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With concentrations in management and healthcare administration, the program is designed for working professionals with busy schedules. Online programs for Master of Business Administration degrees have surged in popularity in recent years and even surpassed campus-based ones. The pandemic — and the remote world it brought about — further underscored the effectiveness of these online MBA programs. Now, Pacific Union College is working to meet the growing demand. This fall, PUC began offering a new online MBA program with a choice of concentration in management or healthcare administration. Scott Perryman, chair of PUC’s Department of Business and director of the new program, said earning an MBA is “valuable business knowledge” for people in many different career fields. “For professionals who aspire to move up in their organizations or are already in leadership, it’s become the table stakes,” he said. “It almost replaces an undergraduate degree as a requirement for management roles.”PUC’s online WASC-approved MBA program is designed with the busy professional in mind. There are multiple start dates, for instance. Perryman described it as a six-quarter progression, meaning a student can begin at the start of any quarter (fall, winter, spring) and complete the program 18-24 months later. The exact...

Pacific Union College has launched a groundbreaking collaboration with St. Helena High School, giving students the opportunity to learn how technology is applied to the environmental challenges they face in their own local communities and beyond – including severe drought and wildfires.The 10-week class will meet in person on PUC’s campus and provides the students with the chance to earn college credit. “It is very cutting-edge and taps into multiple local interests, blending them together in a very modern way,” St. Helena High Principal Benjamin Scinto said. The new partnership with St. Helena High comes as PUC launches a first-of-its-kind conservation technology undergraduate program. Led by Dr. Scott Butterfield, the program prepares students for careers in environmental-based professions – including conservation technology. Students completing the four-year degree program will receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Conservation Technology. Butterfield serves as PUC’s Clark Professor of Conservation Technology. A local ecologist, he is the lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s land program and strategic restoration strategy in the San Joaquin Valley. Butterfield has more than 20 years of experience in the conservation field, with more than 40 published peer-reviewed articles and reports. The term “conservation technology” is relatively new, but the...

The 2022-2023 school year has officially started at PUC, and the first week was nothing short of eventful to welcome students back on campus. Welcome Day was on Wednesday, September 21, when new students arrived. Staff and student workers greeted new students and their families at the check-in station to register them for orientation and give them their name badges and welcome bags. Dorm workers, RA’s, faculty, staff, and the president greeted them at the residence halls to assist them in moving in, distributing water, and answering questions. Student life added a prayer station by the campus center for new students and their families to be prayed for by faculty and staff. Classes began on Monday, September 26. With students getting back into the swing of a class schedule, they were given a food truck dinner at the campus center to enjoy, socialize, and take a break from a first busy day of school. At 10 p.m. on Wednesday, students, staff, and faculty, gathered together at the pacific auditorium for Pioneer Madness- a pep rally that happens every year on the first week of school to support the student-athletes. Everyone on the bleachers bring out their pom-poms, signs, and school...

Pacific Union College is pleased to announce Joy Hirdler as its new vice president for financial administration.Hirdler, a PUC alum, has served in various finance roles for over 15 years at Seventh-day Adventist institutions across the nation, including nearly five years at PUC in a position that’s now known as associate vice president for financial administration. Most recently, she worked in financial administration for Union College."Joy is a wonderful choice to join our administration," President Dr. Ralph Trecartin said. "She has a high level of financial experience and is well-acquainted with our PUC community."Just as important, Trecartin said Hirdler has a "great heart for people.” He said her kindness and ability to relate to others make her an excellent addition to the PUC family.Hirdler will serve as PUC’s chief financial officer and lead the finance team and guide its strategic direction. Responsibilities also include overseeing the following offices:AccountingHuman Resources and PayrollEmployee HousingInformation Technology Systems and ServicesStudent Financial ServicesFacilities ManagementAngwin Airport and Flight CenterThe Albion Retreat and Learning Center.Additionally, Hirdler will serve as president of Howell Mountain Enterprises. Hirdler, who will assume her new role on October 30, said she is excited to work with familiar friends and new colleagues as...

Pacific Union College hosted the Thirty-Second Annual Publication Workshop from September 11-13. This is the first time the workshop was in person since September 2019, and PUC was excited to welcome 12 academies from California and Oregon. The workshop offers training and valuable tips for jump-starting school’s yearbook, newspaper, or video yearbook. Participants get practical, hands-on information from college educators, student leaders, and industry professionals. Through workshops and worship, students can network with advisers, editors, designers, photographers, videographers, and editorial staff.Sponsors of Publication Workshop are the department of visual arts, communication, and English at PUC. Tim de la Torre, a PUC visual arts instructor, was this year’s Publication Workshop director. This was his first year as a director- however, de la Torre has been a workshop presenter since 2014 and started helping organize it in 2020. Having Publication Workshop back on campus was initially worrisome because of how overwhelming it might be trying to coordinate everything. “Online was a lot of work, but we didn’t have to house and feed students or pick them up from the airport.” says de la Torre. “This year, we had a conversation with Gene Edelbach to see if their department might be able to...