San Diego based John Paul the Great Catholic University receives State of CA Approval to Operate

John Paul the Great Catholic University on Oct. 25 received temporary "Approval to Operate a Degree Granting Institution in California" from the State of California's Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE). Scheduled to open in 2006, the university has begun recruiting its inaugural class of 60 students.

Next fall, JP Catholic University will offer degree programs in communications media and business. Technology degree programs will be added in the near future. In all academic disciplines, its goal will be to foster an entrepreneurial spirit and encourage leadership, creativity and innovation, guided by the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church.

According to university president Derry Connolly, the new university will train students to become creative and technical leaders in the culturally influential fields of entertainment media, media-enabling technologies and business. JP Catholic will have an "on-campus business incubators," helping its students to develop plans for viable businesses and transform them into thriving companies. The university's ultimate goal, he said, is for at least 50 percent of each graduating class to continue with their business plans after graduation.

Founded in 2003, John Paul the Great Catholic University had operated under the temporary name New Catholic University until June, when its board of trustees voted to name the institution after the late Pope John Paul II.

Father Mitch Pacwa, SJ, a Jesuit priest and the host of two popular shows on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), delivered the keynote address at the university's scholarship endowment gala Sept. 17 held in La Jolla, California.

The university is in the final stages of lease negotiations on classroom and dorm facilities. The accreditation process, which can last up to six years, will begin one year after the university opens.

For more information on John Paul the Great Catholic University, call (858) 672-9080 or visit www.JPCatholic.com.