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This summer, Pacific Union College is enrolling adult students for a new fully online degree program, an RN to BSN in Nursing. This WASC-approved degree program is designed for registered nurses who are interested in career advancement. Classes start August 31, 2015, for the 100% online program, PUC is the first Seventh-day Adventist college or university in the western United States to offer an online RN to BSN degree. New students may enroll at various times throughout the year, as classes are offered in a flexible format designed to meet the scheduling needs of working adults, according to William Chunestudy, Ph.D., PUC’s Associate Academic Dean for Distance and Adult Learning, and the college’s lead administrator for the new initiative. A generous transfer credit policy allows prepared students to earn a RN-BSN degree in as little as one year. “Nursing is currently PUC’s largest on-campus program” Chunestudy stated, “and beginning our new online initiative with this RN-to-BSN program makes sense in terms both of resources and potential students.” The online nursing program is the first program to be introduced as part of PUC’s distance and adult learning initiatives. With a goal to roll out new online degrees each year, “PUC promises...

Pacific Union College will host its annual commencement weekend Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 14 in Angwin, Calif. Approximately 350 degrees will be awarded during the PUC ceremony: 150 associate degrees, 225 bachelor degrees, and 5 masters degrees. Departments with the largest graduates include nursing and health sciences (191), business administration (31), communication (18) and biology (17). Students and family members are invited to attend. The ceremonies will take place at Pacific Union College Church and Commencement Grove located on the college campus. PUC President Heather J. Knight will host a reception for graduates, parents and faculty on Saturday, June 13 at 5:30 PM. The reception will be held in the campus Dining Commons. Jonathan Henderson, campus chaplain at Pacific Union College, will speak for the Consecration Service, scheduled at 8 p.m., Friday, June 12 at the Pacific Union College Church. The Baccalaureate Service will begin at 11:15 a.m. Saturday June 13, with Pacific Union College senior pastor Mark Witas, M.Div., addressing the graduates. Susan Stanton, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa will deliver the address during the Nursing Graduate Recognition Service, scheduled for 4 p.m....

As elementaryand junior high schools across the nation are letting out for summer, motivatedstudents are already planning for the return to school. From July 19 to 24,Pacific Union College’s PacificQuest program will provide an opportunity forthese eager students to experience college life at a special camp designed forthem and their gifted peers.PacificQuest (PQ)is a one-week residential summer experience where motivated students whocompleted grades 6, 7, or 8 in 2015 will live on-campus, learn from current PUCprofessors, and spend time with fellow high-achieving junior high students!Campers will explore college-level coursework and receive one hour of collegecredit for their work.Sylvia RasiGregorutti, chair of the department of modern languages, will teach the PQ coreclass this summer. In “L’italiano pertutti! A Taste of Italian Language & Culture” students will learn aboutthe beauty of Italy’s language and culture and consider their ownethnolinguistic repertoire. PQ campers also have the opportunity to select anelective course, as well as participate in a myriad of recreation options withstudents who become friends that share a love for learning.To qualifyfor PacificQuest, students should have achievement test scores of at least 90 percentin language and math, great recommendations from teachers and principals, andgood grades. Enrollment is limited to the 24 most qualified...

Pacific Union College has selected the recipients of the 2015 prestigious Maxwell Scholarship. The scholarship rewards incoming freshmen for high academic achievement, a commitment to Christian service, and outstanding leadership experience with $15,000 in annually renewable funding—$60,000 each over the course of four years at PUC. These students comprise the seventh group recognized by PUC’s Maxwell Scholar Program, which was established at PUC in 2009 to recognize the late Malcolm and Eileen Maxwell, former president and first lady of PUC. Applicants must meet GPA and test-score requirements, and the ranking of their applications is based on resumes, an essay, and letters of recommendation. For the 2015-2016 academic year, the Maxwell Scholar Program selected as their finalists Andrew Caster, Sam Delaware, JoAnn Johnson, Laurel Kwon and Morgan Rogers. Andrew Caster, a senior at Loma Linda Academy, is a well-rounded individual whose hard work is evident in all that he does. According to principal Robert Skoretz, Andrew “represents that quintessential blend of academic excellence, extracurricular breadth, service and leadership.” Complimenting his outstanding academic record, he has served in multiple leadership roles, including campus ministries director and co-leader of the school’s daily worship team. A gifted and talented musician, Andrew is the principal...

The Pacific Union College family lost a cherished student, devoted friend, and adventurous spirit this past weekend. Senior communication major Jayaram Notestine died in an automobile accident on Butts Canyon Road near Lake Berryessa Estates in Napa County around 10 p.m. Friday, May 22. Jayaram was one of two men in the vehicle. Ernest Crain, 54, of Angwin, also died in the crash. The accident remains under investigation by the Napa County Sheriff's Office. “Jayaram was a sweet, kind, friendly and thoughtful soul,” says Michelle Rai, chair of the department of communication and Jayaram’s advisor. “His smile could light up a room. He had an adventurous spirit and was an avid, extreme bike rider. He loved his family and friends and treasured growing up in Angwin where he could enjoy being out in nature.” Jayaram was preparing to graduate this June with a B.S in Communication: Communication Studies emphasis. “He was looking forward to starting a new chapter in his life and seeing where the Lord would lead him in his professional and personal life,” says Rai. “We are devastated by the tragic loss of our dear student Jayaram Notestine,” says Lisa Bissell Paulson, vice president for student services. “He...

