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The 2022-2023 school year has officially started at PUC, and the first week was nothing short of eventful to welcome students back on campus. Welcome Day was on Wednesday, September 21, when new students arrived. Staff and student workers greeted new students and their families at the check-in station to register them for orientation and give them their name badges and welcome bags. Dorm workers, RA’s, faculty, staff, and the president greeted them at the residence halls to assist them in moving in, distributing water, and answering questions. Student life added a prayer station by the campus center for new students and their families to be prayed for by faculty and staff. Classes began on Monday, September 26. With students getting back into the swing of a class schedule, they were given a food truck dinner at the campus center to enjoy, socialize, and take a break from a first busy day of school. At 10 p.m. on Wednesday, students, staff, and faculty, gathered together at the pacific auditorium for Pioneer Madness- a pep rally that happens every year on the first week of school to support the student-athletes. Everyone on the bleachers bring out their pom-poms, signs, and school...

Pacific Union College is pleased to announce Joy Hirdler as its new vice president for financial administration.Hirdler, a PUC alum, has served in various finance roles for over 15 years at Seventh-day Adventist institutions across the nation, including nearly five years at PUC in a position that’s now known as associate vice president for financial administration. Most recently, she worked in financial administration for Union College."Joy is a wonderful choice to join our administration," President Dr. Ralph Trecartin said. "She has a high level of financial experience and is well-acquainted with our PUC community."Just as important, Trecartin said Hirdler has a "great heart for people.” He said her kindness and ability to relate to others make her an excellent addition to the PUC family.Hirdler will serve as PUC’s chief financial officer and lead the finance team and guide its strategic direction. Responsibilities also include overseeing the following offices:AccountingHuman Resources and PayrollEmployee HousingInformation Technology Systems and ServicesStudent Financial ServicesFacilities ManagementAngwin Airport and Flight CenterThe Albion Retreat and Learning Center.Additionally, Hirdler will serve as president of Howell Mountain Enterprises. Hirdler, who will assume her new role on October 30, said she is excited to work with familiar friends and new colleagues as...

Pacific Union College hosted the Thirty-Second Annual Publication Workshop from September 11-13. This is the first time the workshop was in person since September 2019, and PUC was excited to welcome 12 academies from California and Oregon. The workshop offers training and valuable tips for jump-starting school’s yearbook, newspaper, or video yearbook. Participants get practical, hands-on information from college educators, student leaders, and industry professionals. Through workshops and worship, students can network with advisers, editors, designers, photographers, videographers, and editorial staff.Sponsors of Publication Workshop are the department of visual arts, communication, and English at PUC. Tim de la Torre, a PUC visual arts instructor, was this year’s Publication Workshop director. This was his first year as a director- however, de la Torre has been a workshop presenter since 2014 and started helping organize it in 2020. Having Publication Workshop back on campus was initially worrisome because of how overwhelming it might be trying to coordinate everything. “Online was a lot of work, but we didn’t have to house and feed students or pick them up from the airport.” says de la Torre. “This year, we had a conversation with Gene Edelbach to see if their department might be able to...

Gardening alongside students from a nearby school is how a professor and her students are helping in the broader community and fulfilling Pacific Union College’s mission to serve with love.A biology class and an organic gardening class helped Calistoga Junior/Senior High School with their campus gardening projects. Aimee Wyrick, associate biology professor, taught two classes about natural history and gardening this past school year. She said students learned about wildlife conservation and practical skills. “In our modern age, being able to grow your own food and provide native habitat has never been more important,” she said. Wyrick is always looking for ways for her students to have real-life experiences, particularly in serving the local community. Making connections in the community is also one of the goals of The UpValley Blue Zone Project, an organization that aims to help communities improve their overall health and well-being and boost longevity. One of the efforts of the UpValley area organization – The Blue Zone Project has 17 branches nationwide – includes increasing the availability of local and healthy food.Fabio Maia, the former UpValley Blue Zone Project organizational lead, has close ties to PUC and many other schools and organizations in Napa Valley. Wyrick...

Pacific Union College shines as one of the finest in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings released today. The college stands out as the state’s Best Value School, on top of high ranks for Social Mobility and Ethnic Diversity. In California, PUC ranks as the top Best Value School. This means it’s the best deal overall for students who want a college with high-quality programs while also relying on need-based financial aid. The college ranked No. 6 in the Best Value category out of 15 colleges in its broader western region.In the category of Social Mobility, which compares graduation rates of Pell grant recipients to non-recipients, PUC places No. 8 out of 46 regional western colleges.Gene Edelbach, vice president of enrollment, marketing, and communication, said the rankings are an important tool as students and parents make a huge commitment to a college. “Choosing a college is one of the most impactful decisions an individual will make,” Edelbach said. “The U.S. News rankings provide assurance that students will receive a high-quality, value-driven, Christian education. That’s invaluable.”Serhii Kalynovs’kyi, PUC’s director of institutional research, assessment, and planning, said the best value and social mobility rankings support each other, meaning the...

