Seattle Pacific University is one of the premier private Christian universities in Washington. Located on Third Avenue West, the university is a few blocks from downtown Seattle, gateway to Canada and the Pacific Rim. The institution was established in 1891 by the Free Methodist Church of North America, to educate and train students in missionary service. In 1915, the school was named Seattle Pacific College. It established a teacher-training school in the 1920s, and a school of recreational leadership in 1949. As a result of the extensive developments, the college officially became Seattle Pacific University in June 1977. By the 1990s, the university became a comprehensive Christian institution of arts, sciences, and professional studies. Seattle Pacific University awards the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, master of arts, master of education, master of science, master of science in nursing, doctor of education, and doctor of philosophy degrees in more than 50 areas. The degrees are offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Economics, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Psychology, the Family and Community; and School of Theology. The Seattle Pacific University Library is the center of academic endeavors outside the classroom. The spacious, four-level facility holds more than 190,000 volumes and grows by 6,000 new titles each year, including more than 1,300 current print periodicals, and an expanding microfiche collection numbering more than 500,000 items.