In this issue…
Current News
CBU announces new graduate degrees in healthcare
California Baptist University will offer a master of public health degree (MPH) beginning fall 2014 and a master of science in communication disorders degree that will launch in the fall 2015.
The MPH degree program is designed for health care practitioners, administrators, policy makers and others, while graduates of the communication disorders program will be able to apply for certification in speech language pathology, one of the fastest growing careers in health care today.
CBU’s College of Allied Health (CAH) received notification of final approval for both programs from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
“We are very excited to have received final approval from WASC for these degrees,” said Dr. Chuck Sands, dean of the College of Allied Health. “The MPH will allow us to impact the local community in a number of areas. The communication disorders degree will train future speech/language pathologists who will be able to transform the lives of their patients through communication. We look forward to the launch of both programs.”
CBU’s College of Allied Health seeks to ‘transform lives through the health professions’ and includes programs ranging from sport management to health science to communication disorders. The new degrees brings to 14 the number of programs offered by the CAH.
CBU volunteers will serve 17 countries in 47 teams during 2014
Students compared numbers on the base of a toy soldier to get a hint of where they will serve this summer. The toy soldiers symbolized the theme of this year’s global mobilization efforts, “Stand.”
California Baptist University’s Office of Mobilization launched a new season of volunteerism Dec. 4 by revealing the makeup of 47 teams who will serve in 17 countries this summer. Of the more than 400 students and team leaders selected, 73 percent are participating for the first time.
“We’re about men and women called to be world Christians,” said Jared Dobbins, assistant director of global mobilization. “Our theme this year is Stand: stand on, stand up and stand fast.”
In addition to identifying the teams, the university commissioned one student and an alumna who will serve a two-year term with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board as journeymen. Candace Berg, a liberal studies major who will graduate at commencement services on Dec. 13, and Kaitlyn Kirchmann, a recent graduate, will both serve in Africa. Berg will be teaching English among refugees, and Kirchmann will be working with an unreached people group. Both said their calling began with an ISP/USP trip at CBU.
“On my first ISP trip, God confirmed he wanted me to go farther,” Berg said. “Let me tell you that Satan will do everything possible to stop you, but the power of God will see you through.
Team members immediately began training for their new assignments, which will continue through the spring semester.
“We don’t do mobilization a few days a year,” Dobbins said. “We do mobilization 365 days a year. It’s one of the ways CBU shows its commitment to the Great Commission.”
Ellis to begin NCAA II President’s Council role in January
Dr. Ronald L. Ellis
When the 2014 NCAA Convention in San Diego ends in mid-January, the work for California Baptist University President Ronald L. Ellis will begin.
Ellis has been selected to serve a four-year term as a member of the NCAA Division II President’s Council. The term will conclude following the 2018 NCAA Convention.
The NCAA Division II President’s Council is comprised of 16 presidents or chancellors from active Division II members from around the association. Ellis is the first PacWest president selected to serve a term on the council since the conference reformed for the 2006-07 competition season.
“This is a prestigious honor with tremendous responsibility,” said Ellis, who is known for his passion for collegiate athletics and support of the student-athlete. “When California Baptist University as an institution made the decision to move to Division II, the members of the CBU family knew it would take the entire institution to make it a reality. We were diligent in our process and it showed as we smoothly transitioned to active status this year. At the NCAA Convention last January, CBU was called ‘a model program for other transitioning schools to follow.'”
That successful transition has led to his peers asking Ellis to take one of 16 key leadership roles in Division II.
“Now I have been asked to give back by serving on the President’s Council and to represent not just California Baptist University, but all of the student-athletes and institutions of the Pacific West Conference, as well as Division II,” he added. “I am excited about this opportunity and sincerely welcome the challenge.”
The NCAA II President’s Council has a myriad of duties and responsibilities, including implementing policies adopted by the Association’s Executive Committee, establishing and directing the general policy for Division II, and developing a strategic plan for Division II.
Matters relative to legislation, finance and committee structure fall under the purview of the council as well.
“The PacWest is thrilled that Dr. Ellis has been selected to the NCAA Division II President’s Council,” said Bob Hogue, PacWest commissioner. “Because his institution is a new active member in the NCAA, he will bring a fresh perspective and a tremendous enthusiasm to the council.”
Ellis became the fifth president of California Baptist University on Nov. 1, 1994. Since then, CBU has experienced sweeping changes in almost every facet of university life from expanding academic programs to a successful athletics program that claimed 22 NAIA national championships in 12 years.
