In this issue…
Current News
Donations Expand Options for CBU Aviation Science Program
George and Helene Galik donated two hangars and a twin-engine Piper Apache airplane to CBU’s aviation science program.
Two hangars and a 1954 twin-engine Piper Apache airplane have been donated to California Baptist University’s aviation science program just weeks before for the launch of its inaugural class.
The gifts were presented by George and Helene Galik who first became interested in CBU’s aviation science department after seeing its Boeing 727 aircraft parked just a short distance from the couple’s hangars at the Riverside Municipal Airport. The jet aircraft, donated in January by FedEx Express, led George Galik to research how he could to turn over the contents of his two hangars to CBU’s budding aviation science program.
“It is another example of how the 727 has opened doors for (the program) and the university,” said Dr. Daniel Prather, professor of aviation science and chair of the aviation science program.
Prather said the donation of the hangars and the Piper Apache airplane provides the program with the opportunity to expand its academics in the future.
“That hanger, twin-engine aircraft and the tools in the hanger, we see as the beginning foundation of developing an aircraft maintenance program,” Prather said. “It is great that it was donated to us, because now we have assets that we didn’t have otherwise and would have had to go out and buy. It has definitely given us a boost.”
The possible future program would allow students to obtain an airframe and powerplant (A&P) certificate that opens doors for them to work on planes and aircraft engines found at airports.
The department is expecting approximately 20 students as aviation science majors this fall. All flight training will be conducted by CBU instructors, initially in Cirrus SR20 aircraft. Students will be able to obtain a private pilot certificate by completing the private pilot ground course and private pilot lab course. Aviation Flight majors will also earn their instrument rating, commercial pilot certificate, multi-engine rating, and certified flight instructor certificate.
Currently, the program’s Boeing 727 aircraft is undergoing a makeover that includes a paint job and CBU logos. The plane’s design was created by Taylor Griner, a CBU graphic design student and winner of the plane’s redesign competition held last spring.
Prather said the project is set to be finished by mid-August, just in time for students to begin classes Sept. 3.
Wrestling, Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving join Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
California Baptist University has announced it will join the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for wrestling and men’s and women’s swimming and diving effective this upcoming 2013-14 season.
Men’s and women’s swimming and diving will move to the all NCAA Division II RMAC from the mixed affiliation Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC). This will be the first conference affiliation for CBU wrestling.
“We are thrilled to join the RMAC for wrestling and men’s and women’s swimming and diving,” said CBU Director of Athletics Dr. Micah Parker. “We look forward to competing against the best in the west region for both of those sports. I know this conference will help prepare our student athletes for national competition.”
“We are excited to bring in CBU as an associate member in the RMAC,” said RMAC Interim Commissioner Eric Danner. “CBU will help make our conference more competitive in the sports of swimming and diving and wrestling. It also gives a group of student-athletes opportunities to compete for conference championships.”
CBU will be one of two associate members in the conference for wrestling along with San Francisco State. The RMAC features a total of nine wrestling programs. Adams State, Chadron State, Colorado Mesa, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo, New Mexico Highlands and Western State-Colorado also compete in the conference.
“We are excited to be part of this prestigious conference and look forward to the great competition the conference provides,” said CBU Wrestling Head Coach Lennie Zalesky. “The RMAC wrestling conference has produced some of the best wrestlers in the nation. We are very appreciative of the RMAC committee for granting the CBU wrestling team membership status.”
For men’s swimming and diving the RMAC currently features four programs with the addition of CBU, and a fifth joining in 2014-15 (Lindenwood). On the women’s side the conference has five programs with Lindenwood again joining as the sixth member in 2014-15. Adams State, Colorado Mesa and Colorado School of Mines sponsor both men’s and women’s programs, while Western State-Colorado features a women’s squad only.
“The RMAC gives us a great opportunity to qualify for NCAA Division II Nationals in a fantastic indoor facility,” said CBU Swim and Dive Head Coach Rick Rowland. “The PCSC has been great for us, but we are excited to have an all Division II conference as well as experience some good out of state travel.”
CBU will begin competition in the RMAC with the start of the upcoming season. The conference meets for all three sports will be at Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, Colo., with both swim and dive meets taking place Feb. 19-22 and wrestling held Feb. 28-March 1.
John Hackney Named Golf Head Coach
John Hackney (right) served at Barton College in North Carolina before being named head coach of men’s and women’s golf teams at CBU.
California Baptist University Director of Athletics Dr. Micah Parker has announced John Hackney as the Lancers’ new men’s and women’s golf head coach.
Hackney comes to CBU after 16 years as the head men’s coach and two seasons as the head women’s coach at NCAA Division II Barton College in Wilson, N.C.
“We are pleased to have Coach Hackney join the Lancer family,” said Parker. “He is a proven winner at our level and wants to be at a Christian university.”
During his tenure at Barton, Hackney led the Bulldog men to 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, 45 total tournament wins and a ranking in the NCAA Division II Top 25 in 12 of the past 13 seasons. Over that span Barton has had 11 All-Americans, 11 scholar athletes and 32 individual tournament medalist honors.
