2016

Today, the PUC campus community mourns the loss of Fen Pan, an international student from Beijing, China, who died as the result of a car accident Deer Park, Calif., shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, March 28. Fen was one of seven people in the vehicle. The accident remains under investigation. Injured in the accident were Yejin An, from Guam; Ruth Bahta, from Carmichael, Calif.; Soon Joo Hwang and Issac Hwang from Chino Hills, Calif.; Jihyun Kim, from Guam; and Jaeyeong Choi, from Colton, Calif. All have been released from area hospitals. Fen, 20, graduated from Loma Linda Academy in 2014. She was studying music and pre-dentistry at PUC. On behalf of the entire campus community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, we express our deepest condolences to Fen’s family in Beijing, her host family the Saesims in Redlands, Calif., and her friends and fellow students. “Our campus community is saddened by the loss of our dear, sweet Fen Pan. Her love for life was contagious amongst her family and friends. Her beautiful smile, her ability to connect and make close, lifelong friends, and her genuine commitment to loved ones will always be a cherished memory,” says Lisa Bissell Paulson, vice...

On Thursday, March 10, PUC’s Colloquy Speaker Series featured no famous orators, renowned authors, or awe-inspiring filmmakers, but rather its own hardworking class of 2016. Seniors marched down the aisle at the beginning of the program, tassels swinging, in a “practice run” for the long-anticipated graduation on June 12. After all the participating seniors were seated, professor of religion Young-Chun Kim played a brilliant special music, “Etude-Caprice Op. 18, No. 4” by Henri Wieniawski. Following the performance, vice president for academic administration Nancy Lecourt rose to present the senior class, recognizing the number of students graduating with each major, as well as the number of students who will graduate cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude. PUC President Dr. Heather J. Knight then introduced the Colloquy speaker chosen by the class of 2016: professor of communication Dr. Tammy McGuire, who was recognized as PUC’s Professor of the Year in 2011. Dr. McGuire’s message to the senior class focused on the importance of the “in-betweens” of life, and how to not fall prey to the deadly disease of “senioritis.” She said it’s easy to get bogged down in the long, dull stretches of life between day-to-day realities and the...

Pacific Union College hosted its 35th annual Career Day on Thursday, March 3. This highly attended annual event offered students a unique opportunity to connect with close to 50 working professionals, many of whom were PUC alumni, in various fields of interest ranging from U.S. Marshals to educators to professionals from companies such as Adventist Health, LinkedIn, TiVo, the Sacramento Kings, and more. The event began with a special Colloquy presentation by Dr. Loree K. Sutton, a PUC alumnus, distinguished retired Brigadier General, and the recently appointed commissioner of veteran’s affairs in New York City. Sutton addressed a full church imploring students to be their best self and to take every opportunity that comes their way. “The world needs our gifts. Keep your eyes open, we are transforming the narrative,” she said. “I challenge you to think of how to prepare yourselves to continue serving.” She also expressed how thankful she was for her education at PUC. “In preparing to come back and talk with you today, I was overcome with gratitude; gratitude for all that this place and the people who have been here and who are here and who will be in the years to come; all that...

Pacific Union College Athletics is excited to announce the signing of four new student athletes to the Pioneer family! Joining our Lady Pioneers will be CeCe Ewing (basketball), Brooke Sumner (basketball), Audrey Uyemura (volleyball), and Morgan Spencer (volleyball). CeCe Ewing, a shooting guard from Loma Linda Academy, was named First Team All-League three consecutive years, MVP her junior and senior seasons, and offensive MVP her sophomore season. “I am excited to be a part of a brand new team. I am also grateful to be at the same school as my big brother,” Ewing says. Graduating with high honors, Ewing plans to major in psychology at PUC. Brooke Sumner, a shooting guard, hails from Escondido Academy and La Sierra University. While playing varsity basketball in academy, she received First Team All-League both her junior and senior season. She was also named MVP three consecutive years, and was also Athlete of the Year her junior season. Sumner played softball, volleyball, and golf in academy as well. “I can’t wait to be pushed to my limit and make the PUC spirit stronger than ever,” she says. Sumner plans to study physical education and dental hygiene at PUC. Audrey Uyemura, a libero from...

The 2016 Frank A. and Florine A. Longo Lecture featuredcelebrated writer and professor Dr. Marilyn Chandler McEntyre. Author of over adozen books, McEntyre teaches medical humanities at UC Davis and the UCBerkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, and is a frequent lecturer on issues ofmedicine and literature.On February 18 PUC’s Scales Chapel filled with students,faculty, and community members eager to hear McEntyre’s presentation. Theprogram began with a special tribute to Dr. Lawrence Longo, PUC alum andsponsor of the lecture series, who passed away on January 5, 2016, in LomaLinda, California. Dr. Longo was a distinguished professor of Physiology, and Obstetricsand Gynecology at Loma Linda University. PUC President Dr. Heather J. Knightspoke about Dr. Longo’s legacy as a researcher, mentor, teacher, missionary,innovator, and medical historian.Dr. Longo’s nephew, Kevin Longo, spoke briefly about his uncleand expressed his appreciation of how Dr. Longo’s accomplishments and hisstatus as a distinguished alumnus continues to be honored at PUC. “Writing andbeing inquisitive were what he was about,” Kevin Longo said of his uncle. Healso mentioned Dr. Longo’s passion to see the generation of youth make adifference. One of the pieces of advice he would always give to young peoplewas to “go do great things.”Following the tribute, English professor...

