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2018

His Dream A Part of Theirs: Aviation Grad Manages Flight Training Center
By Becky St. Clair on December 27, 2018
Jordan Wareham graduated from 海角视频 in 2004 with three separate degrees: a B.S. in aviation, a B.A. in international communication, and a B.A. in Spanish.As he headed into his final year at PUC, the college鈥檚 registrar asked Wareham if he was going to declare aviation as a major as he had only two more classes before earning the degree. 鈥淚 never intended to pursue aviation as a degree,鈥 he admits; 鈥淚 intended to pursue a career in international development, but I kept enrolling in aviation classes because I really enjoyed them.鈥 Even though it meant a few quarters of extra credits, Wareham decided to go through with it.Wareham always knew he would attend PUC, since his parents were professors at the college, but when it came time to make a real-life decision, the truth was he felt PUC was the best choice for him.鈥淭hey gave me the most flexibility,鈥 he says. 鈥淭he only way I could complete three majors was to carefully schedule my classes; I don鈥檛 think I could have done that anywhere else. They had the right programs, the right classes, and they facilitated the plan of study I was looking for. It was absolutely the...
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Conservation Easement Final for 海角视频 Forest
By Becky St. Clair on December 21, 2018
ANGWIN, California 鈥 海角视频 (PUC), the Land Trust of Napa County (LTNC), and CALFIRE are pleased to announce the permanent protection of 864 acres of priority forest land in Angwin, California. Working together, on Dec. 20 they closed a conservation easement (CE) on land currently owned by PUC. The forest will continue to belong to the college, but the easement will permanently eliminate the potential for residential, commercial, and agricultural development of the property.The PUC forest has been used by students, faculty, and the community for over 100 years, and the college wants to maintain and manage this use in the future. With this CE, the college will be able to ensure ongoing use of the forest for research, classes, and student projects.鈥淧UC鈥檚 forest abuts both the 800-acre Las Posadas State Forest, and a Land Trust property,鈥 explains Peter Lecourt, forest manager for the college. 鈥淭his easement will create over 1,750 acres of contiguous protected land.鈥滻n recent years, PUC had considered selling their forest lands to generate funds to support their primary mission: education. The college changed course when it learned about the option of working with LTNC, the Wildlife Conservation Board, and CALFIRE to sell a CE...
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PUC Welcomes New Chaplain Kent Rufo
By Jennifer Tyner on December 19, 2018
海角视频 welcomes Pastor Kent Rufo as its new campus chaplain, a position he will assume on January 1, 2019. Pastor Rufo comes from Downers Grove Seventh-day Adventist Church in Illinois, where he has served as lead pastor since 2017. Joining Pastor Rufo in ministry to the PUC community is wife Anna, daughter Madison, and son Jadon.鈥淭ogether with the Northern California Conference, we have been involved in an extensive search for a chaplain for over six months, having received applications from across the globe and reviewed over 100 candidates," explains Jennifer Tyner, vice president for student life, enrollment, and marketing. 鈥淲e are very excited about the vision and passion Pastor Rufo will bring to PUC.鈥 In his role as campus chaplain, Rufo will support the college in creating a vital and vibrant atmosphere for spiritual growth. Together with the Campus Ministries and Student Life team, he will promote students鈥 faith development by their engagement in worship, discipleship, and service. 鈥淢y life was changed during college. I transferred to one of our sister schools from a state university. I had no intention of becoming a Christian. Two guys from my dorm adopted my roommate and me as 鈥榩rayer targets.鈥 They...
