2021

Pacific Union College (PUC) has released a new Vision for the Future that details the college’s extensive plans for the years to come. This vision will expand the college’s reach, make higher education accessible to a wider range of students, and ensure PUC’s future as a leader in the Christian college marketplace.“It is critical that we look to the future with both optimism and realism,” said Gene Edelbach, PUC’s Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing, and Communication. “Higher education is in a state of dramatic decline, and unfortunately that includes Seventh-day Adventist Christian education. Instead of following an old model of operation that will continue to show us diminishing results, we are choosing reinvention. We will expand, adapt, and innovate to reach more students, including those who require a less traditional path, while remaining true to our commitment to Christianity, Adventism, and the quality of our PUC education.”The focus of PUC’s Vision for the Future includes four main areas: academic offerings, the Angwin campus, education centers, and online offerings.Academic OfferingsTo meet the needs of today’s college students, PUC is building on the strengths of its rich academic history to innovate Liberal Arts and shape a more career-focused education. A shift is...

Dr. Ralph Trecartin has been selected by the Pacific Union College Board of Trustees to be the next president of Pacific Union College. He will begin his role as president on July 1, 2021, and will be the college’s twenty-fourth president in its 138-year history.“Dr. Trecartin is joining the PUC family at a very important time,” said Bradford Newton, board chair and executive secretary of the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. “The college has launched a new Vision for the future, and we believe Dr. Trecartin is the leader this school needs to move this plan forward.”Trecartin currently serves as the associate provost and dean of the College of Professionals for Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan and has served in higher education for over 30 years. Trecartin received his PhD in finance from Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business, his MBA from Andrews University, and his bachelor’s degree in Theology at Atlantic Union College. Prior to joining the administrative team at Andrews University, he spent 18 years in various academic and administrative roles at The College of Brockport, State University of New York. As Executive Director and then Assistant Provost of International Education at Brockport, he...

Pacific Union College (PUC) was recently awarded a Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant from the USDA worth $210,392. Only four of these grants were awarded within the entire state of California with the intention of connecting rural communities with services and opportunities through telecommunications.PUC will use these funds to purchase equipment and provide more opportunities for distance learning courses and career counseling in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in particular. “We are very grateful for the award and its timing,” said David Rai, PUC’s Director of Technology and Innovation. “As we move forward with a new vision for PUC, a substantial investment like this shows that we are moving in the right direction to meet needs that are relevant to students now. This grant is helping us put our technology plans into action so that remote instruction and career counseling is accessible to more students.”The college’s plans for the funds currently include installing cutting-edge video and broadcast technology across PUC’s Angwin campus and providing equipment for a new, state-of-the-art broadcast studio in Fisher Hall, home to the college’s department of visual arts. The studio will be used to record and deliver innovative content for remote classes, workshops, and...

Students from Pacific Union College recently visited Howell Mountain Elementary School (HME), a local public school, to teach second and third grade students all about monarch butterflies and to get them hands-on in the learning process!The students discussed the life cycle of the monarch butterfly, including the importance of milkweed as nutrition and as a habitat crucial for monarch reproduction.“The HME project was a great opportunity for these college students to connect with the elementary kids,” said Professor Aimee Wyrick, chair of PUC’s department of biology. “It reminds them of the amazing curiosity that kids have about the world around them – gives college students an additional excitement or “spark” when they see the schoolkids enjoying the experience. The PUC students were also impressed with the HME elementary students – they were very engaged in asking/answering questions. College students also get a chance to practice their interpersonal and leadership skills – directing the session and interacting with each other and a wide range of students.”The kids were enthusiastic learners and the PUC students on hand were happy to answer question after question. One item that got a lot of attention was the fact that milkweed is poisonous to animals like...

PUC’s department of nursing is working in our community to provide health services in partnership with Adventist Health St. Helena and St. Helena Hospital Foundation Mobile Health Unit. Not only are the students making a difference and increasing their knowledge, but they are also getting unique, hands-on experience on the front lines of a pandemic. In addition to performing COVID-19 tests throughout the months of the crisis, the students are also now administering long-awaited vaccinations to healthcare workers. Guadalupe Gomez is just one of the students involved who has chosen to enter a career of service as a ​registered nurse. Before coming to PUC, Gomez worked in the hospitality industry as a cook, baker, and cake decorator for large corporations. “Working for large ​companies, I found it was all about the numbers ​and the bottom line; where I truly found joy was in helping others,” says Gomez. Gomez decided to go back to college to become a nurse. “​After completing my prerequisites, I prayed for a way forward in the next steps of my education and felt that God answered those prayers in the form of a chance meeting with a PUC alumnus. It was the Christ led education that...