In 2012, California Baptist University captured the Commissioner’s Cup during its inaugural season in the PacWest.
In 2013, CBU attained active status and full membership at the NCAA Division II level and saw its men’s and women’s soccer teams as well as its men’s cross country squad earn berths in the NCAA II National Championships. The CBU women’s volleyball team also is line for a possible post-season bid.
Under Ellis’ guidance, enrollment has grown nearly nine-fold from 808 in the fall of 1994 to 7,144 in the fall of 2013. During that same period the university’s operating budget increased from $11.3 million to $189.5 million in fiscal year 2014.
New construction, renovation of existing facilities, and acquisition of property have dramatically transformed CBU’s beautiful Southern California campus. The university also has developed into a significant member of the community and region, and in 2005 the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce named CBU Business of the Year.
And for the eighth straight year, U.S. News & World Report named CBU one of America’s Best Colleges for 2014.
Under the leadership of Ellis, California Baptist has developed into a premier comprehensive Christian university, comprising 10 colleges and professional schools offering 154 undergraduate majors and concentrations as well as 39 master’s degree programs.
In 2011 CBU received its first ever 10-year accreditation affirmation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, while in 2012 California Baptist University’s bachelor degree programs in civil engineering (BSCE), electrical and computer engineering (BSECE) and mechanical engineering (BSME) were accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Ellis received his bachelor’s degree from Houston Baptist University in 1977 and a master’s degree in educational administration from Baylor University in 1981. In 1987, he completed a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Texas A&M University.
Ellis and his wife, Jane Dowden Ellis, are active members of the Magnolia Avenue Baptist Church in Riverside, Calif., where he has served as chair of the board of trustees. The couple have two grown sons and six grandchildren.
CBU ranked No. 13 among America’s Best Colleges for Veterans
Yeager Center
U.S. News & World Report has ranked California Baptist University No. 13 in the West among its inaugural list of America’s Best Colleges for Veterans.
The new rankings provide data and information on schools that offer federal benefits, including tuition and housing assistance, to veterans and active service members.
All of the Best Colleges for Veterans scored well in terms of graduation rate, faculty resources, reputation and other markers of academic quality in the 2014 edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges. To qualify for the new rankings, the schools had to be certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium.
“While all prospective students seek a good education from a reputable institution, our military veterans can take advantage of expanded educational benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer for U.S. News. “We developed these rankings to help them find a top-quality institution that also offers federal benefits that ease the burden of applying, paying for and completing a college degree.”
In total, there were 234 ranked schools across all 10 U.S. News ranking categories.
In May, U.S. News published comparable rankings of the Best Online Programs for Veterans to help veterans and service members find and complete a quality online bachelor’s or master’s program regardless of their location. CBU was ranked No. 5 in that list.
Romanian orphan pursuing dream of college education
Victor Popa
A picture of a 10-year-old Romanian orphan with an uneasy expression hangs on Victor Popa’s refrigerator.
The photograph of Popa as a child serves as his reminder of where he has been and how God has brought him to where he is today — a graduate student at California Baptist University and member of the board of directors for the Children to Love ministry.
“Every time I struggle with something, I look at that picture and think ‘I’ve been through all these challenges and struggles,’” Popa said. “It is just a reminder to myself to see what God has done in my life.”
Popa, left at a hospital at birth, spent 17 years in the hands of a Romanian government struggling to care for the nation’s high number of orphans after the communist government was replaced.
Popa was 8-years-old when he first experienced Christ’s love through visitors from the Children to Love ministry who came to the Bucharest orphanage that was his home.
Popa said it is difficult as an orphan to understand the idea of God’s love and His sovereign plans. However, the ministry’s investment in his life helped bring Popa to a personal relationship with Christ at age 17.
“I grasped the idea of what it means when you give your life to Christ,” Popa said. “You are a new creation; you leave everything behind.”
With a new driving force in his life, Popa said he felt God put an “ambition and passion” on his heart to pursue a college education, a unique dream for an orphan. During his undergraduate career in Romania, he began an internship with the very ministry organization that changed his life.
“It was nice to be able to give back to the ministry and serve with people who served me in the orphanage — not just for me but also for them,” Popa said. “They invested in a person who was now giving back.”
Popa is pursuing a master of business administration degree at CBU while leading teams back to Romania with the California-based ministry.
