2024

From October 3-5, Pacific Union College Preparatory School had 12 academies from across California on the campus of Pacific Union College for the annual volleyball tournament. Approximately 200 athletes and coaches attended from Glendale Adventist Academy, La Sierra Academy, Newbury Park Adventist Academy, Central Valley Christian Academy, Lodi Adventist Academy, Monterey Bay Academy, Mountain View Academy, Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy, Pine Hills Adventist Academy, Sacramento Adventist Academy, Kolbe Trinity Prep, and PUC Prep. PUC Campus Visit Coordinator Andrianna Massena organized the tournament, guaranteeing all guests were housed, fed in the café and gym, and could score some giveaway items. Others who helped were Tournament Director Hernan Granados, who arranged the gym and scoreboard workers and scouted potential athletes for next school year; PUC’s admissions and enrollment team; and PUC Prep Physical Education Teacher Matthew Lee, who ordered the game bracketing schedules and was the event MC. Massena also prepared social activities such as an ice cream sundae bar, hiking, and lawn games for the academies to enjoy and meet other students. PUC’s EMS Club also sold kettle corn during the championship game on Saturday night. Sacramento Adventist Academy won first place, with Glendale Adventist Academy coming in second. La Sierra...

Pacific Union College held its Week of Worship from October 7-11, with guest speaker Pastor Anil Kanda. He is the Youth and Young Adults Director for the Central California Conference and host of Hope at Night, a late night show that seeks to answer questions about God and life through interviews. Kanda was raised Hindu with a Seik background in Orange County by his parents, who immigrated from Punjab, India. As a young adult, he committed his life to the Lord after meeting a Seventh-day Adventist.Kanda titled his Week of Worship message "God's Passion." He talked about the passion God wants His people to have, the passion He gives, and His own passion—emphasizing no one is busier or more active than God while caring about each individual as if they are the only person He created. Kanda shared his belief that God communicates with His people by assuring them He sees them, understands their hearts, and knows them intimately. He encouraged the congregation to embrace this message during the Week of Worship.Before each message, PUC SA Religious Vice President Leila Beltran enthusiastically welcomed students, interacting with them on stage and getting them excited to worship. She was joined by a...

For the 34th year, Pacific Union College welcomed back academies around California for Publication Workshop from September 8-10. About 110 participants from Lodi, Mesa Grande, Mountain View, Pine Hills, Pleasant Hill, PUC Prep, Redlands, San Fernando, Tualatin Valley, and Ukiah focused on improving their high schools’ publications through workshops focusing on design, video production, photography, and writing. PUC Visual Arts Professor Tim de La Torre directed Publication Workshop for the third year. Alongside him presenting workshops were his visual arts colleagues Professor Brian Kyle, Nephtali Marin, and Cliff Rusch, and PUC Communication Professors Eric Graham and Tara Hargrove. Maranatha Volunteers International Vice President of Marketing Julie Z. Lee, a PUC alum, was this year’s keynote speaker. Amy Hill, yearbook advisor for Redlands Adventist Academy, also led workshop sessions for advisors and PUC Theology Professor James Wibberding leading opening worship. Participants started the first workshop with a two-hour breakout session for each subject and spent the afternoon with their teams working on two assignments that needed to be completed before 10pm. This activity taught students to develop cohesion and work under pressure as they created projects together. De La Torre hopes academies return home with the belief in the power of...

For the third year straight, Payscale ranked Pacific Union College as the third top college with the highest-paying associate's degree.Payscale is the leading provider of compensation data, software, and services. Their College Salary Report came from the alumni salary data of 3.1 million respondents, representing over 2,400 colleges and universities in the country. The median salary for a PUC student graduating with an associate degree is $100,900. In the top three, PUC followed behind Laboure College in Massachusetts and the Helene Fuld College of Nursing in New York. Every student at PUC receives financial aid, and with a two-year degree being more affordable, students can earn an associate's degree in healthcare, aviation, emergency services, and more. Students who take out loans could cut their loan payback time in half. PUC President Ralph Trecartin said this ranking is a testament to the quality of students PUC admits and the quality teaching and student support mechanisms built into the programs. “It is no wonder that our students come out exceptionally well prepared and in demand for some of the highest paying opportunities in their field,” said Trecartin. “We prepare our students to be career-ready but also to live well-rounded lives of service...

Just in time for the school year to begin, Paulin Recital Hall and Hanson Pool at Pacific Union College receive the finishing touches of their renovations. The Hanson PoolHanson Pool is filled with students and visitors throughout the school year and summer. After much use, the pool plaster—not having been replaced since 2004—was peeling off the walls and floors.Dale Withers, director of facilities management at PUC, and his team began renovations in February, with the PUC Workers Comp Fund and the St. Helena Hospital Foundation supporting this project. "The PUC Workers Comp Fund reimbursed us for prior years premiums due to good performance of the fund and safety record at PUC," shared PUC Executive Director of Financial Administration Sam Heier. "Since the majority of the work was driven by required pool safety standards, the project was deemed a worthy recipient of those funds." In exchange for limited access to the pool for their employees and patients, the St. Helena Hospital Foundation funded the balance of the pool project.  In addition to the plaster, the pool needed to be up to current safety standards with the Virginia Graeme Baker Act, meaning closing off ports on skimmers, installing new main drains, and...

