Life at PUC

Pacific Union College’s department of advancement and alumni relations has welcomed new staff and set forth a new vision for connecting with PUC alumni and friends. Walter Collins, the recently appointed vice president for advancement and alumni relations, and the department have set forth a mission-minded strategic plan meant to serve and minister to the college’s constituents, including PUC’s 25,000-member alumni family. “We really see ourselves as a catalyst for connection, a catalyst for service, and a catalyst for mobilization,” shares Collins. A product of K-12 Adventist education who attended Conejo Adventist Elementary School and Newbury Park Adventist Academy, Collins received his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley. He most recently worked as executive director of the California Symphony Orchestra, during which time the orchestra received a National Endowment for the Arts award and doubled its number of donors. Previously, Collins was the president and CEO of United Way of the Wine Country, overseeing a three million dollar organization that was distinguished as the leading non-profit organization in Sonoma County, Calif. “I am simply delighted that Walter Collins has accepted our invitation to join the administrative team,” says PUC President Heather J. Knight. “His extensive experience in fundraising,...

On August 21, Service, Justice, and Missions CoordinatorFabio Maia and ten Pacific Union College students left for an eighteen-dayevangelism mission in Fiji with ShareHim and Quiet Hour Ministries. Eachstudent will be placed in a specific community where they will present thestory of Christ’s love and sacrifice each evening. Many of the students areactive in the college’s praise and worship teams and brought their instrumentsso they can share God’s love through music.Before the group departed, the students gathered inPresident Heather J. Knight’s office for a special blessing prayer led byPastor Mark Witas, the lead pastor of the PUC Church. Pastor Witas includedspecial prayer that God lead the group in doing good in His name. The group alsobonded by sharing a meal together before heading to the airport for theirflight to Fiji.For many PUC students, summer is the perfect opportunity todevote time to ministry and service. While some students work at summer campsor serve as literature evangelists, other groups get the experience of alifetime by sharing the gospel and serving local communities in places aroundthe world. The PUC community is invited to join in prayer for the team travellingto Fiji as well as other student groups currently on short-term mission tripsto Nicaragua...

This summer, the Pacific Union College Church welcomed its new lead pastor, Mark Witas, and pastor for family ministries, Wendy Witas, to the ministry team. Mark Witas will be officially installed as the new lead pastor Sept. 28, 2013. He delivered his first sermon at the PUC Church on June 22, 2013. A 27-year Church employee, Witas was most recently the lead pastor at the North Cascade Seventh-day Adventist Church in Mount Vernon, Wash. He has also served as a youth pastor, academy men’s dean, Bible teacher and chaplain for college and high school students. Witas has been a guest speaker for universities, academies, camp meetings, and special events worldwide. The author of “Born Chosen” and “Life Out Loud,” Witas’ new book, a youth devotional published by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, will be available in 2014. Witas holds a master of divinity degree from Andrews University, and completed his undergraduate degree in history and biblical studies at Seattle Pacific University. “God created me to teach and preach about His good character,” Witas says. “It's my joy to stand and deliver the good news about God each time we gather to worship in the PUC Church.” Wendy Witas is...

Perched above the Danube River on a Hungarian bridge barely a week after spring quarter finals had concluded, 20 PUC history students were back in class. Their 10-day tour of Eastern Europe, coordinated by the PUC history department, spanned Budapest, Hungary; Slovakia; Krakow, Poland; and Prague, Czech Republic. "This trip brought to life things that I had learned through my coursework,” says Hollie Macomber, history club president and president of the class of 2013. Led by history faculty Dr. Hilary Dickerson and Professor Ileana Douglas, and joined by biology professor Aimee Wyrick, this year’s tour focused on World War II in Europe and the Cold War era. The tour is a graduation requirement for history majors, and past tours include Australia and New Zealand (2012), Japan (2010), and England and the U.S.’s East Coast (2008); the course includes a research paper, five book reviews, and a journal of the sites visited. “The tour pursues the learning experience in historical locations and is an enrichment element to our academic curriculum,” says Douglas. During the 2013 spring quarter, students took two upper-division courses in Eastern European history, covering the causes and results of World War II, to prepare for their education abroad....

Thirteen new student-athletes will join the PUC student body this September, adding new strength and skill to the Pioneers women’s basketball team. “Each of these players brings a significant part of the game of basketball that our program needs,” states head coach George Glover. “I am excited to have the opportunity to coach incoming players that excel in the classroom as well as uphold the character and values of our women’s basketball program.” The incoming players are Victoria Aguilera, De’Ja Conger, Kristian Edwards, Shy’Anne Higa, Verleah Jones, Makana Kaaikala-Caban, Rachel Kaneakua, Alexa Martin, Kyra Navarette, London Robinson, Haley Ryals, Brittany Stegall, and Amber Washington. The new players make up the Lady Pioneers’ largest recruiting class in the history of the program. Four of the student-athletes are joining PUC as college freshmen. Shy-Anne Higa, a graduate of Modesto Christian High School, will major in bio-chemistry with the goal of becoming a physician. London Robinson was a four-year varsity starter for the Oakland Tech High School Bulldogs, and chose PUC because she likes “the campus location and what PUC has to offer.” De’Ja “DC” Conger of Sacramento, Calif., comes to PUC with athletic recognitions that mirror her academic success. “De’Ja is a...

