Your Giving, Our Gratitude

Celebrating 115 years of excellence in Christian higher education, Biola University looked back on many decades of academic success and spiritual growth as it forged further into its second century in early 2023.

To mark the anniversary, Biola hosted “I Heart Biola Week” from February 20–24, 2023.

“Generations after its first class was convened in downtown L.A., Biola remains committed to the inerrancy of Scripture and the necessity of equipping Christian students to be bold and faithful leaders,” said Dr. Barry H. Corey.

In 1908, Lyman Stewart and Reverend T.C. Horton established the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Stewart was founder and president of the Union Oil Company; Horton was a prominent pastor and writer.

“Let it be our hope and prayer that from this place shall radiate streams of influence which will be a great blessing not only to the multitudes around us but also to the darkest places of the earth,” Stewart said early in Biola’s history.

At the time of its founding, the University took up its mission at the center of a rapidly growing and modernizing region that would become one of the most influential in the world, teaching the Bible and raising up generations of Christian professionals grounded in God’s Word. Soon, it was serving hundreds of students while proclaiming the gospel to the city of Los Angeles.

Today, Biola provides more than 5,000 students with higher education that is rooted in Scripture, preparing leaders for vocations of Christ glorifying impact through 145 academic programs. Solo de gloria!

Biola’s thriving community of student and faculty artists celebrated their first full year in Bardwell Hall, a visionary new home for the arts at the heart of Biola's campus.

Our alumni remember the building well as the former home of Biola’s science programs, but was renovated and reopened in the fall of 2021 to include 1,100 square feet of student gallery space, 40 working studio spaces for students, outdoor exhibition space, a rooftop terrace, a photography darkroom, and more.

A striking addition to the Biola University campus, Bardwell Hall now features student artwork in the entrance to the building—a signature gallery showcasing student work and student-curated exhibitions.

“Bardwell Hall has opened up even more opportunities for our students to practice and show their work in a beautiful and modern space that honors the tradition of creativity at Biola,” said Dr. Barry H. Corey. “And its location in the center of campus also ensures the arts have a key role in the ongoing conversation among the disciplines at the University.”

The Department of Fine Arts and Communications balances classroom learning with community-based experiences through studio time and common spaces—values at the center of Bardwell Hall’s renovation. The enhanced teaching and studio spaces offer students vastly improved access to practical and experimental spaces—as well as display areas—that are key to the development of the next generation of faithful artists.

As soon as late 2026, film students attending Biola will walk through the doors of the new Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts, named for Esther L. Snyder, who co-founded In-N-Out Burger and left a legacy of faith, family values and excellence.

In May, the popular burger chain and SoCal staple announced a grant to Biola that would be the largest in the history of the University. As a result, in October 2023 Biola will break ground on a $92 million, 52,100 square-foot film production studio that will extend the capabilities and technology accessible to students learning the art of faithful filmmaking. The project is expected to take about two years to complete.

In announcing the grant, In-N-Out Owner and President Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, granddaughter of Esther L. Snyder, offered these gracious words: “God is a huge part of the In-N-Out story, and I have no doubt my grandmother would be grateful to know her name is associated with a school recognized for excellence in craft and character.”

The grant will also establish the In-N-Out Burger Scholars Fund to provide opportunities for foster and at-risk youth to study in the Snyder School. Biola’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the School of Cinema & Media Arts after Esther L. Snyder in May. In-N-Out was founded in Baldwin Park in 1948 and is currently headquartered in Irvine.

“In-N-Out Burger, Biola, and the movies—we see so much of the heritage of Los Angeles in this partnership,” said Biola President Barry H. Corey. “This naming of the Snyder School and the inspirational vision of Mrs. Esther Snyder will be a testimony to students and alumni for generations that humility in leadership, Christlike love of others, entrepreneurial tenacity and upright business principles are virtues worth living.”

Esther L. Snyder was steadfast in her faith and in support of faith-based education. She also fostered the integration of faith and Scripture within a company that has grown to include some 27,000 employees and nearly 400 restaurants across the Southwest U.S. To this day, In-N-Out cups, fry boats and bags are imprinted with verses like John 3:16, Proverbs 3:5 and Revelation 3:20.

“As Biola’s fastest growing school, this incredible gift will dramatically improve our School of Cinema & Media Arts’ already strong academic program for students, as well as help accommodate our significant enrollment growth,” said Founding Dean and industry veteran Tom Halleen. “We want our students to be great at what they do, but also great in who they are as we prepare them to tell their stories across all the screens we use in everyday life: the movie screen, TV screen, computer screen, and their device’s screen.”