2015

The Wedgwood Trio’s folk sound and songs celebrating the Gospel made them a favorite in the 1960s and 1970s. Now, Bob Summerour (guitar and banjo), Jerry Hoyle (string bass and harmonica), and Don Vollmer (Guitar) are returning to Pacific Union College for their first concert in decades as part of the Homecoming Concert Series. Joining the Trio are special guests Mark Bond and Christina Thompson. The free concert will take place on Saturday, April 18, at 5:30 p.m. in Dauphinee Chapel in Winning Hall. A blend of folksy tunes and Gospel music offered by the Wedgwood Trio has led to an interesting and storied career for the ensemble. The Trio began playing together in 1964 when they attended Newbold College in England. After being “discovered” by Pastor H. M. S. Richards of the Voice of Prophecy radio broadcast, the group began performing as part of an evangelistic series in Texas, and their fresh appeal brought in an influx of youthful viewership. This would eventually launch the Wedgwood Trio the hearts of the Seventh-day Adventist music world. After years of concerts and tours, and a few significant changes to the ensemble itself, the original Wedgwood Trio reunited in the 1990s and...

The first Colloquy Speaker Series of spring quarter introduced Lloyd Best, M.A., associate professor of mathematics, as the Pacific Union College 2015 Educator of the Year. During the April 2 presentation in the PUC Church Sanctuary, students, staff, faculty, and administration celebrated excellence in teaching and honored the over 30 years Best has served PUC and its students. Best, who specializes in math education, joined the faculty of PUC's department of mathematics in 1988, and served as department chair from 1988-1996. Later, he served as chair of the departments of computer science, mathematics, and physics from 2004-2012. Before becoming a part of the math department, Best worked as the director of the Educational Computer Facility at PUC from 1978-79. The educator is known for his kindness and patience, skills he honed teaching math and science at several Seventh-day Adventist academies for 14 years and as a principal for three years. The Educator of the Year is an award given entirely by student vote, and the identity of each year’s recipient is a highly kept secret. Professor of Business John Nunes, Ph.D., last year’s titleholder, gave a short speech before revealing the recipient of the 2015 award. “You have brought so...

Walking through the Nelson Memorial Library, groups huddled around tables and students filling up library cubicles are indicators that spring quarter is underway. For students at PUC’s Angwin campus, a busy library where concentration may waiver is not the only option. Instead, students can explore the multiple department lounges that not only offer a place to study, but also provides a chance to take a break and interact with fellow majors. Most recently, Stauffer Hall, home to the department of English, renovated a seminar room into a welcoming, cozy study space. Eric Anderson, a former professor of history, generously donated the lounge’s furniture to the department to create a study lounge for students. Department Chair Cynthia Westerbeck describes the study lounge in Stauffer as “a nice central location for both students and faculty to get tea, enjoy conversation, and study.” It is named after the most famous poet and novelist to graduate from PUC, Arna Bontemps, whose name fittingly means “good times.” Bontemps was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance and became acquaintances of other active renaissance men and women such as Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes. The department of visual arts lounge fosters a...

In the midst of dead week, a group of PUC faculty and students had the opportunity to attend the College Media Association Spring Convention in New York City on March 11-14. Milbert Mariano, chair of the department visual arts, and Lynne Thew and Brittnie Sigamoney, both instructors in the department of communication, travelled to New York with Mark Soderblom, Student Association video producer, and David O’Hair, editor-in-chief of the Campus Chronicle. At the convention, the college won two awards for design for campus publications. The College Media Association convention was attended by more than 1,200 attendees and had 250 general sessions, along with special events and an awards ceremony. “It was good to see what the universities are producing and compare how we stack up,” shared O’Hair. In addition to lectures, keynotes, and workshops, the convention also offered tours, with behind the scenes stops at Bloomberg, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, and CNN. During their free time, the group had a chance to visit popular tourist destinations such as Times Square, the Natural History Museum, and Central Park. The convention wrapped up with an awards ceremony with 18 different categories. The Campus Chronicle beat over 200 universities’ publications for Best Magazine...

On Thursday, February 26, players on PUC’s men’s and women’s basketball teams were awarded honors in the California Pacific Conference of the National Intercollegiate Athletics Association (NAIA). In addition to the conference honors, Jordan Monteith, men’s basketball forward, was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. The Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete programs recognize excellence in the classroom by NAIA-member student athletes who are juniors or above in academic standing with a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Students must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended two full years as a non-transfer or one full year as a transfer. The awards are given annually to outstanding student athletes in the various sports in which the program is active, and their respective teams are eligible for NAIA postseason competition. Monteith, a senior forward who will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in business administration this summer, was also recognized as the California Pacific Conference Player of the Week (January 12-18). "I am extremely proud of Jordan and his accomplishment of being named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete,” states men’s basketball coach Greg Rahn. “He has shown what it really means to be a student-athlete and what it takes to accomplish great success in the classroom and on the...

