August 30, 2013

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU’s Class of 2017 arrives for New Student Orientation

California Baptist University’s Class of 2017 arrived Aug. 29 for New Student Orientation, five days before the start of the fall semester. The group promises to be the largest class in CBU history, although numbers will not be reported until registration is completed in late September.

Freshman and transfer students checked in Aug. 29, moved into residential facilities and attended a welcome dinner on the front lawn. Later, they participated in the traditional Kugel Walk. CBU tradition calls for newly enrolled students to touch the Kugel, a floating granite globe structure that symbolizes the Great Commission, as they begin their educational experience at CBU and again on commencement day. The evening concluded with dessert served on the front lawn.

FOCUS groups – short for “First-Year Orientation &Christian University Success” – begin on Aug. 30 to help acclimate students to campus life. With the departure of parents at 5 p.m., the FOCUS groups will be a support group for students as they begin their first semester at CBU. The weekend will be filled with activities such as service projects, CBU Price Is Right, a men’s soccer game and a concert.

Fall 2013 classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 3.

 

Hobby Lobby Donates Tahquitz Pines Camp to CBU

California Baptist University has received the largest gift in the history of the institution. The gift, Tahquitz Pines Camp in Idyllwild, Calif., is valued at $5.65 million and was generously donated by Hobby Lobby Stores. The 21-acre property has been used as a Christian camp and retreat since the 1930s and has been managed by CBU for the past year.

“CBU received confirmation on Aug. 26 of the recording of the deed for Tahquitz Pines, which is now officially the property of California Baptist University,” Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, announced in a notice to university employees. “We are extremely grateful to Hobby Lobby Stores and reminded of the Scripture that states, ‘Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above…’. (James 1:17 NASB).”

 

 

CBU Nets Top Rankings in Women’s Soccer Preseason Polls

Coming off back to back PacWest titles, California Baptist University was once again picked to repeat as conference champion in the annual preseason coaches’ poll.

In addition, Bernadette Witz was selected as Preseason Player of the Year and Rosie Nakata was named Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. The Lancers also had Kelly Jenks and Melissa Laxamana named to the Preseason All-PacWest team.

CBU went 13-1 in conference play last season, winning a second consecutive title. The Lancers received 10 first place votes in the poll for a total of 166 points. Azusa Pacific received a pair of first place votes and was tabbed second, while Point Loma sits third in the poll with 141 points. BYU-Hawaii received the final first place vote.

Witz and Nakata were each named Player and Goalkeeper of the Year last season and made All-PacWest first team. Witz led CBU with 26 points during the regular season last year and scored a PacWest best five game winning goals. Nakata recorded five shutouts and carried a 0.80 goals against average through her 15 regular season starts last year.

Jenks, an All-PacWest first team honoree last year, was one of four forwards named to the preseason list. She led CBU with 16 goals in 2012. Laxamana helped anchor a defense that posted six shutouts in a row at one point last season and allowed just five goals in its last 14 games. The senior defender was named All-PacWest third team for her junior campaign.

All four honorees for CBU are seniors this season. The Lancers were the only team with four players honored on the preseason list.

CBU opens the season Sept. 5 at Chico State.

 

Millions view CBU voice instructor’s viral video

California Baptist University lecturer Sarah Horn brought down the house Friday at the Hollywood Bowl after Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth invited her on stage to sing a duet. Listen to KTLA’s interview with Horn by clicking here.

Within days, CBU student Mike Kestler’s iPhone video of the performance on YouTube went viral, acquiring more than two million views in three days. Not only has it generated national media interest, but Horn’s Facebook and Twitter accounts were filled with comments from fans around the world.

Since her performance, Horn has appeared on Good Morning America, Inside Edition, Fox News and in national publications like Hollywood Reporter, Time and Broadway World. She will make a reappearance at the Hollywood Bowl Sept. 8 to judge Abba Fest.

Horn attributes her instant success to preparation.

“One motto I’ve chosen to adopt is ‘don’t just practice until you can get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong,’ she said. “That’s what happened to me at the Hollywood Bowl. The words completely left me—my mind was blank—but I kept going. The right words and the right notes came out not by chance but because I was prepared.”

Horn says she will share that wisdom with her students as she continues this fall as a vocal instructor at California Baptist University and as musical director of the Riverside Youth Theater. A graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., she completed a master’s degree in vocal performance and conducting at CBU in May 2012.