“Every time I take a team of people, I picture who I was 15 years ago,” Popa said. “I know what it means to the orphans. Even though it is just one time for the Americans, for that kid it is something more.”
Popa said he hopes to continue working in leadership positions with the Children to Love ministry and one day return to Romania.
Family Updates
The College of Allied Health hosted the final lecture for the fall semester of the 2013-2014 Distinguished Lecture Series, presented by the Press-Enterprise. Dr. Don Layman, director of research and the Egg Nutrition Center, spoke Nov. 11 about the Dietary Protein Dilemma: Emotion Versus Science. Layman also spent the day speaking to various students in the nutrition and food sciences and kinesiology programs, and presenting to the Women’s Water Polo Team and the Recreation Center Trainers.
Dr. Helen Jung
Aaron Singer
Dr. Helen Jung, assistant professor and department chair of civil engineering, with Aaron Singer, a civil engineering student, attended Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research on Nov. 23. They presented a poster titled Utilizing The Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) for flash flood predictions in semi-arid area: a case study in Devil Canyon, a head watershed of Santa Ana River Basin in CA. The conference met at Whittier College.
Dr. Mark Kling
Dr. Mark Kling, assistant professor of criminal justice and public administration for Online and Professional Studies, was a featured guest speaker at the American Society of Public Administration’s luncheon held at CBU on Nov. 14th. The topic was Emergency Management. Kling spoke about current trends in Emergency Management along with other panel speakers: Anthony Coletta, emergency services administrator for the City of Riverside, and Bob Miller, adjunct professor of public administration at California State University San Bernardino.
Dr. Namhee Kim
Dr. Namhee Kim, assistant professor of communication disorders, presented research titled Vowel Context Effects in Early Word Forms at a seminar at the American Speech Hearing Language Association (ASHA) Annual Convention in Chicago on Nov. 16.
Dr. Daniel Skubik
Dr. Daniel W. Skubik, professor of law, ethics and humanities, gave a special presentation on campus Nov. 8 on The History of Chocolate. The presentation included the history of chocolate development and production, economic and environmental considerations, as well as current social and ethical issues regarding the chocolate industry. The evening concluded with a sampling of fine South America chocolates selected by Skubik. The event was organized by the University Honors Program, directed by Gayne J. Anacker, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for students currently enrolled in the program.
Sandra Romo
Sandra Romo, assistant professor of journalism and public relations, made two presentations at the College Media Advisers/Associated Collegiate Press 92nd Annual Convention in New Orleans Oct. 23-27. She spoke on Yearbook essentials: Five tips to produce a stellar book and You’ve got your theme…where do you go from here?
Dr. Patricia Hernandez
Dr. Mary Ann Pearson
Dr. Mary Ann Pearson, associate professor of communication arts in Online and Professional Studies, and Dr. Patricia Hernandez, assistant professor of communication studies in Online and Professional Studies, have developed a program with Riverside Downtown Business Improvement District to provide interns to downtown businesses needing assistance in using social media.
From left: Denise Bokman, Lisa Weeks, Dakota Mattson and Tawnee Ortiz
Four graduate students in English–Denise Bokman, Lisa Weeks, Dakota Mattson and Tawnee Ortiz—each presented a paper at the 2013 Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association Conference held in San Diego, Nov. 1-3. Focusing on a shared topic Reflections in the Mirrors of Layers of Reality: the Power of Fictional Narratives, their papers resulted from a course called Narrative Literature and Theory they took last spring with Dr. James Lu, professor of English and chair of the department of modern languages and literature. At the same conference Lu presided over a panel titled Literature of the American West. Also, Dr. Owen Staley, lecturer in modern languages and literature, delivered a paper titled ‘Vilmorin and Ophuls’ Madame D: Culture and Camera in the College French Classroom.
Dr. Fred Pontius (left) talks with faculty and students at the Chinese Agricultural University following the presentation.
Dr. Fred Pontius, associate professor of civil engineering, was invited to do a presentation Oct. 23 on Drinking Water Treatment in Agricultural Areas to faculty and students at the College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chinese Agricultural University in Beijing, China.
Dr. Anthony Chute
Dr. Anthony Chute, associate dean of the School of Christian Ministries, was elected as the chair of the Baptist Studies Group for the Evangelical Theological Society.
Dr. Chris Morgan
Dr. Chris Morgan, dean of the School of Christian Ministries, received the inaugural Southeastern Theological Fellowship Award for Excellence in Evangelical Scholarship. The award was presented during the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, in Baltimore, Md. In addition to the criterion of publishing, Morgan was recognized for his leadership at an evangelical institution, his deep concern for the local church and his consistent demonstration of Christian character. Dr. Bruce Ashford, provost and dean of faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, presented the award.
