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On April 27, 2017, the PUC Church sanctuary was packed full of students, faculty, and staff, all excitedly awaiting the announcement of PUC’s next student-selected Educator of the Year. As PUC tradition states, the winner is a tightly kept secret known only to a few people on campus and is announced at the annual Educator of the Year Colloquy. When Dr. Kent Davis’ name was announced, there was loud and extended applause for the ever popular chemistry professor and department chair. As he sat in the seat of honor on the platform, the audience was treated to funny stories from his wife Rachelle Davis, a fellow PUC faculty member in the department of music, and touching stories from a few close students. Not everyone has the privilege of taking classes from Dr. Davis, so we asked him a few questions to get better acquainted with the man behind the 2017 PUC Educator of the Year award. Describe your typical work day. I generally arrive at my office around 8 a.m. I make final preparations for my class at 9 and then go teach it. Afterwards I talk with students, make assignments covering the material from class, do other administrative tasks,...

Four Pacific Union College alumni bestowed their wealth of knowledge and advice to the campus community in a special Colloquy program on Thursday, November 16. Dr. Eliazar Alvarez, ’84, Angelica Ramirez Dull, ’82, Scott Wendt, ’85, and Dr. Vaughn Browne, ’85, were the honored presenters for the morning, speaking about how a PUC education helped get them to the successful places they are today.Dr. Eliazar Alvarez studied chemistry with a biochemistry emphasis at PUC, and went on to graduate from the School of Medicine at Loma Linda University. He has been practicing family medicine for over 20 years, and currently is part of Wheatland Medical Associates in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Alvarez shared his story as an immigrant from Mexico and the obstacles he overcame, and reminisced about his time at PUC. He worked at the front desk for Newton Hall and appreciated the college’s remote location, which he believes encourages students to become closer to one another. He appreciates that at PUC he made friends from all over the world and to this day he remains friends with many of them. “Open yourself to other cultures, you only risk expanding your mind,” Dr. Alvarez encouraged. “Remember in Christ there is...

Dr. George R. Knight spoke for Pacific Union College’s annual Adventist Heritage Colloquy on Thursday, October 26, in remembrance and celebration of the historic roots the Seventh-day Adventist Church has with the Protestant Reformation. Knight is a leading Seventh-day Adventist historian, author, and educator, and considered to be one of the most influential voices within the denomination for the past three decades. He is also an alumnus of PUC, a graduate of the class of 1965, and professor emeritus of church history at Andrews University. Dr. Nancy Lecourt, academic dean and vice president for academic administration, took to the podium to welcome students back to campus after a week-long hiatus due to the wildfires in Napa County, saying, “It’s great to see everyone back on campus.” She then brought up J.R. Rogers, director of recruitment and fire chief for the Angwin Volunteer Fire Department, along with 16 volunteer firefighters, most of whom are PUC students, faculty, and staff. The audience clapped and cheered their appreciation in recognition of the volunteers’ tireless efforts and heroics during the recent fires. Rogers reported how the department assisted with fighting both the Atlas Peak and the Tubbs fires, during which many AVFD volunteers worked...

Pacific Union College is proud to announce two new scholarship opportunities available to students entering Fall 2018; the STEM Scholarship and the Campus Impact Scholarship. Recognizing the financial difficulties families face when planningfor college, PUC has strengthened its commitment to make a Seventh-dayAdventist liberal arts education accessible and affordable to all admitted students.PUC’s new STEM Scholarship recognizes first-time freshmen who have obtained a strong understanding of and competence in advanced mathematics and science during high school. Recipients must have completed three years of college preparatory laboratory courses (biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy & physiology) and three years of college preparatory math courses (intermediate/advanced algebra, pre-calculus, calculus, geometry, and statistics) to receive the $1,000 renewable award. (Please see scholarship guidelines for specific requirementsand details.)The Campus Impact Scholarship is a $1,000 renewable scholarship available to students who are invited to participate in PUC’s orchestra, wind ensemble, iCantori, or octet, or are selected for specific roles in campus ministries or CONNECT outreach. These awards are renewable upon continued participation inthe specific programs.In addition, amounts for many existing scholarships have been increased, including the President’s and Dean’s Scholarships for both transfer and first-year students.These scholarships are automatically received by qualifying incoming students, based upon GPA...

Today students return to the Pacific Union College campus after a week-long hiatus. In an act of caution, last Tuesday, October 10, PUC canceled classes, closed non-essential offices, and encouraged students to return home to their families while first responders and emergency personnel from across the country worked on containing the wildfires spanning Napa and Sonoma counties and throughout Northern California. “Even with the continued assurance of Angwin’s safety from local fire professionals, it gave PUC’s senior leadership team extra peace of mind knowing the majority of our students were far from the situation,” said Jennifer Tyner, vice president of student life, enrollment, and marketing. “The outpouring of love and support from the community to our remaining students, faculty, and staff was uplifting during this trying time for our campus.” Among the responders working tirelessly to contain the wildfires were several PUC students who volunteer with the local Angwin Volunteer Fire Department, along with many college staff and faculty members, including J.R. Rogers, director of recruitment and fire chief for the Angwin Volunteer Fire Department. He says, “Over 11,000 firefighters and first responders have been working around the clock and the containment of the fires continue to increase, which is...