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ANGWIN, California – Pacific Union College (PUC), the Land Trust of Napa County (LTNC), and CALFIRE are pleased to announce the permanent protection of 864 acres of priority forest land in Angwin, California. Working together, on Dec. 20 they closed a conservation easement (CE) on land currently owned by PUC. The forest will continue to belong to the college, but the easement will permanently eliminate the potential for residential, commercial, and agricultural development of the property.The PUC forest has been used by students, faculty, and the community for over 100 years, and the college wants to maintain and manage this use in the future. With this CE, the college will be able to ensure ongoing use of the forest for research, classes, and student projects.“PUC’s forest abuts both the 800-acre Las Posadas State Forest, and a Land Trust property,” explains Peter Lecourt, forest manager for the college. “This easement will create over 1,750 acres of contiguous protected land.”In recent years, PUC had considered selling their forest lands to generate funds to support their primary mission: education. The college changed course when it learned about the option of working with LTNC, the Wildlife Conservation Board, and CALFIRE to sell a CE...

On Thursday, Nov. 8, the Camp Fire, what is being billed as perhaps the most devastating fire in the state’s history, began ravaging Paradise, California. That same day, the East Avenue Church in Chico opened its doors to evacuees.“I arrived at the shelter on Friday afternoon, looking for a way to help,” says PUC alumna Kallie Griffin, who is now a pre-med student at California State University Chico. “I noticed a woman walking around in scrubs, so I introduced myself and asked how I could help.”As Griffin does not yet have any medical certifications, she was given the role of organizing and helping to lead the church-turned-shelter-turned-clinic. Over the ensuing four weeks, the church sheltered over 200 evacuees, most of them elderly, as Paradise has a high population of senior citizens.“We created a way of charting patients and ordering prescriptions with a Google Document, then created a way for us to internally communicate through walkie-talkies and a group chat,” Griffin explains. “As the days progressed, we were able to get more and more medical volunteers and were soon running a 24/7 clinic out of a gymnasium behind the church.”The clinic/shelter quickly grew to include six military tents, portable showers and...

Antonio Robles, member of the Men’s Cross Country team at Pacific Union College, has been selected for the Athlete Scholar Award by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Only around 50 student athletes across the U.S. were selected to receive this award, which recognizes students involved in an athletics program that participates in the NAIA, and who has a GPA over 3.5.“There are a lot of athletes doing great in school,” Robles says. “I am happy I was considered to be recognized with this award.”The junior biology major wasn’t expecting to hear anything from the NAIA once the season had ended, so receiving congratulations for an award just before he headed home for Thanksgiving was a nice surprise.“This award has given me motivation to keep going and excel academically,” he says. It isn’t easy being a student athlete; being part of the cross country team requires dedication even before the school year starts, and involves waking up at 6 a.m. for practice, then on race day driving over eight hours to run for a little over half an hour.“With this award, I feel like everything has been worth it,” Robles says. “Of course, my parents were happy and proud...

When the Wildlife Conservation Board announced their approval of PUC’s conservation easement proposal, a story ran in the Napa Register. This story prompted a call from Senator Bill Dodd to the office of PUC’s president, Bob Cushman, requesting a campus visit. That visit took place on Friday, Nov. 30. “The itinerary was a collaborative conversation about how best to accommodate PUC’s interest in sharing our story with our Napa Valley community, and his interests in a better understanding of who and what we do here at PUC,” Cushman explains. “It was an opportunity for him to interact with our students, as well, which we did our best to provide.”Dodd spent about three hours on the PUC campus with his field representative, Alex Pader. During this time, he visited with not only Cushman, but also Nancy Lecourt, academic dean, Brandon Parker, VP for financial administration, and Peter Lecourt, forest manager. Together they reviewed the college’s strategic plan framework, the campus physical master plan, the forest conservation easement, and the campus’ wildfire mitigation plan. Additionally, Dodd was able to speak to and have lunch with PUC Honors students.“Senator Dodd combined a bit of personal background with his talk, and focused on some...

In fall 2017, Aimee Wyrick, chair of the department of biology at Pacific Union College, received a phone call from Nancy Lecourt, academic dean and vice president for academic administration. She invited Wyrick to meet her outside the Angwin Post Office. “I was looking for ways to educate more people about the importance of native plants to insects and birds—the whole ecosystem,” says Lecourt.As the women walked around the planter box outside the brick building, they discussed the plants currently growing there. Most were invasive species, and the large Hollywood Juniper in the center of the box was in a dangerous position.“That tree is one of the most flammable plants used for landscaping,” explains Wyrick. “Plus, it was leaning toward a building and would eventually have been removed.”That quarter, Wyrick had students in her Native Plant Cultivation class begin mapping out a new garden for that space; one that would feature native species, making the garden a healthier option for the local ecosystem.One such student was Kari Stickle, a senior health sciences and Italian double major. As a passionate, self-proclaimed plant-lover, she not only produced many illustrations of the garden’s design, but also spent several hours outside of class weeding...