Back by popular demand, musician and orator David Anthony Johnson returned to PUC’s Colloquy Speakers Series on April 30. Johnson, an alumnus of Oakwood University, has won multiple awards during his 30-year musical career, and has shared the stage with many names of note, including Rosa Parks, Johnnie Cochran, Maya Angelou, Take 6, Brian McKnight, Julian Bond, and others. Johnson’s Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Colloquy on January 8 featured his oration talent, imitating the style and manner of the eloquent equal rights activist. This time, however, Johnson spoke as himself, his speech entitled, “The Greatest of These.” After President Heather J. Knight introduced Johnson, he began by singing a song called “Ordinary People.” Johnson then shared his story of when he was a probation corrections officer in San Bernardino County. Johnson explained that in this role, he didn’t want to come across as soft, so he tried to hide his Christian faith from the inmates and the rest of the officers. “I tried to do everything that the world would do,” he said, as he explained that his “tough” act was only a false front. Johnson said he realized his pride was not allowing him to minister to the...

As part of the biennial Pacific Union College Heubach Lectureship series, Kendra Haloviak Valentine, Ph.D. will present a lecture entitled “God on the Move: The First Gospel and the Advent Movement” in Angwin on Saturday, May 30, at 4:00 p.m. Valentine is an associate professor of New Testament studies at the H.M.S. Richards Divinity School at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. She has published in journals, magazines, and books. Recent publications include “The Book of Revelation” in The Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics (2011), Signs to Life: Reading and Responding to John’s Gospel (2013, and Worlds at War, Nations in Song (2015). The lecture will take place in Paulin Hall Auditorium on the Pacific Union College campus. Admission is free. For more information, please call the PUC office of public relations at (707) 965-6303....

Pacific Union College’s alumni family numbers over 26,000 people,and each individual makes an important impact in their own community. Eachyear, Honored Alumni awards are given to graduates who demonstrate the best ofthis Pioneer Spirit. Though they finished their college experience in differentgenerations, each Honored Alumnus had something central in common: a passionfor answering God’s call to be a light in the world.On April 17 to 19, 2015, alumni and friends of Pacific UnionCollege gathered at “Our College on the Mountain” in Angwin, Calif., for aspecial and unique Homecoming Weekend recognizing the trails of service blazedby the many dedicated graduates of Pacific Union College. During a weekend fullof special events, eight individuals were recognized for their exemplaryservice with Honored Alumni and Honored Pioneer awards at a Friday eveningdinner in their honor.The 2015 Honored Pioneer recipient was Adu Worku, M.A.,M.S.L.S. Worku received the award, which is given to a non-graduate forexceptional service to the college, in recognition of his exceptionaldedication to the power and freedom of education. The director of libraryservices at PUC since 1985, Worku’s path to the Nelson Memorial Library beganin northwest Ethiopia, where his parents taught him an agrarian life. It took afreak accident to break the cycle of...

A group of Pacific Union College students enrolled in the Film & Television program traveled to La Sierra University in Riverside, Calif., for the annual SONscreen Film Festival on April 2-4, 2015. Students stayed busy by attending workshops, viewing film screenings, and meeting talented students from other Adventist colleges and universities as well as industry professionals. At the awards ceremony that wrapped up the festival, PUC’s own Mark Soderblom won the Jury Selection Award for his film The Pilot. PUC represented the largest group attending the festival with a total of 30 students. The 2015 SONscreen not only had keynote lectures and film screenings, but a mini-movie challenge as well. The students had a strict two-hour time limit to shoot and edit a film in teams. Featured speakers included Rik Swartzswelder, director and costar of Old Fashioned, and Jason Sutterland, director of The Record Keeper. In addition to the lectures, the professionals also held Q&A sessions with the students. Winning the Jury Selection Award was an “exciting moment for PUC,” said Soderblom, a sophomore. Soderblom’s documentary, shot entirely on his iPhone, is a showcases his brother and fellow PUC student Bryan Soderblom. Like many other students, Bryan was unsure of...

During the 2015 tax season, students in PUC’s Individual Taxation class put their knowledge to practical use on a community service project. 22 PUC students went to the Up Valley Family Center in St. Helena to help people earning less than $53,000 prepare their tax returns. Because of this collaboration between the college and the Up Valley Family Centers, these students were able to not only put classroom theory into actual practice, but were also helping the community in a tangible way. Professor of Business Administration Rodney Hardcastle introduced the service-learning project to his Individual Taxation class last year, and the results warranted the program be revisited this year as well. “PUC has been very fortunate to be able to forge a partnership with the St. Helena and Calistoga Family Centers to provide the community with free tax preparation services,” says Hardcastle. “The Family Centers provide this fantastic service to low-income taxpayers while PUC students taking the Individual Income Tax course are fortunate to be able to gain real life experience with individual income tax preparation.” From 2014 to 2015, the number of student participants nearly doubled. The students participated in a program called Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)—a free...