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The Pioneers men's basketball team punched their ticket to the California Pacific Conference championship game with their semifinal win over Benedictine-Mesa, 78-75, Sunday evening, February 26. The Pioneers will play Cal Maritime on Tuesday, February 28, in the finals in Vallejo, Calif. The Pioneers and Benedictine opened the game with a consistent exchange of points; however, the Pioneers went on a 17-5 run to pull ahead 33-15 with just over four minutes left in the opening half. Going into the locker room at halftime, the Pioneers had a comfortable 18-point lead over the Redhawks. With no major momentum changes until two minutes into the second half, the Redhakws went on a 7-0 run, cutting their deficit to 67-59. The Redhawks continued to chip away at the Pioneers lead and with less than two minute on the clock, found themselves down by only four points. Chad Young, a senior from Carson, Calif., sunk two free throws to give the Pioneers a slim 78-72 lead. Despite a PUC turnover, the Redhawk final shot attempts missed, securing a historic win for the Pioneers. The Pioneers were led by Cal Pac's Player of the Week Kwuan Guerrero, a senior from Los Angeles, Calif., who...

Thirteen students from Pacific Union College assisted Lake County Continuum of Care (CoC) officials with a Point-In-Time (PIT) count of the county’s homeless population on Tuesday, January 24. These counts, required by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, provide an overview of the homelessness in the region and the information necessary for the county to be eligible for federal funding for programs and housing for the homeless. Students from the Statistical Methods and Human Behavior and the Social Environment classes participated in the event. Over 100 volunteers helped with the PIT count. PUC students worked in two areas, Middletown and Clearlake, with some students working with community members to visit known homeless encampments while others were stationed at a church or large tent to help guide the homeless through a 28-question survey. Food, water, flu shots, HIV/Hepatitis C testing, and dog food and other supplies were available to survey participants. PUC’s Clearlake Homeless Ministries provided hygiene items such as deodorant, laundry detergent, and feminine hygiene products to be distributed to help incentivize participation in the survey. “Surveying people experiencing homelessness benefits many organizations in Lake County financially in the long term, and we hope that analyzing the information...

Pacific Union College invited Dr. Calvin B. Rock, retired vice president at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, to share his knowledge and experience with students, faculty, staff, and the campus community in celebration of Black History Month, as the featured speaker for the Colloquy Speaker Series and the 2017 lecture of the Percy and John Christian Civil Rights Conference Center. A passionate evangelist, Rock has devoted more than 60 years of service to the world church, including serving as the president of Oakwood College (now University), and pastored throughout the United States and abroad in places such as Russia, England, Africa, and Romania. On Thursday, February 2, Rock addressed students, faculty, and staff for Black History Colloquy. His talk, titled “Heroes and Heroines in Black and White: Where Do We Go From Here?” by explaining he would be taking a different approach to honoring Black History Month. Rather than discuss the many accomplishments of various distinguished and well-recognized black African-Americans, he decided to share stories about men and women who had personally impacted his life and were also pioneers of social justice within the Adventist Church. Peppered with anecdotes and praise for their efforts, Rock shared stories of people...

There’s a little keypad-secured room in Pacific Union College’s Chan Shun Hall where you have to raise your voice to be heard over the sci-fi-ish hum of a vacuum-sealed ion beam chamber.The experiment is similar to the cutting-edge research being conducted at prestigious labs like Lawrence Livermore in the Bay Area and Oak Ridge in Tennessee. The fact that it’s happening at a small liberal arts college in the Napa Valley is a sign of professor Vola Andrianarijaona's determination to prove that PUC can play in the big leagues of experimental particle physics.Read the full article on the St. Helena Star website....

Pacific Union College welcomed pastor Tim Gillespie for Winter Revival, an annual weeklong service, January 17-20. During this time, students were given the opportunity to rekindle and reaffirm their faith in Christ. A former PUC Pioneer, Gillespie is now the head pastor at the Crosswalk Church in Redlands, Calif. He spoke to students about Christ’s enduring love and constant drive to be a part of their lives. At each meeting, Pastor Gillespie took to the stage with authority. "God is breaking through,” he would state, establishing the theme of the week. “God is constantly striving to be a relevant part of your lives,” Gillespie reminded students. “Each day, we are given the opportunity for God to break through into the lives we lead. He not only saved you but He sanctified you and taught you what love is.” Throughout the week, Gillespie continued to break down the theme of “God Breaking Through.” On the second night, he shared a funny analogy about his son Jacob, causing waves of laughter to be heard throughout Dauphinee Chapel. "As a father," said Gillespie, "I want what is best for my child just as God our Father wants what is best for us, His...

