The Board of Trustees of Providence Christian College is pleased to announce the search for Providence’s next president. Established in 2005 as a Reformed college on the West Coast, Providence is entering an exciting stage of development for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.
In November of 2001 a small group of Christians met in Chino, California to consider establishing a Reformed, Christian college on the West Coast. Parents and young people were often hesitant to travel great distances to the nearest Reformed college. Moreover, the West Coast had a significant number of students who would benefit from a specifically Reformed perspective in their college education.
Those present were motivated by a deep appreciation for higher education from a specifically Reformed and Christian perspective. Some had been educated in such Christian colleges. Others had enrolled their children in Reformed colleges. All of those present were convinced of the need to express the reign of Christ in higher education. This group, composed of believers from various Reformed churches, was convinced that establishing and maintaining a college committed to biblical principles would greatly benefit the diverse community and the Reformed congregations in the Pacific region.
This body unanimously agreed to establish a quality, four-year liberal arts program that would reflect the lordship of Jesus Christ from a visibly Reformed, biblical perspective in all aspects of its life and learning. All programs would then be taught in accordance with the Bible, God’s infallible and inerrant Word, as it is interpreted by the Reformed Standards: The Belgic Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism, The Canons of Dort, The Westminster Confession of Faith, and The Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. In addition, the group agreed that the college should be governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees whose members would be drawn from various Reformed and Presbyterian churches; those who embrace the Word of God, the Reformed Standards, and the college’s purpose statement.
As planning for the new college began, it was clear how very important God’s providence was for this effort. We began with nothing except a shared vision for a Reformed college on the West coast, and a commitment for that college to be established and maintained for God’s glory. There were several needs: board members committed to the same vision, faculty, staff, and administrators solidly dedicated to the Scripture and the Reformed confessions, students desiring a quality Christ-centered education with a Reformed worldview, and the necessary funding and facilities. All of these needs had to be provided by our sovereign Lord. So, when it came time to name the college it was appropriate for us to give credit to the Lord’s providential care and especially recognize His gracious provision.
Providence Christian College was incorporated in the state of California on November 12, 2002, and the first Board of Directors meeting was held on January 18, 2003. The following January, Providence took full possession of a campus in Ontario, California, and began renovating its five main buildings into classrooms, dorms, a library, a dining hall, and administrative offices; the college was granted permission to operate as a degree-granting institution in the state of California on December 9, 2004 by the Bureau for Private Post-Secondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE) with approval to offer 13 bachelor’s degree programs.
In the midst of this bustle, Providence inaugurated its first college president, Mr. Jim Den Ouden in June of 2004, and in September 2005 the college was privileged to welcome its first class of 22 students.
Immediately following approval by the BPPVE, Providence Christian College began the process of seeking accreditation with the regional accrediting body, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The college was granted eligibility status in December 2005 and candidacy status in February 2009.
On May 2, 2009, the Providence community gathered to celebrate the first commencement in the college’s history. Two months later, Dr. J. Derek Halvorson joined the administration on July 1 as the college’s second president, following the retirement of Mr. Jim Den Ouden.
On May 1, 2010, the college’s board of directors voted unanimously to move the college to Pasadena, where it took up residence on the campus of William Carey International University. Classes were held on the campus for the first time in the Fall of 2010.
The college’s candidacy for WASC accreditation advanced to the final stage in February of 2011 and WASC scheduled a site visit on campus in 2012. Providence received initial WASC accreditation in 2013.
On April 1, 2014, Providence installed its third President, Dr. Jim Belcher. Dr. Belcher continued to serve as President until April 1, 2020.
In December 2018, Providence moved to the new current campus in the heart of Old Pasadena.
This course is designed to introduce students to the great writers and thinkers of the Reformed tradition. Students will consider and apply key philosophical and theological terms, and will engage in discussions that help them form a comprehensive and cohesive worldview that guides their Christian life. Topics will include the importance of faith for learning, a proper understanding of creation-fall-redemption in redemptive history, the Kingdom of God, the Lordship of Christ, and the relationship between Christ and culture.
B.A. Arizona State University
M.A. Baylor University
Ph.D. Baylor University
Dr. David E. Alexander is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Providence Christian College. In 2008, he received the Ph.D. in philosophy from Baylor University after receiving his M.A. in philosophy from Baylor University and his B.A. in philosophy from Arizona State University. He has been a Visiting Professor of Philosophy at both Madras Christian College in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and Liaocheng University in Liaocheng, Shandong Province, China. He has published articles in philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and the history of philosophy. To date, he has published two books Goodness, God, and Evil and Calvinism and the Problem of Evil (with Daniel Johnson). Prior to coming to PCC, Dr. Alexander held faculty positions at Huntington University in Indiana and Calvin College in Michigan. He and his wife regularly take students to India where they learn about Indian culture and history.
