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Pacific Union College welcomed back former NASA astronaut Jose Hernández as guest speaker for the November 5th Colloquy Speakers Series. Students from PUC, PUC Preparatory School, and PUC Elementary were inspired by Hernández’s personal journey from the strawberry fields of California’s Central Valley all the way to his 5.7-million-mile voyage with the International Space Station in 2009. Hernández encouraged students to persevere in their lifelong pursuit of ambitious goals. “It’s ok to dream big. It is ok to set very high standards, very high goals for yourselves,” he said to a packed PUC Church. The son of migrant farm workers who traveled with the growing seasons from Michoacán, Mexico to the farmlands of California, Hernández grew up picking fruits and vegetables alongside his brothers and sisters. He didn’t learn to speak English until he was 12. His parents, despite having only a third-grade education themselves, did their best to keep the children in school as much as possible as they moved with the crops. At the age of nine, Hernández discovered his dream of becoming an astronaut when he watched the final Apollo lunar mission on TV. “I would go outside and see the moon in its full glory. Then,...

On Saturday, September 12, a fast moving wildfire broke out about 1:24 p.m. in the Lake County area of Northern California. Known as the Valley Fire, it continues to advance, and currently 50,000 acres have been burned with zero containment. On Sunday, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for the areas impacted by the fire. Overnight, the fire moved into Pope Valley (Napa County) and created a mandatory precautionary evacuation in parts of North Angwin. The college and the town of Angwin have not been evacuated and are not in immediate danger at this time. Remaining under mandatory evacuation are the communities of Cobb, Hidden Valley Lake, Loch Lomond, Middletown and Seigler Canyon; Highway 29/Highway 53 in Lower Lake to Highway 29 at Tubbs Lane in Calistoga in Napa County; Butts Canyon Road to the Napa County line, including Berryessa Estates; and Butts Canyon Road to Pope Valley. According to the Sheriff's Office, advisory evacuations are in effect for Livermore Road, Summit Lake Road and north of the community of Angwin. An incident Command Center opened at Pacific Union College in the parking lot located beside the Advancement Office last night. Winning Hall is open to offer temporary...

Pacific Union College will host its annual commencement weekend Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 14 in Angwin, Calif. Approximately 350 degrees will be awarded during the PUC ceremony: 150 associate degrees, 225 bachelor degrees, and 5 masters degrees. Departments with the largest graduates include nursing and health sciences (191), business administration (31), communication (18) and biology (17). Students and family members are invited to attend. The ceremonies will take place at Pacific Union College Church and Commencement Grove located on the college campus. PUC President Heather J. Knight will host a reception for graduates, parents and faculty on Saturday, June 13 at 5:30 PM. The reception will be held in the campus Dining Commons. Jonathan Henderson, campus chaplain at Pacific Union College, will speak for the Consecration Service, scheduled at 8 p.m., Friday, June 12 at the Pacific Union College Church. The Baccalaureate Service will begin at 11:15 a.m. Saturday June 13, with Pacific Union College senior pastor Mark Witas, M.Div., addressing the graduates. Susan Stanton, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa will deliver the address during the Nursing Graduate Recognition Service, scheduled for 4 p.m....

As elementaryand junior high schools across the nation are letting out for summer, motivatedstudents are already planning for the return to school. From July 19 to 24,Pacific Union College’s PacificQuest program will provide an opportunity forthese eager students to experience college life at a special camp designed forthem and their gifted peers.PacificQuest (PQ)is a one-week residential summer experience where motivated students whocompleted grades 6, 7, or 8 in 2015 will live on-campus, learn from current PUCprofessors, and spend time with fellow high-achieving junior high students!Campers will explore college-level coursework and receive one hour of collegecredit for their work.Sylvia RasiGregorutti, chair of the department of modern languages, will teach the PQ coreclass this summer. In “L’italiano pertutti! A Taste of Italian Language & Culture” students will learn aboutthe beauty of Italy’s language and culture and consider their ownethnolinguistic repertoire. PQ campers also have the opportunity to select anelective course, as well as participate in a myriad of recreation options withstudents who become friends that share a love for learning.To qualifyfor PacificQuest, students should have achievement test scores of at least 90 percentin language and math, great recommendations from teachers and principals, andgood grades. Enrollment is limited to the 24 most qualified...

Pacific Union College has selected the recipients of the 2015 prestigious Maxwell Scholarship. The scholarship rewards incoming freshmen for high academic achievement, a commitment to Christian service, and outstanding leadership experience with $15,000 in annually renewable funding—$60,000 each over the course of four years at PUC. These students comprise the seventh group recognized by PUC’s Maxwell Scholar Program, which was established at PUC in 2009 to recognize the late Malcolm and Eileen Maxwell, former president and first lady of PUC. Applicants must meet GPA and test-score requirements, and the ranking of their applications is based on resumes, an essay, and letters of recommendation. For the 2015-2016 academic year, the Maxwell Scholar Program selected as their finalists Andrew Caster, Sam Delaware, JoAnn Johnson, Laurel Kwon and Morgan Rogers. Andrew Caster, a senior at Loma Linda Academy, is a well-rounded individual whose hard work is evident in all that he does. According to principal Robert Skoretz, Andrew “represents that quintessential blend of academic excellence, extracurricular breadth, service and leadership.” Complimenting his outstanding academic record, he has served in multiple leadership roles, including campus ministries director and co-leader of the school’s daily worship team. A gifted and talented musician, Andrew is the principal...