Coastal redwoods, ponderosa pines, and Douglas firs reign over the majesty of Pacific Union College Forest. Its lush woods are home to native plants and an abundance of wildlife. PUC Forest boasts more than 1,100 acres and features more than 35 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails. Its beauty is treasured and enjoyed by both the college and the larger community. But like other areas of California, the forest is vulnerable to wildfires due to dense overgrowth and drought. The devastating fires to hit the state in recent years, including the Glass Fire, underscore the perpetual threat.“When there’s not a mechanism controlling the density of vegetation, as natural wildfire used to in the past, the packed-in trees face overabundant competition for water,” said Peter Lecourt, PUC Forest manager. “Trees essentially die of thirst and become fuel.” Now, significant new funding will help the college reduce that danger. A $5 million Cal Fire Forest Health Grant was recently awarded to the Napa Communities Firewise Foundation with PUC as a primary partner. Nearly $3 million will go to PUC Forest for wildfire mitigation -- namely fuel reduction.In the fall of 2020, the Glass Fire burned nearly 70,000 acres of land...

The exceptional nursing program at Pacific Union College is being rewarded with an increase in student enrollment. PUC recently received high praise and an additional 5-year approval on its accreditation from the Board of Registered Nursing. That recognition has also allowed the college to welcome more nursing students.Following this exciting news PUC’s nursing program then received a sizable donation of $200,000. Angwin Community Ambulance, a former local nonprofit organization, made the contribution, in large part because of its heartfelt connection with the college. Because of this funding, the nursing department is able to support this growth of students by upgrading Davidian Hall.According to the Chair of Nursing Health and Science Kimberly Dunker, Davidian Hall will receive a major refresh on three of its classrooms – including one that’s brand new. Renovations will include new carpet, paint, flooring, sound projectors, and screens or smart boards.“A renovation like this has not been done for Davidian Hall for many years,” Dunker said. She is amazed by all the administrative support for the nursing program and building project.Existing Nursing Simulation (SIM) Laboratories, which immerse students in hands-on clinical experience, will be recreated with new audio/visual equipment. Davidian Hall’s main SIM lab will have new...

Mission trips were one of the casualties of the pandemic. Due to worldwide travel restrictions, many remote areas desperate for aid were cut off from receiving medical care, needed supplies, and equipment. As travel restrictions began to lift, a group of medical professionals from the United States, Australia, Malaysia, and South Korea along with 21 students and volunteers began planning a mission trip to Indonesia. Many were Pacific Union College students, staff, and alumni.Dr. Backsil Sung, professor of biology at Pacific Union College, has been on many medical mission trips. Planning for this one presented new challenges, but also providential surprises. “God provided everything for this trip,” Sung said. “He opened the country step-by-step.” When the group initially began planning, Indonesia had only recently opened specific areas to foreign tourists. One month later, Sung said, the country opened remote regions. Within the next month, they lifted the PCR test requirement, and then one for travel insurance. Finally, Indonesia accepted visas on arrival without any other major requirements.Dr. Sung said God also helped provide $50,000 from friends and other supporters which, except for airfare, covered all the necessary expenses for patient transportation, medicine, equipment, supplies, and materials. The large donation also...

Pacific Union College is proud to announce that the education department received full accreditation, which allows the department to recommend candidates for a California state teaching credential and SDA certificates in elementary, middle, and secondary teaching. With receiving full accreditation, the education department requires one report due each year.The education department was given six months to address the accreditation body’s concerns. Dr. Jean Buller, chair of the education department, appeared before the state committee, and shortly after her meeting, full accreditation was granted. “The process is very rigorous, and we are proud of our approval status,” Buller said. The accreditation was conducted online for three days in April, and the accreditation team interviewed current students, graduates, and graduate employers. The education department initially received a few stipulations, including an increase in faculty training for student diversity, equity, and inclusion, meeting more often with the field advisory schools where teaching candidates are placed, and improving procedures for placement of students in lab schools. PUC has been fully accredited since the 1950’s. In May, the department also completed the process to renew our SDA North American Division Certification. ...

Jennifer Klingbeil read and watched the news about the war in Ukraine in February with both shock and compassion. Like many of us here in the United States, she felt moved to action, wanting to help the Ukrainian people but not sure how.That changed after Klingbeil received a call from Kellie Lind. Lind, Pacific Union College’s vice president of advancement, was reaching out as a friend to offer her home as a place to stay for any of Klingbeil’s relatives who might have fled Ukraine.Klingbeil felt like it was “a sign” since she had been thinking about PUC. She talked with Lind about her fervent desire to help Ukrainians. Perhaps they could work together. Their idea blossomed into an initiative -- Mission: Ukraine. Through the program, 10 Ukrainian students displaced by war will travel to the United States to attend Pacific Union College. Over 70 students have already applied to this program and have gone through a rigorous selection process. The chosen group will start school here in Napa Valley this fall.Both Ukraine and PUC are close to Klingbeil’s heart. Jennifer’s mother, Adventina Shiwotenko, was Ukrainian. Remarkably, she started the country’s first Seventh-day Adventist school in Kyiv. “Christian education was...