2009

Pacific Union College is celebrating its 100th anniversary in Angwin as a campus and church. The community and PUC alumni and friends are invited to a celebration weekend starting on Friday night, October 2, 2009.Jonathan Henderson, PUC alumnus and pastor of the Grand Avenue Adventist Church in Oakland, will be the special guest speaker forFriday vespers, held in the PUC Sanctuary at 8 p.m.On Sabbath, pastor and professor Lou Venden will speak for the 100th anniversary church service at 10 a.m. at the PUC Church. Venden is a professor emeritus of religion at Loma Linda University, and he was the pastor of the PUC church for several years as well as PUC's religion department chair. The service will be followed by a potluck,historical campus tour, and hike to Window Tree Valley.The evening activities will also include an Evensong program at 6 p.m., an art show opening reception at 7 p.m., and a music concert at8 p.m.For more information about the day's events, call (707) 965-6303. Celebration Schedule TimeEventOctober 2, 20098:00 p.m. Vespers worship with Jonathan HendersonPUC Church SanctuaryOctober 3, 200910:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Centennial WorshipPUC Church Sanctuary11:30 a.m. - noonFellowship Church PatioNoon-1:30 p.m.Potluck (bring entree, side, or dessert)Paulin Hall...

For 16 years now, Pacific Union College has been named among the best educational institutions in the country by U.S. News & World Report. In the 2010 "America's Best Colleges" issue, released online on August 20, PUC ranked number one in the baccalaureate colleges (West) region for racial diversity (not including international students). Other significant rankings included number two for most international students and number four for freshmen retention rates. In the overall rankings by region, PUC placed number 11. "Here at PUC we have a proud tradition of strong academics; this consistent achievement is recognized by U.S. News, and we're always happy to see it," said Nancy Lecourt, academic dean of PUC. "We are also very pleased to be ranked highly for diversity and international students, since that's part of what makes PUC a rich environment for learning and growth." One of the most well-known and widely referenced sources of college rankings, U.S. News releases "Best Colleges" material in August of each year. The book will be available in October. Data is collected from more than 1,400 colleges for each year's rankings. Racial diversity rankings are provided based on total proportion of minority students. International students are measured in...

For 40 days beginning August 18 and ending September 26, the PUC community is focusing their collective prayers on special needs that impact the church and college. They call it "40 Days of Prayer," and the goal is to communally turn to God to seek His wisdom and ask His blessing for the community. The PUC church and campus asked sister churches from Northern, Central, Nevada-Utah, Arizona, and Hawaii to join in the 40 Days of Prayer. As Adventism faces changes and constituents are challenged to see the big picture of their union and conference functions, and as PUC faces a historical year and changes in economics and leadership, it seemed like a good time to unite in specific prayer for this community. "This fall we are celebrating one hundred years in Angwin, as well as the arrival of our 21st president, Dr. Heather Knight," says academic dean Nancy Lecourt. "With enrollment numbers looking strong, we are hopeful about the future; our prayers should be both petition and thanksgiving. " PUC Church senior pastor Tim Mitchell adds that praying together can help shape our focus. "We want people to think about prayer and the movement of God among us, rather...

A group of 30 young scholars got a head start on their college experience at Pacific Union College's PacificQuest 2009 on July 26 through 31. The annual program, aimed at exceptional 7th through 9th graders interested in planning for college early, exposes the students to a sampling of collegiate curricula. This year's program, "Dimensions of Enlightenment," was directed by PUC professors Lindsay Petersen and Aimee Wyrick and offered a core class in "Experiencing Psychology" taught by professors Aubyn Fulton and Charlene Bainum. Topics for this session included social psychology, developmental psychology, memory, and personality. The students were encouraged to get involved with field research, such as staging small accidents at the campus market to gauge different levels of bystander apathy and observing the play behavior of small children at the preschool. "The students were a great group, very motivated," says Bainum. "They asked lots of questions and took initiative on their projects." Students also had two electives to choose from. The first was an option in "Exploring Physics." In this elective, students took instruction from PUC physics professor Vola Andrianarijaona, especially focusing on the experiments and equations of Christian mathematician physicist James Clerk Maxwell and how the laws of nature...

This year's Digital Art Photography course brought photographers of all levels to Pacific Union College's Albion Field Station on the Mendocino Coast, as it has for several years now. The one-week session was offered twice in July. The course, says Albion director and photography instructor Gibby Muth, "is for people who want to learn the techniques of good 
photography, how to properly manipulate their photos on the computer, how to 
display their work and how to better understand how to use their camera." Photographers at any level can join the class - all they need is a digital camera and willingness to learn. "We
get individuals who are very knowledgeable in all these areas who come to be 
with others of like interests, as well as rank beginners," says Muth. "Our goal is to help 
them become more proficient." This year, teachers Marlowe Burgess, Farrel Brizendine, and Muth each took a different branch of instruction. Burgess worked with photographers who wanted to become more proficient working with images in Photoshop; Farrel taught photographic techniques; and Muth taught beginners the basics of working with images. The group would shoot early in the morning, have a lecture after breakfast, and then shoot again...

