Admissions & Aid

This fall, Pacific Union College is launching a brand-new program that incorporates students’ desire to serve their communities with a demand for trained emergency personnel. The nationwide growing awareness of the need for more people to be trained in mitigating emergencies and large-scale disasters has been felt at PUC in a very tangible, local way. “Our local emergency services agencies, such as fire department and ambulance companies, are made up of a number of students,” explains James Robertson, a firefighter, EMT, and CPR instructor and physics professor who will head up the new program. The volunteer fire department, he adds, is over 50 percent students. “So there is an interest in the part of our current students to have emergency services as part of a program.” The new Emergency Services Program, which now offers an associate of science degree, is part of a larger picture at the college. “PUC has a reputation and a long history of providing medical training, whether it’s in the nursing department or with pre-medical students, and we do a good job of that,” Robertson says. “So it’s a natural extension of that training.” The program focuses on domestic emergency services, preparing students to work with...

The 325 graduates of the Pacific Union College Class of 2007 celebrated the conclusion of their undergraduate education during the weekend of June 15-17. The full schedule of programs and ceremonies included addresses from Roy Ice, PUC chaplain; Don Schneider, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America; Kristie Brandt, director of the Parent-Infant & Child Institute; and Julius Nam, assistant professor at the Loma Linda University School of Religion. Sunday morning’s commencement ceremonies found Commencement Grove lined with chairs and festive with leis, balloons, billowing black or white robes, and the traditional corn tortillas that graduates toss as an expression of their ebullience. Nam, a former member of PUC’s religion department, spoke to the graduates about dreams. “PUC has taught you to have dreams that are bigger than yourselves,” he said. He challenged them to choose a cause, a mission to serve their communities, citing several alumni who have made significant contributions through their vision and creativity. “The God who holds the universe asks you to partner with him in dreaming,” he said. “You PUC graduates have to be champions, have to be leaders.” Academic Dean Nancy Lecourt and President Richard Osborn then conferred 339 degrees, with the...

The Pacific Union College men's Pioneer volleyball team defeated Pacific Christian College 15-12, 9-15, 15-7, 15-7 on Saturday night, March 8, at PUC's Pacific Auditorium. It was the first win this season for the Pioneers, bringing their current record to 1-4. This season is proving to be a challenge for the Pioneers. With a rigorous game schedule and only five returning players on the 12-member team, the Pioneers are learning the meaning of endurance, stamina and cooperation. "The dynamics of the team are different every year, but we have an especially new and young team which calls for more adjustment on everyone's part," said senior outside hitter David Rai. Junior outside hitter Scott Eastman said this win was just a taste of the level of play to come. "We played well, especially considering the fact that it was our fifth match in six days," said Eastman. "But we will be playing at a much higher level as the season progresses and as we pull together as a team." Head coach Bob Paulson agrees. "It is early in the season and the team is still growing," he said. "Our goal is to get better with every game and peak at the...

Getting a chance to show off a little firepower last Tuesday night, the Pacific Union College men's volleyball team up-ended UC Cal-Maritime's Keelhaulers in 55 minutes, 15-0, 15-7, 15-12. The Pioneers showed both strength and control with a 7-0 lead in the first game, forcing the Keelhaulers to call a time-out. However, the Pioneers kept the pressure on and won the set as Cal-Maritime remained scoreless. The Pioneers took an 11-4 lead in the second game and got fired up with freshman outside hitter Jonathan Paden's back-to-back kills. They took the set 15-7 with ease. The Keelhaulers refused to give up in the third game. Their strategy was to get the ball over the net and make the Pioneers work for their points. This became a difficult task for the Pioneers as passing and hitting errors brought the Keelhaulers closer at 9-13. Cal-Maritime rallied to pull within one, 12-13. But that was as close as they got. Sophomore middle hitter Steve Dulcich banged a kill and aced a serve to win the third game and the match 15-12. The Pioneers were led by Dulcich with five kills and senior Brian Thio with three solo blocks. The Pioneers have a current...

