Oikos University

Oikos University is a private Korean Christian university in Oakland, California.[2] The university is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS).

Oikos University
TypePrivate university
Established2004
PresidentJongin Kim
StudentsFewer than 100[1]
Location
Oakland
,
California
,
United States

37.741°N 122.202°W / 37.741; -122.202
Websitewww.oikos.edu

History

Oikos University was founded in 2004 by Jongin Kim, a pastor and former South Korean military officer who emigrated from South Korea to the United States in the 1990s.[3] Other members of staff include Chair of the Board Youngkyo Choi and Chief Operating Officer Jaehoon Moon.[3][4] The school is affiliated with the Praise God Korean Presbyterian Church in Oakland.[4] Oikos offers an Associate's degree for a licensed practical nurse in its School of Nursing,[5] and undergraduate and graduate degrees in its Schools of Theology, Music and Asian medicine.

On April 2, 2012, a mass shooting at the school killed seven people and injured three.[6] One L. Goh, a former nursing student at the university, was arrested and charged in the case.[7][8][9]

Accreditation

The university is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS).[10] It is also approved to operate in California by the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education[11] and approved by the state Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.[12] In 2011, the school applied for recognition from Healthcare Medicine Institute to teach acupuncture.[13]

In 2012, the San Jose Mercury News reported that Oikos nursing students, the school's only licensed program, had been failing nursing license exams "at alarming rates", worrying state regulators.[14] Oikos' nursing passing rate for students was at 58 percent in 2010 and 41 percent in 2011, well below the state average of 75 percent.[15]

Finances

Oikos University has faced persistent financial difficulties. School president Jongin Kim stopped cashing his own paychecks in 2011, while Chief Operating Officer Jaehoon Moon says he remains on the job despite more lucrative opportunities elsewhere only because of Kim's example. The school does not own its campus, a building near the Oakland International Airport, but instead rents it; in the aftermath of the shooting, it was forced to relocate classes temporarily to other rented facilities, including classrooms at Chabot College in Hayward and Unitek College in Fremont.[3] The school's debt, combined with outstanding lawsuits for failure to pay employees, may impact its approval to operate in California.[14]

References
  1. Wood, Daniel (April 2, 2012). "Oakland shooter's connections to religious university under scrutiny". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  2. Colliver, Victoria; Kane, Will (April 2, 2012). "Oikos a Christian school primarily serving Koreans". San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. Krupnick, Matt (April 30, 2012). "Staggered Oikos swims upstream toward survival". San Jose Mercury News.
  4. Krupnick, Matt (April 2, 2012). "Oikos University attracts nursing, music, religion students". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  5. "Oikos School of Nursing > A.S. in Nursing: LVN". Oikos University. 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  6. "Fatalities in California university shooting". BBC News. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  7. Oikos University Shooting: Suspect, One L. Goh, Detained; At Least 7 Dead
  8. "Former nursing student opens fire at Oakland university, killing 7 and wounding 3 others". Oakland Tribune. April 2, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  9. La Ganga, Maria L; Stevens, Matt (April 4, 2012). "Oakland shooting suspect called loner, loser". Los Angeles Times.
  10. "Oikos University". Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  11. "School Detail:Oikos University". Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  12. "California Approved Schools". California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Archived from the original on 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  13. Staff report (March 7, 2011). New California Acupuncture Schools. HealthCare Medicine Institute
  14. "Oikos academics, finances worry state regulators". San Jose Mercury News. April 3, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  15. "U.S. News - Oikos University shooting: Private Christian school catered to Koreans". 2012-04-05. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
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