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From musical performances to personal poetry to tai chi, the faculty and staff talent show on February 26 at Pacific Union College left the audience wildly entertained. Many community members of all ages gathered at the Paulin Center for the Arts to celebrate the diverse talent of PUC’s faculty and staff, talent they may never have known they had. This was also a chance for students to see their professors on stage, in a different light, showcasing a side of themselves their students don’t see every day in the classroom.When the idea came to Vice President for Student and Spiritual Life, Dr. Aimee Leukert, at the beginning of the school year, she knew she would have to mention the talent show to staff and faculty very early on to get participants and make it happen. Through constant reminders, mass emails, and support from the academic deans, Leukert was dedicated to securing representation from faculty and staff across departments. As people began signing up, she knew that it was going to be a great show.“I love, love, love, the faculty and staff here,” expressed Leukert. “Being new, I have felt so welcomed and valued — really from day one. Everyone has...

For the very first time, Pacific Union College hosted a boys’ volleyball tournament featuring 10 academies from across the state. From March 6 to 7, this special event included Redlands Academy, San Gabriel Academy, Glendale Academy, Rio Lindo Academy, Mountain View Academy, Pine Hills Academy, Pleasant Hill Academy, Lodi Academy, Sacramento Academy, and PUC Preparatory.The San Gabriel Eagles won first place, finishing 3-1, with the Pine Hills Eagles in second and the Redlands Academy Bulldogs in third.While PUC hosts girls’ volleyball tournaments and other three to four-day sports tournaments, this tournament was only for two days to give the college organizers a sense of how successful it would be and whether it could be an annual event. The idea of bringing a boys’ volleyball tournament to PUC to reality was strongly advocated for this momentous tournament by PUC Youth, Associate Pastor Garrison Chaffee, and Pine Hills Academy Coach Justin Gatling.They were a huge support to the tournament organizers, Andrianna Massena, executive assistant and enrollment counselor; Matt Lee, PUC Preparatory athletic director; Tony Nakashima, PUC athletic director; PUC Student and Intramurals Director Kaia Miller; and student workers from PUC’s athletics and enrollment departments. Outside of the competition, PUC Vice President for...

From February 22 to 23, Pacific Union College’s School of Sciences and Loma Linda University Schools of Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Allied Health held STEM and health profession workshops for 75 students from Monterey Bay Academy, Mountain View Academy, Lodi Academy, and PUC Preparatory.Hosted on PUC’s campus, academy students had the great opportunity to participate in workshops focused on careers in STEM, physical therapy, dentistry, pharmacy, and psychology. In each workshop, these students gained hands-on, engaging experiences learning from PUC and LLU professionals and faculty. For both days, they were divided into three groups, rotating through three workshops. Students from PUC’s School of Sciences also played a big part in the workshop, working with the academy students and ensuring they had a fun and educational time.Starting off the two-day event, President of Adventist Health St. Helena and Adventist Health Vallejo, Dr. Steven Herber, opened with his keynote address. Also a PUC and LLU alumnus, he shared the connections he began to make in high school, then in college, and later in professional school, that helped lead him to the career positions that paved the way to his current positions. Crediting his educational experience and dedication to staying curious and being as...

On February 7, Laura Wibberding, chair of the history department at Pacific Union College, delivered a presentation about the history of Seventh-day Adventists at the Interfaith Religious Liberty Summit main event in Salt Lake City, UT. This was her third time speaking about Adventist history for a religious liberty event, having previously spoken in November at the Religious Liberty Summit at the Paradise Adventist Church and in October at the Religious Liberty Breakfast hosted by the Northern California Conference.The Church State Council, the Pacific Union Conference’s religious liberty arm organized the event, featuring sermons, presentations, and panel discussions among the Church State Council, Seventh-day Adventist churches, the United Church of Christ, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.At the main event, PUC alumnus and pastor of West Jordan SDA Adventist Church, Adriano Liessi, opened with prayer before Wibberding took the stage. She then spoke about Adventism’s history as a minority within American Christianity and its experience with religious discrimination. “If you look at the old issues of the American Sentinel in the 1880s, Adventists are not just defending their right to keep the seventh day Sabbath,” she said. “We are arguing that no one should be treated unfairly,...

From February 21 to 22, students from Pacific Union College and PUC Preparatory showcased the largest cast turnout of PUC on Broadway at the Paulin Hall Auditorium. A student-led production, this year’s directors and producers were PUC seniors Leila Beltran, a senior liberal studies and music major, and Emily Lalas, a biology and music major.Beltran directed the first-ever production of PUC on Broadway in 2023. This year was a full-circle moment, marking her Broadway return this year, her last. Some differences this time around for her involved directing in the renovated auditorium, which allowed access to new lighting and costumes that were unavailable two years ago. With a larger cast, the show was extra special. For two nights, they performed songs from & Juliet, [title of show], Hadestown, Hamilton, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Mean Girls, Little Shop of Horrors, My Fair Lady, Something Rotten, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Lightning Thief, The Prince of Egypt, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked.On opening night, “Drive” from The Lightning Thief was a hit performance. “It was corny to the point that it was enjoyable,” said Beltran. “And with the little hand motions that go with it?...

