2001

Parent’s Weekend at Pacific Union College offers the “grown-ups” a chance to experience life at college. From October 19 through October 21, PUC hosts the moms and dads who have entrusted their students to Pacific Union College and provides these visitors with a glimpse of the campus experience. The weekend of events introduces—or reacquaints—parents with the sights and sounds of college life, including a meeting with college president Dick Osborn. Parents spend the weekend becoming familiar with the new world of their son and/or daughter beginning with a Friday evening reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by vespers at 8 p.m. Activities continue on Saturday morning when students are invited to bring their parents to an 8:30 breakfast before church. A Parent/Faculty Reception Saturday evening offers parents an opportunity to meet the administration, teachers, and advisors who play a crucial role in their child’s education at PUC. The weekend concludes with brunch on Sunday at 9:30 a.m.––leaving enough time for a final shopping trip or an early start on the long drive home....

The Eagle 150, a strange looking plane with three sets of wings and a bubble for a cockpit, finds a new home at the Pacific Union College airport, thanks to the generous donation of community member, Ernest Van Asperen. Van Asperen, a St. Helena resident of 32 years, says he hopes the new plane will increase interest in the flight program at PUC and bring more attention to the small, but busy Angwin airport. “It was a bolt out of the blue,” said flight center director Nathan Tasker. “We weren’t expecting anything when Ernie called us on Wednesday morning and said he’d decided to purchase the plane.” According to Van Asperen, interest in the plane was sparked by a test flight of the small, but impressive machine. “It just hit me at 3 o’clock in the morning,” Van Asperen said. “I woke my wife to discuss the idea of buying the plane for PUC, and then I called them at 7 a.m.” Van Asperen’s donation becomes the seventh plane in Pacific Union College’s fleet, but it is a landmark addition for several reasons. It is the only plane of its kind west of Kansas—a mere 20 of the Australian-built planes...

Documentary filmmaker Robin D. Williams narrates his film, Biblical Treasures of Turkey, as part of the Elmer Herr Adventure Series on Saturday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. Biblical Treasures of Turkey graphically and beautifully showcases the Byzantine Empire and cities visited by the apostles Paul and John. The film opens in ancient Constantinople and highlights the conquest of the city by the Turkish Sultan Mohomet in 1453. An impressive survey of an exotic land, the film also includes visits to Nicaea, to the fortress monastery of Sumela, and to Antioch, where the first church of the Christians is still visible in a huge mountainside cave. Not merely educational, Biblical Treasures of Turkey brings a world of pirates and conquerors, emperors and crusaders to life....

Pacific Union College now offers students an alternative when registering for upcoming classes. Via PUC’s new online registration system, students may pre-select their courses from any computer with internet access. Due to the success of the new program—which is more convenient for both students and teachers—faculty and staff are engaging students in a discussion to determine whether or not online registration will eventually replace the arena registration traditionally held in Pacific Auditorium at the beginning of each school year. “I loved being able to register online,” says Vidah Otieno, a junior at PUC. “I didn’t have to wait in line or walk all over campus looking for teachers. I could sit in my room and still get what I wanted.” Faculty advisers are available to students via telephone and students are encouraged to visit their professors for any reason. Due to the new registration process, arriving at a conclusive enrollment total is taking longer than in previous years. Preliminary calculations—which will remain flexible for several weeks—indicate that Pacific Union College begins the 2001-2002 school year with a slightly lower enrollment than last year. The drop is minor, however, when compared to the school’s long-standing average of more than 1600 students....

Veteran journalist Hal McClure narrates his film, Magic of Malaysia, as part of the Elmer Herr Adventure Series at Pacific Union College. The 80-minute travel documentary shows on Saturday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m. Magic of Malaysia offers viewers the opportunity to explore the faraway nation of Malaysia in Southeast Asia—all from the comfort of an auditorium seat close to home. The country is a fascinating blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian culture in an area of equally diverse landscapes. McClure’s film highlights both the modern architecture of Kuala Lumpur and the Bidayuh longhouses in former head-hunting Borneo. Gorgeous island beaches and the endangered orangutans in their jungle habitat round out a tour of this little known country which is becoming a popular tourist destination....

