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On Saturday, November 11, actor and producer Brian Yang screened the documentary Linsanity at Pacific Union College. The film profiles the career of NBA player Jeremy Lin from his high school years in Palo Alto to Harvard and then on to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Yang, a film and television actor who has been on the network show Hawaii Five-O, took time after the film to answer questions from the students and community members in the crowd. “The film goes back in time from humble beginnings to his rise to the top,” Yang said in his introduction of the documentary. “The message you’ll come away with is an inspirational story for all types of people.” Yang described the film as the “true, full backstory” of the many years of hard work and failure that Lin endured before his moment of success. Yang and his partners began filming three years ago when Lin was playing basketball for Harvard University. Though Yang and his partners first planned to create a small web series, Lin “rewrote the end of the story” when he was picked up by the New York Knicks and began playing at an amazing level. While the film profiles...

Pacific Union College began the 2013-2014 school year with the highest enrollment in 24 years. On October 14, the college’s census date, total enrollment stood at 1,678, an increase of 62 students over the 1,616 students at this time last year. The college realized both an increase of new students and growth in retention. Enrollment is the highest it has been since 1989, when the exact same number of students, 1,678, attended PUC. Significantly, the college saw an increase of 89 students attending PUC on the Angwin campus. There are currently 1,610 people pursuing degrees at PUC’s destination campus in the Napa Valley. “We are delighted to have many more students on campus and pray that each student will truly thrive at PUC,” shares Lisa Bissell Paulson, vice president for student services and dean of students. “We are already experiencing such a strong campus climate as students get involved in spiritual and social life! Student participation is amazing and we look for opportunities to continue to enrich the student experience at PUC.” A remarkable jump in new students fueled the enrollment increase. PUC was blessed to have 503 new students join the student body. The freshman and transfer students were...

With her medals displayed on the platform of the PUC Church, Mary Whipple described her journey to gold during the November 7 installment of the Colloquy Speakers Series. Whipple was the coxswain of the United States Women’s 8+ Rowing Team, leading the team to five world championships, a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and gold medals in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London games. Whipple’s presentation began with a video clip of her team’s victory at the 2012 London Olympics. The footage showed the intensity of the race, as well as the incredible precision and coordination exhibited by the American team as they crossed the finish line well ahead of the rest of the pack. Whipple’s presentation described the extraordinary teamwork and determination required on the journey to that finish line. As the team’s coxswain, Whipple serves as an in-boat coach and calls instructions to the rowers. Her job is primarily to unite her teammates, Whipple explained. “It’s my job to turn eight individuals into one person—one dream.” Whipple’s Olympic dream and involvement with rowing started out “innocently.” While a student at Sacramento Adventist Academy, the Orangevale, Calif., native joined a rowing team at a local aquatic center,...

The Pacific Union College iPhone and iPad app won the Best in Class award from the Society of Adventist Communicators at the Society’s convention in Salt Lake City, October 24-27. The app was recognized for usability, design, working links, and for being up to date. Nicholas Hubbard, PUC’s webmaster, developed the app as part of his work for the college’s office of public relations. “Mobile continues to be the main form of communication with prospective and current students. We see the trend and want to stay on top of it,” Hubbard explains. “Developing PUC Mobile in-house gives us a great deal of flexibility. From developing new features such as our upcoming Student Jobs feature, to updating our app for the newest OS update, or quickly fixing bugs that our users might have, we have the ability to quickly add or adjust our app for the best user experience.” Beyond showcasing college news, photos, and events, the app has numerous other features. These include maps of on-campus and off-campus locations, class lists, the Library catalog, a campus contact directory, and a real-time listing of what is being served at the Dining Commons. The app has been remarkably popular, with over 6,000...

Pacific Union College is proud to have been recognized by multiple organizations for providing exceptional return on investment in rankings that identify the colleges where degrees pay off the most. The recent rankings confirm that the college is fulfilling its mission of providing an excellent and affordable Christian undergraduate education that prepares students for a lifetime of service in the career of their choice. In July, Affordable Colleges Online (AC Online) ranked PUC 22nd out of over 767 California colleges and universities, including private institutions and state schools, analyzed for return on investment (ROI). The ranking demonstrates that students who graduate from PUC enjoy a greater earnings gap than students without a four-year degree; PUC’s placement in the top three percent shows that its alums earn more on average than graduates from most California colleges. AC Online’s ranking is based on net tuition prices and graduate’s average starting salary, and used criteria from national sources such as the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Further recognition came in September, when PayScale, a provider of compensation data, ranked PUC in the top 15 percent of colleges on its national 2013 College Education ROI Rankings;...

