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In celebrating over 140 years, Pacific Union College is looking forward to welcoming alumni back on campus for Homecoming from April 18-19. This memorable weekend will be filled for friends to reconnect and reminisce about their times together.Homecoming registration can be found on puc.edu/homecoming, with the options of general attendance, lunch, and class parties. The classes being honored this year are 1955, 1965, 1975, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2015. Also, classes before and after the honored classes will be recognized.For those who want to stay on-campus, limited guest housing is available for $110 per night and can be reserved through Suzie Ermshar by calling 707-965-1116.Special events for the weekend include a concert from Grammy winner and alum Justin Wilson, alongside his family, Pioneer games for alumni to play volleyball and basketball with student-athletes, and a club food fest where students will serve various food and drinks.The weekend will be filled with events and celebrations. PUC hopes to see you at Homecoming!...

Pacific Union College is thrilled to announce Aimee Leukert as the new Vice President of Student and Spiritual Life. Leukert’s passion and dedication to Adventist education will provide leadership and vision while creating a campus culture that promotes student success and cultivates a spiritual community. Leukert has been an educator for over 20 years. She began her teaching career at Crescenta Valley Adventist School, where she also served as principal before moving to Newbury Park Academy and Monterey Bay Academy.In addition to her bachelor’s in music and liberal studies and master’s in education administration and leadership from La Sierra University, Leukert also earned her Ph.D. in education from Claremont Graduate University, where she wrote a dissertation titled “Choosing God, Choosing Schools: A Study of the Relationship between Parental Religiosity and School Choice.” She has written books focusing on Adventist education and culture in addition to her peer-reviewed publications. Her latest book from 2023 was Thriving: 31 Stories on the Impact of Adventist Education, a collection of stories from people who built on the foundation of their Adventist education and have thrived in their fields. Leukert has presented at academic and professional meetings and conferences around the country, including at PUC...

Pacific Union College is pleased to announce the appointment of Carlos Garcia as the new Vice President of Alumni and Advancement. In this role, he will provide leadership, vision, and direction for alumni relations while creating and leading development activities for sustained institutional growth.“We are extremely pleased to welcome Carlos to our campus and into his new role,” said PUC President Ralph Trecartin. “Since his first interview, we've been very impressed with his skill set, leadership background, and compatibility with the values of PUC. I believe that in addition to providing great leadership in his division, he will make significant and positive contributions to the administrative team.”Garcia returns to his alma mater with more than two decades of strong leadership experience, having directed team decision-making, leadership organization and planning, motivation and in-person training, and conflict resolution. He previously served as the lead pastor in Santa Maria, Modesto, and Los Banos, California, and Provo, Utah. He led his congregations through pastoral care, provided department management and oversight, conducted lay and leadership training, and supported church growth in all phases. Before joining the ministry, Garcia was a pharmaceutical sales leader in Chicago, Illinois. In this role, he facilitated sales to regional medical...

The Pacific Union College Board of Trustees met for its annual winter meeting on Feb. 26. After an extensive review, the Board voted to pass recommendations that will produce a balanced budget and create a strong future for the college.“We are grateful to the Board for its support and teamwork as we worked to create a strong foundation for Pacific Union College,” President Ralph Trecartin said. “Although there will be changes, our plans set PUC up for growth and future success. We look forward to where God is leading us.”Like many colleges and universities nationwide, PUC has been navigating issues regarding enrollment, mounting student debt, and the changing landscape of higher education.For several months, the PUC administration and Board members have worked together diligently alongside their respective subcommittees to present a balanced budget plan. This year was particularly complex because the college is losing two, one-time, major revenue sources which helped to balance the budget in the current fiscal year.In the next fiscal year, PUC will no longer receive checks related to its property easement and government-issued COVID relief funding. Though the college has stabilized enrollment and, in fact, increased its economic full-time equivalent (EFTE) over fall and winter, more...

By now, many of you have seen the tragic beating of Tyre Nichols, and please know that PUC strongly condemns the actions of any officer that brutalizes citizens. We join others in expressing our disgust for this repulsive act, and our hearts and prayers are with our PUC students who have been triggered by the violence inflicted on Tyre Nichols. Research informs us how unjust killings by police harm the mental health of people of color, and we make certain the practices of our campus safety ensures the safety and well-being of our students. If you are struggling with the aftermath of this recent event, our counselors at the Counseling and Testing Center are available to see you.Our community is joined together, and our hope for a brighter future and a better tomorrow is in Jesus. We will overcome by the blood of the lamb. Revelation 12:11...

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...

A fire broke out at approximately 4:35 p.m., Wednesday, June 8, at Angwin Valley View Auto on Howell Mountain Road in Angwin. Pacific Union College CFO Brandon Parker says the probable cause of the fire was an exploding gas tank. The Angwin Fire Department was able to quickly suppress the flames after both natural gas and Chevron gas were shut off. According to on-site witnesses and Parker, there were no injuries, and no students were in the facility.The building, leased from PUC, was located next to the campus Chevron station. Campus facility manager Dale Withers and Chevron employees immediately took appropriate actions. The Chevron station sustained minor damages that should not result in a long-term closure. Howell Mountain Enterprises is working to restore Chevron services as soon as possible....

The PUC family stands in unity with the town of Buffalo and the victims of the heinous act of terror. Our hearts and prayers are with the 10 people who lost their lives and those traumatized by the horrific act. These acts of hatred and violence is antithesis to the love of Christ. We are called to attest to each other’s humanity and live the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. If there is anyone in our PUC community who is feeling overwhelmed by the recent grievous acts of violence, therapists at the Wellness Center are available to support you. ...

Pacific Union College administrators and its Board of Trustees presented and agreed upon a plan to balance the 2022-2023 budget at the February 28, 2022, board meeting. Although multifaceted in the involvement of several reductions and new revenues, a notable portion of this plan was the reduction of employees. PUC administration met a self-imposed deadline of mid-March to contact each affected employee with only one exception. The final individual was contacted approximately a week later. With this final announcement, all individuals affected by this particular vote have been contacted. All downsizing has resulted in the elimination of only one degree area — photography. There are no plans to eliminate other degrees or concentrations. All current programs can be covered by current personnel or several additional contracts. The cycles of course offerings may change, but currently, with only the one exception, all courses and emphasis areas remain intact.These adjustments will not only bring us to our operational goals but will allow us to look forward to a future of growth. We will remain ever grateful for the contributions each employee has made to the institution of PUC and its many students. Again, it is with great sadness that PUC is saying...

The Pacific Union College Board of Trustees met on February 28th. Board members spent time visiting the campus including visiting classes. Many board members mentioned how the reality of experiencing the campus in action reinforced the need to support bringing PUC to a position of strength as soon as possible. During the executive session, Dr. Trecartin shared a plan cabinet members painstakingly prepared on how to reach this goal. Difficult and thoughtful financial discussions followed.Dr. Trecartin showed strong leadership as he shared a focused plan leading to financial stability and creating a relevant campus for the modern student, said Dr. Sandy Roberts, the new board chair of Pacific Union College. “It is clear that difficult decisions and choices need to be made for the future growth of the campus.”The board of trustees, with the support of the PUC administrative team, believes that to support the immediate forward progress of PUC we need to reach a balanced budget sooner than originally planned so that we can ensure a secure future. For the first time since 2011/2012, PUC is within reach of constructing a budget with a positive overall bottom line, which is crucial to a strong and secure future for the...