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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...

PUC’s new Paramedic to RN program has received full approval and is ready for its first cohort to begin in Fall 2022. The program is one of only a few of its kind in the state of California and will enable students with a paramedic background to continue their education and become registered nurses (RN). The program was presented to the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) during an onsite campus visit during April and granted official approval on May 17. Classes and labs for the Paramedic to RN path will be held at the college’s satellite campus in nearby Napa, California, which makes the program more accessible for commuting students. The new program also follows a non-traditional format built to accommodates busy professionals, following the successful model of PUC’s existing licensed vocational nurse (LVN) to RN program.“Classroom instruction is taught in ‘core weeks’ where students come to class Sunday to Wednesday for eight-hour days every six weeks, and 12-hour clinicals are held on Sundays,” said Debra Wallace, Associate Professor of Nursing and Director of off campus programs. “This format allows individuals to be able to pursue a professional nursing degree while continuing to work full-time, fulfill military commitments, or...

If you ask Pacific Union College about their spring break, 22 of them will have an outstanding answer for you! The students dedicated their break to serving with love by joining professor Floyd Hayes, Ph.D. on a service mission trip to the country of Kenya.“Our mission trip to Kenya was unforgettable and eye-opening,” said student Drielly Martins. One objective for the PUC students was to resume an ongoing building project at the Kensington Hall Oloosinon Girls Secondary School. Students from a previous PUC service mission trip began the project at the school, which serves Maasai girls in a rural area of Kenya, in 2019 with the construction of a foundation for the school’s administration building.Safety concerns related to the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted plans to return to the country for three years, except for one limited trip, so Hayes and the students were excited to resume the project. This year, they assisted with the construction of a new building by digging trenches and pouring concrete. In addition, Hayes and the students were able to address some of the school’s technology needs. Before the trip, the group acquired 18 laptop computers that they delivered to the school during their visit, and PUC...

Pacific Union College President Dr. Ralph Trecartin recently announced that Dr. Ryan Smith will be joining the college’s administrative team this spring as the new vice president for student life. “His experience and depth of knowledge make him an outstanding addition to our leadership team,” says Trecartin. With a wealth of experience across student life and academia, Smith’s career has spanned both the Seventh-day Adventist education system and the state university system. He received his bachelor's degree at Oakwood University, master’s from Alabama A&M University, and a doctorate from Morgan State University. “PUC has had a long history of producing alumni who are contributing in significant ways to both the church and communities all over the world, '' says Smith. “Our family feels blessed and privileged to serve at PUC."The vice president for student life is responsible for student support departments and activities, including residential life, PUC Pioneers athletics, campus ministries, student association, health services, counseling services, career services, and more. At the heart of it, the role helps define the whole experience of every PUC student, an experience that reaches far beyond the classroom. “I look forward to making connections with students, and I am a firm believer that...

New freshmen at Pacific Union College began their school year by packing 20,088 meals for people facing food insecurity around the world. The food packing event was in partnership with Rise Against Hunger (RAH), an international hunger relief organization with whom PUC has partnered since 2013. This year’s event brought PUC’s total to more than 80,000 meals packed, and is especially critical as global hunger is again on the rise, threatening millions of lives.“PUC appreciates the mission and vision of RAH and what they do,” said PUC Interim Vice President for Student Life J.R. Rogers. “They make it very easy to get a large number of students involved on our campus and make a huge impact. One box feeds one person for a year, and the least we can do is assist in purchasing food and packing it to help with food insecurity.”Meals from past PUC events have been distributed to communities in Vietnam and the Philippines, and the same is likely for these meals. The opportunity to pack food for RAH was exclusively for freshmen as part of PUC’s orientation, which they call Fusion. Fusion helps those new to campus get to know each other and get to know...

Pacific Union College (PUC) was recently awarded a Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant from the USDA worth $210,392. Only four of these grants were awarded within the entire state of California with the intention of connecting rural communities with services and opportunities through telecommunications.PUC will use these funds to purchase equipment and provide more opportunities for distance learning courses and career counseling in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in particular. “We are very grateful for the award and its timing,” said David Rai, PUC’s Director of Technology and Innovation. “As we move forward with a new vision for PUC, a substantial investment like this shows that we are moving in the right direction to meet needs that are relevant to students now. This grant is helping us put our technology plans into action so that remote instruction and career counseling is accessible to more students.”The college’s plans for the funds currently include installing cutting-edge video and broadcast technology across PUC’s Angwin campus and providing equipment for a new, state-of-the-art broadcast studio in Fisher Hall, home to the college’s department of visual arts. The studio will be used to record and deliver innovative content for remote classes, workshops, and...

Students from Pacific Union College recently visited Howell Mountain Elementary School (HME), a local public school, to teach second and third grade students all about monarch butterflies and to get them hands-on in the learning process!The students discussed the life cycle of the monarch butterfly, including the importance of milkweed as nutrition and as a habitat crucial for monarch reproduction.“The HME project was a great opportunity for these college students to connect with the elementary kids,” said Professor Aimee Wyrick, chair of PUC’s department of biology. “It reminds them of the amazing curiosity that kids have about the world around them – gives college students an additional excitement or “spark” when they see the schoolkids enjoying the experience. The PUC students were also impressed with the HME elementary students – they were very engaged in asking/answering questions. College students also get a chance to practice their interpersonal and leadership skills – directing the session and interacting with each other and a wide range of students.”The kids were enthusiastic learners and the PUC students on hand were happy to answer question after question. One item that got a lot of attention was the fact that milkweed is poisonous to animals like...

Pacific Union College (PUC) began classes this fall quarter with an increase in enrollment, breaking the nationwide trend of enrollment decreases. The college saw a 4% increase in overall headcount, while higher education institutions across the country saw an average 3.8% decrease.The census date headcount for fall 2020 stands at 966, compared to 929 last year, and is the first enrollment increase that PUC has seen in six years. This is especially notable because of the global COVID-19 pandemic that is putting a strain on schools. Although the causes of the increase are due to many factors, some of the more notable contributions to PUC’s increase can be tied to an increase in transfer students, nursing students, students from the local area, and former students who had taken a break but have now re-enrolled."I'm proud of the significant efforts done by our admissions and marketing teams, as well as the support they received from the entire campus to create this increase. During the 2019-2020 school year, Pacific Union College began a well-thought-out, three-year turnaround plan. This plan, supported by the board, employees, and administration, is beginning to yield results. These positive results not only represent the hard work of our...

Learn Local. Grow Local. Serve Local. Those heartfelt words are the motto for Howell Mountain Farms at Pacific Union College, which was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from Adventist-Laymens Services & Industries (ASI.) The farm was established as an outlet for students at PUC to learn about agriculture and business through hands-on experience, but the inspiration came from Ellen White. “I was reading the Spirit of Prophecy,” said farm manager Doug Helmer. “[Ellen White] talked about how we preach too much and we teach too much, that we need to have our students experiencing things more.”In addition to practical experience, the farm will provide a valuable connection between PUC and its students with the local community through an active produce stand. The college will also feature produce from the farm in their dining commons, and the farm hopes to supply local restaurants as well.The generous ASI grant will allow Howell Mountain Farms to expand with a propagation house where seedlings can start to grow before being moved outside. The new facility will be fully automated with a sprinkler system, rolling tables, building sides that automatically roll up at certain temperatures, and a shade cloth for the summer sun. The farm...