Ambassador College

The Worldwide Church of God's Ambassador  College  University was closed down

The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) had its own private college called Ambassador College (AC). At one point, there were three campuses:

• The Pasadena, California campus was started in 1947 by Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA).

• The Bricket Wood, England campus was started in 1960, and closed in 1974.

• The Big Sandy, Texas campus was started in 1964, and closed in 1977. Big Sandy was reopened in 1981, and then closed again in 1997.

Ambassador College (AC), which had briefly become Ambassador University (AU) under the reign of Joseph W. Tkach, Sr., was closed down by Joseph Tkach, Jr. after the 1996-1997 academic year, and the campus in Big Sandy, Texas was sold. The Pasadena, California campus and headquarters buildings of the Worldwide Church of God were also sold later.

SOLD   Ambassador College Pasadena, California	SOLD   Ambassador Auditorium Pasadena, California
SOLD   Ambassador College Big Sandy, Texas	SOLD   Ambassador College Bricket Wood, England

Notes:

1. Academic records

   Former students of Ambassador College (AC), Ambassador University (AU), and Imperial Schools who require academic records can find contact information at http://www.ambassador.edu.

2. History of the Big Sandy campus

   A brief history of Ambassador College/University was given in the January 31, 1997 issue of the In Transition newspaper, and can be read at http://www.io.com/~robinson/1997/01_31_96/au_history.html.

3. Ambassador University Party Line

   A Web site called the Ambassador University Party Line, where former Ambassador University students and employees could get in touch with each other, was set up by a former student named Darwin J. Sanoy. He said that he just wanted "the positive, upbeat sharing of their lives." For anyone who was concerned about what was happening with the incredible doctrinal changes in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) he said that "there are other forums. This is simply not the appropriate place." They were told to withhold their comments until after they had "healed and matured." Obviously, Darwin still needed to do some more maturing himself.

   Many Ambassador students learned how to put on a tuxedo and go to a social event but never learned any great love for the truth of God. Now, all some of them want to do is gab godlessness. Perhaps it is just as well that these Ambassador Party Animals got shut down. The doctrinal changes within the WCG caused its income to plummet so much that its Ambassador University was closed down.

   Darwin's latest efforts, now called the Ambassador University Alumni Web site, can be found at http://www.ambassadorcollege.org. Perhaps former Ambassador students can get in touch with each other there and discuss the weather.

4. Legacy Partners and the Pasadena campus

   Legacy Partners wanted to buy the Ambassador College (AC) campus property in Pasadena, California. For a while, Legacy Partners had a Web site called Legacy at the Ambassador at http://www.legacypasadena.com to promote its plans for the Ambassador property.

5. West Pasadena Residents' Association

   Legacy Partners' plans for the Ambassador College (AC) campus property in Pasadena, California were opposed by the West Pasadena Residents' Association. The West Pasadena Residents' Association had a Web site at http://www.wpra.net/index.html. It had information about Legacy Partners' proposed plans for the former Ambassador College property in Pasadena, California on one of its Web pages at http://www.wpra.net/NewFiles/neighborhoodalert.html. Photographs of a model of the proposed development could be viewed on another one of its Web pages at http://www.wpra.net/NewFiles/Photopage.html.

   Legacy Partners' plans for the Ambassador College property in Pasadena, California
   

6. Legacy Partners decides not to develop Ambassador property

   On April 29, 2002, the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) announced that Legacy Partners had abandoned its plans to buy the former Ambassador College (AC) campus in Pasadena, California and convert it into a 1,700-unit housing development. Legacy Partners apparently decided not to renew their expired sale option contract following extensive negotiations with the Church. The Church then said it would move forward on its own with the proposal to develop the Ambassador campus.

7. WCG sells east campus property to Sares-Regis Group

   The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) announced February 11, 2004 the sale of 11 acres of its east campus property in the Old Pasadena historic commercial district to Sares-Regis Group, a prominent Southern California developer, for an undisclosed sum. Sares-Regis Group plans to meet with the city of Pasadena to discuss its plans for a transit-oriented urban village that could include for-sale and rental homes. A press release about it can be read at http://www.sares-regis.com/newsroom/press/pasadena.htm.

   Sares-Regis Group is one of the leading developers, managers and builders of residential and commercial real estate in the Western United States. The company has acquired or developed about 36 million square feet of commercial properties and more than 18,000 apartment and residential homes since its inception. Bill Montgomery is the spokesman for the Sares-Regis Group.

   The Worldwide Church of God under Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) had assembled more than 100 separate parcels of land over a 50 year period to build the 48-acre Ambassador campus, which has served as its international headquarters and the Pasadena campus of Ambassador College (AC).

8. WCG sells Ambassador Auditorium

   The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) announced on May 14, 2004 the sale of approximately 13 acres of its 31-acre west campus to Ambassador Acquisition Partners, LLC, comprised of Harvest Rock Church and Maranatha High School. The announcement is posted at the WCG's Web site at http://www.wcg.org/eastcampus.htm. This sale, for an undisclosed amount of money, included the Ambassador Auditorium, Hall of Administration, Physical Education Complex, Student center, and Men’s Dormitory.

   Information about Maranatha High School's newly acquired campus property, including a virtual photo tour of the property, can be found at http://12.98.68.179/NewCampus/NewBeginning.html.

   Harvest Rock Church has some information about its property purchase at http://www.harvestrockchurch.org/1hrc_new/press_release.html.