2010

Business department chair Wally Lighthouse spoke to a group of over 60 Rotarians and guests at the December 9 meeting of the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club. The group meets at the Silverado Country Club in Napa, Calif. His talk, entitled “Economic Forecast 2011,” was well received by the enthusiastic attendees. Lighthouse discussed next year’s outlook in areas such as employment, retirement and debt trends, tax policy and inflation. “He was very informative,” said Doris Gentry, the club’s public relations officer. “[It was] a heavy topic but important to all of us.”...

Last school year REVO PUC, an annual student-run awareness and fundraising event, raised over $5,000 to help combat podoconiosis, a debilitating foot condition that is especially prevalent in Ethiopia. Last month those donations reached the African nation and are already making a difference. According to a recent letter from the Tropical Health Alliance Foundation, REVO’s partner on the project, over 2,000 Ethiopians are currently receiving treatment for the disease and 7,000 pairs of shoes have been donated in a matching program by TOMS Shoes, thanks in part to the student efforts at PUC. Students involved with REVO spend much of the year planning a major event each spring, to benefit a special philanthropy project chosen each year. The event raises funds through student donations and a sale of donated goods. It also generates awareness for the chosen issue through an all-year publicity campaign and a variety of smaller events throughout the school year. In addition to the funds raised by REVO, PUC also hosted a visitor participation booth at last summer’s Seventh-day Adventist General Conference session in Atlanta, Ga. Visitors to the booth allocated over $1,300 in additional funding to go toward the project. “It goes to show you how...

Ever since Rayna Duran was young she has had a great passion for wanting to help people, but prior to joining the Make-A-Wish Foundation she didn’t know how to put her passion to actions. There were two events that helped Duran solidify her future for helping people. The first was seeing a movie called My Sister’s Keeper, about a young girl’s terminal illness and how it affects her family. “This movie cut me to the core and I was able to safely say I wanted to work with children in the hospital and volunteer my time to help them out,” said Duran, a junior business major at Pacific Union College. The second event was a Jonas Bothers concert she attended. “I respect them very much for their ability to stand strong for what they believe in,” said Duran. “Nick Jonas sang a song, ‘A Little Bit Longer’ which was a song about his diabetes and also to inspire young children who are having a difficult time medically that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.” The movie and concert had such a profound effect on Duran that she knew God was showing her the path that he...

Two PUC biology students presented new cancer research at a conference of the American Association of Cancer Research November 6 to 11 in Philadelphia, Penn. Juniors Peter Han and Robert Frey have been studying the effects of an herbal extract on cancer cells—a project that afforded them an opportunity to participate in their first major scientific conference. “It helped us understand what academic science is all about,” said Han. “It’s about collaboration—you can’t do it by yourself; you need a base.” According to the preliminary research that Han and Frey presented, an orally administered extract of the herb plantago major inhibited pre-cancerous cells in lab mice, and also induced a self-destructive function called apoptosis in cancerous cells. The team plans to continue their research into the topic and eventually present a formal paper for peer review. If research continues to support these early findings, this new information could impact future cancer treatment—especially as patients attempt to avoid harsher treatments like chemotherapy. This area of study is especially significant to Han and Frey, both of whom are considering medical school after they complete their undergraduate studies. “Going into the health care field, we’re going to have to know the newest treatments...

The Pacific Union College department of psychology and social work celebrated social justice on Thursday, November 4, in a dedication of the new Social Justice Room, Davidian Hall 106, to Gordon Madgwick and Evaline West. The event honored Madgwick’s and West’s promotion of social justice through their contribution to Adventist education. The Social Justice Room is expected to function as a space for planning social justice activities and to serve as a reminder in class and departmental meetings of the relationship of social justice to the department’s core values of diversity, free inquiry, service to God and humanity, and responsible citizenship. “We [want the Social Justice Room] to be a working space that [will] continually engage and challenge us to put our hands to whatever project is needed at the time… We hope that the students and teachers who are here 20 years from now will use this space to fight injustice as it is expressed then,” said PUC psychology professor Aubyn Fulton in his opening remarks. Professor of religion and social science Greg Schneider spoke in memory of the late Madgwick, who served at PUC as vice president of academic affairs and academic dean. “Gordon Madgwick dedicated his life...

