About

The mission of Pacific Union College has always been to offer a quality, Christ centered education. The mission statement is to the point: "Our mission is to offer an excellent and distinctive Christian education designed to prepare our students for productive lives of useful service and uncompromising integrity." In short, PUC's goal is to graduate students who are like Christ. Of course, such a goal is idealistic. Still, it reflects the faith of our college's founders and the dream we share for all of our schools. A brief stroll on PUC's campus--stopping to chat with various students--makes it clear that the mission is alive and well today. When the board of trustees met on February 28, it was encouraged to see how the college's commitment to that mission remains central. The board was also presented with some harsh realities. It is increasingly apparent that PUC lacks the financial strength to overcome an encroaching dilemma: the desperate need for entry-level housing for faculty and staff. The Pacific Union certainly chose one of the most beautiful locations in the world when it purchased Edwin Angwin's health resort in 1909 for PUC's campus. Two days later, Ellen White surveyed the newly purchased property...

The National Weather Service presented a 50-Year-Length-of-Service Award to the physics department at Pacific Union College on Thursday, March 1. Four representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce flew into Angwin from their headquarters in Monterey for the informal ceremony. The institutional award was given to Bill Mundy, professor of physics at PUC and official weather observer for the National Weather Service Cooperative Observing Program, formally established by the Organic Act of 1890 with the purpose of taking meteorological observations to establish and record the climate conditions of the U.S. The award commemorates the voluntary service which PUC has provided the community, state, and nation since 1950. Dr. Mundy has been tracking Angwin weather for the program for 25 years. At 5 p.m. every day, Dr. Mundy and a hired student check the low and high temperature of the day with an electronic instrument provided by the National Weather Service. On rainy days, they climb to the roof of Chan Shun Hall, the chemistry and physics building on campus, where they keep a special bucket to measure rainfall. At the end of each month, the recorded information is sent to the headquarters in...

Just because the weather heats up doesn’t mean your brain cools down. That’s why Pacific Union College is offering a summer feast of quality courses, workshops, and seminars—and all at half price. And while tuition and housing are half price throughout the summer, PUC’s nationally recognized quality remains the same. This opportunity is ideal for everyone, including • First-time college students looking to get a head start. • Experienced students looking to take general education courses. • Teachers needing in-service training. • Adults looking for new challenges and creative adventures. Classes are offered in condensed and convenient one- to six-week sessions, and a wide variety of courses are offered....

During his last ceremony as acting president of Pacific Union College, Dr. Malcolm Maxwell conferred degrees on 338 graduates at commencement exercises on Sunday, June 17. In addition to handing out diplomas, Maxwell relinquished leadership of the college to commencement speaker and incoming president, Dr. Richard Osborn. Maxwell presented Osborn with the keys to the presidential office and commended Osborn for “his natural friendliness, his openness, his sensitivity to others and their needs, his intellectual rigor, and his honesty.” Osborn comes to PUC with vast experience as a teacher, administrator, writer, researcher, and historian. In passing the keys to his successor, Maxwell ends his eighteen-year term as president, the longest of any previous PUC president. He does not intend to disappear from college life, however, and will return to the classroom following a sabbatical for graduate study. Though Osborn accepted the keys during Sunday’s ceremony, he will officially begin his term as PUC’s 20th president on July 1, 2001....

Pacific Union College hosted the annual meeting of the Association of Seventh day Adventist Librarians (ASDAL), June 19-24, 2001. More than fifty librarians from SDA colleges and universitites in Argentina, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, the Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States attended this special twentieth anniversary conference on the Angwin campus. Seven of ASDAL’s charter members attended the meetings, including Joel Lutes, Public Services Librarian of Nelson Memorial Library. Also present was Adu Worku, chair of library services at PUC and president elect of ASDAL. The theme of the conference, “Bridging the Past and the Future” provided an opportunity for the librarians to reflect on the history of the association. A desire to combine past experience with present goals to create a more dynamic future fueled the six-day event. The first meeting of ASDAL was held at PUC in 1980 when a group of Seventh-day Adventist librarians gathered to dialogue, plan, and initiate a professional organization. Twenty years later, attendees left the anniversary conference inspired to continue their work fulfilling the mission of Adventist higher eduacation....

