2003

Pacific Union College's Rasmussen Art Gallery will be displaying the degree projects of PUC senior art majors from May 22 to June 15. The show will exhibit the projects of 19 senior students. A sense of variety is always a predominant quality of this annual show as art students display the paths of expression they have chosen to explore. Categories include fine art, graphic design, and photography. Fine art major Jacquelyn Hewitt created a work consisting of 24 paintings and 33 pages of fiction, working simultaneously on the two aspects. Hewitt feels that the effort the project required was worth while because, she says, "People do so many destructive things and make the world ugly; I'm trying to do the opposite, to add more beauty." Emily Bryner, a graphic design student, created a CD cover, press kit, and advertising material for a men's quartet based in Southern California. Says Bryner, "I love music, and have always been fascinated by the way album art draws potential listeners into the music."...

Two of the most generous citizens of the Napa Valley--Louis, better known as "Bob," and Evalyn Trinchero--received honorary Doctorates in Philanthropy from Pacific Union College on Thursday, May 15, during the college's annual Awards Chapel. The couple received a standing ovation as Bob tearfully accepted the honor, saying it was one of the best moments of his life. Pacific Union College President Richard Osborn thanked the Trincheros for their contributions to the community, and specifically for a special donation to the college last year--a child care center in St. Helena valued at $2.1 million. After witnessing the lack of good child care for their own employees and for the broader Valley, the Trincheros teamed up with Pacific Union College, who was already successfully operating Discoveryland Preschool in Angwin, and gave life to the St. Helena Discoveryland Preschool, located on 995 Adams Street. During the awards ceremony, President Osborn addressed why a Seventh-day Adventist Christian college known for teaching abstinence would honor one of the most successful vintner families in the country. "We believe in thanking those who have put their personal and corporate fortunes to work in making communities a better place for citizens to live," said Osborn. "Bob and...

Midday is always a high-traffic time in the PUC cafeteria. But for three hours on Friday, March 7, there was an increased hubbub as PUC students, faculty, and PUC Prep students circulated through the building, visiting the 38 booths of the “Celebrate Health” fair. For nearly 10 years, the PUC Nursing Department has provided annual health fairs for high schools in the Napa Valley. This year, the nursing department set out on a new venture and, working with the PUC health services office, organized and implemented a health fair on their own campus. Distribution of health-care information was the basic goal of the fair. “We wanted to show the resources for health care that we have within the structure of the campus itself, as well as those we can access by networking with other services,” said Sandy Sargent, director of health services. More specifically, the BSN program and health services hoped to emphasize the importance of choices. “Our goal,” said nursing professor Carol Williams, “was to better serve the health care needs of the PUC student body while highlighting healthy choices, emphasizing that the decisions they make every day while they are young will have a major impact on future...

Angwin received an unexpected visit from NFL Pro-Bowlers Warren Moon and Tony Gonzalez on May 30. These football greats came to help guide the clients of the New Horizons group homes for children that are located here in Angwin. Besides sharing inspirational testimonies, Moon and Gonzalez provided a football clinic for the boys. Students of PUC and the community of Angwin were able to watch but not participate. A memorabilia tent displayed a great collection of autographs for sale, with the profits benefiting the homes. To see great athletes take time out of their schedules to help the kids, demonstrates the importance of community service and the gratifying benefits to all involved....

A chemist who plays the violin, is kind to cats, ties messages of God’s love onto balloons, fixes cars, and preaches practical sermons. That is only a partial picture of the professor selected as PUC’s 2002-2003 Educator of the Year: Richard E. Clark. Richard received a B.A. in chemistry (cum laude) from Union College and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Kansas State University. He joined the PUC chemistry department in 2000, following eight years of teaching at the Adventist University of the Philippines. Not only did he and his family enjoy living in the Philippines and riding the infamous jitneys, but Richard also distinguished himself at AUP by receiving the “Reward for Excellence,” for outstanding teaching performance, exemplifying the Master Teacher, and upholding the ideals of the school and the church. The Educator of the Year is selected jointly by the students and the Faculty Development, Research, and Honors Committee. The selection is based on excellence in teaching, spiritual leadership, scholarly credibility, relationships with students, and support of the college. Along with the honor comes a beautiful plaque and a $1,500 gift from the college. “Working with students, watching them grasp a little of the make-up of God’s creation,...

