Presidential Fellow and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad speaks at the 25th annual Holocaust Art & Writing Contest ceremony March 15.

Youth Connect With Survivors at 25th Holocaust Art & Writing Contest Ceremony

Presidential Fellow and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad spoke about the devastating impact of religious persecution on ordinary people.

Is Debating Some Topics Morally Wrong?

The Philosophy Department is sponsoring a talk by visiting sabbatical fellow Professor Holly Lawford Smith from the University of Melbourne, who will be talking about whether and when it is okay to debate...

Call for Applications for Associate Vice President for Graduate Education

Applications for the position of Associate Vice President for Graduate Education is now open. Applications should include an updated vitae and a cover letter describing your vision for the future of the...

Chapman Running Team

Chapman Running Team Competed at the Pediatric Cancer Foundation Half Marathon

The Chapman Running Team competed in the Pediatric Cancer Foundation Half Marathon on March 24. Runners, walkers and volunteers dedicated their miles to the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and the 300,000...

Harold-Hewitt

Harold Hewitt Appointed to California Educational Facilities Authority

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Harold Hewitt to the California Educational Facilities Authority (CEFA). CEFA was established to issue bonds that financially support the construction and expansion of...

Driving Forward.
Shaping Our Future.

Our strength is our commitment to progress. We are true to our mission of personalized education, no matter the challenges. This is where teaching and research intersect. Where students can be deeply involved. Where global citizens prepare to take their place as the leaders of
tomorrow and make a difference.

LEADERSHIP WITH VISION RESEARCH WITH IMPACT BUILDING WITH PURPOSE STRATEGIC LEGACY

A History of Forward Momentum.

Breaking ground and building up are in Chapman’s DNA.

1861: Founding institution Hesperian College opens as Lincoln is inaugurated

Hesperian College — forerunner institution to Chapman University — is founded in Woodland, Calif., on the date of Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration. The timing reflects the founders’ connection to the promise of Lincoln’s presidency. Hesperian welcomes women as well as men and students of all races – a radical concept…Read More

1930s: International students organize, launching a tradition of global citizenship 

The student body includes a significant contingent of international students from the Philippines and Japan. The students launch campus groups such as the Filipino Circle to support each other and to increase awareness. A student commitment to organizing is born, establishing a tradition of activism and embrace of global citizenship. 

1919: C.C. Chapman’s gift sparks ongoing support by visionary philanthropists 

A $400,000 challenge by prominent banker and grower Charles C. Chapman is met by other Disciples of Christ leaders. The college establishes a presence in Los Angeles and, in 1934, is renamed Chapman College to honor C.C. Chapman’s insightful leadership. Such transformational support by visionary leaders is a hallmark of…Read More

1954: Chapman relocates to Orange County  

Having outgrown its space on North Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, Chapman moves to a new campus in Orange County, five miles from the still-unfinished Disneyland. Today, the region is a hub of biotechnology and other emerging industries, making it one of the nation’s most dynamic centers of innovation.

1961: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks in Memorial Hall

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks in Memorial Hall as part of Chapman’s popular Artist Lecture Series. Over the years, Chapman hosts many groundbreaking artists and leaders, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou, Dolores Huerta and Angela Davis. 

1991: Chapman College formally becomes Chapman University

Chapman College formally becomes Chapman University, marking the start of a 25-year academic rise that is the steepest in the history of the U.S. News & World Report college rankings. The period includes the 2008 addition to the faculty of Chapman’s first Nobel laureate, Vernon Smith, who heads the newly…Read More

2010: Physics professor Yakir Aharonov awarded the National Medal of Science

Chapman physics professor Yakir Aharonov is awarded the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor. Aharonov and his colleagues at the Institute for Quantum Studies build bridges to practical use of their foundational work, sparking advances in areas such as satellites and information processing.

2013: Rinker Health Science campus opens in Irvine

The Rinker Health Science campus opens in Irvine, providing a state-of-the-art home for Chapman’s new School of Pharmacy. The campus now also houses Chapman’s Physician Assistant Program and its innovative Brain Institute, reflecting the university’s growing emphasis on research and teaching in the practical sciences.   

