In this issue…
Current News
SoCal news anchor, CBU alumna to speak at commencement
Amy Johnson (’90), a Southern California news anchor and reporter, will deliver both spring commencement addresses for California Baptist University on April 30. More than 1,400 students are expected to participate in two graduation ceremonies at the Citizens Business Bank Arena.
Johnson has worked as a general assignment reporter for the past 10 years for KCBS/KCAL and as a weekend morning anchor for the past three years.
Johnson, who grew up in Poway located in North San Diego County, said that from an early age she dreamed of becoming a television news reporter. Following in the footsteps of an aunt and a sister, she went to (then) California Baptist College on a volleyball scholarship. Johnson helped the Lancers win back-to-back Golden State Athletic Conference championships in 1988 and 1989. Johnson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and went on to study broadcast communications at California State University, San Bernardino and San Bernardino Valley College, earning an associate degree.
Johnson said that writing for the student newspaper, The Banner, in her last year at CBU rekindled her dream of becoming a news anchor.
“[The college] was really the stepping stone that I needed,” Johnson said in regards to her career pursuits.
Johnson has been married for 12 years to George Huggins, a former military pilot who now works as a civilian at Naval Air Station Point Mugu. They have two son—Jacob, 11, and Aaron, 9, and the family resides in Ventura County.
The first of two CBU commencement ceremonies will take place at 1 p.m., honoring traditional undergraduate students and all nursing students. Graduate and Online and Professional Studies students will participate in the 7 p.m. ceremony. Both ceremonies will be held at Citizens Business Bank Arena, 4000 E. Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario, CA 91764.
Lancer baseball scores historic win in front of record crowd
Playing its first game in a Major League Baseball stadium, California Baptist University baseball drew the largest crowd ever—7,583—to witness a live Lancer sporting event in the history of the university. The first-place Lancers did not disappoint their fans, mounting a late-inning rally to beat Point Loma Nazarene University 5-2 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on April 20.
“This was a great experience, not many people get to pitch in Angel Stadium and on a professional mound,” said Tyson Miller, starting pitcher for the game. “This was what I imagined: big-league stage with a lot of people turning up and a good turnout from our CBU students. It was just a great environment and it was a great opportunity to play in this one.” Read full article here.
CBU claims multiple awards at national competition
California Baptist University racked up several communication awards at the Wilmer C. Fields Awards Competition hosted by the Baptist Communicators Association (BCA) on April 15. CBU students and the university’s Marketing and Communication Division combined for 10 top-three finishes in various categories.
The BCA awarded first place to Pursuit magazine in the Total Package category for student entries. Lauren Koski, a senior journalism major and the Pursuit editor-in-chief, won first place in the Feature Writing Division category for her story “The Quartet of the Vulnerable,” a story that depicts society’s most marginalized. Koski also won second place for her photographs accompanying a story of a CBU aviation student in flight.
“Through all three of CBU’s journalistic platforms — Pursuit magazine, The Banner newspaper and Angelos yearbook — I have been challenged to seek and release truth through journalistic means, no matter if that is a beautiful truth or an ugly one,” Koski said. “In writing ‘The Quartet of the Vulnerable,’ I sought to explore the deeply convicting truths of what it means to love ‘your neighbor as yourself’ as Christ has commanded of us.”
Students Conner Schuh and Makenna Sones won second place for a photo series and an opinion/editorial piece respectively that were featured in the Banner newspaper.
CBU’s Marketing and Communication Division won five awards including second place in the Communication and/or Marketing Strategy category for “Put Faith in the Journey” campaign.
The BCA awards are the latest communication recognitions for CBU. In March, students, faculty and staff won 29 awards, 17 for students, from the American Advertising Federation-Inland Empire chapter.
CBU students select top faculty, staff member of the year
Jeff Lewis
Jay Stovall
Students at California Baptist University recently honored Jeff Lewis, assistant professor of intercultural studies, as the 2015-2016 Faculty Member of the Year and Jay Stovall, director of cultural and commuter programs, as Staff Member of the Year.
Lewis has taught at CBU for 17 years, teaching courses such as Introduction to Global Studies, Models of Discipleship and Marketplace Strategies for Global Advancement. Lewis is also interim director of the Office of Mobilization; in July, he officially takes over the position.
“Being named Faculty Member of the Year is a great honor,” Lewis said. “It’s good to know that I can still connect with students.”
Lewis said he tries to create a global context for the Christian faith when he teaches.
“Western Christianity reinforces our self-centered view of the world, thinking we can manipulate God to yield to our plans and agenda,” Lewis said. “My goal in teaching is to challenge and awaken students to the reality that biblical Christianity liberates man from the slavery of living for self so that we might live completely engaged in the intimate pursuit of knowing Him and glorifying Him among the nations.”
Stovall (’10, ’12), who has worked at CBU for five years, primary responsibilities include overseeing student orientation programs and establishing and implementing programs that display the cultures represented within the campus community. He also works with the commuter population helping them to connect with the various campus resources available at CBU.
“I’m humbled and honored to be chosen by (the students),” Stovall said. “My goal is to serve and love on the students so to be chosen by them is a testament of God’s faithfulness and blessings.”