Equestrian Art: Oil Paintings by nationally recognized artists Marnie Donaldson and Sharlene Lindskog-Osorio will be featured at Rasmussen Art Gallery beginning Saturday, November 3. Calistoga artist Marnie Donaldson’s paintings portray equine sporting arts through light, color and lively brushwork she describes as “loose realism.” Deer Park artist Sharlene Lindskog-Osorio is known for her realistic, finely detailed equine art including portraiture, fantasy images and Western art. Both artists have received national recognition for their work....

Pacific Union College’s president, Richard Osborn, has been elected President of the Council for American Private Education (CAPE). One in four of the nation's schools is a private school, translating into 27,000 schools and nearly 6 million students; and CAPE represents roughly 80% of those schools. As a liaison between America’s private schools and Capitol Hill, Richard Osborn will represent an alliance of diverse educational programs, including the U.S. Catholic Conference, the National Catholic Education, the American Montessori Society, the Waldorf Schools of America, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Southern Baptist Church, the Christian Schools International, and the Association of Christian Schools. Before coming to Pacific Union College, Osborn lived near Washington, D.C. and served as the Vice President for Education of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. Working as the head of education for the Adventist Church, he became active with CAPE and, as a result, with politicians. One wall in his office is filled with photos, over the years, he has gathered of American presidents, senators, and representatives, as he’s taken a more and more active role in championing private schools. Most recently, he served as the...

Travel the world this week via Pacific Union College. Representatives from the four corners of the globe will be ensconced in the college cafeteria to spread the word about world missions with hungry students. Returned student missionaries will be in the cafeteria to talk with anyone interested in serving as a missionary, or simply curious about PUC’s outreach. On Monday from 4:30 -9:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Friday from 8:00 a.m. until noon, visitors can check out the service opportunities available around the world, look at pictures of exotic locations and challenging mission fields, and examine artifacts brought back to the States by former student missionaries. PUC is currently represented by 23 student missionaries working at locations around the world including Thailand, India, Czech Republic, Mongolia, Kenya, Samoa, Honduras, Egypt, New Zealand, Palau, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Saipan. Vespers will close the week-long look at world missions with presentations by two students and a faculty member. Magally Alvarado will share her experiences on the island of Palau, Ken Luk will present his adventures in Bolivia, and James Dick will speak about his mission work in Madagascar with ADRA....

Unfurl the red, white, and blue; enjoy apple pie and popcorn; and come experience the good ol’ USA in all its diversity. America is the theme for this year’s annual Fall Festival at Pacific Union College. The event will be held on Sunday, November 11, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Pacific Auditorium. Representing the wealth of cultures that make up America, student clubs—including the Korean Student Association, the Hawaiian Club, the Asian Students’ Association, the Chinese Club, and multiple others—will sponsor booths at the Fall Festival. A variety of academic departments as well as the local academy and elementary school, will be represented at the festival as well. Proceeds from the sale of foods and from entertainment will go to support the participating clubs and academic departments. Featuring a wealth of different foods, cultural dances, and a short play by the dramatic arts society, the Fall Festival embodies the spirit of optimism and diversity that make America unique....

PUC is thrilled to welcome national best-selling author Anne Lamott as the speaker for the Longo Lecture Series held this year in the PUC Church sanctuary on February 21, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. Lamott is the acclaimed author of such bestsellers as Bird by Bird, Operating Instructions, and Traveling Mercies. In the latter, she divulges the horrors and miracles of her atheistic, drug-ridden struggle to find God. Lamott’s straightforward style is a captivating blend of wit and spiritual philosophy with an added punch of brutal honesty. Her ministry is refreshingly hard-hitting. As described in People magazine, “Lamott fills her text with remarkable detail and a refreshing sense of humanity that has you guffawing on one page and bawling on the next.” Lamott’s visit to PUC is due to the generosity of Dr. Lawrence Longo, who, in 1992, established an endowment at PUC with the idea of creating a lectureship on topics relating to religion, society, and learning. Dr. Longo is the head of the Perinatal Biology Center, professor of Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics at Loma Linda University, School of Medicine. He is one of the world’s most respected specialists in developmental physiology. Dr. Longo began the lecture series...