Pacific Union College hosted its 34th annual Career Day on Thursday, March 5, welcoming professionals from a variety of fields such as business administration, psychology, social work, and education. Career consultants filled the side rooms of the Dining Commons to meet with students after Marlin G. Meharry, D.D.S., an award-winning dentist, spoke for the Colloquy Speaker Series earlier in the morning. Meharry inspired future members of the workforce with stories of his time as a missionary dentist working in the Marshall Islands, Kenya, and Japan. “The most satisfying times in my life were when I lived overseas and did dentistry for free,” Meharry explained in his Colloquy presentation. Meharry graduated from Pacific Union College in 1976 and Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in 1980. He began his journey of service as a traveling dentist in the Marshall Islands, and after a brief posting in Taiwan he moved to Japan, where he became the director for clinics associated with the Adventist Medical Center in Naha, Japan and started a family (his daughter Tanya Healy serves in academic administration at PUC). From 1989 to 1995, Meharry led the Seventh-day Adventist dental clinic in Nairobi, Kenya. Under his tenure as director, the...

On Friday, February 13, a group of Pacific Union College’s bachelor’s in nursing partnered with the college’s Wellness Program to present a health fair aimed at increasing the awareness and health of PUC students. The fair had information and health assessment tests for heart health, blood sugar, skin cancer, body composition, and nutrition, as well as free foot reflexology. The nursing students also provided information on high blood pressure, lifestyle modifications, and foods to avoid. The fair was organized as part of Health Care Education, a course that covers the learning theories and educational strategies nurses need to know to develop as educators. “Students learn to write a teaching plan with goals, objectives, evaluation, etc.,” shares Susan Allen, the course’s instructor. “In the health fair they were able to put into practice what they learned in the classroom.” Erika Torres, a bachelor’s of nursing (BSN) student graduating this spring, teamed with her classmates on a station where students could have their blood pressure taken. The BSN students then taught their fellow students about the healthy range for blood pressure numbers. Torres completed her associate’s in nursing at PUC, and looks forward to finishing her bachelor’s in June. “A lot of...

The Honors Program at Pacific Union College provides an alternative to traditional General Education requirements, enrolling students in classes that depart from a traditional lecture format to encourage a lifetime of critical thought, aesthetic appreciation, and spiritual prosperity. Recently, the program was reinvented to meet the needs of more pre-professional students while still retaining its great books legacy and liberal arts tradition. Since its inception, the PUC Honors Program has maintained its status as an excellent educational route by offering semi-weekly seminars, each with a different focus. The Honors Program has always offered students a variety of opportunities to work closely with professors, especially on the senior-year capstone Honors project; study abroad to learn about art, history, architecture, etc.; hone leadership abilities as well as scholastic skills; seek truth by engaging in a journey of personal growth and spiritual development; and raise their academics to a distinguished level in preparation for graduate school applications. The program director, Professor of English Georgina Hill, says Honors provides “a stimulating, alternative environment, focused on in-depth understanding through lively discussions.” According to Hill, the program underwent its makeover in the fall of 2014 to create scheduling flexibility, add more variety, provide cross-cohort classes, and...

Senior night for the Pioneers men’s basketball program meant saying goodbye to six players who played a key role in helping the team achieve the success they reached this season. They will be losing Austin Coetzee, Devon Marshall, Jordan Monteith, Keith Hicks, Gurpreet Sangha, Taureaus Maxwell, and Jordan Greenwell. The Pioneers, having already locked in a playoff spot, looked to improve their record against the UC Merced Bobcats. The Pioneers came out of the gate running and were able to make the seniors’ last home game memorable with an 85-58 senior night win. This win improves their record to 11-16 and their conference record to 6-4. Three seniors scored in double figures: Jordan Greenwell had 16 points and seven rebounds, Jordan Monteith added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Gurpreet Sangha tallied 12 points and eight rebounds. Taureaus Maxwell added 4 points and Devon Marshall had six points and six rebounds. Austin Coetzee, last year’s team manager turned basketball player for the Pioneers 2014-2015 campaign, has been “a great example of what it means to make sacrifices, to be humble, honest, and always displays great sportsmanship,“ Coach Greg Rahn states. “He is very much about the goals and success of...

Ezra Frech, a disabled child athlete who has been featured on Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, spoke to a crowd of nearly 200 Pacific Union College students, faculty, and community members on Monday, February 23. Frech shared his approach to life and the challenges he has faced in his 11 years of living with a disability. The event began with a presentation by the Pacific Union College men’s and women’s basketball teams. The players highlighted the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ values and what it means to be “Champions of Character” (PUC’s varsity teams play in the NAIA’s California Pacific Conference). Fabio Maia, coordinator of Service, Justice and Missions for Pacific Union College, then introduced Frech. Maia met Ezra’s parents through the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization that provides opportunities and support to people with physical challenges so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. Following Frech’s presentation, the PUC Pioneers played an exhibition basketball game with Team Ezra, made up of Ezra and four local elementary students. The outsized Team Ezra played well, with Ezra making a layup just before time expired to give Team Ezra the victory. After the game, Frech...