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True Community: PUC Team Volunteers at Chico Clinic/Fire Shelter
By Becky St. Clair on December 18, 2018
On Thursday, Nov. 8, the Camp Fire, what is being billed as perhaps the most devastating fire in the state鈥檚 history, began ravaging Paradise, California. That same day, the East Avenue Church in Chico opened its doors to evacuees.鈥淚 arrived at the shelter on Friday afternoon, looking for a way to help,鈥 says PUC alumna Kallie Griffin, who is now a pre-med student at California State University Chico. 鈥淚 noticed a woman walking around in scrubs, so I introduced myself and asked how I could help.鈥滱s Griffin does not yet have any medical certifications, she was given the role of organizing and helping to lead the church-turned-shelter-turned-clinic. Over the ensuing four weeks, the church sheltered over 200 evacuees, most of them elderly, as Paradise has a high population of senior citizens.鈥淲e created a way of charting patients and ordering prescriptions with a Google Document, then created a way for us to internally communicate through walkie-talkies and a group chat,鈥 Griffin explains. 鈥淎s the days progressed, we were able to get more and more medical volunteers and were soon running a 24/7 clinic out of a gymnasium behind the church.鈥漈he clinic/shelter quickly grew to include six military tents, portable showers and...
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Athlete Scholar Award Given to Cross Country Team Member
By Becky St. Clair on December 14, 2018
Antonio Robles, member of the Men鈥檚 Cross Country team at 海角视频, has been selected for the Athlete Scholar Award by the National Association of Intercollegiate 海角视频 (NAIA). Only around 50 student athletes across the U.S. were selected to receive this award, which recognizes students involved in an athletics program that participates in the NAIA, and who has a GPA over 3.5.鈥淭here are a lot of athletes doing great in school,鈥 Robles says. 鈥淚 am happy I was considered to be recognized with this award.鈥漈he junior biology major wasn鈥檛 expecting to hear anything from the NAIA once the season had ended, so receiving congratulations for an award just before he headed home for Thanksgiving was a nice surprise.鈥淭his award has given me motivation to keep going and excel academically,鈥 he says. It isn鈥檛 easy being a student athlete; being part of the cross country team requires dedication even before the school year starts, and involves waking up at 6 a.m. for practice, then on race day driving over eight hours to run for a little over half an hour.鈥淲ith this award, I feel like everything has been worth it,鈥 Robles says. 鈥淥f course, my parents were happy and proud...
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Collaborative Conversation: Senator Bill Dodd Visits PUC Campus
By Becky St. Clair on December 11, 2018
When the Wildlife Conservation Board announced their approval of PUC鈥檚 conservation easement proposal, a story ran in the Napa Register. This story prompted a call from Senator Bill Dodd to the office of PUC鈥檚 president, Bob Cushman, requesting a campus visit. That visit took place on Friday, Nov. 30. 鈥淭he itinerary was a collaborative conversation about how best to accommodate PUC鈥檚 interest in sharing our story with our Napa Valley community, and his interests in a better understanding of who and what we do here at PUC,鈥 Cushman explains. 鈥淚t was an opportunity for him to interact with our students, as well, which we did our best to provide.鈥滵odd spent about three hours on the PUC campus with his field representative, Alex Pader. During this time, he visited with not only Cushman, but also Nancy Lecourt, academic dean, Brandon Parker, VP for financial administration, and Peter Lecourt, forest manager. Together they reviewed the college鈥檚 strategic plan framework, the campus physical master plan, the forest conservation easement, and the campus鈥 wildfire mitigation plan. Additionally, Dodd was able to speak to and have lunch with PUC Honors students.鈥淪enator Dodd combined a bit of personal background with his talk, and focused on some...
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Living Demonstration: Student-Planned Native Plant Garden Installed in Angwin
By Becky St. Clair on December 6, 2018
In fall 2017, Aimee Wyrick, chair of the department of biology at 海角视频, received a phone call from Nancy Lecourt, academic dean and vice president for academic administration. She invited Wyrick to meet her outside the Angwin Post Office. 鈥淚 was looking for ways to educate more people about the importance of native plants to insects and birds鈥攖he whole ecosystem,鈥 says Lecourt.As the women walked around the planter box outside the brick building, they discussed the plants currently growing there. Most were invasive species, and the large Hollywood Juniper in the center of the box was in a dangerous position.鈥淭hat tree is one of the most flammable plants used for landscaping,鈥 explains Wyrick. 鈥淧lus, it was leaning toward a building and would eventually have been removed.鈥漈hat quarter, Wyrick had students in her Native Plant Cultivation class begin mapping out a new garden for that space; one that would feature native species, making the garden a healthier option for the local ecosystem.One such student was Kari Stickle, a senior health sciences and Italian double major. As a passionate, self-proclaimed plant-lover, she not only produced many illustrations of the garden鈥檚 design, but also spent several hours outside of class weeding...
