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During April, several PUC students and staff joined in a two-week effort to clean and repair the dilapidated homes of elderly and disabled citizens living in nearby Calistoga. Teaming with Rebuilding Calistoga, a volunteer organization under the sponsorship of Calistoga Affordable Housing, Inc., they contributed to the restoration of nearly 50 residences, half of which were mobile homes. PUC chaplain Roy Ice helped get the college involved and contributed his own efforts to the rebuilding project. “I think that it’s important to show that PUC is a resource to our community, and not the other way around,” Ice says. The project was conceived by Larry Kromann, a retired school principal and PUC church member, who wanted to find a way to help the elderly. He gathered the help and support of community members for the home repair project, and received the sponsorship of Home Depot, which donated a $5,000 gift card and promised to send out 30 of its employees. A ceremony was held on April 25 to recognize everybody who volunteered. Calistoga mayor Jack Gingles publicly recognized PUC’s contribution and expressed his gratitude towards the college’s involvement. “I want you to take a message back to PUC and your...

The evening of Sunday, April 25, brought hundreds of students (and other members of the campus and local community) to the outdoor area at the center of the Pacific Union College campus for the grand REVO PUC 2010 event. Following the tradition of the past two REVO PUC events, there was a rummage sale, silent auction, information booths, food sales, concerts, and a fashion show exhibiting innovative student designs. The outdoor stage at the main REVO event hosted three bands: a student band called G.S.S.M., a student-and-alum band called The West Atlantic, and a new Los Angeles band on tour in Northern California, She Screams Remedy. For the fashion show, six student designers were each allotted $50 to spend at thrift stores and five models. Each designer chose a theme, models, and music and coordinated meetings and rehearsals. Two faculty members and REVO founder Nina Brav served as judges. In addition to the fun and entertainment that drew people to REVO events, student leaders felt that there was a deeper sense of the project's value. "Students are willing to turn out in droves because they understand the point of it all," says Tyler Cantrell, who recently finished his PUC classes...

This year, Pacific Union College celebrated Earth Day with a fair, a clean-up project, and a special speaker. L. Hunter Lovins, a globally recognized leader and consultant in sustainable practices, arrived with her signature cowboy hat to speak to members of the campus and community during the morning's all-school colloquy and a special evening lecture on “Sustainability in Napa County." At the colloquy program, before Lovins spoke, environmental studies majors Dustin Baumbach and Molly Reeves shared about their internships, one working at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and one at the Safari West wild animal preserve. Lovins then began her address by introducing the argument for why life as we know it cannot sustain itself; but rather than citing just environmental "drivers of change" and "intolerable signs," she addressed the spectrum from nature to economics to social equity. Then, rather than asking individuals to reduce their carbon footprint or some such practice, she suggested that if we are to meet the challenges and goals of the future and adapt to sustain the planet, we must do so on an entirely new paradigm. This includes "world best practices" for addressing human needs, smart development that is truly sustainable, redesigning education....

This year's Student Week of Prayer brought eight current Pacific Union College students to the platform to share with their fellow students about becoming active Christians. Morning and evening programs (and a change of class schedules) brought the campus together for messages on this year's Student Association theme, "From the Ground Up," emphasizing community, acceptance, and personal ministry. One "active" element of the programs was a daily challenge, such as "Tell someone how you appreciate them for something." Laura Dominguez, the first speaker, started by reading a quote: "The human soul spends his or her life searching for that one thing that will bring fullness, meaning, and happiness to their life." With help from other students, she acted out a dialogue in which her heart was missing something and people came along with suggestions of how to fill it. Education didn't seem to work. Money didn't fit. Music didn't cover it. Fun and parties weren't quite right. Romance wasn't enough. But when a friend came to tell her about "the Alpha and the Omega," about "something much much better that will give you a love way purer than others," about "Jesus Christ," the fit was perfect. "The greatest struggle for...

The new exhibit at the Rasmussen Art Gallery celebrates the many various talents of some of Pacific Union College’s creative student minds. April 15 was the opening and awards presentation for the annual Student Art Exhibition in the gallery. Around 80 visitors, including students, faculty, and community members, came to cheer the student artists on. The show was open to all PUC students of any major, and many students had responded to the call for entries, resulting in 165 exhibited works. Student artwork was judged under the categories Drawing, Opaque Media Painting, Watercolor, Graphic Design, Printmaking, Mixed Media, Stained Glass, Sculpture, and Ceramics. Visitors viewed the show while enjoying refreshments, including fresh fruit and Sparkling Martinelli’s, all the while talking with the students who had come to view their own success. Various prizes were awarded for the different categories—$25 for first place, $20 for second, and $15 for third. There was also a $50 grand prize awarded for the emphasized environmental theme of PUC's Green Week. The show will remain up in the gallery through May 4. Regular gallery hours are Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 1-5 pm. Admission is free and open to the public....