In the opening Colloquy of the new quarter, Dr. Eric Anderson, the newly elected president of Pacific Union College, gave his first address to campus, on Thursday, January 11. The service began with a prayer from Chaplain Jonathan Henderson, who appealed, “We pray that Your spirit is still present, that we are engaged by Your spirit and moved by Your spirit. Father, direct us as we move forward. Fill this place. May we see, feel, and know that You are here.” With the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, many segments of the service were dedicated to his memory. Dr. William Chunestudy, associate academic dean for distance and adult learning, lead the PUC octet and congregation in singing “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” the song sung at Dr. King’s first civil rights movement meeting. Dr. Sylvia Rasi Gregorutti, chair of the department of world languages and cultures, read Philippians 1:27-2:4, followed by a powerful rendition of “Ain’t Got Time to Die” by the octet, which elicited strong applause and cheers from the congregation. Dr. Nancy Lecourt, vice president for academic administration and academic dean, introduced Anderson, welcoming him as the twenty-second president in the college’s 135-year history. While she...

In a special meeting held January 4, 2017, the Pacific Union College Board of Trustees confirmed Brandon C. Parker as the college’s new vice president for financial administration. Parker, an alumnus of PUC, assumes his new role January 9. A former vice president and chief financial officer for St. Helena Hospital, Napa Valley, Parker is a certified public accountant with over 20 years of experience in finance and operations in healthcare, secondary education, and in the private sector. Earlier leadership appointments have included Mendocino regional vice president and chief financial officer at Adventist Health, vice president and chief financial officer at Ukiah Valley Medical Center, finance manager for Glendale Adventist Medical Center, and vice principal of operations and chief financial officer for Monterey Bay Academy. “I am delighted that Mr. Parker is willing to join PUC’s administrative team,” said PUC president Eric Anderson. “Both he and I have a sense of God’s leading in this appointment.” In his new role, Parker will be responsible for leadership and strategic direction of the division of finance and administration. This includes supervising the offices of Human Resources and Payroll, Employee Housing, Budgets, Risk Management, Student Financial Services, Accounting, Facilities Management, Information Technology Systems...

During a special session on December 13, 2016, the Pacific Union College Board of Trustees elected a new president, Eric Anderson, a senior faculty member, to serve until June 30, 2017. Anderson’s six-month appointment begins January 9, 2017. “I am grateful to Dr. Anderson for agreeing to take on this important leadership role,” says Board Chairman Bradford Newton. “He has the experience, vision, and commitment to lead PUC during the upcoming search committee process.” According to Newton, Anderson will be asked to help in the process of finding a long-term president for the 134-year old liberal arts college. With the administrative team, he will also be expected to reshape the college budget. Currently the Walter C. Utt Professor of History at PUC, previously Anderson was president of Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas, from 2005 to 2014, where he served one of the longer presidential tenures in the university’s history. Dr. Amy Rosenthal, academic dean at Southwestern, says, “It was a privilege to begin my administrative career under Dr. Anderson's leadership at Southwestern Adventist University, where he combined an expectation of academic excellence with a clear vision for the future of Adventist education.” Rosenthal also taught at PUC in the...

On Friday, December 2, the office of service,justice, and missions at Pacific Union College held the college’s first everFacebook live event, featuring staff and students who have served or arecurrently serving as missionaries around the world. The broadcast has beenviewed several thousand times and generated many thoughtful responses,spreading awareness of the incredible service PUC students are engaged in.Hosted by Doug Wilson, director of studentactivities at PUC, the broadcast began with an interview with Fabio Maia, PUC’sservice and missions coordinator. Maia shared an update about service projectsplanned for 2016-2017 school year, including PUC’s Homeless Ministries andRebuilding Calistoga initiatives. PUC’s annual mission trips to Brazil and Fijiwere also highlighted. “We try to make sure all students have a chance toparticipate in missions,” he says. He also intentionally plans for missiontrips in places where PUC students are serving as long-term missionaries, tofurther assist the communities in those areas.The broadcast also featured PUC students KellySiegal, Brett Dickinson, Ryan Goldring, Alex Chang, George Tuyu, Leya Helmer,Ren Hellan, Andrew Mahinay, Christian and Shelina Villegas, Melissa Otto, and aspecial video conference call with Rei Antonio, who is currently serving inBangladesh.“I’m so proud of our student missionaries,task force workers, and all those who are choosing to participate in...

After seven and a half years serving as President of Pacific Union College, President Heather J. Knight, Ph.D., has shared her plans to complete her presidency at PUC effective January 8, 2017. “It is always difficult to decide the right time to complete one’s presidency, but after considerable thought and prayer, I have notified PUC Board Chairperson Dr. Bradford Newton that I will complete my presidency within the next month in order to allow PUC adequate time to prepare for new presidential leadership for the next academic year. It has been a special privilege and pleasure to serve Pacific Union College, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have worked with PUC’s wonderful learning community of faculty, staff, and students and to positively impact this venerable institution over the past several years. My family and I wish PUC only the very best going forward.” Knight became the College’s 21st president in September of 2009 when she was tasked with turning the institution around after several years of enrollment decreases and financial challenges. Under her leadership, Pacific Union College experienced significant growth and had its highest enrollment in 24 years of 1678 students in Fall 2013 and also its...