Pacific Union College is proud to introduce the Online Master of Business Administration program. This new program can be completed in as little as one year (dependent upon number of credits taken per term), and is tailored for working professionals.Offered in collaboration with Southern Adventist University, the MBA is 100 percent online, and offers a flexible schedule with multiple start dates (residency requirements; open to California and Hawai’i residents only). Small class sizes offer personalized attention, and students can expect to learn and grow under the guidance of faculty with rich, real-world experience.“One important thing to note about PUC’s online MBA is it is offered in a Christian philosophy that champions wisdom, faith, and service,” comments Victor Gaines, associate professor of business administration and online MBA program coordinator. It is also a program tailored to meet the demands of students’ professional and personal lives, designed specifically for professionals seeking to expand their knowledge and increase their career opportunities. To this end, a GMAT waiver is available based on evaluation of work experience and academic background. “The MBA is the next step for many professionals,” Gaines adds. “MBA graduates have endless possibilities, whether in a traditional business, like accounting management, or...

Pacific Union College’s department of music invites the community to their annual celebration of holiday music, Christmas on the Hill. The Wind Symphony concert is Saturday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. in Paulin Hall on the college campus. Choral and orchestra concerts will take place Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7 & 8 (repeated concert), at 8 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, in the PUC church.Admission to all events is free, though a free-will offering will be collected to support those most affected by the Camp Fire in Paradise.Asher Raboy, resident artist and Wind Symphony conductor, will lead the ensemble in their concert, “Holiday Favorites,” featuring various arrangements of familiar songs of the season. Pieces include “Joy to the World,” “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella,” and the crowd-pleasing “Sleigh Ride” of Leroy Anderson. Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song” features saxophone soloist Kyler Martin.Peace is the focus of the Dec. 7 & 8 concerts, featuring PUC’s Chorale, Vox Pro Musica, Orchestra, and Bell Choir. This concert (repeated) will include several choruses from Handel’s “The Messiah,” high impact orchestral arrangements of traditional carols, congregational singing, readings, and more.“I used Maya Angelou’s ‘Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem’ for a lot of the readings,” explains...

The Rasmussen Art Gallery on the campus of Pacific Union College welcomes Wendy Liang as the guest artist for November. Her exhibit will open with a reception and artist talk from 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, which is free and open to the public.In 2018, Liang has won the California Watercolor Association’s 48th National Exhibition, The Artist’s Magazine’s 35th Annual Art Competition, and Southwest Art Magazine’s Artistic Excellence Competition. In 2017 she received the most meaningful recognition yet for her artwork, when she won the competition of Splash 19, The Illusion of Light.“I became interested in art as a child when I first noticed colors of objects would change depending the type of weather and the different time of the day,” says Liang. “My inspiration comes through interesting lighting, water and its reflections, and scenes that feel dreamlike or somehow ethereally familiar.” Referring to her art style as “impressionistic realism,” Liang most enjoys painting scenes which create “otherworldly or mysterious atmospheres.” Her show at the Rasmussen will include such scenes as this.Liang’s exhibit will remain in the Rasmussen Art Gallery through December 9 (note that the Gallery is closed for Thanksgiving Break, Nov. 16-25). Gallery hours: 1-5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday....

It’s always a bit sad when a beloved professor moves on to another experience or retires, but the good news is the opening left behind in the department means a chance to meet a new beloved professor. Five new faculty have joined the ranks at PUC this year: Julianna Boydston (nursing), Tara Hargrove (communication), Kiwon Kwak (exercise science), Willy Logan (history), and Sandra Ringer (nursing). Name: Julianna BoydstonTitle: Assistant Professor of NursingEducation: BSN and MSN from University of San FranciscoProfessor Boydston is a Napa Valley native, accustomed to the beautiful scenery surrounding PUC. After welcoming their first child into their lives, Boydston says she had been looking for a career closer to home. “I decided the time was now to begin a career in academia,” she says. “I have always loved education and teaching in the hospital setting; I am now excited to have the opportunity to educate our newest generation of nurses.”Prior to coming to PUC, Boydston was a registered nurse at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, San Francisco, working as a bedside nurse in the pediatric cardiac ICU taking care of critically ill infants, children, and adults with congenital heart defects. “Nursing is not only a profession, but a...

It’s impossible not to smile at Ralph Perrin, new athletics director at Pacific Union College. It doesn’t matter if you’re only just meeting him or have known him for decades, the grey-haired gentleman’s face lights up as soon as he sees you. His office, hidden between exit doors at the side of the basketball courts in the PUC gym, boasts awards given not to Perrin himself, but to his daughters.The lack of presence of awards with his name speaks not to his ability, but rather to his focus and his humility. Perrin played varsity basketball in high school, while also enjoying on the side racquetball and football.“I played it all,” he says with a laugh. “The bouncing ball is like a siren call to me. If I hear of a sport going on, it draws all my attention.”Perrin says he finds joy in virtually all sports, but some of his favorites include volleyball, baseball, snow sports, and water sports, and he raised his kids playing them as well.Despite—or perhaps as a result of—his interest in athleticism and sports, Perrin found himself more interested in the biochemical part of nutrition. This led to his undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry, his...