The Pacific Union College family lost a cherished student, devoted friend, and adventurous spirit this past weekend. Senior communication major Jayaram Notestine died in an automobile accident on Butts Canyon Road near Lake Berryessa Estates in Napa County around 10 p.m. Friday, May 22. Jayaram was one of two men in the vehicle. Ernest Crain, 54, of Angwin, also died in the crash. The accident remains under investigation by the Napa County Sheriff's Office. “Jayaram was a sweet, kind, friendly and thoughtful soul,” says Michelle Rai, chair of the department of communication and Jayaram’s advisor. “His smile could light up a room. He had an adventurous spirit and was an avid, extreme bike rider. He loved his family and friends and treasured growing up in Angwin where he could enjoy being out in nature.” Jayaram was preparing to graduate this June with a B.S in Communication: Communication Studies emphasis. “He was looking forward to starting a new chapter in his life and seeing where the Lord would lead him in his professional and personal life,” says Rai. “We are devastated by the tragic loss of our dear student Jayaram Notestine,” says Lisa Bissell Paulson, vice president for student services. “He...

Back by popular demand, musician and orator David Anthony Johnson returned to PUC’s Colloquy Speakers Series on April 30. Johnson, an alumnus of Oakwood University, has won multiple awards during his 30-year musical career, and has shared the stage with many names of note, including Rosa Parks, Johnnie Cochran, Maya Angelou, Take 6, Brian McKnight, Julian Bond, and others. Johnson’s Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Colloquy on January 8 featured his oration talent, imitating the style and manner of the eloquent equal rights activist. This time, however, Johnson spoke as himself, his speech entitled, “The Greatest of These.” After President Heather J. Knight introduced Johnson, he began by singing a song called “Ordinary People.” Johnson then shared his story of when he was a probation corrections officer in San Bernardino County. Johnson explained that in this role, he didn’t want to come across as soft, so he tried to hide his Christian faith from the inmates and the rest of the officers. “I tried to do everything that the world would do,” he said, as he explained that his “tough” act was only a false front. Johnson said he realized his pride was not allowing him to minister to the...

As part of the biennial Pacific Union College Heubach Lectureship series, Kendra Haloviak Valentine, Ph.D. will present a lecture entitled “God on the Move: The First Gospel and the Advent Movement” in Angwin on Saturday, May 30, at 4:00 p.m. Valentine is an associate professor of New Testament studies at the H.M.S. Richards Divinity School at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. She has published in journals, magazines, and books. Recent publications include “The Book of Revelation” in The Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics (2011), Signs to Life: Reading and Responding to John’s Gospel (2013, and Worlds at War, Nations in Song (2015). The lecture will take place in Paulin Hall Auditorium on the Pacific Union College campus. Admission is free. For more information, please call the PUC office of public relations at (707) 965-6303....

On Thursday, February 26, players on PUC’s men’s and women’s basketball teams were awarded honors in the California Pacific Conference of the National Intercollegiate Athletics Association (NAIA). In addition to the conference honors, Jordan Monteith, men’s basketball forward, was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. The Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete programs recognize excellence in the classroom by NAIA-member student athletes who are juniors or above in academic standing with a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Students must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended two full years as a non-transfer or one full year as a transfer. The awards are given annually to outstanding student athletes in the various sports in which the program is active, and their respective teams are eligible for NAIA postseason competition. Monteith, a senior forward who will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in business administration this summer, was also recognized as the California Pacific Conference Player of the Week (January 12-18). "I am extremely proud of Jordan and his accomplishment of being named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete,” states men’s basketball coach Greg Rahn. “He has shown what it really means to be a student-athlete and what it takes to accomplish great success in the classroom and on the...

Senior night for the Pioneers men’s basketball program meant saying goodbye to six players who played a key role in helping the team achieve the success they reached this season. They will be losing Austin Coetzee, Devon Marshall, Jordan Monteith, Keith Hicks, Gurpreet Sangha, Taureaus Maxwell, and Jordan Greenwell. The Pioneers, having already locked in a playoff spot, looked to improve their record against the UC Merced Bobcats. The Pioneers came out of the gate running and were able to make the seniors’ last home game memorable with an 85-58 senior night win. This win improves their record to 11-16 and their conference record to 6-4. Three seniors scored in double figures: Jordan Greenwell had 16 points and seven rebounds, Jordan Monteith added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Gurpreet Sangha tallied 12 points and eight rebounds. Taureaus Maxwell added 4 points and Devon Marshall had six points and six rebounds. Austin Coetzee, last year’s team manager turned basketball player for the Pioneers 2014-2015 campaign, has been “a great example of what it means to make sacrifices, to be humble, honest, and always displays great sportsmanship,“ Coach Greg Rahn states. “He is very much about the goals and success of...