News

Today’s youth are constantly in the crossfire of public opinion. The “millennial generation” is criticized in the media, which depicts them as narcissistic and shallow. But at Pacific Union College, campus chaplain Roy Ice sees something in today’s youth that others have missed. “Millenials are much more willing to serve than previous generations. Ninety-two percent say they will volunteer if they believe in the cause,” he reports. At PUC, students are already living up to the numbers, with grassroots volunteer groups becoming ubiquitous on campus. Sensing a cultural shift among students, PUC leadership is strengthening their focus on service, which has always been one of PUC’s core values. In philanthropy, large donations and publicity-laden events garner the lion’s share of attention. Though PUC doesn't discourage this kind of service, the college aims to redefine how a person can make a difference. Pastor Ice points to Galatians 6:2 as a guide for the campus’s direction: “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Various service groups have sprung up around campus to meet this challenge. Dean Annette Riebe of Andre Hall leads “A Stitch in Time,” a group of students who use their talents with a...

D. Malcolm Maxwell, president emeritus of Pacific Union College, passed away on Monday, October 1, 2007, at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 73 years old.Maxwell was the first PUC alumnus to serve as president, and he had the longest tenure-18 years-of any president. He retired from the presidency in 2001 but continued to work at PUC as a professor in the religion department until 2006. In April of 2007, Maxwell and Eileen, his wife of nearly 52 years, were in the process of moving to Scottsdale to be near family when Eileen passed away. Maxwell, son of famed Seventh-day Adventist author Arthur C. Maxwell, graduated from PUC in 1956 with degrees in theology and biblical languages. He completed his master of arts in systematic theology at Andrews University and earned his doctorate in biblical studies, specializing in New Testament, at Drew University. At Drew, Maxwell was honored as a Rockefeller Fellow and Drew University Scholar. Maxwell taught religion at Union and Walla Walla Colleges. After 13 years in the classroom, he stepped into administration, serving as academic dean and vice president for academic administration at Walla Walla College. In 1983, he accepted the call to serve as president...

Students, faculty, and staff gathered in Commencement Grove Monday night for a Western-themed get-acquainted party. As plates got piled high with cornbread, corn on the cob, fresh salads, penne pasta, and apple cobbler, the Pioneer mascot made an appearance, working the crowd, giving high-fives, posing for pictures. Cowboy hats, boots, and flannel were sported by many students who got into the spirit of the occasion. Carrie Moore, a junior graphic design and photography major, enjoyed dressing up and “howdy-ing” all her friends, old and new. “It’s a lot of fun to get to start the year off like this,” Moore said. “I don’t know if I’ll get up the nerve to ride the bull, though.” Even if Moore didn’t decide to ride the bull (that’s a mechanical bull for all the nervous parents out there), it seemed like the rest of the student body did, lining up to try staying on the bucking, twisting, spinning bovine attraction operated by a former professional bull rider. Every now and then cheers and shouts would start in earnest for a student who had managed to stay on for 30 seconds or more. Even the future PUC students got in on the action (albeit...

David Pizarro is graduating summa cum laude this year with a B.S. degree in psychology. Pizarro was accepted to the Yale University Graduate School of Psychology's doctoral program and was given a University Fellowship which covers his tuition for the entire program and pays him a stipend as well. Pizarro hopes to teach and do research in psychology after he graduates. "I'd like to thank my teachers for preparing me for graduate school, and I'd like to thank God for opening doors in my life," he said.Rob Wells fulfilled the prerequisites for dental school at PUC. He will attend Loma Linda University School of Dentistry this fall, after spending his fifth summer with Camp Wawona's aquatics program. Wells is looking forward to entering the field of dentistry because it is interesting and it will allow him to devote time to family.In 1996, Sylvianne Pizarro graduated summa cum laude from Pacific Union College with a bachelor of business administration degree with an accounting emphasis. She is now studying law at Harvard University, and she hopes to work in the field of corporate law after graduation in 1999. "I would like to work in a law firm in San Francisco, Los Angeles,...

Conclusive evidence has recently surfaced proving that Greg King, associate professor of biblical studies, has had a secret life as a baseball player for many years.Sources have confirmed that King has been involved in baseball from a very early age. He played in Little League and Pony League, and won at least five trophies. "I don't want to exaggerate anything, but I was pretty good back then," he is reported to have said. "I had dreams about being a major-league player, and tried to figure out ways to avoid playing on Sabbath."While he may not win as many trophies now as he once did, King's fondness for the ball diamond persists as strong as ever. He was recently spotted at Turner Field watching a Braves' game while in Atlanta (purportedly for a speaking appointment), and plays in the "Old Men's League" (for those 35 and older) in St. Helena. Unfortunately for King and his fellow sluggers, this year's season was curtailed early because a fire at the elementary school where they play made it necessary to convert their ballfield into a trailer park.The most convincing symptom of King's baseball fervor is a recently discovered photograph taken of him together with...