Stovall said he tries to treat the students like family.
“My main goal as I interact with students is to show them that they have eternal value,” he said. “I truly do care about them.”
The voting process, conducted by the Associated Students of California Baptist University (ASCBU) organization, was a two-tiered process. First, students nominated their choices for both recognitions. Next, the top 10 names in both categories were placed on the ballot with student Senate candidates.
Alumnus: treating addiction as disease is best for family, society
Treating addiction as a disease and working toward recovery is not only beneficial for the families but for taxpayers as well, Phil Breitenbucher (’00), told a California Baptist University audience.
Breitenbucher is a program director for Children and Family Futures, a not-for-profit organization based in Lake Forest, Calif., that seeks to help families affected by trauma, substance use and mental health disorders. He has more than 15 years of experience in the management of public child welfare and community-based prevention services. Breitenbucher spoke as part of the School of Behavioral Science’s Culture and Justice Lecture Series on April 14.
Breitenbucher said the social worker’s job is “to improve the well-being of individuals and advocate for social justice in complex social issues.”
“Sixty to 80 percent of all child welfare cases in America are due to substance abuse as an underlying factor,” Breitenbucher said.
Substance abuse is the fastest growing reason for removal of children from their homes, Breitenbucher said. One of the programs he is involved in seeks to reunify families by treating addiction as a disease.
“We’re family centered, so right away we put child and mom back together again and treat them as a whole family,” Breitenbucher said. “That works much better because addiction really effects the whole family.”
Keeping families together can also help reduce the expensive costs of foster care that burden taxpayers, he said.
Although addiction and its effect on families can be a complex subject, Breitenbucher believes there is hope.
“All children deserve to be in safe, stable homes. Substance use disorder is very prevalent in our society,” he said. “Addiction is a disease and recovery is possible. As a community, if we rally around this issue of child welfare and substance use, we can keep kids safe, keep families together and save taxpayers’ dollars.”
CBU partners with KVSH Racing for 2016 Verizon IndyCar season
California Baptist University announced an innovative partnership with KVSH Racing for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar season starting with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
CBU was the primary sponsor of the KVSH No. 11 entry driven by Sebastien Bourdais for the Long Beach Grand Prix, April 15-17, on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. CBU will be an associate partner of the team for the remainder of the 2016 season.
The partnership will also allow students from the Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering at CBU the unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with the KVSH Engineering team throughout the 2016 season including the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
“The time has come for us to focus intently on the next wave of engineering talent for the IndyCar Series,” said James “Sulli” Sullivan, KVSH co-owner. “This program gives California Baptist University an opportunity to give its engineering students a hands-on education into the world of high-performance vehicles and what makes them tick. These CBU students are some of the brightest we have seen and we’re all looking forward to having them as part of the KVSH Racing Team.”
The KVSH Racing/CBU College of Engineering program enabled 20 CBU engineering students access to the KVSH Racing engineering staff, the driver and mechanics, so they could observe and learn the intricacies of engineering high-performance IndyCars during the Long Beach Grand Prix. During the month of May, selected students will be embedded with the team for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 set for May 29 gaining out of the classroom experience and assist the team’s engineering staff with problem solving.
“This partnership will provide our students with access to top engineers in a sport that pushes the edge of performance, and I’m excited to see what engineering feats our students can accomplish under their guidance,” said Dr. Anthony Donaldson, dean of the College of Engineering at CBU. “I’m also thrilled to receive their consultation for our new master’s in mechanical engineering degree offered this fall and for our vehicle technology lab planned to open with our new engineering building in 2018.”
Bourdais, who is contesting his 11th IndyCar season and third with KVSH Racing, placed ninth at the Long Beach Grand Prix. The 37-year-old native of Le Mans, France, resides in St. Petersburg, Fla., and is the only driver to win four consecutive IndyCar championships (2004 -2007).
CBU Cheer wins 4th consecutive national championship
The cheerleading team at California Baptist University became the first All-Girls Division II cheerleading squad to win its fourth-straight National Cheerleaders Association Championship title on April 8.
“This team has worked extremely hard and we have told them all year long that the work is worth it,” said Tami Fleming, head coach of CBU cheer. “Today they proved that. What an honor to make history by winning our fourth national title. I am so proud.”
The win also keeps Lancers unbeaten streak, dating back to the 2013 season, alive.
Read the full story here.
Hundreds participate in CBU’s Grandparents Day
California Baptist University welcomed more than 200 grandparents of students for the fourth annual Grandparents Day on April 8.
Grandparents had the opportunity to participate in a full day of planned activities as they were given a glimpse into the lives of their grandchildren at CBU. Activities included chapel and an array of courses organized for the day such as 3D printing, CBU Culture, Turning Points in Baptist History, which were taught by CBU faculty, staff or community leaders. Additionally, they were also treated to a free lunch, a choir performance, campus tours and a Lancer baseball game.
William Schoellerman was pleased to have an opportunity to visit the university his granddaughter talks frequently about.
“I am happy to be able to meet and talk to the professors and the friends my granddaughter always talks about,” Schoellerman said. “Most of all I just want to spend time with [her].”
