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Academy students from across the western states learned tips from design and editing professionals September 6-8 at PUC’s annual Publication Workshop. This year’s crowd was the largest in the 21-year history of the program, with 26 schools in attendance. Publication Workshop provides invaluable experience for high school yearbook, video yearbook, and newspaper publishers, and for many students is a first step into a lifelong career in publishing or journalism. “PUC does an amazing job at providing support through the workshops and especially the opportunity to network with each other,” said Stanley Matsuda, yearbook sponsor at Redding Adventist Academy in Redding, Calif. This year’s program instructors included professors from PUC’s communication and visual arts departments, working professionals in the public relations and student life offices, and upper division design students—some in their first teaching experiences. The program also tapped resources from off campus, including keynote speaker Donna Rooney, who has been a writer for a variety of TV shows and websites; Jesse Duarte, a reporter for the local newspaper St. Helena Star; and John Tagamolila, an assistant director with credits including The Fighter and Dear John, and an adjunct professor in PUC’s visual arts department. “Publication Workshop was a great mix...

Summer break offers welcome gifts of new activities and a change of pace to Pacific Union College students. For junior Rebekah Widmer, summer vacation 2011 brought a new chance to give of herself to others. Whether laying bricks or teaching kids how to brush their teeth, Rebekah Widmer is on a mission—or leading one. This summer, Rebekah led over 20 college-age peers on a unique mission trip to Chiapas, Mexico. For two weeks in July, the Collegiate Project team worked to build a church, offer a dental clinic, and conduct vacation bible school in the rural community of El Retiro. Sponsored by Maranatha Volunteers International, the project is the organization’s newest option for young adults, who are the trip’s leaders and participants. Rebekah was the trip’s first project coordinator. “Being the project coordinator helps you learn how everyone is part of the team; how the pastor impacts the cook,” she says. As a four-time veteran of Maranatha’s Ultimate Workout, a mission trip for high school age teens, Rebekah is very familiar with a mission team’s many roles. This service-driven student may be new to the Collegiate Project, but she’s no stranger to missions. At age 15, Rebekah felt a passion...

The California Pacific (Cal Pac) Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics named Pacific Union College the winner of the 2010-11 Cal Pac Sportsmanship Award at the annual Cal Pac Convention on Sunday, August 21. The award honors the Pioneers athletic program as the best example of the value of respect in sport. "We are very honored to receive this recognition from our fellow members in the Cal Pac Conference. We are proud to be a member of a conference that strives to make character such a focal point in our competition," said PUC athletic director Robert Castillo. "This is a testament to the quality and character of our student-athletes here at Pacific Union College and throughout the Cal Pac Conference," added Castillo. The Cal Pac Conference recognizes one institution each year with the Sportsmanship Award. At the end of the season for each sport, the coaches of each college submit their top two choices for most sportsmanlike team in their respective sport. The institution with the most points at the conclusion of the sporting season wins the award. This is the eleventh year the Cal Pac Conference has granted a Sportsmanship Award. "Pacific Union College represents all that...

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the organization that accredits educational institutions in California and Hawaii, concluded a six-year review of Pacific Union College last month, awarding PUC uninterrupted accreditation through spring of 2018. “This process, while long, was very helpful as we continue to improve student learning at PUC,” said academic dean Nancy Lecourt. “We learned a lot and consider it a growing process.” That process included two visits by WASC evaluation teams, as well as three rigorous reports on the college’s progress in several areas recommended at the beginning of the review, including strategic planning, financial stability, and student enrollment and retention. In a letter to the college administration, WASC applauded PUC’s “effective and committed engagement with issues of continuous improvement.” More specifically, the organization praised PUC’s faculty for maintaining a strong system of self-review, and to the college in general for its “commitment to a culture of evidence” in evaluating best courses of action....

This fall is an exciting time for the Pacific Union College athletic program. The college welcomes new coaches for its men’s basketball, men’s soccer, and co-ed cross country teams, and introduces its first athletics-based scholarships. PUC graduate Kirt Brower returns to coach the Pioneers basketball team for which he played as an undergraduate. In recent years, Brower has taught physical education in the Colton Unified School District and at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School. He has also coached basketball, baseball, and track and field at St. Helena High School. Additionally, he assisted the University of Redlands’ men’s and women’s basketball teams while completing a master’s degree in education. Bertin Loyola comes to PUC with eight years of coaching experience, having shared his expertise with the men’s soccer club at the University of California at Davis, the girls’ team at Vacaville Christian High School, and the North Bay Elite Futbal Club in Fairfield, Calif. In his time as a competitive player, Loyola won numerous awards as a student athlete at Vintage High School in Napa, Calif. and received distinction as “Freshman of the Year” at UC Davis, where he played from 2003-2006. Philip Toohey brings deep enthusiasm and a faith-oriented approach...