Dr. Dick Osborn became a permanent part of PUC’s history on July 1, 2001, by officially beginning his term as PUC’s 20th president in 119 years. There’s little talk about filling the enormous shoes left behind by Dr. Malcolm Maxwell, one of the college’s most beloved presidents. That’s because Dr. Osborn who was Vice President for Education of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, has brought with him own shoes—and they fit just great. Dr. Osborn brings a wealth of experience to his new position. He has been a multidimensional educator with vast experience as a teacher, administrator, writer, researcher, and historian. He obtained his early education in Montevideo, Uruguay. He attended Monterey Bay Academy for four years before attending Columbia Union College, where he majored in history and graduated magna cum laude in 1969. In graduate school at the University of Maryland, he continued his studies in history, obtaining an M. A. in 1975 and a Ph.D. in 1990. Yet the “Osborn Years” at PUC are not simply about the coming of a new president. Richard’s wife, Norma, is joining the pastoral staff of the Pacific Union College Church. Previously, she was an associate pastor at the Seventh-day...

Representatives from Pacific Union College entered the Calistoga Fourth of July Parade this year aboard an authentic freight wagon that was once used to distribute milk from the school’s dairy (in operation from 1909 to 1986--and county champion in 1928!). Recently restored and painted in the school colors––green and gold––the milk wagon served as the perfect (and slightly bumpy) stage for PUC’s talented brass quintet. Under the direction of Ken Narducci, professor of music, the quintet serenaded the crowds with popular pieces including “She’s a Grand Old Flag.” Despite loud competition from three unruly motorcyclists to the rear, the quintet drew enthusiastic applause from the masses along Lincoln Street. The prize-winning PUC float was made possible through the combined efforts of people across campus: from the skills of those at plant services and organization of the public relations staff, to the musical talent representing a variety of departments. Bob Paulson, assistant professor of exercise science, health, and nutrition, donated his time and his 1945 John Deer tractor to pull the wagon and quintet. Presidents past and present––Malcolm Maxwell and Richard Osborn––were also on hand to cheer for the float, which went on to receive a check and trophy for placing...

When Christian Anderson and Lars Engeberg boarded the 747 bound for Africa, they had no idea what they were doing––or whether there would even be someone to meet them at the airport in Nairobi. But at the invitation of Jon Wood, assistant professor of digital media at Pacific Union College, the two recent digital media graduates agreed to go to Africa to teach what they know best: how to use computers to produce digital video. Initially thankful when they found a bus waiting for them at the airport, the two were less enthusiastic after a twelve hour ride over pothole-ridden dirt roads that led them to the Tanzanian town of Mwanza. The last 15 miles of the journey covered roads so deteriorated that the bus slowed to a crawl, making it an easy target for robbers who haunt the area waiting for a vehicle to venture in after dark. “We arrived at this stretch of the road just as the sun was setting,” Christian recalls. An hour later, in total darkness, they arrived unharmed at their destination. From June 20 to July 6, as part of the “Africa for Christ 2001” satellite crusade––an evangelistic series translated into 17 languages and...

The first volunteer interns to the United Nations will begin work at the Seventh-day Adventist office in New York City on September 24, 2001. Matthew Mills and Samantha Burchard, both recent graduates of Pacific Union College, accepted the newly created positions which they will help shape for future interns. Sending Adventist interns to the United Nations is a dream realized for Jonathan Gallagher, UN Liaison director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Working at General Conference headquarters in Silver Springs, Maryland, Dr. Gallagher is able to spend little of his time at the New York office. With Matt and Samantha located at the United Nations Plaza, the church will now have easier access to ambassadors and diplomats, as well as UN staff. Gallagher was introduced to Matt and Samantha through a mutual friend. Discovering that the two graduates each hold degrees in Spanish and communications––and were looking for jobs––Gallagher was impressed that the pair would be ideal to expand and develop the church’s presence at the UN. He described the UN program as unique, explaining that “the individuals are required to interface with diplomats and high-level officials of many different cultures and backgrounds. Matt and Samantha will help provide a consistent...

Summer is officially over, (though the weather stays great in California) and classes begin at Pacific Union College on September 24, 2001––and it’s not too late to sign up! Registration in the Pacific Auditorium on Friday, September 21 starts at 8 a.m. and lasts until 2 p.m. The all-day registration follows a week of orientation for students new to PUC. Both freshman and transfer students are invited to participate in orientation activities, lasting from Tuesday, September 18 through Sunday, September 23. In addition to faculty advising and an introduction to the campus, the get- acquainted party on Wednesday, September 19 from 7-9 p.m. offers students, unfamiliar with the campus, a chane just to hang out in their new territory. Pacific Union College is repeatedly recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top ten western regional liberal arts colleges. And since we know you want a great education for the least amount of money, we’re proud to point out that U.S. News and World Report also ranks PUC as one its top ten “Best Values!” PUC offers a variety of degrees––from graphic design to biochemistry––and provides students with the opportunity to learn in a Christian environment. Our...