The University of Saint Katherine (USK) is a private, non-profit undergraduate and graduate university located in San Marcos, California. Founded by Frank J. Papatheofanis, MD, PhD, It opened in 2011, and has grown each year in enrollment from its inaugural class of 11 in 2011 to 275 in 2021. The university's mission is to provide a balanced education in the liberal arts and sciences, founded and rooted in the life of the Eastern Orthodox tradition – Inquiry Seeking Wisdom. History The University of Saint Katherine (USK) was founded by Frank J. Papatheofanis, MD, PhD and incorporated on June 30, 2010, as a California not-for-profit corporation. USK was formerly known as Saint Katherine College and was approved for name change in November 2016 by the California Bureau for Private and Post-Secondary Education (BPPE). BPPE approved the university for operation in 2011, and when the Western Senior College and University Commission(WSCUC) granted accreditation in 2016, authority to issue degrees shifted to WSCUC purview. USK takes pride in being among the youngest institutions within the WSCUC portfolio of accredited colleges and universities. The university was originally located in Encinitas, California from 2010 to 2014, and moved to San Marcos, California in August 2014. Since its founding, the university has offered baccalaureate degrees (BA, BS) in the liberal arts and sciences taught in the context of an Eastern Orthodox worldview. In 2020, it began to offer a Master of Arts (MA) in Organizational Leadership; in 2022, a Master of Science in Kinesiology and an online Master of Arts in Orthodox Theology were added. Classroom instruction began in September 2011. The first commencement ceremony occurred in May 2013 and was marked by the graduation of one student. Since then, USK alumni have grown to over 150. USK is the only independent Eastern Orthodox higher education institution of liberal arts and sciences in the Western hemisphere. For the 2016–2021 academic years, the University of St. Katherine was awarded an "A"-grade by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni for its emphasis on a comprehensive core curriculum. Academic The University of Saint Katherine (USK) teaches liberal arts and sciences. It is the first comprehensive university of liberal arts and sciences in the Orthodox Christian tradition. Orthodox Christianity, founded at the original Pentecost, forms the basis for all Christian faith traditions. The university offers a distinctive set of undergraduate and graduate degree programs that reflect its mission in