The University of La Verne was founded in 1891 as Lordsburg College by members of the Church of the Brethren. Both the college and the agricultural community were renamed La Verne in 1917.
Through the next three decades, campus facilities multiplied fourfold, the Board of Trustees became independent of church control, and enrollment surged. In the 1960s, the college awarded its first master’s degree, and in 1979, it conferred its first doctorate. In 1969, La Verne began offering degree programs off campus, and the following year it opened the College of Law and Public Service.
The college reorganized in 1977 as the University of La Verne before founding regional campuses in Irvine (1981) and Burbank (1983). A decade later, a campus in Ontario followed, and in 2000 a separate campus for the College of Law and Public Service was also established in Ontario. To further improving access and services for students, the university later developed a presence in Bakersfield.
Today, the University of La Verne is dedicated to the belief that a quality, values-based education enriches the human condition by engendering community engagement, scholarly accomplishment, and professionalism.