Not everyone who graduates from PUC is a young, energetic senior ready to take on the world. Some of those graduates have already taken on the world, working real jobs, raising kids and supporting a family. That’s where PUC’s Center for Continuing and Professional Education comes in. It allows people to continue living their lives, yet go to school at the same time. The CAPE program was founded in 1996 to reach those “nontraditional students,” generally working parents who want to finish their education. Classes usually meet one night a week from 6–10 p.m. in three different locations: Clearlake, Santa Rosa and Napa. This year, an all-time record of 47 CAPE students completed their graduation requirements and received their bachelor’s degrees from PUC. Twenty-one Bachelor of Science in Management (BSM) students, 24 Early Childhood Education (ECE) students, and two students from the former Criminal Justice Administration program all received their diplomas; a grand total that beats the previous record by a margin of 10 people. Among the graduates are some who deserve special recognition. One is Carol Johnson, who has worked as a CAPE program representative for the last eight years, helping others through the program while she worked to...

As renovations change the face of many areas on campus, another change occurs behind the scenes, one that makes an institution like Pacific Union College really great: new faces. The new “arrivees” bring with them a wide array of personalities, talents, and experiences. Here’s the scoop: Tim Mitchell has filled the long-awaited senior pastor position for the PUC Church. Pastor Mitchell is no stranger to Angwin, having graduated from PUC in 1976 with a B.A. in theology. He went on to Andrews University to get his master of divinity in 1979. Coming to PUC from the Sunnyvale Adventist Church, where he pastored for 15 years, his warmth and enthusiasm are truly appreciated by the students and college community. Tim was born in Fresno and pastored in Sonora, Turlock and Orosi. Tim’s family includes his wife, Carleen, and two sons, Brent and Tyler. Carleen works as a medical administrator. Brent is a sophomore at PUC, while younger brother Tyler attends high school at PUC Preparatory School. Truly part of an international family, reference librarian Gilbert Abella, has attended 16 schools on four continents and is fluent in three languages, thanks to his Portuguese family who served as missionaries in Europe, Africa,...

Dmitry Lossov calls himself a double agent. Oh, it’s true, he’s from Russia, and he currently lives in the United States. But, whom does he serve – Russia, America or both? Actually, neither. With an incessant smile and sense of humor, Dmitry serves God wherever he is. In America, this Russian student witnesses to his fellow students and professors. And as a PUC student missionary, he witnesses to the people in Thailand, in Ghana and in the Philippines. He’s hooked. Although PUC sent out 34 long-term student missionaries last year to 20 countries, plus many more short-term missionaries, Dmitry’s challenge in Ghana was one of the greatest: preaching in English (not his native language) through a translator, to a people who did not understand English. It almost sounds reminiscent of speaking in tongues – but with God all things are possible. As a result of these sermons, 65 people gave their lives to Jesus and were baptized into the Adventist church. The people in Breman, Ghana, obviously loved this cheerful fellow with the thick Russian accent, so much that a year after he left they renamed their local school the Dmitry Adventist Preparatory School. What an honor for a Russian...

Christopher Jones, recent PUC graduate, was featured in the September 2 issue of The Wall Street Journal as one of the 2003 Student Achievement Award Winners. Chris graduated suma cum laude with a B.B.A. emphasis in Accounting. Chris was part of both the English and Business honor societies and has been featured in Who’s Who for both 2000 and 2001. In 2001, he also won the Business department commendation award as well as the Pam Wheeler Accounting Scholarship. Chris came to PUC to check out the school during college days. He liked the Napa Valley and PUC and they enticed this Canadian from Toronto to stay. He was involved at PUC in the Business Club, Student Senate and the dormitory as well as tutoring accounting. Chris is currently working as an auditor for Adventist Health and trying to get a feel for the health care industry. He is studying to take his CPA in November....

For the tenth straight year, Pacific Union College continues to rank in the top tier in U.S. News and World Report’s annual edition of “America’s Best Colleges.” The national magazine’s 2004 rankings place PUC as the number two comprehensive college offering bachelor degrees in California. It also places PUC in the top 10 among the 14 Western states. Along with these overall standings, PUC ranks in the top tier for: ethnic diversity, best value, student/faculty ratio, low debt ratio and full-time faculty. “The indicators include input measures that reflect a school's student body, its faculty, and its financial resources and outcome measures that signal how well the institution does its job of educating students,” said Robert Morse, U.S. News editor. The criteria used to measure academic quality include: acceptance rate, alumni giving, faculty with Ph.D.'s, retention and graduation rate, SAT/ACT scores, and student/faculty ratio. Although the most recent America’s Best Colleges 2004 edition was published in August, it reflects data from the 2002-2003 school year....