Pacific Union College Graduation Weekend 2018

Pacific Union College, Napa Valley’s only four-year college, will host its annual commencement exercises Friday, June 15, through Sunday, June 17.

The college will proudly award 369 associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees to 343 graduates, 49 of whom are from Napa County. The largest departmental groups are the nursing and health sciences (181 graduates from the Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs), business administration (37), biology (23), communication (21), and visual arts (21).

In addition, three graduating students are Maxwell Scholars: JJ Reynolds, marketing communication major; John Jung, biology major and pre-med student; and Dominique Townsend, English literature major. Maxwell Scholars are recognized as incoming freshmen for their outstanding academic achievement, and are awarded a renewable scholarship based on their unweighted cumulative GPA and test scores.

“We are excited to honor and celebrate our graduates and the future that lies ahead,” says Robert Cushman Jr., PUC president. “I look forward to meeting graduates, families, and friends here on beautiful Howell Mountain, where nature and revelation unite in education.”

In the class of 2018, 15 students will graduate summa cum laude; 29 magna cum laude; 58 cum laude; 10 with honors. After California, which is home to 290 graduating seniors, Hawai’i and Oregon boast the highest number of graduates, followed by Washington State, Maryland, Arizona, and Guam. International graduates hail from Belgium, Canada, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Students and family members are all welcome to attend the ceremonies, which are located on the college campus at the Pacific Union College Church and Maxwell Commons. Following is a full schedule of events for graduation weekend.

Friday, June 15

4 p.m. Social Work Consecration - Scales Chapel, PUC Church

6:30 p.m. Theology Seniors Consecration - Scales Chapel, PUC Church

8 p.m. Consecration - Sanctuary, PUC Church

Saturday, June 16

10 a.m. Sabbath School - Sanctuary, PUC Church

11:15 a.m. Baccalaureate - Sanctuary, PUC Church

4 p.m. Nursing Graduate Recognition - Sanctuary, PUC Church

4 p.m. Teacher Dedication - Scales Chapel, PUC Church (by invitation only)

5:30 p.m. President’s Reception - Campus Mall (for graduates, parents, & faculty)

Sunday, June 17

9 a.m. Commencement - Maxwell Commons (near Paulin Hall)

Ileana Douglas, retired Pacific Union College professor of history and former academic dean, will speak at the Consecration Service on Friday at 8 p.m. Douglas has served PUC with distinction for 19 years, and was named Educator of the Year in 2011. After four decades of devoted service to higher education, Douglas retired in 2017.

L. Jean Sheldon, who has taught for PUC’s department of theology for nearly 23 years, will speak for Baccalaureate on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. She is an accomplished scholar and author, having received her Ph.D. in ancient Near Eastern religions and publishing several books and articles.

Donna Dabeck, manager of nurse recruitment and retention at NorthBay Healthcare, will address students at the Nursing Graduate Recognition Service on Saturday at 4 p.m. Dabeck has extensive experience in various aspects of the healthcare delivery system, and is nationally certified as a healthcare recruiter.

Jarrod B. McNaughton, COO of Inland Empire Health Plan, one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans in the country, will give the commencement address. McNaughton has been featured as an expert regarding healthcare issues in publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

John Jung, senior class president, will also speak for commencement.

For a link to the livestream of commencement, visit puc.edu/graduation. The livestream will begin at 9 a.m.

Full details of the commencement weekend and schedule are available at puc.edu/graduation.

For more information, please call (707) 965-6303.