2016: Opening of Musco Center for the Arts hailed as “an ideal opera house”

The opening of Musco Center for the Arts is hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “an ideal opera house, potentially the best in the West.” The music, theatre and dance venue exemplifies Chapman’s commitment to cutting-edge facilities. Along with the Hilbert Museum of California Art, Musco Center enhances Chapman’s…Read More

2019: Elevated to R2 status for “high research activity”

Chapman is elevated to R2 status, for “high research activity.” The achievement augments Chapman’s overall rise nationally, as the university also enters the U.S. News national rankings, establishes a chapter in the nation’s most prestigious honor society (Phi Beta Kappa), and its Dodge College of Film and Media Arts climbs…Read More

2020: University Rises Above Challenges of Global Pandemic

In March 2020, Chapman makes the difficult decision to move all instruction online. This rapid transition protects the health and well-being of our campus communities. As many students and their families struggled with the financial fallout of the crisis, the Chapman community responded with an outpouring of philanthropic support. Read…Read More

2021: Chapman Celebrates 160th Anniversary

160 years after its establishment in Woodland, California, Chapman University continues its trajectory of growth and transformation. A yearlong celebration across the institution commemorates past accomplishments and propels us into the future with drive and vision. Read more.

2021: First Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Is Appointed

Dr. Reginald Chhen Stewart is named Chapman’s first vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, reflecting Chapman’s renewed commitment to elevating underrepresented voices in our community. Read more.

2021: Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Is Named Fourth Best Film School in the Nation

With its highest-ever national ranking in The Hollywood Reporter, the film school is lauded for providing early access to hands-on experiences and a collaborative creative environment that helps film and media arts students thrive. An emphasis on diversity in faculty hiring and in establishing a mentorship program for underrepresented high…Read More

2021: Opening of Swenson Family Hall of Engineering

The Swenson Family Hall of Engineering, the new state-of-the-art wing in the Keck Center for Science and Engineering, completes the most ambitious building project in Chapman’s history. Along with cutting-edge tools and equipment, the building features an immersive layout that promotes collaboration and breakthrough learning. Read more.

2022: Opening of Sandi Simon Dance Center

A new home for Chapman’s award-winning dance program is revitalizing the 1918 Villa Park Orchards Association Packing House, an icon of Old Towne Orange. The adaptive reuse of the building will provide nearly 33,000 square feet for teaching studios, performance space and a training center dedicated to dancer health. Read…Read More

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Research with Impact.

In the classroom and beyond, Chapman researchers work across disciplines to improve health, create knowledge and enhance the human experience.

president struppa

“We continue on a trajectory and transformation unlike any other in the country. Chapman leaders are committed to being more than the knowledge we discover and impart, but to creating a place that inspires the next generation of leaders.”

– Daniele C. Struppa

Solving Real World Problems.

panther paw
Chapman Researchers advance the fight against antibiotic resistance

Chapman researchers work to add antibiotic options as they combat the global threat of drug-resistant bacteria.

Dr. Tiwari in the lab

2019

In 2019 the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education elevated Chapman to R2 status.

Covid-19

With support from a Kay Family Foundation grant, researchers from Chapman’s Center for Excellence in Biopsychosocial Approaches to Health conducted a large-scale study of COVID-19’s mental health impacts, including how minorities experienced prejudice because of perceived connections to the virus.

23 Million

In the last four years, Chapman research funding has grown two and one-half times, rising to $23M in 2020.

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Improving Lives.

panther paw
Researchers turn big data into huge impact for children with autism spectrum disorder

Through data analysis, scientists document a link between intensity of clinical intervention and developmental progress by young people who are on the autism spectrum.

Eriik Linstead with daughter Hannah.

When elementary schools closed, Attallah College of Educational Studies created the Chapman U Math at Play Video Series, providing parents a much-needed source of hands-on math fun.

Frances Smith Center for Individual and Family Therapy provides free telehealth counseling sessions to the community.

A Chapman University School of Pharmacy researcher is part of a team developing a strategy that may lead to new drug therapies to treat malignant melanoma.

Discovery Through New Perspectives.

panther pawRENOWNED FILMMAKER EXPLORES THE ROOTS OF A CULTURAL DIVIDE
IN ‘HILLBILLY’

Documentarian Sally Rubin trains her lens on the shallow stereotypes of a misunderstood region, revealing the tension among the disenfranchised.

sally

“The best science happens when diverse individuals are supported, included and empowered to share their voices as a part of scientific discovery.” Michael Ibba, Ph.D., dean of Schmid College of Science and Technology.

Launched the university-funded Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity program to correct gaps in knowledge related to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Professor of education and disability studies scholar Dr. Audri Gomez received funding for her work from Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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BRIDGING ART AND SCIENCE.

panther pawINTERPRETING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH THROUGH ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

A graphic illustrator applies artistic insights to disaster evacuation maps. A visual artist looks to the cosmos to celebrate women astronomers. Both help us find our way in worlds of change.

lia holloran

The ongoing multi-year, empirical “Study of American Fears” became a book, “Fear Itself: The Cause and Consequences of Fear in America” (NYU Press) by Chapman Professors Ann Gordon, Chris Bader and Lemuel Day.

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