Chapman University

Founded in 1861, Chapman University is one of the oldest, most prestigious private universities in California. Originally called Hesperian College, the school later merged with California Christian College in Los Angeles. In 1934, the institution was renamed in honor of Charles C. Chapman, an Orange County entrepreneur and benefactor of the school. The college moved to its current location in downtown Orange, California in 1954. In 1991, the college again changed its name to Chapman University, reflecting its evolution into a comprehensive institution of higher learning.

 

Chapman University is built around a liberal arts core offering traditional undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on our main campus. To serve the larger community, we provide working adults with the opportunity to obtain a range of bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and teaching credentials through our University College campuses conveniently located throughout California and Washington.

 

The beautiful residential campus, situated on 76 tree-lined acres, features a mixture of landmark historic buildings and state-of-the-art facilities. It is located in the historic Old Towne District of Orange, near outstanding beaches, sports venues, Disneyland, and the world-class cultural offerings of Orange County and Los Angeles.

Leatherby Libraries

The Leatherby Libraries facility opened on August 30, 2004 and offers a full range of services and resources to the students and faculty of Chapman University. Features include a study commons and coffee bar, a 60-station computer lab, 16 group study rooms, 6 multi-media preview rooms, over 750 seats, capacity for over 300,000 books and bound volumes, personalized service, and access to a multitude of online resources.

There are 9 separate libraries that comprise the Leatherby Libraries. Each library has a distinctive "look", housing the physical collections of the disciplines of that library (books, periodicals, audio visual media, oversize collections), and including 2 group study rooms and a Multi-media preview room.

§ Donna Ford and Fahmy Attallah, Ph.D. Library of Arts and Humanities

§ Doy and Dee Henley Library of Social Sciences

§ M. Douglas Library of Music

§ Leon and Olga Argyros Library of Business and Economics

§ Edgar and Libby Pankey Library of Education

§ Onnolee Elliott Library of Science and Technology

§ John and Donna Crean Library of Film and Television

 

The Leatherby Libraries houses two special libraries on the fourth floor:

 

Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library. Named in honor of the parents of Henry Samueli, both of whom were Holocaust survivors, and given by Henry and Susan Samueli. The gray zinc-clad exterior walls of the Library evoke the harsh reality of the Holocaust while the stones surrounding these walls and those on the opposite side of the foyer testify to enduring memory and the power of witness. Within the Samueli Library is an exhibit depicting six phases of the Holocaust and a reference collection of 5,000 books, tapes, CDs and other materials, as well as to a collection of rare artifacts and photographs.

 

Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives. Named for one of the notable Carlisle Indian athletes of the early 20th century, and Uncle of Joan Mt. Pleasant Chapman, wife of former trustee Stan Chapman, the donors of this library. This library features the Aquin Mitsuo Yamagishi Reading Room, a supervised area for accessing special collections that includes tables and chairs, a computer, a printer, and a copier, and the Dan and Sarah Caton Hogan Special Collections Seminar Room, a small room for seminars, lectures, and meetings.  There is also space for the processing, preservation and storage of special materials.