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PUC recently received a valuable donation of equipment for the school’s swift water rescue course from Angwin Community Ambulance (ACA), a local ambulance service that was recently dissolved.The organization donated swift water gear, including wetsuits, helmets, gear bags, life jackets, and more, as well as technical rope rescue gear and rescue-specific personal protective equipment.Before being dissolved, ACA served the Angwin community for more than 40 years. During that time, many of PUC’s emergency services and emergency management students volunteered with the organization, providing emergency medical services throughout Angwin.The ambulance service donated the equipment to PUC in addition to sharing assets with other local groups that serve the community of Angwin.“Though ACA has dissolved, they still wanted to further their mission and serve the community,” said Matthew Russell, assistant professor of nursing and emergency services. “The donation of swift water equipment and technical rope rescue equipment will allow the emergency management program to continue to provide excellent training opportunities to our majors who in turn will use these skill sets to serve the Angwin community.” The new equipment was put to use in early July when students attended a swift water rescue course on the south fork of the American River...

Every graduating class has the opportunity to leave a legacy and make an impact through their senior class gift. PUC’s Class of 2022 decided they wanted the impact of their gift to be felt by the local community through a generous donation to the Angwin Food Pantry.“The class decided to give back to the community for all that they do in support of the college,” said Professor Tuwan Ussery, associate professor of social work and 2022 class sponsor. “Additionally, many of the class officers saw firsthand the need in the community through the Angwin Food Pantry and they wanted to serve community residents.”The pantry serves anyone in the area who is facing food insecurity, and the class’s donation comes at a critical time as rising food costs are causing more people to look for support. The pantry has seen a recent increase in the number of individuals and families picking up fresh produce, canned food, and other household staples at the pantry’s regular distributions at the PUC Church. “While we can’t quantify the depth and breadth that this gift will have on the community,” said Milbert Mariano, PUC’s vice president of academic administration and academic dean. “It’s the right thing...

The night before his country was invaded, Andrey Gulko went to bed early.He and his family had returned from a business trip to the Netherlands. Back to their house with their own dishes, towels, and comfortable beds. Back to the daily routine. Back to their normal life.With three children under 10, normal life for the Gulkos was busy. They barely had time to recoup after their trip. Two days went by. It was a Wednesday and they still hadn’t unpacked.The first time he awoke was to the phone ringing. It was his neighbor, anxious and worried about the tense situation with Russia.Still groggy, Andrey put his neighbor off until the morning. There had been rumors for months, but nothing had happened yet. Andrey hung up. He closed his eyes and once again let the waves of weariness pull him back into sleep.The second time he was jolted awake by the sound of loud blasts and rattling windows. It was 4 AM. Andrey and his wife looked at each other. It was actually happening.It was happening now.In the Midst of an International CrisisAndrey and his family, along with millions of other Ukrainians, suddenly found themselves at the center of a crisis...

Students in this year’s graduating class didn’t just successfully triumph through several years of study sessions, papers, and exams. They also have the distinction of making it through a global pandemic and the threat of last year’s wildfire. The uncertainty of these events posed challenges. But they also stimulated creativity, shaped priorities, and above all fostered perseverance. Those experiences and the lessons learned from them are as indelible in the minds of the students as all of their teachers, classes, friendships, and social events. Pacific Union College’s 2022 graduates are ready now to go out and make a positive and lasting impact on the world. On Sunday, June 19, 2022, PUC celebrated its 120th graduating class at a joyous commencement ceremony. The college conferred associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees upon nearly 200 students. Diverse in its make-up, the class represents students from 13 states and five countries. Three honors students and three Maxwell Scholars were also recognized among the graduates. “Choose to live boldly and take risks,” PUC Board of Trustees chair Sandra Roberts said in her Commencement address. “Choose to be resilient. Choose to allow love to emerge. Hope to emerge.”Unique to the Class of 2022 is that it...

Additional spots will increase admittance availability for students, financially benefit university, and medically benefit the local community and beyondPacific Union College is expanding its Associate Degree in Nursing (ASN) on-campus program availability with nine additional student spots each quarter eventually totaling up to 108 new nurses added to the workforce every year. The ability to increase admittance availability to the program will allow more students the opportunity to pursue nursing, while combating the nursing shortage in the community and statewide.On average, 200 qualified students apply to the ASN program, however, with the previous spot availability, the department could only admit 81 students each year. The addition of nine spots per quarter expands that 81-spot availability to 108 total annually. PUC’s chair of the Nursing and Health Science Department Kimberly Dunker, DNP, MSN, RN, CNE, CNEcl, says every additional spot was hard fought.“Nursing programs are highly regulated by the California Board of Registered Nursing (CBRN),” Dunker says. “In order to increase the number of spots, the department had to demonstrate their adequate resources, including faculty, clinical placements, and labs to ensure the university could provide education for the additional students. This application took us six months to receive board approval.”Additionally, the...