You can't attend Ambassador University , so where should you apply?

By Linda Moll Smith

BIG SANDY, Texas--For nearly half a century, first Ambassador College and then Ambassador University made a fine art out of the tradition of small, Christian, liberal-arts schooling.

Now that Ambassador University faces closure, what alternatives are left for the student who wants to pursue an education in a similar setting?

The Journal put that question to some Ambassador alumni and others with ties to the university or experience in higher education.

Out of the answers received, six American colleges emerged as pre-eminent in the opinions of those who should know.

What follows is a brief review, listed alphabetically, of three of these. Three more will follow next issue.

Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Mich.: Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College, Andrews is the flagship institution of the Seventh-day Adventist educational system.

The school is named after John Nevins Andrews (1829-1883), an intellectual Adventist of the 19th century. He was also the church's first sponsored overseas missionary. His emphasis on scholarship and service continues to shape the university.

The six schools of the university include the college of arts and sciences, the college of technology, the school of business, the school of education, the division of architecture and the SDA theological seminary. The university offers 119 undergraduate degrees and 96 graduate degrees, and students may earn bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees.

Average Andrews enrollment is 3,015, with almost a fifth of the students from other countries.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church, which owns and operates Andrews, includes almost nine million members around the world.

For more information on Andrews University, call (616) 471-3322.

Bellevue University, Bellevue, Neb.: Starting with a single-minded commitment to excellence and 409 students in a single building in 1966, Bellevue College grew to become Bellevue University in 1994.

The university includes the college of arts and sciences, the college of business, the college of professional studies and the center for information technology.

Today Bellevue University is one of Nebraska's largest accredited, independent colleges of liberal arts, business and professional education, with 3,400 students each year.

Though the main campus is graced with several learning centers built within the past decade, nearly a third of Bellevue's students attend classes off campus.

Bachelor-of-arts students can choose from 17 majors, ranging from art to urban studies, and bachelor-of-science students can major in biology, chemical dependency and sports management, in addition to more-mainstream fields.

Bachelor-of-technical-studies students can explore 13 emphases seldom found in small colleges, such as floriculture with an art emphasis, nursery management with an art emphasis and a legal-assistant degree with a political-science emphasis.

Bellevue also offers programs in business for the working professional. An example is its master of arts in management, which is a concentrated 16-month program in which work experience can be accepted in lieu of undergraduate prerequisites.

For more information on Bellevue, call the admissions office at (402) 293-2000.

Grove City College, Grove City, Pa.: Since its founding in 1876, Grove City College has been committed to upholding Christian principles and advancing free enterprise, representative government, arts and letters and science and technology.

It is loosely affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

In the 1980s Grove City became a household name for refusing to accept government funding so it could remain independent.

Though small (2,150 students), Grove City charges a low tuition rate of about $5,224 annually (as of 1995).

More than 30 percent of incoming freshmen receive additional aid from job opportunities and other private sources on and off the campus.

The campus itself, 27 neo-Gothic buildings on 150 acres 60 miles north of Pittsburgh, is considered one of the most beautiful in the nation.

Grove City offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, sciences, engineering and music and receives five applications for every freshman vacancy.

For more information, call (412) 458-2100.

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