Napa Valley Community Foundation Grant Supports First Scholarly Conference at PUC’s Walter C. Utt Center

Pacific Union College recently received a generous grant from the Johnson Family Fund of the Napa Valley Community Foundation. The donation, awarded on Sept. 23, goes toward the Utt Endowment.

Students of PUC’s late, beloved history professor, Dr. Walter Utt, established an endowment to honor their former teacher. Officially recognized by PUC’s Board in 1988, the Utt Endowment raised money to complete the professor’s unfinished book, support a series of visiting professors, and build the recently opened Walter C. Utt Center for Adventist History on the PUC campus.

Part of the grant from NVCF will be used to publish the results from the first scholarly conference held early this week at the Utt Center. The conference, titled “Ellen White for Today,” was enormously successful and attended by 21 scholars and administrators, including four former university presidents.

Eric Anderson, a professor emeritus and former PUC president, said the conference focused on the historical context of White—Adventism’s “founding mother.” White’s home is a state historical site in Napa County. Conference participants discussed the significance of the Adventist experience in American history.

Anderson expressed deep gratitude for the grant. “It highlights the potential of the Utt Center to promote research of value to Pacific Union College and its wider community,” he said.

NVCF President and CEO Terence Mulligan said part of the foundation’s work is helping to expand educational opportunities in the Napa Valley.

“We are very proud to offer our support to Pacific Union College,” Mulligan said, “thanks to the generosity of The Johnson Family Fund at NVCF.”

ABOUT PACIFIC UNION COLLEGE

For more than 140 years, Pacific Union College has prepared students to learn with purpose, rise in faith, and serve with love. As an accredited Seventh-day Adventist Christian liberal arts college in the beautiful Napa Valley area of Northern California, PUC offers over 70 degrees and programs, cutting-edge research, and a diverse student body—but with the benefits of a small college focused on the undergraduate experience and in an atmosphere of Christian community.

ABOUT NAPA VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Napa Valley Community Foundation works side-by-side with local donors and nonprofits to tackle the most important challenges our Valley faces. Now celebrating 25 years of service to the community, the Foundation has distributed more than $75 million in grants to improve the quality of life for residents of the region. Currently, it serves as the philanthropic partner to thousands of individuals, families, nonprofit agencies, and corporations in Napa Valley and beyond. To learn more, visit www.napavalleycf.org.