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The 2016 Frank A. and Florine A. Longo Lecture featuredcelebrated writer and professor Dr. Marilyn Chandler McEntyre. Author of over adozen books, McEntyre teaches medical humanities at UC Davis and the UCBerkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, and is a frequent lecturer on issues ofmedicine and literature.On February 18 PUC’s Scales Chapel filled with students,faculty, and community members eager to hear McEntyre’s presentation. Theprogram began with a special tribute to Dr. Lawrence Longo, PUC alum andsponsor of the lecture series, who passed away on January 5, 2016, in LomaLinda, California. Dr. Longo was a distinguished professor of Physiology, and Obstetricsand Gynecology at Loma Linda University. PUC President Dr. Heather J. Knightspoke about Dr. Longo’s legacy as a researcher, mentor, teacher, missionary,innovator, and medical historian.Dr. Longo’s nephew, Kevin Longo, spoke briefly about his uncleand expressed his appreciation of how Dr. Longo’s accomplishments and hisstatus as a distinguished alumnus continues to be honored at PUC. “Writing andbeing inquisitive were what he was about,” Kevin Longo said of his uncle. Healso mentioned Dr. Longo’s passion to see the generation of youth make adifference. One of the pieces of advice he would always give to young peoplewas to “go do great things.”Following the tribute, English professor...

Pacific Union College will freeze tuition at its current rate next year. President Heather Knight announced a tuition freeze Monday as part of an effort to control the higher education costs and reducing the toll of student debt on families. Knight acknowledged the freeze is only the beginning of the college's exploration of fresh approaches to controlling the cost of higher education and reducing the toll student debt. In addition to the freeze, college has launched a new scholarship program for first-time freshmen entering Fall 2016. The PUC Legacy Scholarship recognizes families who have made a PUC education part of their family tradition. Legacy students will receive a $1,500 renewable scholarship if their biological parent or legal guardian attended PUC. “We are listening to our students and their families and continue to seek solutions. As the cost of a private liberal arts degree continues to rise nationwide in the face of stagnant endowments, it is critical for us to do all that we can to keep a private liberal arts Christian education affordable,” says Knight. “The Board approved our recommendation to freeze the tuition because our students and families deserve an academically outstanding education they can afford.” PUC also announced...

Dr. Tommie Smith, one of the two figures in the iconic photo of the Black Power salute during the 1968 Olympics, will speak at Pacific Union College at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16 in the Dauphinee Chapel of Winning Hall on the college campus. The event, hosted by PUC’s Black Student Union, is free and open to the public. During the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Tommie Smith broke the world and Olympic records with a time of 19.83 seconds and became the 200-meter Olympic champion. As the Star Spangled Banner was played, Smith and John Carlos stood wearing their Olympic medals, each with a raised a clenched fist in a stand for human rights, liberation and solidarity. The act was captured in a powerful iconic photo that is among the most famous Olympic moments. This act propelled Smith into the spotlight as a human rights spokesman, activist, and symbol of African American pride at home and abroad. Smith has made a commitment to dedicate his life to champion the cause of oppressed people. Dr. Smith will host a meet and greet immediately following the program....

Pacific Union College welcomes Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, Ph.D., as the featured speaker for the 2016 Frank A. and Florine A. Longo Lecture Series. McEntyre will speak at 7:30 p.m., in Scales Chapel at Pacific Union College, on Thursday, February 18. Marilyn McEntyre, Ph.D., is a writer and professor of medical humanities at UC Davis and the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program in California. Her writing has appeared in The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Books and Culture, Sojourners, Presbyterians Today, Comment, Conversations, Academic Medicine, and a range of academic journals. She has authored over a dozen books, with her most recent, A Faithful Farewell, published in spring 2015. A scholar and retreat leader, McEntyre is a frequent lecturer on issues of medicine and literature. She hopes to foster life-giving conversations about the things that matter most. Her lecture, “Peace, Love, and a Few Good Verbs,” will explore strategies for the stewardship of words, a stewardship that keeps words honed and sharp for precise thinking. According to McEntyre, “Word choices are moral choices. The words we choose have consequences in our lives and others’.” Her lecture will reflect on how good stewardship of words—precise, lively, accountable verbs in particular—can help us foster...

