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Over 20 Pacific Union College students gave up their spring break to work on construction, health, and education projects on a service trip to Empalme De Boaco, Nicaragua, March 23-31. The trip is part of a partnership between PUC and Developing Communities, Inc., a non-profit group founded in 1988 by PUC alumnus Jake Scheideman. In Empalme de Boaco, students worked with locals to rebuild and renovate the town’s clinic, which had fallen into disrepair. While providing care for residents’ basic health needs, the clinic will also serve as a base of operations for future medical work as Developing Communities and PUC pursue a long-term commitment to the town. “Initially, I heard it was a medical trip; I wanted to go and get some experience,” said sophomore pre-med biology student Meena Kim. “Then they told us we were building a clinic. Regardless of whether I would be doing the actual medical work, I went because we would be providing the assets and the means for them to better their healthcare system.” At the clinic, the students worked with residents of Empalme De Boaco to replace the building’s old tin roof, which had been damaged by a bat infestation. The group also...

For many students, spring break means sunny beaches, fun with friends, quality time with family, or maybe just a quiet week of relaxation. For about 19 Pacific Union College students, however, it meant a week of hard work on a service trip to the former Bennet Freeze in the Navajo Nation, near Flagstaff, Arizona. The trip, which took place from March 23-31, was planned by the Pacific Union College chapter of Project Pueblo, a student-run organization founded at the University of California at Berkeley in 2009. The organization aims to help alleviate the effects of the Bennet Freeze and improve living conditions in the Navajo Nation. This is the second PUC Project Pueblo trip; the first took place over winter break. “The trip helped people restore their homes after the lifting of the Freeze in 2009,” explained Lorie Johns, PUC’s nursing student success advisor, who accompanied students on the trip. “It’s about supporting people as they are working to rebuild and better their living situation.” The Bennet Freeze was a federal policy enacted in 1966 prohibiting any building—even basic repairs—on a 1.5 million-acres portion of Navajo territory.The Freeze resulted in decades of crumbling infrastructure in the affected areas and was...

At Thursday morning’s Faculty Awards Colloquy, PUC business professor Lary Taylor was named Educator of the Year. This is the third time Taylor has won the award—an unprecedented feat in PUC history. The Educator of the Year is decided by student vote, and the results are a closely guarded secret in the weeks between the balloting and the Colloquy program. Professor emeritus of chemistry Bill Hemmerlin, a longtime friend and colleague of Taylor’s, introduced the award, revealing the winner gradually with a series of childhood photos and biographical hints. As the final clue was revealed, Taylor stood and approached the stage with good-humored reluctance as the church audience rose to applaud the repeat honoree. Academic dean Nancy Lecourt presented him with a framed certificate, and then he took a seat on the dais as Hemmerlin delivered a teasing roast of his friend. Later in the program, business department colleagues Wally Lighthouse and John Nunes and business students Chris Madrid and Kelly Chung presented tributes to the professor. Each speaker highlighted the major factor that keeps students voting for Taylor again and again: his warm and welcoming attitude to those around him. “Simply put, my friend Professor Lary Taylor has an...

Three Pacific Union College varsity athletes have been named to the 2012 Daktronics NAIA Division II Scholar-Athletes List, two of which are receiving the honor for the second time. Both Carla Bartlett and Michael Giang were listed for the second year, with first time honors going to Josh Jewett. Carla Bartlett, a guard on the Pioneers women’s varsity basketball team, is a senior Exercise Science major. Earlier this year, Bartlett was also an Honorable Mention from the conference for the all-conference team at the conclusion of the season. Last December, Bartlett , who is from Banning, Calif., was named a Cal Pac Player of the Week. Yucaipa, Calif., native Michael Giang is a four-year member of the men's varsity basketball team. He majored in both chemistry and biochemistry at PUC; following graduation, he will attend Loma Linda University Medical School this fall. New to the list is Josh Jewett, from Scottsdale, Ariz. Jewett was named First Team All Conference player for the men’s varsity basketball team and was also named a Cal Pac Player of the Week in December. He will graduate this June with degrees in Intercultural Communication and Spanish. In order to be a recipient of the Daktronics-NAIA...

An article posted today online in the North Bay Business Journal highlighted Pacific Union College’s state-of-the-art cogeneration plant. The facility produces electricity for the campus with the help of recycled steam power, and the efficiency of the process saves the college $1 million per year in energy costs. Read the full article below. Co-generation plant saves Pacific Union College $1 million a year in energy costs – Monday, March 19, 2012...

