College Hour meets Wednesday and Friday at 10 AM and Thursday at 1 PM.
College Hour is comprised of three different gatherings where the FPU community is encouraged to learn, celebrate, worship, and grow together. Chapel includes elements of a worship service, including music, Bible-centered teaching, and stories of transformation. Connect invites experts to address topics important to the lives of students in ways that broaden perspectives and build community. Capax Dei (Capacity for God) provides a contemplative space for students to interact with God through guided prayers, reflection, and common liturgies. College Hour also consists of Affinity Groups that unite students around a shared identity based on culture, gender, and ethnicity.
Beginning with the Freshman class in the Fall of 2024, all undergraduate students are required to attend 16 College Hour gatherings per semester. Students must download the Involve app and sign in with their FPU student email address to be added to the Fresno Pacific site. Please reference the College Hour FAQs below for additional information.
Current College Hour Schedule
| Chapel Dates | Speaker |
|---|---|
| 1/15/25 | Jon Jo | First Presbyterian Church of Fresno |
| 1/22/25 | Brian Schultz, Ph.D. | Biblical & Theological Studies |
| 1/29/25 | Brad Bell | The Well Community Church |
| 2/5/25 | Wil Staley | Campus Bible Church |
| 2/12/25 | Liz Garvin | University Advancement |
| 2/19/25 | Andre Stephens, Ph.D. | University President |
| 2/26/25 | Brian Davis | Campus Chaplain |
| 3/5/25 | Ash Wednesday Service | St. Paul Catholic Newman Center |
| 3/12/25 | No Chapel – Spring Break |
| 3/19/25 | Scott Holman | Butler Church |
| 3/26/25 | All Worship |
| 4/2/25 | Beth Eckloff-Paz | PreacHER Academy |
| 4/9/25 | Tyjuan Gibson | Residence Life |
| 4/16/25 | 7 Last Sayings of Christ |
| 4/23/25 | Rich Villodas | New Life Fellowship |
| 4/30/25 | Senior Stories |
| Connect Dates | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1/16/25 | Guest TBD |
| 1/23/25 | Laura Schmidt Roberts, Ph.D. | Biblical & Theological Studies |
| 1/30/25 | OSF Affinity Group Leader – Catholic Student Gatherings |
| 2/6/25 | Matthew T. Martens, J.D. | Washington, D.C. |
| 2/13/25 | OSF Affinity Group Leader – Delight Ministries |
| 2/20/25 | Guest TBD |
| 2/27/25 | OSF Affinity Group Leader | Fellaship Ministries |
| 3/6/25 | Walter Saul, Ph.D. | Adjunct Faculty, Emeritus |
| 3/13/25 | No Connect – Spring Break |
| 3/20/25 | Taylor Starks | Office of Spiritual Formation |
| 3/27/25 | Student Government Association |
| 4/3/25 | OSF Affinity Group Leader | Haven |
| 4/10/25 | Tyjuan Gibson | Residence Life |
| 4/17/25 | Guest TBD |
| 4/24/25 | Jay Pope, Ph.D. | School of Psychology |
| 5/1/25 | OSF Affinity Group Leader | Fellowship of Christian Athletes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the College Hour requirement?
All full-time, traditional undergraduate students are required to attend 16 College Hour gatherings per semester (this requirement currently impacts all Freshmen enrolled for the 2024-2025 school year). You can attend Chapel, Connect, Capax Dei or an affinity group (Catholic Student Gatherings, Delight Ministries, Fellaship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, or Haven) to receive credit.
Q. Where do College Hour gatherings take place?
All College Hour gatherings will be held in the Warkentine Culture and Arts Center. Affinity groups are held in various locations and at various times throughout the semester.
Q. I’m not a Christian. Do I still have to go to College Hour?
Yes. We recognize FPU is comprised of diverse faith backgrounds, and we continually strive to be a place of belonging for all. Inclusion is a core component of College Hour gatherings and programming. While some College Hour gatherings are more explicitly connected to the Christian faith (Chapel and elements of Capax Dei), others are focused primarily on general student well-being and community building (Connect and Affinity Groups).
Q. What happens if I do not attend the required number of College Hour gatherings?
A $20 fine for each number below the requirement will be applied to your student account. If there are financial considerations that make a fine especially challenging, Student Development will work with students to find alternative measures for accountability.
Q. If a student does not fulfill the requirement, is there an appeal process?
Yes. All appeals will be handled by the Vice President of Student Development and/or their designee.
Q. Are there waivers for the College Hour requirement?
Yes. Full or partial waivers for College Hour are available for students who present valid extenuating circumstances. Waivers must be submitted by the end of week 4. Waivers can be accessed using this link.
Q. Who leads College Hour programming?
College Hour is a co-curricular learning program under the Student Life division at FPU and led primarily by the Office of Spiritual Formation (OSF) in collaboration with the Academic Success Center (ASC), the Intercultural Learning Center (ILC), the Pacific Counseling Center (PCC), Faculty, and others.
Q. How do I track College Hour attendance?
Students will download Involve from their mobile app store to scan into College Hour gatherings. After downloading the app, students will sign in with their FPU email address and select Fresno Pacific as their university.
To see a list of attended events, students must visit fpu.presence.io from a laptop or mobile browser to view their attendance. After logging in (select the icon in the top right corner), students will select “View Profile” under their name to see a summary of College Hour Points and timeline of attended events.
Students are responsible for tracking their attendance from week to week. Effective Spring 2025, College Hour credit will not be awarded retroactively. If a student is having trouble with scanning in on the Involve app or feels that their attendance is inaccurate, they must report the discrepancy by emailing taylor.starks@fresno.edu within 24 hours of the missed event. Requests to award credit after this time will not be considered.Q. What if I don’t arrive on time or must leave early?
Students have a 15-minute grace period to scan into College Hour gatherings—10 minutes prior to the gathering start time and five minutes after the gathering has begun. Scanning will not be available after this time and students will not be able to get credit for the College Hour event.