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On Sunday, February 2, Pacific Union College held a grand reopening of the Paulin Recital Hall to celebrate the completion of the renovation. The event was open to the public and featured performances from students, instructors, faculty, and community members.PUC President Ralph Trecartin welcomed everyone and praised the recital hall's new appearance, including the new colored walls and carpeting, updated chairs, and advanced sound system. He also took the time to introduce PUC alum and new Vice President of Alumni and Advancement Carlos Garcia, who shared a few words about happily being back at PUC and making it the best college it can be.Going into the program, Manny Scrofani, a fundraising committee member, invited Angwin Ambulance Directors Brad Setterlund and Quentin White on stage to thank them for their organization's generous donations to the Paulin Recital Hall. He also told the audience to check their seats for engraved names to see who else donated chairs and announced that others could have their names included if interested. Scrofani appreciatively thanked donors for all the wonderful donations the committee and advancement office received.The celebration was enhanced by special performances by PUC’s string sextet Mosaic, Vox Pro Musica, the Eloquence Ensemble, and solo...

In the spring of 2006, Ted and Nikki Mamoulelis met at Pacific Union College. Nikki was surrounded by friends in the cafeteria when Ted approached her, stuck out his hand, and introduced himself. Nikki was so shocked by his introduction that she didn’t catch his name at first. Ted sat down and only talked to Nikki as if no one else was sitting at the table. When he left, there was no exchange of phone numbers, emails, or other means of contact. Nikki and her friends were left wondering, “Who was that guy?” since none of them had seen him around campus. With the table filled with sophomores, juniors, and seniors, they found out he was a freshman.Nikki never had or wanted to date someone younger than her, but after meeting Ted, she wanted to find the man God wanted for her. After graduating in 2009, Nikki married Ted, the “yin to her yang.” Later, they had two daughters, Sophia, 12, and Anastasia, 5. Living in Meridian, CA, Nikki believed their family's mission field was at home, wherever they were. That changed in May 2023 when Nikki and Ted felt God’s call to be missionaries.With the desire to obey, they...

After four years of vigorous leadership, Dr. Kimberly Dunker is stepping down from her role as Dean of Nursing, Health Science, EMS & Global Health, effective July 1, 2025. She will continue her passion for empowering the next generation of nurses as the MSN/DSN program director for Loma Linda University’s School of Nursing.During her tenure at Pacific Union College, Dr. Dunker led the department’s growth of more than 44%, the fundraising of over $2 million for upgrades and initiatives, the strengthening of accreditation efforts and recognition from the California Board of Registered Nursing, the introduction of multiple programs, and the development of two additional off-site nursing education centers.Academic Dean Lindsay Hayasaka expressed that Dr. Dunker’s leadership on campus will be greatly missed. “Her active leadership has taken a historically strong program to even greater heights and at a quality level that places our program in the top nursing programs in California,” Hayasaka said.PUC President Dr. Ralph Trecartin conveyed similar sentiments. “Kimberly has been a force on campus,” he said. “‘No’ is just not in her vocabulary. She is the definition of a strong leader who gets things done.”VP of Enrollment, Marketing & Communication Gene Edelbach echoed praise for Dr. Dunker’s...

After an intense search and countless prayers, Pacific Union College is happy to appoint Tony Nakashima as the new Athletic Director.Nakashima graduated from PUC with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing in 2010. Coming back to PUC was a full circle moment for Nakashima, as he truly enjoyed his student experience and is devoted to influencing students’ lives in the same way.“I am committed to developing the student athlete as a whole, equipping each team with the tools they need to thrive spiritually, academically, athletically, and personally,” states Nakashima.Nakashima brings 11 years of coaching experience across multiple levels of collegiate athletics. Before joining PUC, he served as the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Walla Walla University, where he was named the winningest coach in the program’s history.Prior to Walla Walla, Nakashima held positions as assistant coach and coaching video coordinator in various collegiate institutions across the country. One of his greatest accomplishments was winning the NAIA National Championship in 2019 while serving as the assistant coach at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Montana.Nakashima highlights the importance of using athletics as a form of ministry, where sports serve as a platform to impact lives...

Pacific Union College is delighted to share that the aviation department received a $12,000 grant from the VersaCare Foundation to purchase the full-motion platform and accessories for a high-fidelity, virtual reality flight training device prototype. The VersaCare Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Riverside, California, supporting innovative programs. PUC applied for the grant in December and obtained acceptance in April.“God has blessed our aviation program in so many ways over the last few months,” said Nathan Tasker, flight center director. “We were overjoyed to receive this grant. We are in the process of purchasing the components now, and we plan to offer a recently-accredited course called AVIA-402 Simulation Innovation in Fall Quarter 2025. Students in this class will be involved in designing and testing new simulation technologies using the components purchased with the VersaCare grant.”Using full-motion simulators is an unusual concept in the beginning stages of flight training. PUC’s aviation leadership team wants to change that. PUC students have already helped create and build one simulator, which is currently in use. In addition to saving the students money, this simulator allows students to rehearse emergency scenarios that are not as realistic in an airplane.“High-fidelity simulation gives us a serious...