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As a kid, Rick Harter watched Top Gun for the first time and decided then and there he wanted to fly.“Without hesitation, my dad told me I absolutely could become a pilot someday,” Harter recalls. “He told me if I worked hard, I could fly around in jets when I grew up and I thought that was so awesome!”Over the next several years, Harter attended all the air shows he could find, and never lost his love for aviation. He decided being a missionary pilot was the path he wanted to follow, so he headed to Pacific Union College to study.“I really enjoyed the challenge of flying into that little airport,” Harter says. “That field is a bit more challenging than other airports where some students learn to fly. PUC aviation grads have a bit of an edge when they get their license, because they have experience landing on a short airstrip surrounded by hills.”He also says he appreciated the mentorship of Nathan Tasker, flight director during Harter’s time as a student.“He was so positive all the time,” Harter recalls. “He taught me a lot about character, and about being a safe pilot. Lessons I will continue to use throughout...

Pacific Union College has once again found itself ranked in the top ten schools in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges list. Furthermore, the college’s name appears four times in the 2020 rankings, all within the top 15. PUC has been ranked for the following:#10 in Regional Colleges West#7 in Best Colleges for Veterans#4 in Best Value Schools#14 inTop Performers on Social Mobility"Our students are well prepared for success,” says Milbert Mariano, academic dean at PUC. “PUC’s high rankings in U.S. News & World Report affirm our quality and excellence as an institution.”Regional Colleges are split into four regions and are placed in this category based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s Basic Classification system, the accepted standard in U.S. education. A few of the factors and weights included in the methodology are graduation and retention rates, graduation rate performance, social mobility, faculty and financial resources, student excellence, and alumni giving. PUC is the only Adventist school in the top ten.Best Colleges for Veterans are selected based on meeting the following criteria: certified for the GI Bill, participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, for the third consecutive year enrolled a minimum of 20 veterans and active...

Pacific Union College has been ranked by Washington Monthly in the 2019 top ten for Best Colleges for adult learners in the 2-year degree category. Washington Monthly rates schools based on what they do for the country.Rolling in at #7, PUC is one of only two colleges in the state of California to rank in the top ten.“PUC’s high rankings in Washington Monthly affirm our quality and excellence as an institution,” says Milbert Mariano, academic dean for PUC. “I am proud of our campus family for all their achievements, and they deserve to be praised and appreciated for their efforts.”The criteria used by Washington Monthly for determining its Best Colleges are:- Ease of transfer/enrollment- Flexibility of programs - Services available for adult students- The percent of adult students (age 25+) at the college- Graduation rates of part-time students- Mean earnings of adult students ten years after entering college- Loan repayment rates of adult students five years after entering repayment- Tuition and fees for in-district students PUC has also been ranked in the top ten by U.S. News & World Report in their 2020 Best Colleges list; for details, read the article....

Education is most effective when taken from the traditional classroom setting into experiential learning situations. PUC offers many opportunities for study tours around the world, and this summer, Honors students took their learning to the literal streets as they toured London for a class called “London Streets.”The course took them throughout the city, personalizing literature they’d studied in previous courses and bringing history to life. Together, professor and students considered the ethics and obligations of seeing poverty both in Victorian times and now, interrogated the intersection between scientific regulation of health and governmental power, and traced the geographic and cultural impact of industrialization.For pictures of their trip, check out their photo blog; for a deeper dive into what they studied during their three weeks in the UK, take a look at their reflections blog....

For years, the trails of Pacific Union College’s forested lands have been known mostly by word of mouth; even locals are sometimes unaware of the college’s 35 miles of recreational trails through more than 850 acres of rich biodiversity and striking beauty.Now, thanks to a new trail license agreement between PUC and the Napa County Regional Parks and Open Spaces District, PUC’s forest is now open for those who wish to enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding through PUC’s coastal redwoods, Douglas firs, ponderosa pines, oaks, bay laurels, and Madrones. They may even see a rare Napa False Indigo or hear the calls of the threatened Northern Spotted Owl.This agreement means PUC’s forest will be incorporated into the district’s set of open spaces parks in Napa County.“Growing into the future, PUC is excited to partner with the Parks and Open Spaces District to the mutual benefit of our organizations,” says Peter Lecourt, forest manager for PUC, “and to the local community who cherish the PUC forest.”While this license will not change the essential character and unequalled ecological value of PUC’s forest, it does represent a major milestone in both the history and future of the PUC forest.Last year PUC...

