Academic Services
Graduate Advising
Graduate students are advised by the program director for their respective program. Graduate students seeking academic advising should contact the appropriate program director or the Registrar's Office for a referral.
Biblical Seminary Advising
When seminary students have academic concerns, they may contact their faculty adviser. Students may also make an appointment with the seminary dean.
Academic Support Center
The Academic Support Center (ASC) is available to graduate students for writing assistance on a drop-in basis.
Intensive English Language Program
The Intensive English Language Program (IELP) is designed for international students and recent immigrants seeking to improve their English abilities. Most students are preparing for college-level coursework while others are studying for personal or professional advancement. The IELP is included within the School of Humanities, Religion and Social Sciences. See the admissions section of this catalog for IELP application procedures.
Career Services Center
The Career Services Center (CSC) offers services to graduate students, seminary students and alumni. These services include:
- Individual career counseling
- Counseling and testing
- Career assessments
- Computerized career guidance programs, with over 1,100 careers
- Workshops: Résumé, interviewing and job search
- Résumé critique
- Graduate school programs and seminary information
- Part-time and full-time jobs and internship listings
- Summer jobs, ministry work and volunteer information
The Career Services Center is located in Steinert Campus Center. To learn more about the center's services, visit the website at fresno.edu/careerservices.
Counseling Services
Through counseling services, the university cultivates the psychological and emotional well-being of students and the FPU community. Students are viewed as dynamic individuals in the process of becoming the people God created them to be. Academic success is facilitated by psychological health and counseling services are available for enrichment, growth and healing.
Counseling services offer clinical counseling for individuals and couples. Doctoral- and master's-prepared clinicians, including interns and trainees, provide these services. They have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and respect a diversity of faith backgrounds.
Clinical counseling enhances psychological well-being by exploring unhealthy patterns of relationship, challenging distortions and defenses in the personality structure and discovering more effective ways to live. In turn, this psychological work facilitates the development of a more mature, richer relationship with God.
Counseling services are confidential and available to all currently enrolled FPU students. The first counseling session is free. The purpose of this session is to discuss concerns and to decide if clinical counseling would be beneficial. A modest fee is charged for each subsequent counseling session and a sliding scale is available in cases of financial hardship. Additional information about counseling services and how to access them is available in the Student Life Office or by visiting the website at fresno.edu/studentlife.
Health Services
Fresno Pacific University Health Center recognizes wellness as the best possible God-given state of being. Wellness is more than lack of disease. It is balanced wholeness. Wellness is achieved through nurturing the physical, spiritual, social and mental areas of life. Health and wellness services supports all areas, but primarily addresses disease prevention and health promotion. Office hours for the Health Center are posted broadly around campus and available at the Student Life website at fresno.edu/studentlife. The campus nurse tends needs and provides:
- Illness/injury evaluation
- Screening of medical concerns
- Health and wellness information
- Assistance finding a health care provider
- Insurance information
- Medical resources for students and staff
- Interpretation of medical language and issues
- First aid and over-the-counter medications
- Seasonal flu vaccines
- TB skin testing
The Health Center carries a variety of over-the-counter medications, as well as first aid supplies. The center serves to relieve symptoms and prevent further injury until the physician or pharmacy can be reached. Community clinic and physician referrals can be made.
Most services are available at no charge to all students, staff and faculty. Tuberculosis skin tests, tetanus and MMR vaccines are at cost. Flu shots are available in the fall. Appointments can be made, but are not necessary. The Health Center supplies first aid kits in strategic areas throughout the campus and in campus housing. Emergency medical technicians respond to emergency illness or injury 24 hours a day and are available through Campus Security.
All students are required to carry health insurance. A Web search for student health insurance policies will give a general idea of what is available. For those students who do not have coverage, a health insurance plan has been chosen and can be billed to their account. Students should shop and compare, then choose what is best for them. Students may get a copy of the policy for comparison through Student Financial Services or the Health Center.
Services for Students with Disabilities
Fresno Pacific University values the diversity of students with disabilities and is committed to providing equal access and opportunity for all students. Students with documented disabilities can expect to have their privacy protected while being assured of reasonable and appropriate accommodations for all educational experiences. The Academic Support Center serves as a liaison between faculty and students in the coordination of academic accommodations and services.
We encourage students with disabilities to contact the director of academic support services to discuss academic and other needs before the beginning of their first semester or as soon as they are diagnosed with a disability. Once documentation is on file, arrangements for reasonable accommodations can be made.
In order to register for services, students may find necessary forms online at www.fresno.edu/disability-services/forms
Recent and accurate verification of a disability is required from an appropriate diagnostician such as a doctor or psychologist.
Students who choose not to self-identify when they enter FPU do not forfeit their right to request and receive services later. However, the university is not obligated to provide accommodations and services for students with disabilities until the student registers with the director of academic support services.
The student is responsible for all costs associated with assessment and documentation. FPU does not have services to provide diagnosis or evaluate disabilities. Please contact the director for suggestions for assessment services.
Housing
FPU has on-campus apartments available to seminary students for single or family housing. Applications are available through the Seminary Admissions Office.
International Programs and Services
The International Programs and Services Office (IPSO) recruits and admits international students to FPU. It also provides services for all international language, undergraduate and graduate students.