Pacific Union College has risen on the U.S. News & World Report’s recently released Best Colleges list. U.S. News & World Report ranks schools according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. PUC ranked #5 as the Best Colleges for Veterans among the regional colleges in the West — a new category this year. The college also tied for #3 for overall ranks in California and are #13 in the category.“At PUC, we are always striving for excellence in two ways: thrive in concrete and measurable ways that any external observer can see,” said PUC President Ralph Trecartin. “When we are considered outstanding in a particular category or in comparison with our peers, we can applaud and be gratified for a job well done. In addition to external measurement and adulation, we also seek to perform well in ways that are indirect and harder to measure, and yet no less important.”He continued, “Even indirect, subtle, and occasional indications of our heart for service will end up making the world a better place and have an impact on our reputation student by student, and also in broad rankings such as the U.S. News and World Report...

The Birding Bonanza and Alumni Retreat welcomed bird enthusiasts and Pacific Union College alumni to the Albion Field Station from August 22-25 for a weekend of worship and activities focused on coastal birds, biology, and the beauty of God's natural world. Attendees were given a flexible schedule of activities for the weekend, including a pelagic bird tour, multiple worships and meals together, a birding presentation, an excursion along the coast to spot bird species, a natural history hike, area outings, and much more.PUC President Ralph Trecartin said the weekend was filled with fun, camaraderie and adventure. “I loved adding some new species to my life list and catching up with old friends, both human and avian,” he said. “All this in a beautiful setting with people that love the Lord and the opportunity to worship Him together.”DeAnna Cordis, director of alumni relations and stewardship, explained the weekend was a combined effort between the School of Sciences, Alumni Department, Dr. Trecartin, Marketing and Communication, and Albion. She said the weekend was a success and credited Trecartin for the idea of having birding as the retreat's emphasis."It went well!" Cordis said. "Dr. Trecartin gave our opening night worship, Biology Professor Floyd Hayes...

In early August, Pacific Union College created connections by making its mark at the International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, providing engaging activities, essential training, and showcasing Adventist higher education to the 60,000 plus young people from across the globe. Despite intense storms and weather-related setbacks, PUC staff and students had the incredible opportunity to witness God’s presence and power amidst the storms.Showcasing Adventist EducationMembers of PUC’s enrollment team collaborated with representatives from four other Adventist colleges to run the Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities (AACU) booth, highlighting the unique offerings of PUC and other institutions. The booth, located in the heart of the event’s main exhibit area—Energy Hall—ensured high visibility and engagement with the steady flow of Pathfinders and their families.Providing Excitement, Engagement, and TrainingAlongside its educational outreach, PUC’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program director, 11 EMS students, and enrollment team members offered an exciting activity and Pathfinder honor training.Erected on the front lawn of Energy Hall stood PUC’s 20-foot-tall climbing wall, draped with PUC promotional banners. While four participants scaled the climbing wall at a time, those in line could interact with PUC staff. Upon successfully scaling the wall, participants received a custom-made metal collector’s pin—continuing the...

In only a week, faculty and students from Pacific Union College and health professionals served over 3,000 patients in India. Professor of Biology Dr. Backil Sung planned this mission trip to Falakata, India. From July 10-21, the goals were to treat patients with health issues, introduce Jesus’ love, and for students and volunteers to learn how to practice God’s command to love others. All to Heaven is Dr. Sung's charity organization that helps with these yearly mission trips, and his organization raised around $80,000 . Out of the donated funds, $35,000 supplied medications and materials and assisted with local transportation and meals for the mission trip.  $37,000 was donated to construct the theology school's boys' dormitory, scholarships, the great controversy book to students, and donation of a dental chair at the clinic. The remaining $7,000 was reserved for next year's mission trip.“I was very impressed with Dr. Sung’s ability to organize and lead this international mission trip,” said Professor of Biology Floyd Hayes. “His mission trips provide a tremendous opportunity for our students to participate in health care, and I hope that many will join him each summer.”Joining Dr. Sung and Hayes were seven biology students from PUC, eight medical...

Pacific Union College Professors Drs. Scott Butterfield and Floyd Hayes from the biology department were awarded two grants totaling over $300k from the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake and the National Audubon Society's Audubon in Action program to develop a monitoring program for grebes, a bioindicator of ecosystem health, at Clear Lake. With this project, they will collaborate with partners from the Redbud Audubon Society, Upper Lake High School, Lower Lake High School, Robinson Rancheria Environmental Center, Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, and Lake County. Grebes are aquatic diving birds that serve as bioindicators of the lakes' overall ecosystem health, allowing biologists to monitor complex systems more cost-effectively and sustainably. If the lake is healthy, the number of grebes increases while decreasing if it is unhealthy. In 2022, Hayes published a review of grebe monitoring in Clear Lake that showed the rise and fall of grebe numbers over the past 70 years.Hayes's review inspired him and Butterfield to consider how grebe monitoring could be improved with new technologies, such as those being developed and tested in PUC's conservation technology and data science programs, including drones, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. In the new...