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The U.S. News & World Report has released its annual Best Colleges list, and Pacific Union College has again been ranked in the top ten colleges. PUC was placed in the top 15 in the following categories:#10 in Regional Colleges West#7 in Best Colleges for Veterans#4 in Best Value Schools#14 in Top Performers on Social Mobility#1 in Campus Ethnic Diversity (West)"We are incredibly proud of our rankings in U.S. News & World Report," says Milbert Mariano, academic dean at PUC. "These results speak to the quality of a PUC education, as well as an overall PUC experience that puts students at the heart."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...

Edsmart.org has ranked Pacific Union College in its list of the top 19 Best Christian Colleges in California, listing PUC at number 10.As the website says in its preamble to the rankings list, “There is a level of comfort found in attending a college or university that supports an individual’s fundamental values.” PUC provides a place for students to gain not only a quality education, but also the opportunity to engage with other young people, professors, and community members who share their Christian values.EDsmart assesses colleges based on four main areas:Affordability (average net price)Academic quality (graduation rate)Student satisfaction (retention rate)Salary after attending (the median earnings of former students who received federal financial aid, at ten years after entering the school)They collect their data from the U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, and College Navigator."PUC has excellent professors, compassionate staff, and outstanding students—and they all help to create a vibrant community of faith and learning,” says Milbert Mariano, academic dean at PUC. “We are proud of our campus, and it’s great to be recognized among the best Christian colleges in California."Coming in ahead of Vanguard University of Southern California, San Diego Christian College, and La Sierra University, PUC scored a 96.6....

Back from summer break, energetic students gathered outside the Campus Center for Club Rush, an opportunity to get involved with all kinds of clubs at PUC. One of these, a science club called SPARK, gives volunteers the chance to apply concepts they are learning through teaching others.SPARK is an acronym for Science Presentations and Research for Kids. “We get to teach kids about Chemistry, Technology, and Biology,” says club co-president Justin Youn. “The goal is to get kids excited about science.”Youn and co-president Emma Tyner got involved with the club their freshman year of college and started leading out last year. They work mainly with local elementary schools and visiting academies who ask them to give presentations to students. Integrated into their talks are fascinating lab activities like color changes, explosions, and chemical reactions, as well as seeing and observing animals from the department of biology.“This year, we are planning to get the department of physics more involved as well so that the activities can be more interactive and hands-on,” says Youn.SPARK has also made connections beyond PUC. Last year, they were excited to be invited to the Loma Linda Academy Maker Fair, where they did a demonstration about cyanotype...

Pacific Union College announced today that they rank second on PayScale’s 2019-20 ranking of associate degree schools which provide the best return on investment after graduation.“The majority of the highest earning two-year programs are schools with strong reputations and a specific focus in nursing and healthcare professions,” PayScale stated in its release of this year’s rankings. This includes PUC, which trails the #1 school by a mere $200 in average mid-career annual pay.“Our A.S. graduates are receiving a well-deserved return on their investment with an excellent Adventist education at Pacific Union College,” says Milbert Mariano, academic dean at PUC. “We are proud of our them as well as our professors who are clearly preparing them for meaningful and rewarding service.”PayScale, Inc., is the world’s leading provider of on-demand compensation data and software. Their 2019 annual College Salary Report included alumni salary data of 3.5 million respondents, representing more than 4,000 colleges and universities across the U.S.“Higher education is a major financial decision, both in terms of the cost of attending the institution as well as the potential for future earnings,” notes Sudarshan Sampath, PayScale’s director of research, in the company’s release of the rankings. “Our College Salary Report can be...

Beginning in January 2019, Pacific Union College plans to begin work on an approximately 3-mile shaded fuel break to protect the Angwin community of 3,500 residents. With financial support from community members and alumni, the College plans to construct a shaded fuel break on a prominent ridge between Pope Valley and Angwin, running from Howell Mountain road to the Las Posadas State Forest. Angwin Volunteer Fire Department Chief J.R. Rogers explains, “A shaded fuel break is a great fire prevention measure that reduces fuel levels in key locations and helps to slow a fire’s rate of spread, giving us a defensible location so we can ultimately suppress the forward momentum of a fire.”The PUC forest is an invaluable resource for the community and the college. It is home to a wide variety of plant and animal species, including the endangered Spotted Owl and some of the easternmost Coast Redwood trees. In 2014, the College began working with the Land Trust of Napa County and CAL FIRE to conserve over 800 acres of forested land in a conservation easement. Now known as the PUC Demonstration and Experimental Forest, it is used for student activities and scientific research projects, as well as...