Alumni Association
Fresno Pacific University alumni are valued members of the FPU community and are Sunbirds 4 Life. As alumni they are automatically members of the Fresno Pacific Alumni Association and receive a free subscription to Pacific magazine (published two times each year), Pacific Standard Time (a bi-annual events calendar) and the monthly Alumni eNews, as well as other information on a variety of FPU events. They can join the FPU Alumni Association group on LinkedIn, stay connected by liking the FPU Alumni Facebook page, and serve as members of the Alumni Council, guest lecturers, intern or career advisors or event volunteers. Alumni are encouraged to share any career, education, family and honor/awards updates with the FPU community via an online form found at fresno.edu/alumniupdate, and babies of alumni are sent a Future Sunbirds baby t-shirt. FPU alumni ID cards are available to all FPU alumni and offer discounted event admission, Fitness Center membership (additional fees), Hiebert Library privileges and other discounts. Alumni ID cards are issued through the Student Life Office for a one-time processing fee of $10 each. Additional information is available at fresno.edu/alumni.
FPU alumni have always been instrumental in praying for current students and their generous financial support ensures that FPU's mission continues to impact students, the Central Valley and the world-now and in the future. The Alumni Office is always willing to assist alumni in planning special reunions, group gatherings or other ways to connect with former classmates.
Athletics
Fresno Pacific University is a member of the NCAA Division II and sponsors 14 sports. The Sunbird athletic teams joined the NCAA Division II's Pacific West Conference in 2012.
The mission of FPU athletics is to provide a highly competitive intercollegiate athletic environment which emphasizes the tenets of character, athletic achievement, personal growth in one's Christian faith and evangelical outreach that is based on the five core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship. For more information, visit fpuathletics.com.
Information Technology Resources
Personal Computing
The university strongly encourages students to have their own computers with the following minimum specifications:
Hardware
- PC or Mac
- Laptop (recommended)
- Intel i3 processor or better
- 4GB - 8GB RAM- depending on platform
- 160GB - 250GB hard drive
- 10/100 based Ethernet connection
- Wireless Network Capable (optional for desktop computers)
Software
- Windows 7 operating system or newer for PCs and Mountain Lion or newer for Macs
- Microsoft Office 2010 for PCs and Microsoft Office 2011 for Macs (Specially priced student versions are available.)
- Anti-spyware program (optional, but highly recommended)
- Up-to-date anti-virus software required for PCs; a free download of Microsoft Security Essentials is available online. Contact the IT Helpdesk for detailed instructions. Other anti-virus programs are allowed as long as they are up-to-date.
These specifications will run the basic software a student needs to create papers and do research. If the student has programs that are resource intensive, an upgrade is strongly recommended. Laptops are ideal for the FPU student. They are mobile, take up less space and can be used to log on to the university's wireless network on campus. Most new laptops will last four to five years. Please note that individual academic programs may require more than what is listed here.
Computer Labs
For students without a computer, open computer laboratories are located in the basement of Kriegbaum Hall and Hiebert Library. Using Windows-based computers, students can access word-processing, spreadsheet, database, languages and other software for their use in class work, research and writing, as well as email and the Internet.
Other labs are available but are often reserved for specific programs, teaching or class use. These are referred to as closed labs. Open access to these labs depend on class schedules.
Network Access
Please read FPU's Acceptable Use of Technology policy before connecting your computer to the FPU network. All computers on FPUs network are subject to this policy. The Internet access is filtered for content and monitored for illegal downloads of copyrighted digital media. The downloading and/or sharing of illegal media files (music, video, etc.) are forbidden. Any users of the university network are expected to abide by all state and federal laws/regulations and the behavioral standards of the FPU community. Violation of this policy could lead the user to disciplinary or legal action. Internet access priority is given to academic and business functions.
Moodle
Moodle is the university's learning management system and is used to support the teaching of online coursework. Students go to the website learning.fresno.edu or use one of the links available in CampusCruiser.
Campuscruiser
CampusCruiser is the university's official web portal and should be used to access everything related to university online content including event calendars, schedules, classes, web registration, campus life and much more. Students can access the portal using a web browser and going to my.fpu.edu. Links to this portal may also be found on FPU's homepage. Additionally, each student will be provided an fpu.edu email address that is also accessed through CampusCruiser. The fpu.edu email address is the official means of communication from the university to its students. All students are responsible for checking their university email often so that important information is not missed.
TaskStream
TaskStream is a cloud-based, electronic academic assessment management system. It facilitates performance-based outcomes assessment and helps FPU deliver a student-centered learning experience while achieving university, program and course student learning outcomes. Each student, faculty member and program director has a personal homepage in the TaskStream system. Students and faculty login directly to the TaskStream system from the TaskStream homepage on CampusCruiser. Signature assignments in a variety of courses in all programs are evaluated with a rubric available in TaskStream.. TaskStream training materials and other helpful information can be found on the TaskStream homepage on CampusCruiser, as well as within the TaskStream system once logged in.
Library Resources
Hiebert Library
Hiebert Library provides information resources to support the curriculum and independent research needs of students and faculty at Fresno Pacific University. Library resources are available by visiting the library on the main campus, or by accessing its many online resources from any location. Items in the main library collection may be requested online by regional center students, and will be mailed to their center. The library's discovery service (encore.fresno.edu) provides a complete catalog of all holdings, including the ability to access online resources remotely. More information about resources and services in Hiebert Library is available at fresno.libguides.com.
Mennonite Library and Archives
The Mennonite Library and Archives (MLA) is an integral part of Hiebert Library. Its library collection documents all aspects of the Anabaptist-Mennonite story. The MLA is the official archives of Fresno Pacific University, the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and MB Mission. It also holds a wide variety of archival collections donated by individuals.
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