Twenty-four outstanding students in grades seven, eight, and nine earned advance college credits and had a preview of college life at Pacific Union College’s annual PacificQuest, July 24-29. The program recruits high-performance students from schools across the Adventist system for a well rounded and challenging academic and social experience. Students came from as close as the Bay Area and as far away as Colorado. “All of the kids are exceptional—they are academically gifted but also many are artistic,” says PacificQuest academic director Aimee Wyrick, a PUC biology professor. “Our students are very athletic as well. Altogether, a well-rounded bunch.” This year’s program included a core class and two electives. Every student took a class on biology emphasizing exotic animals, taught by PUC biology professor Bryan Ness. He guided the students through interactions with a variety of unconventional pets, including monitors, tarantulas, and snakes, learning about the science of how they live and what makes them unusual. PUC business professor Wally Lighthouse introduced the students to the study of business in one of the elective options. In “Business as Usual,” students explored the impact of trade and economics on history and culture, researched the value of unexpected commodities, and practiced business...

Pacific Union College students are now able to combine two creative fields, the stage and the screen, into one degree with the associate’s in film and theater studies.* The range of interdisciplinary coursework now available to PUC students through this program is sufficient to stand alone as the foundation of a career or to supplement any four-year degree. The new joint degree is the only one of its kind within the Seventh-day Adventist system and is a rare find in higher education at large. “We’re very, very excited about this new A.S. degree,” says Rodney Vance, director of the film and television program. “It provides an opportunity for students who have a strong interest in [the areas of film and theater] to get strong training that will benefit them no matter what career they choose.” In addition to a core curriculum that offers exposure to film production, theater, and writing, the degree features three emphases to suit diverse student goals. “We felt there was much to be gained by combining our two programs since our film students need experience working with actors, and our drama students need more experience with the technical side of production,” says English department chair Cynthia...

PUC’s student-led philanthropy organization REVO officially reached its dollar goal last week, just in time to conclude its campaign with the close of the school year. This year’s goal was $10,000 to fund a self-sustaining community kitchen in Argentina’s impoverished province of Salta. The final donation that put the fundraising over the top was a gift from a group of 15 students led by Julov’ Pierre. The group took second place at the SA talent show in April with an elaborate multimedia performance built around the theme “Heal the World.” As the REVO campaign came to a close, the group collectively decided to donate their cash prize. “We decided to make something that people could remember,” says Pierre, a native of Haiti who feels a deep connection to the cause of international humanitarian responsibility. “REVO[’s…] project corresponded with our vision and theme. It was a great pleasure.” Immediately after receiving the full $10,000, REVO officers performed the next step of the campaign—getting the money into the hands of Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). The agency will take the lead on implementing the kitchen—building the facility, developing the attached garden and livestock supply, and training locals to run the facility...

Aren Rennacker, a graduating member of the Pacific Union College men's varsity basketball program, was named the 2011 California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) Male Scholar Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, June 1. The Cal Pac Conference executive committee, made up of the athletic directors of the member institutions, selected Rennacker from an impressive list of nominees. Cal Pac Commissioner Don Ott said, "To say that I am impressed with all the nominees is a tremendous understatement. Moreover, the two individuals we are honoring have accomplished the incredible academically, athletically, and personally. They all represent the finest traits of Champions of Character, and we look forward to seeing how they continue to impact our society." The honor is given to a student athlete who has completed their four years of athletic eligibility, displayed excellence in the classroom, exhibited the five core values of the Champions of Character initiative, been a significant contributor to his or her team, and has been involved in the community and on campus. Rennacker will graduate from PUC summa cum laude, with a degree in public relations/journalism. The Sacramento native and four-year starter was named First Team All Cal Pac this past season, finishing ranked third...

The first ever recipient of the Jimmy J. Ha Endowment Scholarship was honored at the Awards Colloquy on Thursday, May 26. Danny Chung, a junior religion major, received the award for his demonstration of the love of Christ, commitment to the Adventist church, and passion for knowledge. To present the award, scholarship founder Sonia Ha gave an inspirational message in honor of her late husband, a beloved religion professor at PUC who passed away last year after battling cancer. “In the face of suffering we are here together, experiencing and encountering someone; today, particularly Danny Chung,” she said. “We do this deed being confidence of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Vice president for alumni and advancement Pam Sadler introduced the award, recalling the phone call she received in 2009 from the couple saying that they wanted to begin a scholarship at Pacific Union College. “That phone call will forever remain in my mind as a poignant reminder that no matter what is happening today, we must always have the foresight to be hopeful for the future,” Sadler said. Chung was one of a...