CPU's Beginnings

The University was founded in 1978 by three Senior Academics in order to provide non-resident degree programs in a wholistic frame of reference to individuals who have already demonstrated some success in their fields, and received initial authorization to operate as a degree-granting institution from the California State Department of Education. The University was originally located in leased offices in Mill Valley, California. (From the CPU General Catalogue, 1989 edition - see intro on CPU's approach).


Early Comments on CPU by Distance Education Expert John Bear, Ph.D.
(see original documents given by Bear to John DeNevers)

Columbia Pacific University
Address: 150 Shoreline, Mill Valley, California 94941 (415) 332-7832

Columbia Pacific represents a major attempt to establish a new non-residential university – the first in Northern California. Non-residential bachelors, masters, and doctorates are offered. The first students were enrolled in the Spring of 1978.

Three things impress me about Columbia Pacific, in comparison with all the other non-residential universities now operating at the undergraduate and graduate level.

1. The quality of the people involved. The President, Richard Crews, is a psychiatrist with his M.D. from Harvard University. The co-founder and Dean, Les Carr, Ph.D., was, for many years, President of a large traditional university in Illinois. No other school of its kind has officers with such impressive backgrounds.
   
   
2. The facilities. Unlike many new schools that start out with small rented offices and no permanent foundation, CPU is being built on the foundation of an existing and large entity, the Wholistic Health and Nutrition Institute, which has its own large building, a national clientele and reputation, and a good staff. This close interaction, between University and Institute, is reflected in CPU's emphasis in areas related to health sciences, nutrition, wholistic health, rehabilitation counseling, and the like. However, with an adjunct (part-time) faculty of more than 80 persons (nearly all with earned doctorates), degree work is available in dozens of fields, including business, psychology, aviation management, law enforcement, fire sciences, and economics.
   
   
3. The costs are quite low, CPU apparently feels that while it is not wrong to make a profit running a school, it need not be an exorbitant profit. The cost of degree programs has been set well under those offered by any of the other schools operating under California's $50,000 law (i.e. if you have that much in property, and meet other minimal requirements, you are authorized to grant degrees). The typical degree programs cost around $1,600 to $1,700.

The comments above are taken from a document titled "Information Prepared by Dr. John Bear Exclusively for his Counseling Clients", (there is no date attached, but based on the content, it appears to have been written around 1978 or shortly after 1978). The document bears the number 497811 and is assumed to be an information document used by Bear early on in his educational consulting practice.

John DeNevers, CPU alum and supplier of the document writes the following on the above document:

It was "Prepared exclusively for the clients of Degree Consulting Services". The date of personal consulting services with Dr.John Bear was January 22, 1980.
At that time the address was: John Bear, Ph.D., Drawer H, Littleriver, CA 95456. It's now: Degee Consulting Services, PO Box 3533, Santa Rosa, CA 95402. Consulting's done by Peter K. Proehl (DeNevers, March 13, 2001, by email)

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