Pacific Union College students host this year’s REVO humanitarian fundraising and awareness event on April 25 in an outdoor area at the center of the school’s campus. From 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. that Sunday, students will hold a benefit rummage sale, host a fashion show, play a concert, and sell corn dogs and t-shirts to aid the Tropical Health Alliance Foundation (THAF) in its efforts to combat podoconiosis, and a KidzReach program that supports local children. The event on the 25th will be the second REVO event this year; the first was a very successful 5K race on the college's trails on April 18. REVO plans to donate half of the raised funds to support THAF-sponsored clinics in Ethiopia that treat podoconiosis, a form of elephantitis caused by exposure of feet to red clay soil. Santa Monica-based non-profit TOMS Shoes agreed to collaborate with REVO and THAF, and will provide shoes for family members of each person who receives treatment as a result of this endeavor. The rest of the funds raised by this event will go to KidzReach, a campus-based program whose members volunteer to spend Saturdays with children from underprivileged families or unstable homes in nearby counties....

For this year's student-led Revo project at Pacific Union College, the coordinators decided to host a benefit 5K run as well as the annual rummage sale, concert, and fashion show. Both events are to raise money for a local kids ministry and to treat a foot disease in Ethiopia caused by not wearing shoes. The race took place on Sunday, April 18, and the students were hoping for 100 racers and some decent weather. Instead, they had 125 racers and a gorgeous day. PUC cross country coach Bob Paulson laid out a fairly simple 5K course for the runners as well as an easy route of about two miles for people who preferred to walk. "We had so much rain, it was a bit of an obstacle course," Paulson reports. But he says people just had fun with the challenge. "Everybody seemed to have a blast." The student leaders were also very pleased to see some runners who were not from the campus. "I was surprised at how many runners were not students," reports Tyler McCulloch, one of the student organizers for the event. "We had people from Fairfield, Napa, and beyond." With a beautifully fair day squeezed between rainstorms...

Pacific Union College alumni gathered as they do each spring for Homecoming Weekend, April 16-18. From the handing out of Diogenes Lanterns (the school flower) to the Utt Lecture to parties for Honor Classes, events gave alumni a chance to enjoy the current campus and reminisce about their days at PUC. This year, Honored Alumni awards went to Audrey and Bruce Anderson, Monica Neumann, and Jake Scheideman. The Andersons, both 1960 graduates, come from a family whose members have attended, taught, or pastored at PUC since 1910. The two have been invaluable to the legacy of former PUC professor Walter Utt, hosting alumni and board meetings and collaborating with the college on Utt Endowment affairs. Monica Neumann, class of 1970, is an anesthesiologist, professor, and director at Loma Linda University Medical Center and is known for her work in nurturing the next generation of Adventist medical professionals. Local bike shop owner Jake Scheideman, class of 1990, has spent 10 years improving life for the people of a small town in Nicaragua. He founded the non-profit Developing Communities, Inc., and has involved the local community and many volunteers in contributing to the town. PUC also honored Jean Phillips as an Honored...

In September of 2009, Dr. Heather J. Knight became the new president of Pacific Union College. On April 15, 2010, the college hosted the official inaugural ceremony and installation of Knight as 21st president. In a program replete with regalia colors, inspiring music, and the PUC Church filled with faculty, staff, students, community members, educational and church leaders, and family and friends, Knight was welcomed with speeches of accolade and advice. PUC's history and future were celebrated by the entire college body and representatives from across the country. Brief speeches were presented by Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon, St. Helena Mayor Del Britton, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities President Jonathan Brown, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists General Vice President Ella Simmons, Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities President and Walla Walla University President John McVay, Andrews University President Niels-Erik Andreasen, University of the Pacific Jacoby Center Director and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Emeritus Robert Benedetti, and University of the Pacific Provost Phillip N. Gilbertson. Dr. Knight was also presented with gifts from four representative groups at PUC: a crystal bell from the administrators, a miniature grape vine from the faculty, a painting by former PUC art...

On April 11 after a Napa Valley Symphony concert at Lincoln Theater in Yountville, Pacific Union College music students joined their professor Asher Raboy on the stage to meet pianist Leon Bates. Raboy, who has been music director of the symphony since 1990 and teaches music at PUC, directed a concert featuring several of his original compositions. The concert included a piano concerto featuring Bates, one of Raboy’s long-time collaborators (and one of America's top pianists). After the concert, many of the PUC students who had attended came to the stage to meet Bates, pose for photos, and receive autographs. Four of these students had enjoyed a Master Class with Bates the previous evening, and one turned pages for him during the Symphony concert. The PUC Musical Arts Symposium, a student music club, also organized to attend. Some students in the current Survey of Music class were there to fulfill concert attendance assignments, and PUC music ensemble members attended as well. "It was delightful to see so many of them," Raboy said later. "It's great to see PUC and the Symphony have this great interaction." As Raboy nears the conclusion of his time with the Symphony, having decided to step...