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The Pacific Union College student body, faculty and staff celebrated African-American heritage on Thursday, February 3, as part of a year-round effort to recognize the diverse ethnic and cultural makeup that characterizes the campus. Colloquy began with a congregational singing of James Weldon Johnson’s “Black National Anthem” and performances of spirituals “Going Up Yonder” and “For Every Mountain.” Emil Peeler, Ph.D., a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist and senior pastor of the Sixteenth Street Church in San Bernardino, Calif., then gave an inspirational address entitled “Don’t Forget the Dungeon,” in which he urged “I believe this is a generation that is called for greatness; I believe God is preparing this generation to be servant-leaders.” Peeler continued to relate the Biblical story of Abimelech and the prophet Jeremiah, suggesting that students choose to do what is right, even when power and position are at stake. As part of heritage week, the PUC cafeteria menu featured vegetarian versions of classic soul food dishes throughout the day. Other campus-wide heritage celebrations throughout the year have included and will include Hispanic-American, European-American and Asian-American....

More than 150 Pacific Union College students gathered in the campus mall on Thursday evening, October 21, for the highly anticipated ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand re-opening of the Campus Center. The opening revealed upgrades funded by the Student Association, PUC administration and Bon Appétit Management Company, the college’s food service provider. College President Heather J. Knight introduced the “wonderful renovation” and declared the center open for use. The opening attracted an elbow-to-elbow crowd for much of the night. Students enjoyed free snacks and live music performed by the PUC jazz band as they excitedly greeted each other and marveled at the differences made by the renovation. One of these changes included the debut of an on-campus convenience store, known as the “C-Store.” Senior Chelsea Hanson commented, “I like how the C-Store has healthy snack options. There are a lot of people on campus with gluten intolerances and other health issues; now they have some great options.” The night also unveiled the Pacific Café, which will serve a variety of beverages. Last year, a similar service operated from a rolling cart in a small corner of the center. The Pacific Café is now located prominently in the center of the building...

Pianist Joy Muth Fackenthall will perform a concert at Pacific Union College as a part of the college’s Fine Arts Series on Saturday, October 23, at 7 p.m. in Paulin Hall Auditorium. The program will include selections from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Saint-Saëns. Fackenthall will be accompanied by Dr. Rachelle Berthelsen Davis, violin, and Joel Dickerson, piano. Joy earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Pacific Lutheran University, and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. She teaches piano lessons through PUC's Music Department. PUC's Fine Arts Series invites the Napa Valley community to share in culturally rich musical experiences featuring outstanding soloists and chamber ensembles—some of the best and brightest of the musical world with repertoire that enrich, entice, excite and entertain. Admission to the concert is free, however, donations are accepted. Suggested donations of $10 per person can be made at the door. For more information, call the PUC Music Department at 707-965-6201....

Academically outstanding 7th-9th-graders got their first taste of college life July 25-30 at PUC’s PacificQuest, an annual program designed to expose middle school students to college-level coursework and encourage them to aspire to higher education. Students participated in two courses, a core class and an elective. This year’s core class was Telling Tales, which abandoned written documents to explore history through oral tales, photographs and artistic images, and everyday objects. Students also chose between Pushing Boundaries, an art course that explored non-traditional techniques using graphite, ink brush, charcoal and pastel, and Chemistry, in which students learned a fun way to understand the periodic table and engaged in lab experiments. Both electives challenged students. The goal of Pushing Boundaries was to inspire visual creativity. This was accomplished through unusual activities, such as drawing standing up with ink brushes attached to the end of long sticks and paper on the floor, copying an image that begins blurry and becomes progressively clearer, and drawing expressive lines. Deangela Samonte a ninth-grader from San Francisco Adventist School, recalls drawing expressive lines with her feet. “It’s not as easy as it looks,” she says. Instructor Thomas Morphis, a fine art professor at PUC, comments, “[The students]...

It is summertime at Pacific Union College once again. The hustle and bustle of the regular school year has died down as many students have left to study abroad, visit family at home, work at summer camps and gain valuable experience through internships. Although much of the PUC family has dispersed, the school has a wide variety of academic goings on every summer—from very unique learning opportunities to general and continued education courses. The flexibility of the summer schedule allows for a number of exciting classes that would not be possible to hold during the year. Many of these are among students’ most memorable educational experiences. “Ashland is the perfect atmosphere to fall in love with Shakespeare,” says English professor Cynthia Westerbeck. That is why she is excited to take her Shakespeare in Performance class to Ashland, Oregon to enjoy three days of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This year’s class will watch “Twelfth Night,” “Hamlet,” Part I of “Henry IV,” and “Throne of Blood” (a Japanese adaptation of “Macbeth”). PUC held a two-week painting class at its Albion Field Station, a perfect location for artistic inspiration. Fine arts and graphic design major Amador Jaojoco comments that “A painting a day...