Pacific Union College's graduates from the last few years are making their place in communities around the world. Here's a sampling of destinations and niches. To read about others, go to our earlier Out of PUC feature. Elisabeth Reeves, '08, is working on her master's in forensic science through the University of California, Davis extension program. She rides her bicycle to such classes as "Analysis of Toxicants" and "Scientific Evidence and Courtroom Testimony." She's also doing a research internship on Organic Gun Shot Residue for the Sacramento County District Attorney's Crime Lab. And in her spare time, she's breaking in her sewing machine. Morgan (Vogel) Chinnock, '07,is a consultant in grant writing for Morrison & Company, where she works on grant proposals and has spent the last nine months building an online green grant subscription database and notification service. She also recently finished ghostwriting the autobiography of a gentleman who grew up in Germany during WWII, had his village invaded by the Russian army, and spent his life searching for fulfillment, only to find God's love in Adventism in the early '90s. Morgan also finds time for such adventures as a recent trip to Ethiopia with her husband to work...

On July 17, 2009, the Pacific Union College Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Heather J. Knight, currently the provost of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, has been named the new president of Pacific Union College. She will begin her role as president in mid-September, in time for the new academic year. Dr. Knight received her Ph.D. in English from Stanford University, her master's degree in English from Loma Linda University, and her bachelor's degree in English from Oakwood University. She also completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard University in management and leadership in education. An accomplished academic administrator, Dr. Knight served with distinction for 18 years at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where she was a professor of English, assistant provost, and then associate provost. As provost at Andrews University, Dr. Knight served as second officer, providing administrative and academic leadership and managing the day-to-day operations of the university. During her three years at Andrews University, Dr. Knight successfully developed and implemented a new strategic plan, integrated budget and planning priorities, increased enrollment and student selectivity, and strengthened leadership in all areas of campus life. She oversaw the development of new programs, processes, and campus facilities...

Lisa Breckenridge interviews celebrities for a living, on television, in the largest media market in the United States. She is entertainment and lifestyle anchor for Fox Los Angeles's 11 Morning News, the Fox 11 News at 10 a.m., and the Fox 11 News at Noon and occasional stand-in for the anchors of these shows as well as the hugely popular Los Angeles morning show Good Day LA. It's a pretty heady job for someone who claims she was the boring kid at Pacific Union College. "I was the kid who never wanted to get into trouble!" she says, laughing. "I was the one who was always in bed by 8 o'clock." Her only shenanigan, she says, was during her 1986 campaign for Student Association Social Vice President, when she dropped her skirt onstage as part of a skit about not resorting to sensational gimmicks to win the election. She's come a long way since then. There have been no recorded "wardrobe malfunctions" at any of her jobs on live television. She has also stepped into a life that could be described as a little less boring. "Whether I am on the red carpet getting a kiss from George Clooney or...

Summertime at the Albion Field Station is a refuge for aspiring artists of all ages, occupations and abilities. Started by former Pacific Union College professor of art Vernon Nye some 42 years ago, the Summer School of Art at convenes at Albion each summer, teaching courses in oil painting, watercolor painting, and acrylic painting, with an additional class in digital photography added more recently. The painting program runs for two weeks each June - this year, it ran June 14-26 - with the digital photography course offered in July. "The art camp is designed for individuals who want to study with professional 
artists as well as a tradition of artists coming together for two weeks of 
doing what they like and learning from one another," says Gilbert Muth, field station director and a long-time supporter of Albion's programs. It's also a chance for artists of all levels to come together for relaxation and spiritual nourishment. The participants of the painting courses are instructed how to portray a variety of natural landscapes through their brush strokes. A typical day begins with the group traveling together to one of the many breathtaking vistas surrounding Albion and the Mendocino Coast. The instructors (John...

It's obvious that something very important is going on in Fisher Hall, home of Pacific Union College's art department. Here and there throughout the large open classroom, little groups of people are huddled around laptops and elaborate mechanical setups, gesturing and poking, arguing and collaborating in hushed but hurried voices. Each little cluster is a buzzing frenzy of tension and activity. And then moments later, they step back and unleash their creations: robots designed to rescue the planet. Robots built out of Lego blocks. It's a summer workshop called Lego Robotics, and this is the first time the four-day course has been offered at PUC. The class teaches current and future middle school educators how to participate-and get their students involved in-a national organization called FIRST Lego League. The league holds regional and national competitions where student teams design, build, and program innovative robots based on Lego Mindstorms NXT Intelligent Brick robotics platform. The robots are then tested on a standard course to complete a timed set of functions. Rick Nelson, a teacher at Chico Oaks Adventist School in Chico, California, is presenting the workshop. He and students from his school have been involved in FIRST Lego League (FIRST stands...