 

CBU Listed Among “Most Beautiful Christian Universities”

Christian Universities Online has listed California Baptist University No. 8 in their list of the 25 Most Beautiful Christian Colleges and Universities for 2013.

In an e-mail, the editors of the website said the list was compiled to aid prospective students seeking “a Christian school where the quest for truth will be enhanced by truly beautiful surroundings.”

In its description of the campus, the website noted “the beautiful setting of California Baptist University is only exceeded by its program that provides students with an education rivaled by only the best institutions in the country.”

The 25 colleges and universities included are all members or affiliates of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. The full list can be viewed by clicking here.

 

Family Updates

Dr. Gretchen Bartels, assistant professor of English for Online and Professional Studies, recently completed her Ph.D. in English at the University of California, Riverside. Her dissertation is titled The Editor as Producer: Nineteenth-Century British Literary Editors.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jane E. McGuire, associate professor of education, and Dr. Nona Cabral, assistant professor of education, attended the spring conference of the California Association of School Psychologists, which met in March. McGuire gave a presentation titled The Importance of Transition Plans in Preparing Learning Disabled High School Students for Success after Graduation. Left to right: Dr. Nona Cabral and Dr. Jane McGuire

 

 

 

 

Dr. Daniel Prather, founding chair and professor of the department of aviation science, participated in an interview panel Aug. 20 with the City of Corona to assist in their search for a new airport manager for Corona Municipal Airport. He also taught a two-day Basic Airport Operations and Specialist (ASOS) school on behalf of the American Association of Airport Executives in Spokane, Washington Aug. 12-13.

 

 

 

CBU assistant coach Allan Vince served on the coaching staff of the USA men’s volleyball team for the Pan-American Cup tournament. Vince, a former U.S. Men’s Team player, was assistant coach for the national team as it played in the seven-team tournament in Mexico City.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Trevor Gillum, assistant professor of kinesiology, and kinesiology graduate student Taylor Quesada co-authored a manuscript titled Effect of Acute Creatine Supplementation and Subsequent Caffeine Ingestion on Ventilatory Anaerobic Threshold, published earlier this month in Journal of Exercise Physiology Online 2013;16(4):112-120.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Anthony Chute, associate dean and associate professor of church history, and Dr. Matthew Emerson, assistant professor of Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies, are serving as editors of the Journal of Baptist Studies and content managers for Baptist Studies Online. Dr. John Gill, assistant professor of Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies, also serves as the book review editor for the journal. The purpose of Baptist Studies Online is to facilitate the scholarly study of Baptists by making available to researchers and students an online journal, a primary source library, a comprehensive collection of online links related to Baptist history and a regularly updated list of dissertation abstracts produced by students graduating from Baptist institutions. Access to the website and journal can be found here: http://baptiststudiesonline.com/

 

 

Dr. Dennis Bideshi, professor of biology, and Dr. Hyun-Woo Park, associate professor of biology, attended the 46th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and Conference on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control, which met in Pittsburgh, Pa. Aug. 11-16. Park presented a paper titled Molecular genetic basis for engineering small to large crystals of Cyt1Aa and Bideshi presented Characterization of a third promoter of the cyt1Aa gene of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Israelensis. Bideshi served as treasurer/secretary of the bacteria division for the Society for Invertebrate Pathology. He has published eight peer-reviewed scientific articles this year, co-authored by national and international scientists.

 

Dr. Alexander Negrov, 2012-2013 visiting scholar at CBU, participated July 7-11 at the Society of Biblical Literature International meeting at St. Andrews, Scotland. He presented a paper titled Love As Authority and Influence in 1 Corinthians 13: Toward Establishing Leadership Hermeneutics and Criticism.  

 

Dr. Michelle Nielsen, assistant professor of mathematics, recently passed the Exam FM, the second actuarial examination administered by the Society of Actuaries. The exam covers financial mathematics, including annuities, bonds, loans, duration, stocks and derivatives.

 

Seven members of CBU’s graphic design, digital media and photography program captured images via photography and video at the Harvest Crusade at Anaheim Stadium Aug. 23-25. The group of faculty, students and alumni included Trever Hoehne, assistant professor of graphic design; Michael Berger, program director and assistant professor of graphic design; Dirk Dallas, assistant professor of graphic design; Ryan Welsh, John Nyquist, Louis Bauder and Kelsie Markowski.

 

Dr. Franco Gandolfi, dean of the School of Business, conducted a leadership seminar for 45 employees employees of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in Riverside on June 27.