Imagine being a college student and turning down a two-week vacation so that you could peel 75 pounds of potatoes, crack 50-75 dozen eggs, and make 40 boxes' worth of pancakes in a small Panamanian town.This is exactly what Lana Fiess, senior liberal studies major at Pacific Union College, did with her spring break. Fiess was asked by Maranatha Volunteers International to go to La Chorrera, Panama, as a cook for 80 people for a building project on two churches and a school.Marantha Volunteers International provides willing volunteers with opportunities to spread the Gospel and contribute their time and talent to construct urgently needed buildings.Fiess accepted the offer, ready for the challenge the job would bring. She was in charge of shopping and ordering food, planning menus, organizing kitchen help, and cooking and serving three meals a day. Her kitchen facilities consisted of three burners and a small oven. Despite her meager equipment, Fiess was determined to cook more than rice and beans. "I made pizza buns, french toast, and even some authentic German potato pancakes," Fiess said.This is not Fiess' first mission experience: her missionary work has taken her to the Dominican Republic and Mexico during high school, as...

Contemporary Christian singer, Patty Cabrera, will bring her high energy music to the Pacific Union College Amphitheater on Saturday, September 20, 1997, at 4:00 p.m. Cabrera graduated from PUC in 1991, and each return is an event worth taking in.Of her music, Cabrera says she is "a product of her environment where music is concerned." She grew up with Salsa, Merengue, R&B, and Motown; and her second album, Always & Forever, released on Curb Records, reflects these influences.Cabrera's been busy since the release of her debut, self-titled album in 1991. In 1996, People selected Cabrera as one of the 50 most beautiful people. In 1995, she actively participated in the internationally televised Billy Graham Crusade in Puerto Rico, co-writing the theme song for the event and appearing in two videos. In 1994, Cabrera sang the national anthem for opening night of the Republican National Convention.Still, despite recent accolades, Cabrera's faith remains her highest priority. She describes her faith as "a process of learning how to stay open to hear what God says."...

Successfully adjusting to their year-long exile from Clark Hall, PUC's biology professors have settled into temporary quarters while they await the completion of the Clark Hall remodelling and expansion project."We're kind of camping. We just have to make do with what we have," said Gilbert Muth, professor of biology, of the department's current lodgings. But in general, the transition period is proceeding with few snags. Only one class, an elective, has been canceled for the next school year. The chemistry department is making a couple of laboratories available, and the physics department is making storage and prep space available. "The other science departments are being very helpful and nurturing for us, helping us over this little rough spot here," said Terry Trivett, professor of biology and department chair.Pacific Union College's biology students will have to make a few adjustments as they figure out where classes and labs will meet. Some additional biology classes will be relocated to Irwin Hall, Davidian Hall, and Chan Shun Hall; and the biology department's venerable trailers, which have long hosted ornithology, vertebrate natural history, and natural history of California labs, will now serve as the location for biological foundations labs. "Students will learn new places,...

Eight of PUC's educators are rehearsing for roles in You Can't Take It With You, a humorous and insightful comedy about a crazily offbeat family's collision with the "real world" of respectability and decorum."Many of the characters who need to satisfy our need to be hams are back," said Greg Schneider, who plays an anarchic grandfather. Schneider is joined by Steve Waters, Richard Webb, Todd Peterson, Keith Neergaard, Lary Taylor, Bruce Ivey, and Ginger Ketting, as well as students and community members.The play's 20-character cast is directed by associate professor of biology Bryan Ness. According to Ness, "the main message of the play is that there is more to life than making money and getting ahead. The family that this play focuses on is the opposite of that. They enjoy their life."Do they ever. The Sycamores have decided that life is best lived by letting each member of their family do whatever he or she wants, without regard to success (financial or otherwise) or the standards of the outside world. For example, Paul Sycamore (the father, played by Professor of Mathematics Steve Waters) spends all of his time making and playing with fireworks. He is assisted by Mr. De Pinna...

Marilyn Glaim, professor of English, and Greg King, associate professor of Biblical Studies, were honored as excellent teachers by their students and colleagues during two consecutive chapel programs in May. King was named Teacher of the Year for 1996-97, and Glaim received the Zapara Award for Excellence in Teaching. Each of them received a $1,500 stipend as part of their award.King earned a doctoral degree from the Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, where he focused his research on Old Testament studies with an emphasis on the exegesis of the book of Zephaniah. King has published numerous articles in Adventist Review, Bibliotheca Sacra, Liberty, and other publications. His students comment on his commitment to God, his lucid presentations, and his sincere interest in their personal development.Marilyn Glaim earned her Ph.D. from Washington State University, focusing her research on American studies with an emphasis on early 20th century gender attitudes in American culture and literature. She recently led the English department, which she chairs until July 1, through a major curricular revision, and is an active, highly valued participant in campus faculty governance processes. Glaim's students express particular appreciation for her ability to place American literature in its historical and cultural context....