Grandparents’ Day is an opportunity for CBU and students to show appreciation for grandparents’ support and love, said Dr. Arthur Cleveland, vice president for Institutional Advancement.
“We are thrilled to have you here at California Baptist University,” Cleveland told the grandparents at the welcome session. “I want you to know that in all my years of working in education, your grandkids have a nice place to go to college. When I walk around campus, I get the feeling that students are happy to be here. They embrace each other and I often hear testimonies of the spiritual growth in the lives of students.”
Family Updates
Dr. Erin Smith
Dr. Erin I. Smith, assistant professor of psychology, spoke at the Psychology Research Colloquium at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena on April 4. Her talk was titled Why Religious Affiliation Matters: The Impact of Supportive Church Relationships on Development.
Dr. Jacob Lanphere
Dr. Jacob Lanphere, assistant professor of environmental science, co-authored with students two presentations and a poster presentation at the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego on April 9. Student Stephanie Lara presented the poster Environmental Effects of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Inside a Model Colon. Student Cooper May gave the oral presentation Potential Phytotoxicity and Uptake of Titanium Dioxide Nanomaterials in Food Crops. Student Melissa Varela gave the oral presentation Fate and Aggregation Behavior of Graphene Oxide Nanomaterials in Aquatic Environments.
CBU’s American Society of Civil Engineers student chapter participated in the Pacific SouthWest Conference at California State University, Long Beach on March 31-April 2. Forty-one CBU students competed against 17 other schools in 15 events including steel bridge, concrete canoe and sports competitions. The CBU team placed second in Kan-jam, Mystery event and Ultimate Frisbee; fourth in concrete bowling, volleyball, and basketball; and sixth in environmental project.
Dr. Susan Studer
Dr. Susan Studer, professor of education, presented and chaired sessions at the American Educational Research Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C., April 8-12. She also presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Curriculum Historians in Washington on April 7-8. Her presentations were on Dewey, Parker, Blaine, and the Chicago Laboratory School: Potential for Success or Failure of Egos. The sessions she chaired were The Role of the State in International Education and Influential Thinkers and Their Legacy in the History of Education.
Dr. Derek Updegraff
Dr. Derek Updegraff, assistant professor of English and creative writing, read poetry at the Salvage Lounge in Los Angeles on April 1. The group poetry reading was sponsored by the literary journals Rock & Sling, Ruminate and Windhover, and the publisher WordFarm Press. The event was an off-site reading for the conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Updegraff also recently published two short stories. Into the Ends of the World appeared as a one-story chapbook in the Overtime series and The Butcher’s Tale appeared in Palooka.
Dr. Sandra Romo
Dr. Heather Hamilton-Stilwell
Dr. Sandra Romo, assistant professor of journalism and public relations, and Dr. Heather Hamilton-Stilwell, assistant professor of journalism, presented a paper, A Rhetorical Examination of Social Constructionism and Communication, at the National Social Science Association Annual Meeting held in Las Vegas on March 22. Romo also presented another paper, Talking About Autism: Using Entertainment to Teach Children About Autism, at the event.
From left: Wonpyo Park, Stephanie Lara, Chau Nguyen and Bonjun Koo
Dr. Bonjun Koo, professor of environmental science, Dr. Wonpyo Park, visiting scholar in the natural and mathematical department, Stephanie Lara, environmental science major, and Chau Nguyen, biology major, presented a poster and an oral presentation April 9 at the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. The oral presentation was titled Dissolution of Biosolid-Borne Metals of Soils. The poster presentation was CBU Campus Soil Properties and Reactions of Organic Acids with Biosolid Treated Soil.
From left: Ivan Landa, Kathy Gomez, Audrie Minnich and Amairani Villa
Dr. Nathanael Heyman, associate professor of biology, and Dr. Daniel Szeto, associate professor of biology and biochemistry, and four biology majors co-authored a poster that was presented at the April 9 at the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Biology majors Kathy Gomez, Amairani Villa, Audrie Minnich and Ivan Landa presented the poster titled Cardiovascular Physiological Analysis in Zebrafish: From Fish to Cells.
Merritt Robinson
Merritt Robinson, assistant dean of enrollment services for Online and Professional Studies, was honored April 1 at Rice University in Texas at the “Celebrating Trailblazers in Rice Athletics” event. Robinson was one of 15 African-American alumni recognized for being the first to letter in their respective sports. Robinson, a three-year letterman (1988-90) in baseball and football, was Rice University’s first African-American student to letter in baseball. Read the full story here.
John Montgomery
John Montgomery, dean of Spiritual Life, was elected as second vice chairman for the board of trustees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on April 18. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is located in Louisville, Ky.
Kellen Fabry
Dr. Art Cleveland, vice president for University Advancement, and his wife, Vicki Cleveland, director of institutional research, welcomed their second great-grandchild on April 7. Kellen Michael Fabry weighed 9 pounds and 2 ounces and measured 22 inches long. His older sister, Emberlyn, is 3. The Clevelands also have 7 grandchildren.
Personnel Updates