Hackney has been named Conference Coach of the Year five times and NCAA Regional Coach of the Year three times.
“I am thrilled to be joining a fine staff at CBU this season,” said Hackney. “The school has an outstanding reputation as an intentional Christian institution with excellent athletic programs. I was very impressed with everyone I met during my visit to CBU. Faith was first and foremost on everyone’s list, and that is encouraging in this day and age.”
The Bulldogs experienced arguably their most successful season to date in 2011, making the NCAA National Championship field after a third place finish at the regional tournament. Hackney’s squad made a run into the match play quarterfinals, but eventually fell to top-ranked Lynn. Barton finished the year ranked No. 7 in Division II, one of seven seasons Hackney’s teams have made it into the Top 10 nationally.
Hackney started the women’s golf program in 2011 as well, and this past season the young program produced its first all-conference player in sophomore Brittney Zine, who was Conference of the Carolinas Tournament runner-up.
Hackney takes over Lancers squads returning nearly the entire starting five on the men’s side and three of five on the women’s, as well as former NAIA National Champion Nathalie Silva and former PacWest Champion Stephen Watson coming off redshirt seasons.
“I believe both the men’s and women’s teams at CBU feature some very talented players, so I am anxious to get started,” said Hackney. “It is also exciting to be leading the golf programs in their first season as full NCAA D-II members. Our immediate goals will be to practice great sportsmanship as Christian student-athletes, while working hard to win tournaments and championships.”
In addition to his head coaching duties as Barton, Hackney also served as the school’s Sports Information Director for 17 years and was the head men’s and women’s cross country coach from 1997-2000.
Prior to his time at Barton he had an extensive career as a sports journalist, working with several different media outlets following his graduation from North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1984. Hackney graduated from UNC with a degree in Journalism.
He and his wife June have been married 25 years and have one son, Jacob.
California Baptist University earns spots on college ranking lists
California Baptist University is included on two new lists of college achievements.
TheBestSchools.org ranked CBU as No. 5 on their list of Top 20 Online Christian Colleges.
“We selected the online Christian colleges based on three components: 1) the Christian character of the school; 2) academic prestige; and, of course, 3) the extent and quality of their online programs,” said Wayne Downs, managing editor of the site.
TheBestSchools.org is an independent organization with no ties to an educational institution. It receives an average of 5,000 hits per day, according to Downs.
The College Database listed CBU as No. 24 among Top Colleges in California with the Best Student-Teacher Ratios. Each college or university on the list has a total enrollment exceeding 5,000, yet averages less than 20 students per faculty member.
CBU had a fall enrollment of 6,031 and a student-teacher ratio of 18 to 1.
“California Baptist University has been recognized for providing a learning atmosphere dedicated to personal attention and individual success,” said Maggie Evans, managing director of communication and partnerships for The College Database. “It’s important for students to find schools where they can easily converse with professors and peers, where even introductory lecture classes make individual attention a priority,”
The College Database is a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to provide free information about educational options both nationally and locally to students, parents, and other interested parties.
Family Updates
Noemy Wheeler
Noemy Wheeler, violin instructor and symphony orchestra director at CBU, was one of 38 conductors and music educators invited to attend the Conducting Workshop for Music Educators at Juilliard School of Music in New York July 15-18.
Dr. Rebecca Meyer
Dr. Rebecca Meyer, director of the master of science in nursing program, gave a presentation titled Inter-Professional Collaboration: Making a Difference Locally and Globally on July 22nd at the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing’s 24th International Nursing Research Congress in the Czech Republic. The presentation focused on evidence-based educational strategies used in the MSN graduate curriculum which include international health, ways to improve health disparities in vulnerable populations, and ways to make a difference in emerging global health trends.
Dr. Geneva Oaks
Dr. Susan Drummond
Dr. Geneva Oaks, dean of the School of Nursing, and Dr. Susan Drummond, associate professor of nursing and director of the traditional undergraduate bachelor of science program in nursing, attended the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Dean and Associate Dean conference titled Reality Based Leadership. The conference was held July 21-24 in Vail, Colo.
Dr. Keith Hekman
Dr. Keith Hekman, associate professor of mechanical engineering, presented a paper titled Automated Grading of First Year Student CAD Work at the 2013 American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference on June 25 in Atlanta, Ga. The paper, which was coauthored by Dr. Mark Gordon, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is published as part of the proceedings of the conference.
Dr. Larry Linamen
Dr. Daniel Prather
Dr. Larry Linamen, vice president for global initiatives, and Dr. Daniel Prather, professor of aviation science and chair of the aviation science program, spoke with a delegation of aviation professionals from China at Los Angeles International Airport on May 15. With their visit arranged by the U.S.-China Business Training Center, these 22 delegates represented various airports and levels of government throughout China. They also heard from station managers of Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue, as well as the LAX Operations Department.
Dr. Jacob Avila
Dr. Jacob Avila, assistant professor of business administration in Online and Professional Studies, recently earned his doctorate in policy, planning and development from the University of Southern California.
