Biola University is pleased to announce the establishment of a new school — School of Science, Technology and Health — effective summer 2016. The school will be housed in the new Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health scheduled to open in 2017–18.  

“The School of Science, Technology and Health will equip a new generation of ethically thoughtful professionals in the sciences and health care, grounded in a Christian worldview, educated in an academically rigorous environment, ready to assume positions of leadership, and able to provide the clear moral vision the world desperately needs,” said Biola University President Barry H. Corey.

The new school will help to meet the rising interests among prospective students and future job markets for graduates in the sciences, technology, engineering, computation and health care. These are among the fastest-growing career fields today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau’s 2012–22 projections show that 22 of the top 25 fastest growing career occupations with above-median salaries are in these fields.

Biola currently offers several degrees and programs across the fields of technology, science and health, which are currently housed in Biola’s School of Arts and Sciences. The new school will provide greater prominence and support to these growing programs, which include: biological science; biochemistry; chemistry; communication sciences and disorders; computer science; engineering physics; environmental science; human biology; kinesiology; mathematics; nursing; physical education; physics and physical science.

“These degree fields have strong career potential and are currently in high demand in many industries,” said Deborah Taylor, Biola’s interim provost and senior vice president. “Rather than subsume the sciences in a broad umbrella, the time has come to give them special focus: a school to which attention and resources may be devoted as we prepare the growing number of Christian students for careers in these fields.”

The school has already received special attention with a $12 million gift from Alton Lim toward a facility for the new school. The historic gift, announced at the May 9, 2015, fundraising gala for “A Soul of Conviction, A Voice of Courage: The Campaign for Biola University,” will help fund the construction of the innovative new Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health. The 91,200-square-foot building will provide 30 laboratories, three classrooms, research spaces, faculty offices, a rooftop observatory and all-new, cutting-edge technology to meet the growing needs of the new school. Biola will break ground for the $63 million science building in February 2016, with a scheduled opening in 2017-18.

Alton Lim shared two areas of passion for he and his family — Scripture and science. “Part of the appeal of Biola’s facility was the opportunity to prepare Christian students to enter medical fields while also supporting their biblical knowledge and spiritual growth,” Lim said.

To lead this new school, Biola University leadership has commenced a national search for a dean with Carter Baldwin. The search will seek a leader who not only has the academic credentials and missional fit but who will also demonstrate an accomplished commitment to innovation, to growth, to the science industry, to vocational and research trends and to networks.

“Biola’s existing strength of programs in sciences and math and the exemplary faculty provide a strong foundation for the establishment of the school,” said Corey. “Our aspiration is to continue to advance and strengthen our academic programs as we fulfill our mission to prepare students in mind and character to impact our world for the cause of Christ.”

An official groundbreaking ceremony for the Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2016 at 9:30 a.m.

For more information about the dean position, please visit the profile at http://www.carterbaldwin.com/opportunities/bio_dean