enrolls approximately 39% white, non-Hispanic students; 36% Hispanic students; 12% Asian students; 7% international students; and 6% African-American students.

Student involvement

• American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
• Associated Student Government
• Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO)
• MBA Association (MBAA)
• Society of Accounting and Business

Woodbury University’s Fraternities and Sororities

• Beta Lambda Chi
• Delta Sigma Phi
• Phi Sigma Sigma
• Sigma Omega Nu

Woodbury University in Second Life

Woodbury University's virtual campus

The School of Media, Culture & Design at Woodbury University has maintained a virtual campus in the virtual world Second Life since 2006. The campus is supervised by Dr. Edward Clift, dean of the Department of Communication. The Woodbury University group in Second Life has a membership of well over 600 people, some of whom are affiliated with Woodbury University in Burbank and some of whom are not.

A substantial community of members of internet subcultures relating to Something Awful and 4chan have adopted Woodbury as their Second Life hangout, and the Woodbury University virtual campus was the most visited university campus within Second Life (several other universities also have a presence there).

However, Second Life has twice, in 2007 and 2010 banned Woodbury University from having a representation within Second Life. According to Dr. Clift, the virtual campus "did not conform to what Linden Lab wanted a campus to be".

The virtual campus, prior to deletion, was a construction project of over 12 square kilometers worth of virtual land mass resembling art deco military offices with a courtyard, dormitories, and meeting spaces. The activities of Woodbury University in Second Life have been extensively covered by The Alphaville Herald, a newspaper founded by Peter Ludlow and subsequently edited by Mark P. McCahill, over the years.

Rankings

US News & World Report: Universities–Master's (West), First Tier

Los Angeles Business Journal: Master of Business Administration Program Rankings: 9 of 15

Accreditation

Woodbury University is accredited by the Senior Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is approved by the Postsecondary Commission, California Department of Education. Western Association of Schools and Colleges granted Woodbury its original regional accreditation in 1961. In 1994 the Architecture program was accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The School of Business received its accreditation from the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Spring 1998. In 1991, the Interior Architecture Program was accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. In 2008, the school received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Woodbury University is a member university of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). In addition the University is pursuing AACSB accreditation.

Campuses

The main campus of Woodbury University is located in Burbank, California, adjacent to the City of Los Angeles. However, Woodbury University also maintains a campus in San Diego, California, where it offers a B.Arch. program and a three-semester Master of Architecture in Real Estate Development program to individuals with a professional degree in Architecture. Additional off-campus sites are located in Hollywood and at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Headquarters.

Woodbury University Burbank- 7500 Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank. CA 91510

Woodbury University San Diego- 2212 Main Street San Diego. CA 92113

Notable alumni

• Cleo Baldon - Landscape architect
• Don Adolfo Camarillo - Founder of Camarillo, Calif. and one of the last Californios
• George Allan Hancock - Owner of Rancho La Brea; site of the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, also a Banker, Industrialist and Marine
• Helen Gurley Brown - Author, publisher, and businesswoman. She was editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine for 32 years.
• Ahmad Najafi - Actor and producer
• Alan Leitner - Abstract artist
• William Travilla - Costume Designer
• Star Parker - Conservative activist

External links

• University website
• Woodbury University – MBA Program in Southern California
• Woodbury University – Master of Architecture in Real Estate Development
• Woodbury University – Master of Architecture