Dr. Jong-Wha Bai
Dr. Jong-Wha Bai, assistant professor of civil engineering, presented two papers titled Seismic Vulnerability Assessment for TIlt-Up Concrete Buildings in Mid-America and A Probabilistic Model for Predicting Creep Deformation of High-Performance Concrete Members at the 11th International Conference on Structural Safety and Reliability (ICOSSAR) at the Columbia University in New York, N.Y. June 16-20. He also was invited to present a seminar titled Seismic Fragility Analysis and Loss Estimation for Concrete Structures on July 4th at the Structure and Bridge Engineering Lab, Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea.
Dr. Anthony Chute
Dr. Chris Morgan
Dr. Chris Morgan, dean of the School of Christian Ministries; Dr. Anthony Chute, associate dean of the School of Christian Ministries and Dr. Robert Peterson, professor of theology at Covenant Seminary served as editors of Why We Belong: Evangelical Unity and Denominational Diversity, published by Crossway. The book provides firsthand narratives of why evangelical leaders choose the denominations to which they belong and examines how each leader participates in promoting Christian unity. Contributors include Gerald Bray (Anglican), Timothy George (Baptist), Douglas Sweeney (Lutheran), Timothy Tennent (Methodist), Byron Klaus (Pentecostal), Bryan Chapell (Presbyterian) and David Dockery (Denominationalism). In addition, Morgan contributed a chapter titled Toward a Theology of the Unity of the Church and Chute contributed a chapter titled One Lord, One Faith, but Many Expressions: Denominations and Their Stories. He and Dr. Kendell H. Easley, professor of Christian studies at Union University, are writing a blog about their upcoming book The Community of Jesus. Posts are available each Monday at http://ht.ly/mPsuR.
Tahquitz Pines Conference Center was evacuated July 17-21 due to a fire near the town of Idyllwild. Staff and about 120 guests from the Covenant Players acting group evacuated to Beaumont, where many stayed with friends and family members. There was no damage to the camp, with the exception of a loss of cold foods. The ash has been cleaned up, and the camp is operational.
The College of Allied Health Dean’s Executive Council welcomed three new members to its quarterly meeting July 23: Ken Nelson, vice president of advertising for the Press-Enterprise; Steve Popkin, CEO at Parkview Community Hospital, and Dr. Richard Tworek, president emeritus of Moreno Valley College. Other members include Dr. Dan Anderson, Vince Daniels, Dr. Harki Dhillon, Dr. Marion Hammarland, Don Ecker, Ellen Granado, Dr. Greg Heinen, Francisca Hernandez, Dr. George Kanaly, Christi MacNee, Megan McCann, Brent Lee, Dr. Rick Miller, Dr. Rob Mohn, Kevin Rawls, Dr. Gil Zimmerman and Dr. Carin Shuler, chair.
The Recreation Center weight room and cardio area will reopen Monday, Aug. 5, after being closed for minor repairs on the flooring. Group exercise classes and rooms, basketball gym, racquet ball, roof and other facilities remain open as the work was conducted.
From left: Debbie Guthrie, Brittany Bateman and Darla Donaldson
Brittany Bateman, 2013 graduate of the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business, was one of six ATHENA Scholarship recipients presented at the organization’s 29th annual awards banquet May 29. The mission of the ATHENA of Riverside collaboration is to open doors of leadership opportunity for women through inspiration, education, cultivation and mentoring. Darla Donaldson, associate dean of the Jabs School of Business and assistant professor of finance and social entrepreneurship, presented Bateman’s bio and shared with the audience ways that she has exemplified the true meaning of servant leadership. Debbie Guthrie, chair of the ATHENA steering committee, presented the award.
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Ponce
Stephanie Hallman, registrar data technician, married Kevin Ponce on June 15 at CBU. Both are 2012 graduates of CBU: Stephanie in graphic design and Kevin in electrical engineering.
Kaycee Grey Davidson
Mary Davidson (née Pryfogle, 2005), administrative assistant for the College of Allied Health, and Kristopher Davidson, current bachelor of applied theology student, are blessed to introduce their third daughter, Kaycee Grey Davidson, born on June 26. Kaycee joins big sisters Sadie Rose and Dani.
Personnel Updates
| DATE | DEPARTMENT | POSITION | NAME | STATUS |
| 7/22/2013 | Dept. of Aviation Science | Chief Flight Instructor | Maria Elena LeBlanc | New Hire |
| 7/22/2013 | Financial Aid | Financial Aid Advisor | Andrew Musser | New Hire |
| 7/22/2013 | Institutional Advancement | Receptionist | Jennifer DeCuir | New Hire |
| 7/29/2013 | Financial Aid | Financial Aid Counselor | Joel Brown | New Hire |
| 7/30/2013 | Residence Life | Residence Director | Andrew Pedlowe | New Hire |
| 7/15/2013 | Disability Services | Coordinator for Disability Services | Sally Jackson | Change |
| 7/16/2013 | Information Technology Services | ITS Customer Support Analyst II | Michael Knight | Change |
| 7/22/2013 | Institutional Advancement | Director of Alumni and Parent Relations | Gail Ronveaux | Change |
| 7/29/2013 | Accounting | Assistant Director of Accounting | Sandra Haupert | No Longer Employed |