Pacific Union College will freeze tuition at its current rate next year. President Heather Knight announced a tuition freeze Monday as part of an effort to control the higher education costs and reducing the toll of student debt on families. Knight acknowledged the freeze is only the beginning of the college's exploration of fresh approaches to controlling the cost of higher education and reducing the toll student debt. In addition to the freeze, college has launched a new scholarship program for first-time freshmen entering Fall 2016. The PUC Legacy Scholarship recognizes families who have made a PUC education part of their family tradition. Legacy students will receive a $1,500 renewable scholarship if their biological parent or legal guardian attended PUC. “We are listening to our students and their families and continue to seek solutions. As the cost of a private liberal arts degree continues to rise nationwide in the face of stagnant endowments, it is critical for us to do all that we can to keep a private liberal arts Christian education affordable,” says Knight. “The Board approved our recommendation to freeze the tuition because our students and families deserve an academically outstanding education they can afford.” PUC also announced...

Dr. Tommie Smith, one of the two figures in the iconic photo of the Black Power salute during the 1968 Olympics, will speak at Pacific Union College at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16 in the Dauphinee Chapel of Winning Hall on the college campus. The event, hosted by PUC’s Black Student Union, is free and open to the public. During the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Tommie Smith broke the world and Olympic records with a time of 19.83 seconds and became the 200-meter Olympic champion. As the Star Spangled Banner was played, Smith and John Carlos stood wearing their Olympic medals, each with a raised a clenched fist in a stand for human rights, liberation and solidarity. The act was captured in a powerful iconic photo that is among the most famous Olympic moments. This act propelled Smith into the spotlight as a human rights spokesman, activist, and symbol of African American pride at home and abroad. Smith has made a commitment to dedicate his life to champion the cause of oppressed people. Dr. Smith will host a meet and greet immediately following the program....

Pacific Union College welcomes Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, Ph.D., as the featured speaker for the 2016 Frank A. and Florine A. Longo Lecture Series. McEntyre will speak at 7:30 p.m., in Scales Chapel at Pacific Union College, on Thursday, February 18. Marilyn McEntyre, Ph.D., is a writer and professor of medical humanities at UC Davis and the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program in California. Her writing has appeared in The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Books and Culture, Sojourners, Presbyterians Today, Comment, Conversations, Academic Medicine, and a range of academic journals. She has authored over a dozen books, with her most recent, A Faithful Farewell, published in spring 2015. A scholar and retreat leader, McEntyre is a frequent lecturer on issues of medicine and literature. She hopes to foster life-giving conversations about the things that matter most. Her lecture, “Peace, Love, and a Few Good Verbs,” will explore strategies for the stewardship of words, a stewardship that keeps words honed and sharp for precise thinking. According to McEntyre, “Word choices are moral choices. The words we choose have consequences in our lives and others’.” Her lecture will reflect on how good stewardship of words—precise, lively, accountable verbs in particular—can help us foster...

American cellist Cicely Parnas performs for Pacific Union College’s Fine Art Series on Sunday, January 24. Parnas is recognized for bringing “velvety sound, articulate passagework and keen imagination” to her performances (The New York Times). She has studied with cellists Peter Wiley and Ronald Feldman, and earned an Artist Diploma from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Ms. Parnas performs on a 1712 Giovanni Grancino cello. Parnas, the granddaughter of renowned cellist Leslie Parnas, began playing at age four. Seven years later, she made her concert debut with the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra. In 2012, she was the first prize winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Ms. Parnas has appeared at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Vanguard Concerts, the Jewish Community Alliance, and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. She has performed with the Long Bay Symphony, the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, and the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, where she gave the world premiere of Jim McGrath’s Concertino for Cello. In 2012, Parnas made her Carnegie Hall concerto debut, performing the Saint-Saëns Concerto with the New York String Orchestra under the baton of Jaime Laredo. She has soloed in...

Pacific Union College is excited to announce theintroduction of an exciting new bachelor’s degree program focused on music composition.The inaugural class will enroll this fall and has already been accredited bythe National Association of Schools of Music. PUC will be the first Adventistcollege or university in North America to offer a program to specifically servestudents interested in this burgeoning field.Building on the firm foundation of a well-establishedundergraduate music program, the new major expands PUC’s music portfolio andcomplements the college’s existing degree in music education and performance.Students can expect to gain a solidfoundation in techniques and current trends associated with the creation of newmusic. Additionally, PUC students will have the unique opportunity to collaboratewith and compose for PUC student filmmakers in the College’s film andtelevision program.“USA Todaydescribed music composition as one of the top 10 fastest growing jobs in theUnited States this decade,” shares Asher Raboy, resident artist of music andassistant department chair. “We created the new major in response toa growing interest in composing among current students and recent graduates.” According to Raboy, current students haveshown a strong desire to compose, to use composition in their capstone courses,and to make composition the focus of their college careers.PUC’s Bachelor of Music...