From January 21 to 24, Pacific Union College and PUC Preparatory hosted 450 students and sponsors for the Pioneers Invitational Academy Basketball Tournament.With PUC Preparatory, participating schools were:Hawaiian Mission Academy Pine Tree AcademySan Diego AcademyEscondido Adventist AcademyRedlands Adventist AcademyNewbury Park Adventist AcademyCentral Valley Christian AcademyRio Lindo AcademyMonterey Bay AcademyMountain View AcademyPleasant Hill Adventist AcademyLodi AcademySacramento Adventist AcademyParadise Adventist AcademyPine Hills Adventist Academy Academies were greeted with merch, dorm necessities, and cookies, each with a note from PUC’s men's and women’s basketball teams, as they arrived on campus. Tournament organizers, PUC Executive Assistant and Enrollment Counselor Andrianna Massena, and PUC Prep Athletic Director Matt Lee ensured students, coaches, and parents had an enjoyable time during their four days on campus.Massena and Lee also made special arrangements to have catered food from local restaurants in St. Helena for coaches, referees, and sponsors from Gott’s Burgers, Guigni’s Deli, and Azteca Market. The coaches also received gifts from the kinesiology department, which Aimee Wyrick, Dean of the School of Sciences, personally gave.PUC student Kaia Miller also assisted during the event by coordinating books and scorekeepers and keeping the gymnasium clean. “She [Kaia] is such an advocate for PUC, and it shines through during these...

On December 2, the Department of Business Administration and Economics at Pacific Union College earned reaccreditation from the Board of Commissioners of the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). Granting reaccreditation validates the program's continued ability to meet rigorous standards of academic quality and integrity through its curriculum, faculty, and student outcomes. Additionally, PUC’s business program receiving this recognition demonstrates a commitment to continuing to improve, excel in education, and advance academic quality across its business programs, including undergraduate degrees, various emphases, and other majors such as Management Information Systems.The IACBE is the leader in mission-driven, outcomes-based programmatic accreditation in business education for colleges and universities. PUC receiving this recognition showcases its dedication to continuing its long-standing commitment to providing students with the best and highest education and career preparation. The business program was granted accreditation from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2032.The most significant portion of the work required to receive accreditation was the business department's self-study. Business Professor Keith Neergaard, who has been teaching at PUC for over 30 years, prepared the study write-up and played a significant role in helping the department secure reaccreditation. As a small department, this reaccreditation means a lot to PUC...

After five years, the Young Observatory at Pacific Union College reopened and added new facilities, including a newly installed telescope. Through the generosity of a donor, those funds were used to purchase a new telescope, a handheld computer to use the older telescope, and parts to restore the original observatory telescope, which were needed to reopen the observatory. The new telescope is a 12-inch Celestron reflector mounted on a tripod, currently set up in the observatory parking lot, but since it runs on a battery, it can be set up anywhere, whether at PUC or elsewhere.The new telescope will be used for ASTR 115, an introductory astronomy course taught every year. Since it's set up in the parking lot, it can serve many more people during group visits, unlike the older telescope inside the observatory, which has an occupancy limit. This past fall quarter, hundreds of visitors have already enjoyed the newly opened observatory, which will also welcome back public Friday night observations this spring and summer.PUC Chair of Math and Physics James Robertson feels “thrilled and relieved” to finally have the observatory open again. “Thrilled to be able to have a working facility for both my classes and the...

In June, Pacific Union College proudly celebrated all 20 students in the first set of North Coast graduates, of whom 17 began the associate degree in nursing (ADN) and three enrolled in the licensed vocational nurse (LVN) to registered nurse (RN) track. Among the graduates, five students were from Clearlake, two from Fort Bragg, and the remaining from Ukiah and Willits.For the past two years, PUC has partnered with Adventist Health North Coast to create this unique nursing program for students to learn in facilities in Clearlake, Fort Bragg, and Willits, allowing them to complete the majority of their clinical hours at their local hospital, which reduces long commutes, minimizes the challenge of adapting to multiple clinical environments and electronic health record systems, and awards needed time to focus on developing critical thinking and clinical judgement skills. Since most of the students work full-time, planning the classroom portion on weekends gives them greater access to balance their professional and personal responsibilities. With resources from Adventist Health, nursing students received the support they needed to access facilities, technology, and mentorship to succeed.In addition, this partnership moves to a seamless transition from education to employment, with opportunities for immediate placement after graduation....

From November 14 to 17, Pacific Union College welcomed 16 academies from across California and one from Florida for its annual College Days.Approximately 300 high school students from Walker Memorial Academy, Loma Linda Academy, La Sierra Academy, San Diego Academy, San Fernando Valley Academy, Rio Lindo Adventist Academy, Armona Union Academy, Fresno Adventist Academy, Pine Hills Adventist Academy, Central Valley Christian Academy, Central Valley Christian Academy-Sonora, Lodi Academy, Monterey Bay Academy, Mountain View Academy, Sacramento Adventist Academy, PUC Prep, and Redding Adventist Academy were all greeted by PUC Executive Assistant and Enrollment Counselor Andrianna Massena and PUC students with snacks, dorm necessities, and shirts.College Days at PUC are nothing short of eventful. Massena’s enrollment team works with Student and Spiritual Life and the campus pastors, professors, and students to ensure visiting students, chaperones, and parents get the most out of the PUC experience in four days.Academy students get a glimpse of all the benefits PUC can offer, from academics to social and spiritual life. Their experience entailed attending a variety of classes across the nursing, science, art, humanities, and professional programs, and meeting the professors during the academic and service fair after each class. They also had the chance to...