Pacific Union College, Healdsburg, Cal.
By L. A. Reed
During the past two years Pacific Union College has taken on new strength. Through financial reverses and a number of discouragements the school work was considered enough of a failure to warrant the closing of the school; but early in the spring in the latter part of April, 1906, the school was entirely reorganized, placed on a self-supporting basis, and has been making progress in the number of its students, in the amount and character of its work, and in the favor of its patrons. Last fall at the opening there were as many students in the Home as there were in the entire school one year before. The attendance last year was fully double the attendance of the preceding year. This year the attendance is considerably larger than the attendance of last year. For example, Oct. 1, 1905, there were forty-eight students in the Home. Oct. 1, 1906, there were fifty-eight students in the Home. Last year we planned on having sixty students in the Home, but the numbers increased to seventy-five; and for the last five months of school up to the very last week, we had seventy-five in the Home. This year we expect an attendance in the Home of eighty-five or ninety. There are still a number of students who have not yet reached here who have written us that they will arrive ready for school work in a very short time. The number of students outside of the Home is fully double what it was last year at this time, so that at the present time, with sixty-four in the Home and our increased outside attendance, we have a larger school by ten or fifteen than we had last year when we had seventy-five in the Home. Our total enrolment above and including the ninth grade is now ninety-five, not including special students taking music. When we have a full attendance, it will thus be seen that our numbers will easily rise above one hundred. Through the liberality of the conference, a number of improvements have been made this year; this greatly facilitates our work, makes our Home much more comfortable, and gives us an opportunity to carry on our work to a greater advantage than the past year. Our college building, one block from the city plaza, has been sold, and thus the first definite step is taken toward placing the school on vantage-ground by locating in the country. As soon as finances make it possible, we expect to be located where we can conduct an industrial farm. When this is accomplished, we can drop our rates enough to greatly increase our attendance. At the present time practically all our students are coming from the California-Nevada Conference. The school at Fernando claims everything south, and it has a few students from our own territory. We are thus limited in attendance much more than we would be were this the acknowledged college of the Pacific Union Conference. Loma Linda is building up a strong school for those interested in medical work. Thus we have three large schools in the one State; but with the fairly limited facilities which we have at present, we have nearly all the students we can care for. Last year at the beginning of the second semester we were compelled to find quarters outside for a few of the young ladies. This year we have increased our facilities to care for nearly forty additional students, so that we can properly handle with ease whatever increase of attendance we may have.