During the week of October 6, PUC welcomed Pastor Jose Rojas to campus as the speaker for Fall Revival, an annual week of spiritual emphasis. Pastor Rojas, a PUC alum and acclaimed speaker, inspired and electrified the student body for a solid week, leaving many individuals with the new resolution to devote more of their time to ministry and missions. Rojas delivered weeknight sermons before concluding with a special vespers on Friday night and two church services the following morning. The well-attended weeknight meetings followed the theme of “Believing God,” while the special vespers and church services were focused on the missionary aspect of one’s Christian journey. The special Friday night vespers was streamed live to 532 viewers around the globe. Rojas communicated how belief in God is one of the most important steps on one’s spiritual journey. He shared how this belief can be the catalyst to success in faith, school, health, and relationships. Using inspirational stories and emphatic examples, Pastor Rojas punched one point repeatedly: “First, you must believe!” Rojas also makes a habit of singing at the end of each of his sermons, concluding his message with a unique touch. Rojas emphasized the deep importance of missionary...

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Doblmeier, creator of over 25 films and owner of Journey Films, visited Pacific Union College on October 10 to address students at the Adventist Heritage installment of the Colloquy Speaker Series. Introduced by President Heather J. Knight as a “non-Adventist who is interested in how faith builds extraordinary beliefs and communities,” Doblmeier first visited PUC in 2012 to present his film The ADVENTISTS, a documentary that focuses on Adventists’ work in healthcare. Though he did not intend to pursue further projects about Adventists, his next film The ADVENTISTS 2, looks at Adventism’s international healthcare ministry. “The documentary explores the idea of how Adventism is a story of how people go to the far corners and take medical missions over the world,” Doblmeier told the students, staff, and faculty gathered in the PUC Church. After showing a short clip of the film, Doblmeier told students about his approach to religion, faith, and spirituality. He began by saying, “I find myself looking for God through the people of this world… this is my mission.” Doblmeier continued by describing how Christians can tend to force others into religion through “religious arrogance.” He explained that we should rather have our...

Pacific Union College’s women’s volleyball team has won three straight league matches and seven matches in a row. On Saturday, October 12, the Pioneers closed out the visiting Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univeristy Eagles in three sets: 25-14, 25-22, and 26-24. The team is 13-6 overall and 3-2 in California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) play. The Pioneers started off set one dominating behind tough serving and multiple unforced errors by the visiting Eagles. They jumped out to an early 13-5 lead and continued on that path to 19-9. The Eagles ended the game going on a 4-0 run, but it wasn't enough to come back as the Pioneers took the set 25-14. The Eagles turned things around in set two and took the Pioneers off balance with a dominating 18-8 lead. After a timeout by head coach Brittany Brown, the Pioneers went on two service runs by Kailey Faust and Sarah Cusick who served 3 aces, bringing the Pioneers back within one point at 19-20. The Eagles and Pioneers exchanged points to 22-22, but the Pioneers put three balls away to take set two 25-22. In the final set, the Pioneers and Eagles battled back and forth 14-14, 21-21, and 24-24. With...

Senior history major Erika Weidemann grew up listening to her grandmother’s stories of her childhood as a German refugee in Europe. During her junior year at PUC, Weidemann, a dedicated scholarship-hunter, ran across an essay contest sponsored by the Germans from Russia Heritage Society. The winning essay would be printed in the society’s publication, and the author would receive a $1000 scholarship. During Christmas break, Weidemann submitted an essay to the international contest. While the academic paper included historical facts about the life of German refugees after World War II, it also became a way for Weidemann to share her grandmother’s experiences with the rest of the world. Her essay snagged first place in the contest, to the delight of Weidemann, her peers, and her professors in the department of history. Weidemann’s essay, formatted in the style of a journal, includes entries comprised of her grandmother’s experiences. Although her grandmother didn’t keep a personal diary, Weidemann adapted the stories her grandmother told her into short entries. Born in the Ukraine, Weidemann’s grandmother and her family were evacuated from their home when the German army retreated during World War II. They were put on trains and sent to different resettlement camps...

Pacific Union College business and economics students returned in September to find their department newly recognized as a dedicated provider of scholastic excellence. The International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) Board of Commissioners reaffirmed the accreditation of the business programs offered by Pacific Union College in April 2013. The department of business and economics, which has been accredited by the IACBE since 2002, will maintain its member status through its next review in 2018. The mission of the IACBE is to recognize and promote excellence in business education, and the organization sets high standards for reaffirmation of accreditation. To achieve reaffirmation, the PUC department of business and economics underwent a thorough test of quality and dedication: self-evaluation, a peer review process, and a demonstration of compliance with the IACBE accreditation principles. In its report, the IACBE noted the department’s commitment to improvement, education excellence, and the continuing advancement of academic quality. “Before selecting a college, every business student should check the accreditation status of the school’s business program,” says Rodney Hardcastle, chair of the PUC department of business administration and economics. “Accreditation by a reputable agency helps to ensure that the school’s business majors will be receiving a first...