“Firmly Grounded, Fully Engaged”
Providence Christian College in Ontario, CA is the only Reformed, four year liberal arts college in the Western United States. Founded in 2002, the college is located on a 5.5-acre campus in Ontario, CA, just 40 miles east of Los Angeles. They offer majors in Biblical Studies, Business Administration, Communication (including Film and Journalism), Education, English, History, and Liberal Studies. Minors include: Biblical Studies, Biblical Languages, Business Administration, Church Leadership, Communication, Cultural Studies, Education, English, History, Mathematics, Music, and Social Science. You can also start with an undeclared major until you find the program that best meets your gifts and passions.
Providence eagerly welcomes homeschoolers and in fact, one of their Resident Assistants, Bethy Schmidt, had a classical homeschool education herself. The college even offers a class in Home School Education, EDU 361, which examines the Home School movement historically in America along with the special challenges that face families who choose to home school. This course also equips students to be effective home school educators. Homeschoolers feel comfortable at Providence since the average class size is only seven students. The college’s total enrollment is approximately 55 students. As a result, students are able to develop close relationships with each other, faculty, and staff. The small classroom environment, biblical perspective, quality instruction emphasizing critical thinking and communication, and access to real-world opportunities all prepare graduates to succeed vocationally as well as to serve as leaders in their churches, their families, their community and the world “for the glory of God and for service to humanity.”
Providence views the college experience holistically, seeking to educate mind, body, and soul in unity. One of the unique programs at Providence is the 4-W Experiences Program. The four W’s stand for Weekends of Work and Worship in the World. The college does not offer classes on Mondays, but for class credit this integrated part of the curriculum encourages students to move out of the classroom to “engage God’s world” at places like the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Huntington Library, Westminster Seminary, Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA Regional Food Bank, Jewish Temple, and Tijuana, Mexico. In addition to the regular field trips and service trips, each school year starts off with an annual all-campus retreat at Laurel Pines Christian Camp in Big Bear, CA.
While the Providence student body is multi-denominational, the college’s philosophy is based on a theological tradition stemming from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century; that is, Sola Fide (faith alone), Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), Sola Gratia (grace alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone). The principles that guide Providence are: adherence to the teachings of scripture, Christ-centeredness in both doctrine and practice, and faithful service in extending the Kingdom of God into every area of life. Prospective students will be interested to know that through the generosity of hundreds of donors, Providence is able to offer generous financial aid packages consisting of scholarships and grants as well as student loans. Visit the Providence website at www.providencecc.net for more information.