For 24 years, PUC has hosted PacificQuest annually during the summer, inviting high-achieving middle school students to campus to participate in various STEM activities to enhance their knowledge and interest. The program was an instant success with both participating teachers and students, and has remained hugely popular over the years. The only downside? Once a student graduates 8th grade, they can no longer attend PacificQuest.“The PacificQuest students and parents have been asking for years for a similar program for academy and high school students,” says Aimee Wyrick, chair of the department of biology and event coordinator. “With the support of PacificQuest alumni and union schools, we finally had the resources to make it happen this year.”And so, in July, for the first time ever, PUC hosted PQ Rise, a similar program to PacificQuest, but for high school students.“I loved the three years of Pacific Quest I did so much, that when I saw an opportunity to do it for another summer, I was ecstatic,” enthuses Sofia Rasi, sophomore at Monterey Bay Academy.Though she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, Rasi suspected the classes would be slightly more challenging and the curriculum enriched. She wasn’t disappointed.“I must say, our activities felt...

David Ruckle was born into a family of physicians: his dad, his mom, five uncles, and three aunts are all medical professionals. Needless to say, it was a path he found to be a natural one when he enrolled at PUC as a pre-med student. He chose business as his major.“Business taught me how to manage a team and my time, helped me improve my collaboration skills, and gave me the tools to successfully handle my personal and business finances,” he says.Ruckle recalls one experience stemming from a group project in a class taught by former business professor John Nunes. When Ruckle approached Nunes with frustrations about the project, Nunes talked him through the situation.“He coached me through how to work better with other people, and how to motivate a group,” says Ruckle. “He helped me find ways to inspire success and to encourage others to be contributing members of a team. This was helpful because medicine is a very team-based career, with several people all working from their specific areas to achieve the best patient care you can get. I won’t forget the lessons Nunes taught me.”After graduating from PUC in 2015, Ruckle went on to Loma Linda University....

Pacific Union College held its annual PacificQuest program June 23-28, welcoming two dozen high-achieving middle school students to campus for five days of fun-filled and exciting learning in STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math. The program is designed to provide gifted students with the opportunity to explore college-level courses and encourage them to pursue a college education.This summer, PacificQuest offered students three exciting hands-on classes: Chemistry, Computer Programming & Game Development, and Technology.“This year’s PacificQuest group was fantastic,” says Aimee Wyrick, chair of the department of biology. “One of the biggest values of this experience is that students get to know people from other schools and expand their horizons. They get a chance to learn beyond the typical topics covered in the classroom, and get to work with like-minded students on fun projects.”Chemistry, taught by Kent Davis, chair of the department of chemistry, explored the idea that properties of matter are a consequence of the three-dimensional shapes of molecules.Computer Programming & Game Development, taught by Chantel Blackburn, associate professor of mathematics, gave students the opportunity to learn about coding through an introduction to the computer language C#. Students created their own versions of the popular 1990s computer game, Minesweeper, brainstorming...

It’s no secret Pacific Union College’s largest program is nursing, and that the department thrives on preparing medical professionals for successful, productive lives of service and care. Whether they are working in the operating or emergency room, hospital or clinic, PUC nursing grads enter the workforce with confidence, experience, knowledge, and a heart both for the people they treat, and for those they work alongside. “These new grads embrace our mission of inspiring health, wholeness, and hope,” says Susan Collins, talent advisor in talent acquisitions at Adventist Health St. Helena. “When we hire them, they continue expressing that kindness through their patient care. We are blessed they are now a part of our team.”Additionally, many of these PUC nursing alumni choose to stay in the area, having developed relationships with medical clinics, hospitals, and residents in the valley, and established connections within their field. This gives them the confidence to enter their roles with spirit and energy from Day One.“I find the PUC new grad is eager and ready to learn,” says Heather Anderson, department nursing director for MedSurg and surgical unit at Adventist Health. “They embrace the challenges the day brings and learn from each event and encounter.  We...

Pacific Union College, Napa Valley’s only four-year college, will host its annual commencement exercises Friday, June 14, through Sunday, June 16.The college will proudly award 330 associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees to 309 graduates. The largest departmental groups are the nursing and health sciences (170 graduates from the Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs), business administration (42), communication (21), and psychology & social work (21).In addition, four graduating students are Maxwell Scholars: Michael Caster, management for medical professionals major; Alexander Chang, chemistry (biochemistry) major; Lauren Chang, English writing major; and Laurel Kwon, English writing major. Maxwell Scholars are recognized as incoming freshmen for their outstanding academic achievement, and are awarded a renewable scholarship based on their unweighted cumulative GPA and test scores.“We are excited to honor and celebrate our graduates and the future that lies ahead,” says Robert Cushman Jr., PUC president. “I look forward to meeting graduates, families, and friends here on beautiful Howell Mountain, where nature and revelation unite in education.”In the class of 2019, 17 students will graduate summa cum laude; 18 magna cum laude; 50 cum laude; 4 with honors. After California, which is home to 272 graduating seniors, Washington State and...