Dr. Alexander’s wife, Genevieve, is one of the Residential Directors at PCC. They have two children, Julian and Angel. They are excited to find a Reformed Church in the area. Dr. Alexander loves music (especially hip-hop) and skateboarding, and is excited to start surfing again.
This course unfolds the history of the American regime through a careful study of key public documents, speeches, literary works, films, and other cultural artifacts. Special attention is given to the colonial antecedents of the American republic, the principles and practice of the founding generation, controversies among the second and third generations of American statesmen over slavery, and the democratization and the reconceptualization of the American regime that paved the way for the introduction of Pragmatism, Pluralism, Progressivism, Imperialism, and the growth of the American administrative state. The course closes with a discussion of the nature and trajectory of the twenty-first century American regime.
B.A. and M.A. University of New Hampshire
Ph.D. Boston University
Dr. David Corbin has taught political philosophy, American politics, international relations and politics & literature at the University of New Hampshire, Boston University, and The King’s College over two decades. While at The King’s College, he served as Dean of their school of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, during a three-year period when the college doubled its enrollment.
Dr. Corbin graduated from the University of New Hampshire Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Political Science in 1993, earned his MA in Political Science at the University of New Hampshire in 1995, before receiving his PhD in Political Science at Boston University in 2005. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa society.
Dr. Corbin has participated in numerous academic and civic endeavors, including serving a term in the New Hampshire State Legislature (1998-2000), involvement in the Henry Salvatori Fellows program at the Heritage Foundation (1998), the study of liberty and literature at the Liberty Fund (1999), touring Switzerland with a delegation of 20 outstanding young American diplomats to further American-Swiss relations in the summer of 2000, as a candidate for the governorship of New Hampshire in 2002, his appointment as the 2007-2008 Julius Stratton Adams fellow by the Friends of Switzerland, Boston, and as a Lehrman Institute Fellow in 2010.
Dr. Corbin has written a book on Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War (VDM, 2009) and co-authored Keeping Our Republic: Principles for a Political Reformation (Resource Publications, 2011) and A Readers Guide to Aristotle’s Politics (Continuum, 2009). He is currently working on a manuscript titled Shakespeare’s Prince on a comparative study of Shakespeare and Machiavelli’s understanding of statesmanship. Dr. Corbin’s analysis of political, cultural and social trends has appeared in the Investor’s Business Daily, The New York Times, The Washington Times, the Associated Press, First Things “First Thoughts”, Radio Free Europe, the French News Agency, New Hampshire Public Broadcasting, New England Cable News, and WCVB’s “Chronicle,” along with various other news organizations on the East Coast.
He and his wife Catie have five children: Alexander, Catherine, Patrick, Eliza, and Jack.
B.A. Azusa Pacific University
M.S. California State University, Fullerton
Ph.D. Rocky Mountain University (in progress)
As a graduate from both California State University Fullerton (Master of Science, Clinical Exercise Science) and Azusa Pacific University (Bachelor of Arts in Athletic Training), Kelly brings her passion and enthusiasm as an allied health care professional to the Health and Life Science Program here at Providence Christian College. As a professor and certified athletic trainer, Kelly has served as both an educator and a clinician at the high school and collegiate levels. Catalyzing change, she has thoroughly enjoyed adding to program development at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is passionate about educating young adults and guiding them to be the best possible versions of themselves academically, spiritually, and socially. She is currently enrolled in Rocky Mountain University’s Limited Residency PhD Program in Health Sciences with a specialization in Athletic Training. Kelly enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, dabbling into photography, and traveling.
B.A. Arizona State University
M.A. Baylor University
Ph.D. Baylor University
Dr. David E. Alexander is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Providence Christian College. In 2008, he received the Ph.D. in philosophy from Baylor University after receiving his M.A. in philosophy from Baylor University and his B.A. in philosophy from Arizona State University. He has been a Visiting Professor of Philosophy at both Madras Christian College in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and Liaocheng University in Liaocheng, Shandong Province, China. He has published articles in philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and the history of philosophy. To date, he has published two books Goodness, God, and Evil and Calvinism and the Problem of Evil (with Daniel Johnson). Prior to coming to PCC, Dr. Alexander held faculty positions at Huntington University in Indiana and Calvin College in Michigan. He and his wife regularly take students to India where they learn about Indian culture and history.
Dr. Alexander’s wife, Genevieve, is one of the Residential Directors at PCC. They have two children, Julian and Angel. They are excited to find a Reformed Church in the area. Dr. Alexander loves music (especially hip-hop) and skateboarding, and is excited to start surfing again.