GENERAL INFORMATION

About Washington Adventist University

Washington Adventist University is a private university with a liberal arts tradition, offering a dynamic blend of professional and liberal arts undergraduate and graduate programs.  Founded in scenic Takoma Park in 1904, it is owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and offers a Christian education to students of differing faiths from around the world.  Its vision is to produce graduates who bring competence and moral leadership to their communities.

Statement of Community Ethos

Washington Adventist University operates under the auspices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  The institution’s distinctive passion is learning.

By making learning a pleasure and a joy and by linking scholarship with service, the faculty, students and those who support them, intend to develop competence for moral leadership as well as competence for work.

We embrace and attempt to live by, the following ideals:

FAITH - We value faith in God and celebrate the goodness of creation, the dignity of diverse peoples and the possibility of human transformation.  Through worship and shared experiences, we uphold spiritual integrity and help one another to achieve it.

MIND - We value the enhancement of the mind through enthusiasm, excellence and honesty in learning.  In both study and conversation, we honor the consideration of ideas and the increase of understanding.

RESPECT - We value safety, respect and courtesy as every person’s need and right.  To assist one another in learning, we attend, in particular, to making our environment hospitable to study.

SERVICE - We value generosity in both attitude and practice and consider higher education to be both a training and an opportunity for service.

BEAUTY - We value beauty and order - in the buildings, on the grounds, in ourselves.  We take responsibility for the look, the sound and the feel of our campus.

HEALTH - We value the health of body, mind and soul and encourage each other to eat, rest and exercise for maximum benefit to our entire being.

GROWTH - We value both honesty and determination with respect to these ideals.  We acknowledge our need and capacity, under God, for continuous growth toward their realization.

Statement of Mission

Washington Adventist University is a learning community committed to the Seventh-day Adventist Christian vision of excellence and service.  This cosmopolitan institution challenges students to seize the opportunities for learning in the nation’s capital in order to become moral leaders in communities throughout the world.

Statement of Objectives

Upon graduation, in accordance with its mission to develop competent moral leaders, WAU students will demonstrate competencies in the following areas:

COMPETENT       

MORAL

LEADERS

For graduate program learning objectives, see LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR GRADUATE PROGRAMS   

Statement of Vision

To produce graduates who bring competence and moral leadership to their communities.

Statement of Core Values

At Washington Adventist University learner success comes first.  Excellence in teaching learning and service comprise the core of our mission.  We dedicate ourselves as a learning community to the continued pursuit of excellence and recognition of the dignity and worth of our individual members.

With these as fundamental principles, the following values guide our actions:

INTEGRATION OF THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS CHRIST

We will model the life and teachings of Jesus Christ into all aspects of the learning community.

COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

We take personal responsibility for continuous improvement and commitment to lifelong learning as we celebrate creativity, innovation, service and the success of learners.

RESPECT

We insist on an environment of respect. Our actions reflect the respect we hold for our students, our colleagues, our community, and ourselves.  We trust each member of the community as individuals deserving of kindness, dignity, and fairness.  All are gifted, all are valued.

TRUST

We honor the trust placed in us by our students, the community, and our colleagues.  With trust, we act openly and ethically, motivated by cooperation and a collaborative team spirit.

CONSIDERATE OPEN COMMUNICATION

We take responsibility to share information, encourage the exchange of ideas, listen without judgment, and speak with honesty and candor.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND INTEGRITY

We hold ourselves and others accountable for our professional and personal actions, acting responsibly and conducting our business with integrity.

History of the University

Washington Adventist University was established in 1904 as a coeducational institution known as the Washington Training College.  Its purpose was to train young men and women in the liberal arts.

In 1907, when the name was changed to Washington Foreign Mission Seminary, the more limited objective of special training for missionaries replaced the original concept of a liberal arts college.

In 1914, the college resumed the status of a liberal arts college and took the name Washington Missionary College.  At the first commencement, held May 22, 1915, five students received the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Continued growth and development led to further changes.  In 1933, the lower division was organized as Columbia Junior College and received accreditation.  It ceased to exist as a separate college in 1942, when Washington Missionary College was given accreditation as a four-year, degree-granting institution by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

In March of 1961, the college constituency voted to change the name of the college to Columbia Union College.  In 2009, Columbia Union College attained university status and the college constituency voted to change the name of the college to Washington Adventist University.

Campus

WAU occupies 19 acres in Takoma Park, Maryland, near the nation’s capital.  Its world-class metropolitan setting affords unrivaled opportunities for learning, work, recreation, service and worship.

Affiliation

The university operates under the auspices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  The Board of Trustees guides the overall mission and direction of the university, overseeing management and setting major policies.  The administration is responsible for leading the university community and managing day-to-day operations.

Faculty, students and staff participate in governance through committees charged with protecting the integrity and enhancing the value of a Washington Adventist University education.

Accreditations and Approvals

WAU is accredited by:

• The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 1007 N. Orange St., 4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801, 267-284-5011.
  Washington Adventist University is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE or the Commission).  Washington Adventist University’s accreditation status is Accreditation Reaffirmed.  The Commission’s most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status on March 9, 2023 was to reaffirm the institution.  MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidate status) activities for institutions of higher education including distance, correspondence education, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions.  The Commission’s geographic area of accrediting activities is throughout the United States. | msche.org
• The Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges and Universities, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, 301-680-6000. | adventistaccreditingassociation.org
• The baccalaureate degree in nursing and master’s degree in nursing programs at Washington Adventist University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K St. NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. | ccneaccreditation.org
• The National Association of Schools of Music, 11250 Roger Bacon Dr., Suite 21, Reston, VA 20190-5248, 703-437-0700. | nasm.arts-accredit.org
• The Associate Degree Radiography program is accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, 20 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 2850, Chicago, IL 60606-3182, 312-704-5300. | jrcert.org

WAU is approved by:

• Maryland Higher Education Commission, 839 Bestgate Rd., Suite 400, Annapolis, MD 21401-3013, 410-260-4500. | mhec.state.md.us
• The American Music Therapy Association, 8455 Colesville Rd., Suite 1000, Silver Spring MD 20910, 301-589-3300. | musictherapy.org
• Maryland State Department of Education, 200 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201-2595, 410-767-0100. | marylandpublicschools.org
• Maryland Board of Nursing, 4140 Patterson Ave., Baltimore, MD 21215-2254, 888-202-9861, 410-585-1900. | mbon.maryland.gov

See www.wau.edu/about-wau/about-us/accreditations-approvals for the most current status on accreditations and approvals

Authorizations

Washington Adventist University is authorized under federal law to:

• Train veterans
• Enroll non-immigrant alien students