On May 16, 2013, the Pacific Union College Board of Trustees confirmed Walter E. Collins as the college’s new vice president for advancement and alumni relations. Collins officially began his appointment on July 1, 2013. Most recently, Collins was the executive director of the California Symphony Orchestra, which he led for three seasons and where he was responsible for all orchestra operations. Under his direction, the symphony completed a strategic plan, doubled its number of donors, and increased ticket sales revenue while reducing operating costs. Furthermore, under Collins’ leadership, the orchestra received a National Endowment for the Arts award, as well as a Getty Foundation/League of American Orchestra’s Community Arts Awards grant for developing Sound Minds, a novel music and literacy education program that works to effect transformational change in the lives of disadvantaged children. In the course of his professional career, he has also established close relationships with the Irvine, Hearst, Haas and Ford Foundations. Prior to his work at the California Symphony Orchestra, Collins served as president and CEO of United Way of the Wine Country in Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte counties for four years, leading a three million dollar organization that was distinguished as...

As Pacific Union College’s largest class in seven years prepared to graduate, many dads in the audience celebrated Father’s Day with a unique card: a commencement program listing their child as a 2013 graduate. On Sunday, June 16, 2013, PUC graduated its 125th class in the woodland peace—before the cheers and glad shouts—of the college’s Commencement Grove. “I guess it may be a cliché, but I would have to say, what better gift could a father receive than to see his daughter graduating from college on Father's Day!” said Melville Uechi, father of Colleen Uechi, who left the platform with a bachelor of arts degrees in Spanish and intercultural communication, with an emphasis in Spanish. The cum laude Student Association leader was the 2012-2013 Campus Chronicle editor and also one of the first Maxwell Scholars to graduate from PUC. The 360 members of PUC’s class of 2013 hailed from 19 different states and seven different countries. One hundred and nine students received academic distinctions and honors, with nine summa cum laude graduates, 24 magna cum laude graduates, and 63 cum laude graduates. Nine students from PUC’s Honors Program and four Maxwell Scholars were also among the throng. The greatest number...

Pacific Union College IS POSSIBLE for the next generation of Adventist leaders!Continuing its mission of providing an excellent, Christ-centered learning environment for each student, the college is expanding its support of Adventist education by offering a 100% Free Tuition Partnership for eligible recipients.* "Pacific Union College is committed to supporting the Adventist educational system and preparing a new generation of leaders for the Adventist church," said Jennifer Tyner, Vice President for Enrollment Management. "Our new tuition partnership is another way to deepen that commitment by assisting families who have dedicated their careers to the Adventist mission through denominational service."To support the education and spiritual growth of each Adventist young person, PUC now offers:*100% Free Tuition Partnership for qualifying North American Division tuition assistance recipients100% Summer Ministry match for camp and literature evangelism workers$12,000 SDA Mission Scholarship for those called to be pastors and teachersDuring the 2012-2013 school year, Pacific Union College awarded over $11 million in scholarships, grants, and discounts in an effort to make a nationally ranked Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts education accessible for every family. Learn about the full scholarship program, including the Four-Year Guarantee Scholarship that each accepted student can receive, and confirm your eligibility for these...

Pacific Union College expands its educational offerings in health care with two new programs designed to help pre-professional and allied health students advance their careers.The Bachelors of Science in health communication is designed for students who wish to combine a pre-professional track and a communication degree. Housed in the communication department, the degree will offer students a broad background in interpersonal, intercultural and organizational communication, as well as communication research. This concentration will be useful to students who intend to pursue health-related careers requiring broad knowledge of scientific concepts, as well as the strategies and technologies for designing and delivering effective communication. “We are on the forefront of a growing field,” says Michelle Rai, chair of the communication department. Most health communication degrees are only available in masters-level programs, but PUC faculty wanted to equip students with health care-specific skills before they began their graduate programs. Although the major will be available in fall 2013, its pre-registered ranks are already growing. Linda Lumintaintang, ’14, a student who plans to pursue a career in pharmacy, is one of many students excited to enroll in “a major that has both science classes and communication classes as requirements.”Recent PUC alumni note the benefits...

Former Miss America Angela Perez Baraquio Grey presented the Colloquy Speaker Series May 30, celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Grey was crowned Miss America in 2001, as Miss Hawaii. She made history by becoming the first and only Asian-American to hold the position. Grey was also the first teacher to earn the title, as an elementary school physical education teacher. During her year as Miss America, her platform was “Character Education.” Grey grew up in Hawaii. Her family moved to America from the Philippines in 1970. “Like so many others, they were trying to achieve the American dream,” she said. Thinking back to her childhood, Grey remembered feeling excluded because she was different. “It wasn’t long before I began to look for way to make a space for myself in the world that was mine alone,” she remembered. “Eventually I was able to come to terms and embrace my multiple identities—as an American, a Filipina, a Catholic girl raised in Hawaii, and the eighth of 10 children who was often referred to by number rather than name.” She consciously recognized that she didn’t look like the women in the Miss America pageant, or even other women in magazines and on...