American cellist Cicely Parnas performs for Pacific Union College’s Fine Art Series on Sunday, January 24. Parnas is recognized for bringing “velvety sound, articulate passagework and keen imagination” to her performances (The New York Times). She has studied with cellists Peter Wiley and Ronald Feldman, and earned an Artist Diploma from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Ms. Parnas performs on a 1712 Giovanni Grancino cello. Parnas, the granddaughter of renowned cellist Leslie Parnas, began playing at age four. Seven years later, she made her concert debut with the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra. In 2012, she was the first prize winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Ms. Parnas has appeared at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Vanguard Concerts, the Jewish Community Alliance, and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. She has performed with the Long Bay Symphony, the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, and the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, where she gave the world premiere of Jim McGrath’s Concertino for Cello. In 2012, Parnas made her Carnegie Hall concerto debut, performing the Saint-Saëns Concerto with the New York String Orchestra under the baton of Jaime Laredo. She has soloed in...

Pacific Union College is excited to announce theintroduction of an exciting new bachelor’s degree program focused on music composition.The inaugural class will enroll this fall and has already been accredited bythe National Association of Schools of Music. PUC will be the first Adventistcollege or university in North America to offer a program to specifically servestudents interested in this burgeoning field.Building on the firm foundation of a well-establishedundergraduate music program, the new major expands PUC’s music portfolio andcomplements the college’s existing degree in music education and performance.Students can expect to gain a solidfoundation in techniques and current trends associated with the creation of newmusic. Additionally, PUC students will have the unique opportunity to collaboratewith and compose for PUC student filmmakers in the College’s film andtelevision program.“USA Todaydescribed music composition as one of the top 10 fastest growing jobs in theUnited States this decade,” shares Asher Raboy, resident artist of music andassistant department chair. “We created the new major in response toa growing interest in composing among current students and recent graduates.” According to Raboy, current students haveshown a strong desire to compose, to use composition in their capstone courses,and to make composition the focus of their college careers.PUC’s Bachelor of Music...

Providing for a college experience is one of the largest single investments a family will make. Pacific Union College’s resolve to make a Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts education accessible and affordable to all admitted students is stronger than ever. Last year, PUC awarded students over $40 million in aid. We’re excited to announce a new scholarship program for first-time freshmen entering Fall 2016. The PUC Legacy Scholarship recognizes families who have made a PUC education part of their family tradition. Legacy students will receive a $1,500 renewable scholarship if their biological parent or legal guardian attended PUC (see puc.edu/scholarships for criteria). Also beginning in Fall 2016, PUC will offer improved scholarship opportunities to high achieving students. The Maxwell Scholarship, PUC’s highest recognition, will award five first time students renewable full tuition awards (worth approximately $112,000 over four years). PUC’s most prestigious and selective scholarship is based on a combination of academic success, leadership experience, and a commitment to Christian service. Details can be found at puc.edu/maxwellscholar. In addition, PUC’s Academic Achievement and Mostert Christian Leaders scholarship amounts have been increased. All eligible incoming students must have their application materials submitted to the college by March 2 in order to be...

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,...

Pacific Union College has a rich history of equipping students with a passion for health ministry and leading lives of productive service in the industry. With employment of medical and health services managers to grow by 23% by the year 2022, PUC’s department of business expands its educational offerings to meet this demand. The Bachelor of Science in management for medical professionals is designed for students who wish to combine a pre-professional track (such as pre-medicine and pre-dentistry) with a business degree. The program will provide students with a greater knowledge of management principles for the purpose of starting a practice, becoming a healthcare leader, or gaining a better understanding of the industry prior to entering graduate studies. “Young Medical Professionals (M.D., D.D.S., D.O., D.P.T., Pharm.D., etc.) are entering a challenging work environment with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its emphasis on efficient and effective operations and quality management in healthcare settings,” says John Nunes, associate professor of business. “Having a business degree to supplement the sciences needed to succeed in medical and allied health professional programs will enhance the ability of young medical professionals to deliver a pleasurable experience for patients at sustainable levels of...

Pacific Union College presented its annual fall revival week from Monday, Oct. 5, through Sabbath, Oct. 10. The week’s featured speaker, Campus Chaplain Jonathan Henderson, focused on “The Adventist Advantage,” a platform developed by President Heather Knight which emphasizes the value of being Seventh-day Adventist in a contemporary world. The week’s events were designed to emphasize the seven points of “The Adventist Advantage,” which are meaning and purpose found by a connection with Christ as our personal savior; health, wellness, and a wholesome lifestyle; education, caring about the life of the mind and lifelong learning; ethics and morals; generous service; diversity; and stewardship of the earth, which is tied to the Sabbath. Services were packed with shared testimonies, special musical, and heartfelt prayers. Henderson emphasized the importance of the PUC campus becoming a cohesive, support-driven community, with every member fully committed to “fighting for the rights of those who are marginalized.” Henderson also called for an increase in the mindset of service, which is intended to be a key component of the PUC experience. “If you’re willing to let Christ be your companion,” Henderson claimed, “then you will have a happiness that will never fade.” Various altar calls during the...