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Squirmy kindergartners and healthy first graders aren’t typical patients for nursing students used to interacting with sick or injured people in hospital settings. However, on a series of schooldays in October, bachelor of nursing students taking a Community Health course visited a series of private elementary schools to screen the hearing and vision of each student. The Community Health course is part of PUC’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) curriculum, and the service-learning opportunity at the local schools gave students a chance to be hands-on and apply what they learned in the college classroom to the elementary classroom. The BSN students conducted screenings at Pacific Union College Elementary in Angwin on October 14, Napa Christian Campus of Education in Napa on October 15, and Foothills Adventist Elementary School in St. Helena on October 21. “Learning it in the classroom is far different from actually doing it with a kindergartener,” shares Susan Allen, D.N.P. Allen, professor for the Community Health class and a former school nurse, saw the screening as a great opportunity for both college and elementary students. Unlike public schools, private schools like these don’t have free screenings in certain grades. Catching hearing and vision problems early can...

Pacific Union College’s full residence halls and busy academic buildings are the result of a remarkable increase in retention. Following the October 12 census date, when the college analyses fall enrollment data, PUC is reporting the highest on-campus enrollment since 1995. This fall quarter, 1,634 students are enrolled at PUC’s Angwin campus. Adding off-campus programs such as the RN-BSN program in Napa brings the college’s total enrollment to 1,674 students. "We are blessed that so many students and their families have chosen Pacific Union College,” states Jennifer Tyner, vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “PUC's outstanding academics and Seventh-day Adventist faith community make it an excellent investment, and I am excited to see what we will accomplish this year as we fulfill the college's unique educational mission." The college is especially proud of the high number of students who chose to return to PUC to continue their undergraduate education. "The return of such a high percentage of last year's freshmen, sophomores, and juniors is a great indicator that PUC is continuing to provide the excellent, Christ-centered education we promise,” comments Nancy Lecourt, Vice President for academic administration and academic dean. “The high impact learning practices and incredible faculty mentoring...

Over the last five years, two departments in particular saw incredible growth in their student headcount. Since the fall quarter of 2009, the number of students declaring a major in religion or theology grew by more than a third, while the education department saw a significant increase in the number of students seeking teaching credentials and bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education. While many of the students in these departments choose more than one major, it is very encouraging to the religion and education faculty, as well as the administration at large, to see so many students committing themselves to these majors. “Providing pastors and teachers to the Adventist church has always been central to the mission of PUC,” said Nancy Lecourt, academic dean. “This scholarship has made it possible for more students to follow God’s call into these vital areas.” The Adventist Mission Scholarship, previously offered to students of religion, became available to the department of education three years ago. This scholarship granted incoming freshmen $1000 per quarter if they declared education as their field of study. Eventually, this scholarship expanded to include students switching to an education major after arriving on campus, drawing even more interest to the...

Pacific Union College’s guest for the October 23 installment of the Colloquy Speakers Series was Elissa Kido, Ph.D. Each fall, the special Adventist Heritage Colloquy celebrates PUC’s Adventist identity and history, and Kido’s presentation on how the Adventist educational system produces developed, prepared individuals who are destined for success was especially relevant for the students and faculty gathered in the PUC Church Sanctuary. Following a special music by PUC’s String Quartet, academic dean Nancy Lecourt took the podium to introduce the Kido, a professor of education at La Sierra University and director of the Center for Research on Adventist Education and the CognitiveGenesis research project. Kido’s presentation, “How to Predict Success,” focused on the effects of Adventist education and how every student at PUC has the potential to be a success. In her presentation, Kido referenced Martin Doblmeier’s film The Blueprint, a documentary exploring how the Adventist school system became a model for educational reform. (PUC had screened The Blueprint the night of Wednesday, October 22.) In the CognitiveGenesis study directed by Kido, tests administered to over 800 Adventist schools between 2006 and 2009 showed students in Adventist schools consistently outperforming the national average in all grades and in all...

On Wednesday, October 15, Pacific Union College hosted the annual graduate school fair in the PUC Dining Commons. Open to students and the community, those in attendance took advantage of the fair’s information and worked on making positive first impressions. The universities represented a variety of fields, from visual arts to nursing, which gave individuals a chance to explore their options and learn more about pursing a graduate degree. As a liberal arts college, PUC focuses on providing an excellent undergraduate education, and only offers graduate degrees in education. After they finish their four years of undergraduate work, many PUC students continue their education in a graduate program. Alumni have attended Loma Linda University, UC Davis School of Law, UCLA, Yale, and other prestigious institutions. The graduate school fair showcases the many academic opportunities available to PUC students. At the fair, representatives from 23 institutions met with students and discussed their programs and answered questions. Even if students did not believe a school was a perfect fit, representatives were able to provide advice about graduate school in general. Several Adventist universities, including Loma Linda University, La Sierra University, Southern Adventist University, and Walla Walla University, were present, as well as...