 

 

 

 

Heidi L. Zameni, adjunct professor in English for Online and Professional Studies, recently published an essay titled Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre and Agnosticism in the academic journal Literature and Belief.

 

 

 

 

Dr. William Flores, director of the Spanish program and senate president, presented a paper titled An Ecocritical Reading of The Storyteller and The Dream of the Celt by Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa at the XII Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on March 13-15. Flores also attended the C.S. Lewis Summer Conference at the University of San Diego on June 21-23 and participated as president of the Roger Anton Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) at the 95th Annual Conference of the AATSP held in San Antonio, Texas on July 8-11.

 

 

Members of the business faculty, Career Center staff and students conducted workshops to refugees in the Garden Grove area each Tuesday between June 4 and Aug. 13. The group worked with the Voice of the Refugees in the Garden Grove area to present information about computer skills, job skill identification, finding a job, resume writing, interviewing, starting a business, personal finance and paying taxes. Participants included Dr. Keanon Alderson, associate professor of business; Mike Bishop, assistant director of Career Services; Steve Bretches, adjunct professor in business; Darla Donaldson, associate dean of the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business and assistant professor of finance and social entrepreneurship; Brizset Giles, adjunct professor in accounting; Wendy Keyes, assistant professor of economic and quantitative methods; Kushi Jones, director of Career Services; and CBU students Christina Arenales, Taylor Bjur, Joseph Chan, Kevin Cotton, Bryce Erickson, Kiana Miskel, Leah Moore, Micah Palmquist, Katherine Pavao, Michael Ring, Stephanie Rodriguez, Jessica Russell, Chrisina Stack, Danyel Whyte, Tajei Wright. Frank Mihelich, assistant professor of theatre, led a team of actors who presented one skit on job interviewing and another exemplifying the life of a K-12 student. Voice of the Refugees works with thousands of refugees and asylees that come into Orange County each year from North Africa and the Middle East to meet practical needs and share the love of Christ.

 

Dr. Eleazar Fallik, head of strategic research for Israel’s Agriculture Research Organization visited CBU in July to present  research on nutriceuticals in super fruits in Israel and to  meet with Dr. Ying Hu, assistant professor of chemistry; Dr. Meg Barth, professor and director of the nutrition and food science program; and students working on the Native American nutraceuticals project. Twenty students attended the presentation. Fallik also is working on a recommendation for a research collaboration with CBU, which will focus on student training.

 

 

 

 

Tom Childers, head of product strategy at Chick-fil-A, visited the new Foods Lab and discussed possible project collaborations with CBU’s nutrition and food sciences program last week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Virgo Handojo, associate professor of behavioral sciences, spoke on May 19 at TEDx (Technology Entertainment and Design) at Glen Wilson High in Hacienda Heights, Calif. May 19, 2013. He spoke on The Connection Between Psychology and Spirituality. He also made a presentation on June 17-23 titled Studied displacement cases that impacted some communities in Columbia for the Mennonite Central Committee and shared immigration policy principles of the Mennonite church concerning keeping families together, a pathway to citizenship and no further militarization of the U.S. Mexican border to a group of senators and the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. on May 13-15.

 

 

The Office of Mobilization is looking for team leaders for International Service Projects and U.S. Projects who will invest in every area of a student’s life, mobilize students to long-term ministry and serve whole-heartedly to accomplish the Great Commission. ISP and USP are discipleship programs, and leaders should be learners who will serve as role models alongside their students. To apply for the 2014 mobilization season, go to www.calbaptist.edu/GO. All applications are due by October 10, 2013. A list of service projects is available by clicking here, and journal entries of the 2013 teams are available by clicking here. . For more information about leading a team, contact Kerri Horton at khorton@calbaptist.edu.

 

Zach Hinrichs appeared in the Sept.5 issue of People magazine in a section called Cute Kids of AT&T, which related to his AT&T television commercial aired earlier this year. Zach is the son of Dr. Troy Hinrichs, CBU professor of criminal justice.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Matthew Y. Emerson and his wife, Alicia, welcomed their third daughter on Aug. 1. Abigail Rose was born at 5:53 a.m., weighing 7 lbs. 14 ozs. and measuring 19 ¾ inches long. Emerson is chair of the department of arts and sciences and assistant professor of Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies.

