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On Thursday, March 15, the PUC Church sanctuary was filled with the sounds of energy and excitement as the Class of 2018 was celebrated during Senior Recognition Colloquy.After the processional, Dr. Bob Cushman, the college’s president, offered his congratulations to the senior class, acknowledging their accomplishments during their time at PUC, and also extended a warm welcome to the rest of the congregation.Dr. Kent Davis, chair of the department of chemistry, gave the morning’s Scripture reading of 1st Corinthians 12:31, followed by a formal introduction of the Class of 2018 by Dr. Nancy Lecourt, academic dean and vice president for academic administration. As she shared statistics regarding the class, audience members cheered for their respective departments that were represented. Of the 265 soon-to-be graduates, 95 will earn associate degrees while 184 will receive bachelor’s degrees. The top five programs are comprised of biology (17), communication (19), health sciences (21), business (29), and nursing (108). Approximately one-third of the class is receiving a degree cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude. The class hails from 17 different states and six countries from around the world, with the youngest being just 19-years-old while the oldest is 53-years-old. Dr. Lecourt praised...

Last school year, Pacific Union College English and pre-med major Laurel Kwon and fellow honors student Jeff Richards worked together on a project. They visited Foothills Elementary School just a few minutes from campus and demonstrated some chemistry experiments.“The kids loved it!” Laurel recalls with a grin. “So, I got to thinking, why not make this a regular thing to get kids excited about seeing what we were going to do next?”That summer, Laurel shared her idea with her friend, John Jung, a biology major. He liked the idea, and at that moment, SPARK was born.SPARK, or Science Presentations And Research for Kids, is a program that connects PUC students with local elementary, middle, and high school students under the umbrella of science. The idea is to send small groups of PUC students into schools to give age-appropriate demonstrations and explanations of various aspects of science. SPARK is supported and sponsored by professor Aimee Wyrick, chair of the department of biology, and Dr. Kent Davis, chair of the department of chemistry, who help the students coordinate with local schools and oversee the demonstrations provided.“We want to create opportunities for children to not only learn about science, but also learn to...

“The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it” (Psalms 89:11). This scripture is the driving concept behind the annual Math Science Workshop invitational for high school students at Pacific Union College. Its driving force? Faculty who look to God as the Creator and the source of all true knowledge. The 2018 Math & Science Workshop took place Sunday, Feb. 25.“We work hard to make this program interesting and fun,” says professor Aimee Wyrick, chair of the department of biology and coordinator of the workshop, “but our real goal is to make it intellectually stimulating. We want the students to leave here with an enriched understanding of math and science.” The workshop has been taking place for over 50 years, but has recently been overhauled based on feedback from teachers and students. Events and activities are geared toward high school seniors interested in math and science, and gives them an opportunity to experience their interests at a college level.“This is a time when our seniors need more information about what college is like and how they are to succeed in that environment,” says Bob Nobuhara, biological and natural sciences teacher...

On Feb. 21, over 60 students from several high schools and academies will gather on the campus of Pacific Union College for the 2018 band festival. Three days of intense rehearsal will culminate in a concert on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m., at the Paulin Hall auditorium.Selections for the concert include “Sinfonia VI” by Timothy Broege, “Down in the River” by Jay Bocook, and “Three Ayres from Gloucester” by Hugh Stuart, among others.“Over the years, we have alternated between me and guest artists conducting the festival,” says Asher Raboy, PUC wind symphony director and event coordinator. “I was looking for talented composers and conductors who were also showing up to conduct festivals and workshops. I found Rodney Dorsey.”Dorsey, associate professor of conducting and director of bands and the Oregon wind ensemble at the University of Oregon, will be conducting this year’s band festival at PUC.“He really knows his way around band music, band instruments, and band repertoire,” Raboy says. “He’s worked with musicians of all ages, and he’s a nice guy, too.”Raboy has been teaching at PUC for over a decade, and he continues to enjoy these festivals and the students who attend them.“I’ve done a lot of festivals...

What happens when you combine 13 teacher candidates, a room full of potential employers, and food? Jobs happen, that’s what. On Feb. 5-6, seniors in the department of education at Pacific Union College were given the opportunity to dine and visit with both Adventist conference and public school education superintendents and principals from across Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. It was the annual Education Days at PUC, which has been taking place for over a dozen years, and by all accounts it was a smashing success.“We do everything possible to get these students jobs when they graduate,” says Debra Murphy, field services and TPA coordinator for the department. “Personal contact is so important. These days employers aren’t just looking at credentials; they’re also looking at personality to determine how well a potential employee will fit into the culture of the environment in which they’ll be working.”The event began with a Dr. Seuss-themed dinner on Monday evening, with seating assigned based on students’ interest in particular geographic locations, so they can visit with representatives from their desired area. Students greet and seat the principals and superintendents, so from the very beginning of the event they have a chance for one-on-one...