At Colloquy on March 15, Pacific Union College paid tribute to Richard Rockwell, this year's new professor emeritus. Rockwell, professor of mathematics, is retiring at the end of the academic year after teaching at PUC for more than four decades. Rockwell began his career in the classroom while attending PUC; during his sophomore year in college, he taught a yearlong computer science course. After graduating from PUC in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Rockwell went on to the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his master’s degree in 1969. Immediately after, PUC hired Rockwell to teach in the math department; a few years later, while teaching, he earned his doctorate from U.C. Berkeley. In the 1970s and 1980s, Rockwell was the chair of the math department for over a decade. At the Thursday morning colloquy program, Steve Waters, also a professor of mathematics, shared his memories of studying under Rockwell in the 1970s. “I first got to know him personally my sophomore year at PUC, and he became my advisor and mentor,” said Waters. “Whether he knows it or not, he’s never stopped being my advisor and mentor.” Waters followed in Rockwell’s footsteps, graduating from PUC with...

Students from Pacific Union College’s Introduction to Biology class worked on protecting the ecosystem in a project with the Land Trust of Napa County on March 4. The project involved removing foreign plant species that had begun to invade the plant ecosystem surrounding Linda Falls, a small waterfall in Angwin. The waterfall, located on property owned by the Land Trust, is a short walk from campus. “This is a long-term partnership that will allow students on campus to have an impact on a place many students, staff, and faculty enjoy,” explains Aimee Wyrick, an associate professor in the biology department who coordinated the project. For students, the trip offered a chance to get out of the classroom for a good cause. “It was an opportunity to do something with your community,” said Jesse Jewett, a freshman liberal studies major. “Up here on the hill, we forget that anyone else is here...we think its just PUC, but there’s a whole community here.” Jewett adds, “Whether it was getting rid of invasive plant species or just picking up litter that’s accumulated, it was just cool to get out and feel like we were doing something to benefit the environment around us.”...

Starting in fall 2012, Pacific Union College will begin offering students a new degree: History, Political Studies, and Ethics. The bachelor's degree, which will be based in the history department, will combine classes in American history, politics, and ethics to educate students in politics, government and a life of public service. “In a national environment charged with politics and political activism, it is not surprising that prospective students…consistently ask about offerings in political science,” says Amy Rosenthal, associate professor of history and chair of the department. “[The new program] is designed to educate students in the workings of government and the characteristics of modern politics…in preparation for careers of service in local, state and federal government, law, public policy and political science.” “We’re very excited about the possibilities this new degree brings to our campus,” relates PUC academic dean Nancy Lecourt. “The degree in political studies will make PUC an even more attractive option for students by further expanding our offerings in the liberal arts. We expect that the program will be particularly attractive to students interested in pursuing graduate school in law and public policy.” The Princeton Review ranks political science as one of the top ten undergraduate majors...

At a Thursday morning presentation at PUC’s visual arts department, PUC alum Rayme Inae, ’01, encouraged students to always be on the lookout for new opportunities. Inae is the creative director for—and helped start—GoJane.com, a popular online retailer of fashion-forward apparel for young women. “People want decisions made for them,” he told the students. “Grab the steering wheel of your own life!” A big man with a big smile, Inae shared his advice and his success story in a lively and frank presentation that energized the room. He described his experience at PUC as an active—if not always stellar—student and encouraged the visual arts majors to view their course work as a chance to build a meaningful portfolio that would serve them in the job market. After graduation, Inae said he couldn’t find work as a graphic designer—his area of study. But his friendly and enthusiastic personality landed him a job in advertising sales. In one year he advanced rapidly in the company and saved up a sizeable cushion from commissions on large clients like the Golden State Warriors. But after an ethical disagreement with the company, he quit—and realized that he didn’t know what he wanted to do next....

At a special Colloquy program Thursday morning at Pacific Union College, Hollywood movie executive DeVon Franklin opened with a bold statement. “God has sent me here to deliver you a message,” he said. “Someone here has a calling—something God wants you to do—but fear is holding you back from following that dream. I’m here to free you from that fear.” Franklin is vice president of production at Columbia Pictures, and has been involved in the production of films including The Pursuit of Happyness and the recent remake of The Karate Kid. He’s also a Seventh-day Adventist, and has recently written Produced by Faith, a book about maintaining a relationship with God while working in the entertainment industry. Franklin described how movies like The Color Purple, Rocky, and Back To The Future captivated him as a boy. He remembered wanting to make those images, but when he shared his dream with others in the Adventist community, he was often met with skepticism. This did not stop him from having faith that God would take him where He wanted him to be, he said. Franklin advised students to actively seek and pursue their God-given purpose in this world. “So many times we...