 

 

 

 

Personnel Updates

DATE	DEPARTMENT	POSITION	NAME	STATUS
8/14/2013	Athletics	Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance	Michael Scarano	New Hire
8/16/2013	Athletics	Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach	Dylan Martinez	New Hire
8/19/2013	Office of Mobilization	Mobilization Coordinator	Aura M. Opris	New Hire
8/19/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Receptionist-Temecula	Stephanie Ring	New Hire
8/26/2013	Public Safety	Public Safety Officer	Devin M. Vanaman	New Hire
8/26/2013	Financial Aid	Financial Aid Counselor	Ione Flanagan	New Hire
8/26/2013	School of Nursing	Receptionist	Beth-Jayne Lacuesta	New Hire
8/26/2013	Tahquitz Pines	On-Call Camp Worker	Amber Olson	New Hire
8/26/2013	Tahquitz Pines	On-Call Camp Worker	Ronald Dravenstatt	New Hire
8/15/2013	College of Engineering	Professor	Amanie Abdelmessih	New Hire
8/15/2013	Department of Kinesiology	Associate Professor	Jolene Baker	New Hire
8/15/2013	School of Nursing	Associate Professor	Karen Bradley	New Hire
8/15/2013	School of Nursing	Assistant Professor	Casey Cole	New Hire
8/15/2013	College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design	Associate Professor	Michael Eaton	New Hire
8/15/2013	School of Nursing	Assistant Professor	Jan Flournoy	New Hire
8/15/2013	College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design	Assistant Professor	Susan Harris	New Hire
8/15/2013	College of Engineering	Professor	Creed Jones	New Hire
8/15/2013	School of Nursing	Professor	Lorna Kendrick	New Hire
8/15/2013	College of Engineering	Professor	Thomas Marshall	New Hire
8/15/2013	School of Business	Assistant Professor	Karin Nelson	New Hire
8/15/2013	Department of Natural and Mathematical Sciences	Assistant Professor	Michelle Nielsen	New Hire
8/15/2013	College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design	Assistant Professor	Katherine Papineau	New Hire
8/15/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Assistant Professor	Samuel Park	New Hire
8/15/2013	College of Engineering	Assistant Professor	Diedrich Prigge V	New Hire
8/15/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Assistant Professor	Susan Purrington	New Hire
8/15/2013	Department of Aviation Science	Assistant Professor	Robert Quirk	New Hire
8/15/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Assistant Professor	Thomas Schneider	New Hire
8/15/2013	Department of Modern Languages and Literature	Assistant Professor	Derek Updegraff	New Hire
8/15/2013	Department of Natural and Mathematical Sciences	Assistant Professor	Patrick Schacht	New Hire
8/15/2013	Department of Kinesiology	Lecturer	Lindsay Warren	New Hire
8/15/2013	School of Behavioral Sciences	Associate Professor	Ash Melika	New Hire
8/15/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Associate Professor	Monica O’Rourke	New Hire
8/15/2013	Department of Communication Studies	Lecturer	Andrew Silk	New Hire
8/15/2013	Department of Communication Studies	Assistant Professor	Sandra Romo	Change
8/15/2013	Department of Modern Languages and Literature	Assistant Professor	Noe Ruvalcaba	Change
8/15/2013	School of Nursing	Assistant Professor	Tara L. Stephen	Change
8/15/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Assistant Professor	Kristen M. White	Change
8/15/2013	School of Behavior Sciences	Lecturer	Jenny Aguilar	Change
8/15/2013	School of Music	Assistant Professor	Steven Dahlgren	Change
8/15/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Associate Professor	Alfred Bowden	Change
8/15/2013	School of Nursing	Lecturer	Pennee Robertson	Change
8/15/2013	School of Nursing	Assistant Professor	Terri Thompson	Change
8/15/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Associate Professor	Brett Provance	Change
8/16/2013	Online and Professional Studies	Adjunct Professor	Christina Crenshaw	Change
8/1/2013	Financial Aid	Assistant Director of Financial Aid	Sonya Lopez	Change
8/1/2013	Facilities and Planning Services	Accounting Clerk II	Erin Wellington	Change
8/5/2013	Campus Ministries	Administrative Secretary for Chapel/Compassion Ministries	Sandy Reeves	Change
7/1/2013	Financial Aid	Associate Director	Joshua Morey	Change
8/13/2013	Athletics	Assistant Director of Athletics/Facilities	Maurice Roberson	No Longer Employed
8/9/2013	Career Services	Internship Coordinator	Ann “Liz” Jorden	No Longer Employed
8/16/2013	Institutional Advancement	Director of Development-Athletics and Engineering	Christina Gordon	No Longer Employed