The Pacific Union College Lady Pioneers basketball team fell 48-66 to Bethany College on Saturday night, Feb. 15, at PUC's Pacific Auditorium. The Pioneers started off with strong defense and trailed a close 25-28 at half-time. The teams' previous encounter ended in a blowout for the Pioneers. "It was impressive that we stayed in the game," said guard Julie Moyer. "We played really well in the first half, but we just couldn't sink our shots throughout the game." This was evident as Bethany had a .429 (18/42) field goal shooting percentage compared to the Pioneers' .266 (17/64) average. Guard Rachel Kendall said it was the most exciting game all season. "Our attitudes on the bench and on the court were centered around motivating each other," she said. "We played hard and had a lot of fun without worrying about the score or our personal statistics. We know we're getting better." The Pioneers were led by guards Heather Isaacs, with 20 points, and Carrie Wade, with 11 rebounds. The Pioneers will play their next game at Patten College on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 6:15 p.m....

The Pacific Union College Lady Pioneer basketball team won 64-59 against Patten College on Saturday night, Jan. 18, at PUC's Pacific Auditorium. The Pioneers trailed most of the game, and were down 26-29 at half time. Pioneer captain Heather Isaacs said one of the team's goals was to get Patten's main players in foul trouble. Their goal worked, and two Patten starters fouled out in the second half. The Pioneers seized the opportunity and won the game 64-59. "We got fired up at the end and pulled through," said freshman guard Julie Moyer. "What really helped us was our determination." Isaacs said the team had a strong fundamental game. "It was a good win," she said. "We got more comfortable with our offense, and we had a balanced outside and inside game." The Pioneers were led by Isaacs with 20 points. PUC freshman center Toakase Mo'ungaafi also had a strong game with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Pioneers have an overall record of 2-3....

The Christian tradition colors all aspects of life and study at Pacific Union College. Accordingly, beyond PUC's academic focus, there is an emphasis and concern with the developing Christian experience. Nine students took the platform during Student Week of Prayer, January 21-25, to share their own experiences, insights, and struggles. They came from a wide variety of years and majors, but all focused on the theme of "Knowing God."Student Week of Prayer has been a long standing tradition at PUC, and according to junior Daneen Akers, religious vice-president, a traditional favorite. "Students really enjoy being ministered to by their own peers," she said. "Hearing experiences and struggles from someone your own age makes a huge difference, and students pay a lot of attention to what their peers have to share."This year, the selection process focused on students not commonly found up front speaking. "We picked people because God is doing exciting things in their lives. They aren't your typical up-front people," Akers said. "I only think that made them more real and believable."Each speaker interpreted the broad week of prayer topic in a personal way. The first speaker of the week, senior psychology major David Pizarro, dealt with knowing the...

You are invited to hear noted Christian writer and editor Philip Yancey speak in the Pacific Union College Church at 8 p.m. Friday, January 17; and at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, January 18. Admission to both services is free. Yancey, who serves as editor-at-large for Christianity Today magazine, has written 12 books, including The Jesus I Never Knew, Where Is God When It Hurts, and Disappointment With God....

The Pacific Union College women's basketball team made their preseason debut at the Simpson Invitational tournament in Redding, Calif., from Nov. 14-16. The Lady Pioneers played Pacific Christian College on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 14, and lost 58-67. The Pioneers played Life Bible College on Friday afternoon, Nov. 15. Freshman guard Mindy Waterhouse, who was chosen for the all-tournament team, came off the bench to score 16 points and sparked the Pioneers to a 65-40 win. The Pioneers played Simpson College on Saturday night, Nov. 16, and led by 12 points for most of the game, according to sophomore team captain Heather Isaacs. The Pioneers made several mistakes in the second half, and Simpson came back to tie the Pioneers at 45-45. With five seconds left in the game, a Pioneer fouled a Simpson player, and Simpson scored one of two possible points off of a free throw, ending the game in Simpson's favor 46-45. "We are a really young team with seven freshmen and only two returning players," said Isaacs. "But of any team, we have the most freshman talent. Across the board we're very strong and the tournament showed us where we needed to be. It was a positive...

The Pacific Union College Men's Pioneer basketball team lost 74-94 to the Southern California College Vanguards on Saturday night, December 14, at Pacific Union College's Pacific Auditorium. The Pioneers lagged in the first half, allowing Southern California College to build a 20-point lead. The Pioneers kept up with the Vanguards during the second half, but were unable to overtake them. "It's tough having a game right after finals; everybody's just beat," said PUC Coach Mike Hellie. "We got out-hustled. They were a very fast team." The Pioneers were led by junior guard Brett Graves with 19 points, and junior center Bryan Banfield with 14 rebounds. The Pioneers have an overall record of 2-3. They will play their next home game at PUC's Pacific Auditorium on Sunday, January 12, at 7:30 p.m....