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There are two events at Pacific Union College that add a whole new element to fashion on campus — velvety caps, drapey sleeves, and billowy hoods. These unusual garments come out each year when the faculty don their regalia for graduation and also for the opening convocation at the beginning of the year.On September 25, the faculty marched into the PUC church in their regalia for the first of the weekly all-school colloquys. But the program was about much more than pomp: Following a welcome from president Richard Osborn and his wife, family ministries pastor Norma Osborn, three speakers shared compelling personal insights into spiritual authenticity on our campus.As PUC has sought to refine its standing as "academically outstanding and spiritually authentic," questions about how that plays out have been a big part of campus dialogue.Charlene Bainum, professor of psychology, told of her struggle as a professor to integrate spirituality in the classroom — did she need to pray before every class, or tell more stories of her own spiritual experiences? She began to see, however, that "authenticity was declining in proportion to my attempts to manipulate it." Now she sees that spiritual authenticity is the by-product of something else:...

Former Pacific Union College communication professor Fred Kinsey has been named the new speaker/director of the Voice of Prophecy (VOP), an Adventist radio, Bible school, and evangelistic ministry with its international headquarters at the Adventist Media Center in Simi Valley, California. "[Kinsey] was a very popular and influential teacher at PUC… over many years," says PUC president Richard Osborn. Kinsey's strong background in both pastoral ministry and the communication field have served him well as the assistant to the president for communication in the North American Division, a role he will continue to hold. Kinsey succeeds E. Lonnie Melashenko, who spent 17 years in the role. "I'm glad that Fred Kinsey is able to help give voice to the message of the Voice of Prophecy," said Don C. Schneider, chairman of the VOP Board of Trustees and president of the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in a VOP press release. "Fred is a veteran of pastoral ministry as well as communications, and he lives to share God's love with people, which is exactly the aim of every VOP broadcast.""I'm honored to follow the broadcasting pioneers who established and grew the VOP over the years, H.M.S. Richards, Sr....

This year's Publication Workshop at Pacific Union College drew about 200 participants from 23 schools in the Pacific Union (California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona). Academy students and sponsors gathered for targeted, practical training for jump-starting yearbooks, newspapers, and video yearbooks.With 20 presenters teaching over 40 sessions on vital publication skills, the 17th annual Publication Workshop provided students and sponsors with an abundance of resources and practice. Carly Hubbard, the newspaper editor for Redlands Adventist Academy, was at the workshop for the first time. "I learned a lot and I became better informed on the subject of publication in general," she said. She left determined to implement what she'd learned: "I'm going to try to improve the writing quality of our paper and follow the AP style that is more traditional with publication writing. I also want to get more staff involved with the paper."Amy Hill, the yearbook sponsor for Redlands Adventist Academy, has been to the workshop multiple times and loves it. "It's a fantastic experience for us as a group. We always leave Publication Workshop with a plan, and it's a perfect way to start a new school year."At the end of the two-day session, awards were presented for...

Most people don't kick off their freshman year at PUC by becoming a beauty queen. And Amanda Betat, now a sophomore, was pretty certain it wasn't her preferred way to start a college education. So she turned down the offer to run for Miss Lake County three times: "All the negative stereotypes that I initially had about pageantry almost kept me from running at all." Even when she finally agreed to run, she wasn't so sure. "Surrounded by hairspray, false eyelashes, and swimsuit glue I was certain that there was no place for me in the world of pageantry."But Betat quickly began to see that there was more to the pageants than most people realize, from a commitment to making a difference in communities to scholarships for education. "Fashion, makeup, and evening gowns were discussed interchangeably with talk of politics, platforms, and current events," she recalls. "I've made many friends, gotten to know my community, earned money towards college, and learned a lot about myself."When Betat won her local pageant, became Miss Lake County 2008, and went on to the Miss California pageant, the "deeper" aspects of the pageants became even more real in her life. For one thing, she...

For the 15th year in a row, U.S. News & World Report named Pacific Union College among the best educational institutions in the country. PUC ranked in the top tier, at number 17, for the baccalaureate colleges (West) region in the 2009 "America's Best Colleges" issue. It also ranks first in its region for ethnic diversity (not including international students), first for international students, and sixth for both freshmen retention rates and least debt among graduates.One of the most well-known and widely referenced sources of college rankings, U.S. News & World Report released its 2009 "Best Colleges" material in August, 2008. They collected data from more than 1,400 colleges for this year's rankings."As a learning community, we are pleased to be recognized not only for outstanding academics, but for the success of students from diverse backgrounds," said Nancy Lecourt, vice president for academic administration and academic dean. "We are proud to see our graduates changing the world."PUC is ranked in a category for institutions that focus on undergraduate education and grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. High scores are based on such elements as peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources,...