Pacific Union College’s Career and Counseling Center hosted Career Day on November 10 to help give students seeking guidance some direction. The event brought more than 60 working professionals—from a variety of fields ranging from medicine to photography—to PUC’s campus for direct consultation with students exploring career options. “Career Day gives students and professionals the opportunity to meet face-to-face and discuss the realities of the job as well as different career paths available to them,” says career counselor Laura Gore, who organized the event. Most of the professionals who came to interact with the students were PUC alumni, and they gave advice on how to use what they learned at an Adventist institution to succeed in their respective fields. “It was really inspiring to see all the great positions held by alumni,” says junior nursing major Kelsi Weathers. “I really appreciated that they gave their honest opinions about the pros and cons of their jobs.” One highlight of the Career Day program was the featured speaker at colloquy. Emmy Award-winner Patricia Thio, ’01, gave the students three steps to a successful career: learn, work, and give. “Learning from others, working towards your goal, and giving back are so important in...

Pioneer cross-country team member Sophie Grise was named an All-Conference representative of the California Pacific (CalPac) Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The honor was bestowed at the CalPac Conference Championship in Oakland on November 5. This is the second consecutive All-Conference award and fourth top ten conference ranking for Grise, a senior exercise science major from Welches, Ore. Normally this recognition qualifies a runner to race in the NAIA Cross Country Championship, to be held this year in Vancouver, Wash. On November 20. However, the national championship match is scheduled for a Saturday—a fact that has kept Grise home every year she has been invited. Seventh-day Adventists, including Grise and most of the student body at PUC, observe Saturday as a sacred day of rest, and typically do not compete in sports on the day. It seems like it would be disappointing turn of events, but Grise’s speed is only matched by her unstoppable brightness and positivity. “It’s okay!” she chirps. “When you sign up to go to a Christian, Seventh-day Adventist school, you can’t really get upset.” That unstoppable attitude is what has driven her to such high achievement as a runner—even though she’s much...

In response to a recent post by a website accusing a Pacific Union College biology professor of teaching ideas contrary to Adventist beliefs, President Heather J. Knight affirmed PUC’s commitment to the Bible as the inspired word of God and the belief of God as our Creator. “The biology department’s mission is to provide an excellent education in the life sciences, based upon the latest scientific discoveries and our belief in God as the Creator of life,” said Dr. Knight. “As a devoted Adventist and beloved educator who has taught at PUC for more than 21 years, Dr. Bryan Ness affirms this mission—along with his colleagues, and our students will attest to this as well. Our biology professors are scientists, so they must be dedicated to understanding contemporary issues surrounding science that sometimes conflict with specific theology. However, our professors are also Seventh-day Adventist Christians, and each is at PUC because of his or her commitment to this Christ-centered community of faith and learning.” On November 1, a website accused Dr. Ness and PUC of undermining the Bible after video of a class presentation surfaced on the Internet. The video in question, taken and posted by a student without the...

Pacific Union College will welcome noted historians David J.B. Trim and Eric Anderson for “Celebrating Adventist History,” a two-day event honoring the memory of Seventh-day Adventist historian Walter C. Utt. The event will begin at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10, with an unveiling of the Walter Charles Utt Collection in the Nelson Memorial Library. The collection features Dr. Utt’s papers, correspondence, and personal collection of old and rare books, as well as a collection of publications by dissident Adventist groups. In the future, the center will serve as a resource and research facility for scholars and students, housing papers of prominent Adventists and other important historical materials. At 7:30 p.m. in Scales Chapel, David J.B. Trim will give a special lecture titled “America’s Forgotten Tribe: The Huguenots in the Popular Imagination—on Stage, on Screen, and in Literature.” At 10 a.m. the next morning, Eric Anderson, president of Southwestern Adventist University, will speak for Campus Colloquy in the PUC Church Sanctuary. His topic is “What has Berkeley to do with Angwin? The Paradoxical Achievements of Walter C. Utt.” Trim currently serves as the archivist for the Seventh-day Adventist World Church. He is a senior research fellow in the history department...

Enrollment is up once more at Pacific Union College as the Fall 2010 quarter sees 1,436 students on campus and 1,527 total enrolled in both on and off campus programs. PUC saw a substantial jump in new students—which includes freshmen and transfer students—this fall with a 15% increase from last year as of the first day of school, making one-third of the student population new to campus. “PUC is once again a top choice for a record number of new students, and we are delighted with this news,” says President Heather J. Knight. “This is truly a reflection of the outstanding academic and spiritual environment on our campus, as well as our recent recognition by U.S. News and World Report as a best value in our region. We are committed to continuing to meet the needs of our constituents and providing them with an Ivy League quality educational product that represents a solid investment for the families that we serve.” As enrollment grew, several departments on campus experienced increases in certain programs. Although nursing continues to be the largest program on campus, the biology department came in a close second with 141 students—a 32% increase from 2009-2010. The largest increase...