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New Online MBA Program Available at 海角视频
By Becky St. Clair on November 29, 2018
海角视频 is proud to introduce the Online Master of Business Administration program. This new program can be completed in as little as one year (dependent upon number of credits taken per term), and is tailored for working professionals.Offered in collaboration with Southern Adventist University, the MBA is 100 percent online, and offers a flexible schedule with multiple start dates (residency requirements; open to California and Hawai鈥檌 residents only). Small class sizes offer personalized attention, and students can expect to learn and grow under the guidance of faculty with rich, real-world experience.鈥淥ne important thing to note about PUC鈥檚 online MBA is it is offered in a Christian philosophy that champions wisdom, faith, and service,鈥 comments Victor Gaines, associate professor of business administration and online MBA program coordinator. It is also a program tailored to meet the demands of students鈥 professional and personal lives, designed specifically for professionals seeking to expand their knowledge and increase their career opportunities. To this end, a GMAT waiver is available based on evaluation of work experience and academic background. 鈥淭he MBA is the next step for many professionals,鈥 Gaines adds. 鈥淢BA graduates have endless possibilities, whether in a traditional business, like accounting management, or...
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Christmas on the Hill: Annual holiday concerts at PUC
By Becky St. Clair on November 29, 2018
海角视频鈥檚 department of music invites the community to their annual celebration of holiday music, Christmas on the Hill. The Wind Symphony concert is Saturday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. in Paulin Hall on the college campus. Choral and orchestra concerts will take place Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7 & 8 (repeated concert), at 8 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, in the PUC church.Admission to all events is free, though a free-will offering will be collected to support those most affected by the Camp Fire in Paradise.Asher Raboy, resident artist and Wind Symphony conductor, will lead the ensemble in their concert, 鈥淗oliday Favorites,鈥 featuring various arrangements of familiar songs of the season. Pieces include 鈥淛oy to the World,鈥 鈥淏ring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella,鈥 and the crowd-pleasing 鈥淪leigh Ride鈥 of Leroy Anderson. Mel Torme鈥檚 鈥淭he Christmas Song鈥 features saxophone soloist Kyler Martin.Peace is the focus of the Dec. 7 & 8 concerts, featuring PUC鈥檚 Chorale, Vox Pro Musica, Orchestra, and Bell Choir. This concert (repeated) will include several choruses from Handel鈥檚 鈥淭he Messiah,鈥 high impact orchestral arrangements of traditional carols, congregational singing, readings, and more.鈥淚 used Maya Angelou鈥檚 鈥楢mazing Peace: A Christmas Poem鈥 for a lot of the readings,鈥 explains...
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海角视频 Partners with Angwin Community to Protect Against Wildfire
By Staff Writer on November 19, 2018
Beginning in January 2019, 海角视频 plans to begin work on an approximately 3-mile shaded fuel break to protect the Angwin community of 3,500 residents. With financial support from community members and alumni, the College plans to construct a shaded fuel break on a prominent ridge between Pope Valley and Angwin, running from Howell Mountain road to the Las Posadas State Forest. Angwin Volunteer Fire Department Chief J.R. Rogers explains, 鈥淎 shaded fuel break is a great fire prevention measure that reduces fuel levels in key locations and helps to slow a fire鈥檚 rate of spread, giving us a defensible location so we can ultimately suppress the forward momentum of a fire.鈥漈he PUC forest is an invaluable resource for the community and the college. It is home to a wide variety of plant and animal species, including the endangered Spotted Owl and some of the easternmost Coast Redwood trees. In 2014, the College began working with the Land Trust of Napa County and CAL FIRE to conserve over 800 acres of forested land in a conservation easement. Now known as the PUC Demonstration and Experimental Forest, it is used for student activities and scientific research projects, as well as...
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