Three Pacific Union College men’s soccer team members were recently selected for awards by California Pacific Conference (CalPac) athletics. CalPac is the largest conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in the western U.S.Ricky Mazariegos, senior business accounting major and pre-law student who has been on the team for four years was named a Champion of Character.“I feel honored to receive this award because it means I was a great example to my teammates,” he says. “I was able to guide the younger players and show them what it means to have character both on and off the field.”Mazariegos can play nearly every position on the team, but his natural position is left back, right back, or center back. He has served his team as captain for two years.Jonathan Manurung, sophomore pre-nursing, and Carlos Piedra, sophomore exercise science and pre-physical therapy student, were both awarded Honorable Mention.“I wasn’t expecting to get the award, but I give my best to help the team,” says Manurung. “It’s truly an honor to be given this recognition during my first year on the team.”Manurung plays primarily striker, but occasionally as center attacking midfield.“This honor would not have been possible without my teammates,”...

Due to an unexpected weather situation, Oliani will be unable to make it to her scheduled speaking event at PUC on Saturday evening. Her presentation will be rescheduled and announced as soon as possible.On Saturday, Oct. 27, Brazilian physician and adventurer Karina Oliani will speak at Pacific Union College. This event is free and open to the public.Born with a thirst for adrenaline-pumping adventure, Oliani completed both her first parachute jump and her scuba diving training at age 12. By 17, she was a two-time Brazilian wakeboard champion, a three-time snowboard champion, a record-holding free diver.Oliani has mastered many sports, including rock climbing, motocross, canoeing, paddle boarding, abseiling, horseback riding, surfing, orienteering, kitesurfing, sandboarding, water and alpine skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, and bungee jumping. She also has her private helicopter pilot license.Throughout this sporting, however, Oliani has also fed her passion for service. Combining it with her love of adventure, she acquired her medical degree and now travels the world in search of both caring for others and exploring her own physical limits. She recently accompanied a group of students from PUC to Fiji, where they provided medical care for many local residents through a free health clinic. While there, Oliani...

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) has reaffirmed another eight years of accreditation for Pacific Union College, affirming that PUC has met the Commission’s high standards of quality and effectiveness.“We are very pleased at the outcome of the reaffirmation of our accreditation,” President Robert Cushman said. “Maintaining accreditation is incredibly important, as it validates that we are creatingthe bestpossiblelearning environmentforourstudentstoachievetheireducationalgoals.”The announcement comes after the Commission evaluated the College’s institutional report and conducted a three-day on-site review in April 2018.“Our long relationship with WASC—we were first accredited in 1951—continues to strengthen the academic program and reaffirm our commitment to student success,” adds Vice President for Academic Administration, Nancy Lecourt. In its official action letter, the Commission noted it was particularly impressed with the College’s commitment to its mission and purpose. Commissioners acknowledged the collaborative process in the development of the College’s new strategic plan, which will be launched this Fall."We are quite pleased with the affirmation of our mission and ongoing support for the future of PUC,” said Cushman. “The reaccreditation honors the hard work and exceptional efforts of our PUC faculty and staff.” “We have more work to do in in the...

On August 2, Pacific Union College (PUC) announced its commitment and support of a transfer pathway between the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.The pathway is designed for college students graduating with an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) or an Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) from a California community college and wishing to transfer to a four-year independent, nonprofit institution like PUC. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the AICCU President Kristen Soares and California Community College’s Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley to further strengthen the commitment of California’s independent nonprofit higher education sector toward the access and success of students, and affordability of quality education across the state.This pathway is the AICCU sector’s adoption of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) pathway between the California Community Colleges and the California State University (CSU) system. Much like the current CSU ADT pathway, PUC will commit to guaranteeing admission for ADT students who apply, as well as accepting a minimum of 60 units transferred, and assure these students start at PUC with a junior standing.“As an institution, PUC has a history of welcoming transfer students to our learning community,” says...

For its annual winter revival week of prayer, Pacific Union College welcomed Pastor Michael B. Kelly II to the pulpit, January 22-26. Meetings were held each evening, with a special Colloquy service on Thursday morning, January 25. His powerful words and message brought a blessing to all who attended the meetings and resonated with faculty, staff, and students alike.For the last several years, Pastor Kelly has served as the senior pastor at Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-day Adventist Church in Riverside, Calif. Previously, he served as senior pastor for several churches in Colorado, and in Lincoln, Neb., where he also taught a Christian Ethics course at Union College. His ministry has taken him throughout the United States and around the globe, including giving a seminar in the Philippines that resulted in 120 baptisms, and leading in several weeks of spiritual emphasis in England and Kenya. Pastor Kelly graduated from Columbia Union College with a degree in theology in 2001 and completed his master of divinity degree from Andrews University Theological Seminary in 2003, where he also served as chaplain for the Black Seminary Student Association.“It’s nice to have extra time during the week to take a break and worship together as a...