Dr. Chuck Sands
Dr. Chuck Sands, dean of the College of Allied Health, wrote an article titled Preparing for Medical School for CollegeXpress, an online resource for college searches. The article is available by clicking here. Also, Sands recently co-authored an article titled American Diabetes Association Guideline Compliance in the Alabama School System with colleagues at Samford University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The article was published in Practical Diabetology. In addition, he provided a workshop on Prioritizing your Life to Leadership Allied Health students on Nov. 14.
The College of Allied Health celebrated Allied Health Professionals week Nov. 7-13 to honor the 5 million health care providers within the allied health professions. Students in the College of Allied Health created cards of thanks and delivered them with fresh baked cookies to various departments on campus and clinics, hospitals and foundations in Riverside.
The California Baptist University chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, inducted its inaugural student membership on Nov. 7. Inductees had a minimum grade point average of 3.2 and completed specific coursework in the program. They included Vanessa Hupka, Jessica Trujillo, Salvador Jiménez, Nicholas Ryan Topoleski, Amber Lachelle Beteta and Janine Nava.
Dr. Trevor Gillum
Dr. Trevor Gillum, assistant professor of kinesiology, co-authored an article titled Sex differences in heat shock protein 72 expression after acute exercise in the heat, which was published in the October issue of International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Joseph Hines, an adjunct professor of marketing in Online and Professional Studies, recently wrote a blog about the importance of finding Jesus in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. The blog is available by clicking here.
The photo exhibit at The NWBLK in San Francisco
Dirk Dallas, assistant professor of graphic design, recently exhibited his work at a photography show in San Francisco called 100 | 50 | 1. Held at The NWBLK, the exhibit brought together 50 mobile photographers to showcase portraits they captured using their smartphones. Money raised from the sale of the show catalog and photographer’s prints were donated to 100cameras, a non-profit organization that empowers kids to create tangible change in their communities by teaching them to capture their lives through photography.
CBU’s School of Education partnered with CM School Supply in Riverside to purchase supplies for the Operation Christmas program. CM School Supply provided about $100 in merchandise.
Dayna Herrera
Dayna Herrera, assistant professor of nursing, delivered a presentation at the Magic in Teaching Conference in Irvine, Calif. on Nov. 13. The presentation Working Together Can Save a Life shared the strategies and evaluation outcomes of an interprofessional education simulation.
Dr. Kristen M. White
Dr. Kristen M. White, assistant professor of psychology in Online and Professional Studies, co-authored and published a book in September titled Holistic success: How to dance through life with the abandon of a child and skill of a master. The book covers basic info about how to live well in all the main areas of life (relationships, work, body, heart, mind) and was published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. For more information, click here.
Dr. Jeff Cate
Dr. Jeff Cate, professor of New Testament, presented a paper titled The Devil in the Details: The Historical Significance of Textual Variants in Revelation 13:18 at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Baltimore, Md. on Nov. 21.
Dr. Daniel Prather
Dr. Daniel Prather, professor of aviation science, was awarded the Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) designation by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). The NBAA represents the aviation programs of companies that operate in-house fleets of aircraft.
Dr. Daniel Blair (left), with daughter, Krista , at LifeHouse Theater
Dr. Daniel Blair, assistant professor of American sign language, recently performed the principal role of Padre in Man of La Mancha at LifeHouse Theater in Redlands.
Dr. Meg Barth
Dr. Meg Barth, professor of nutrition and food sciences, has been selected for the University of Illinois College of Merit Award, the highest honor given to alumni.
Dr. Lisa Bursch
Dr. Lisa Bursch, assistant professor of nursing, recently completed the doctor of nursing practice degree from Rush University in Chicago.
Janelle Meisel with children Elijah, 3; Kinsey, 4 1/2; and Aubrey, 8 months
Janelle Krick Meisel, wife of Darren Meisel, director of undergraduate admissions, was featured in two Press-Enterprise articles about her Hemet Baptist Christian volleyball team that won four consecutive CIF-SS titles. Read the articles by clicking here and here.
Nelson and Denise Glenore Green
Denise Glenore, assistant professor of nursing, married Nelson Green Nov. 23 at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena.
Lynnae and Charles Nagel
Lynnae Bosch, data technician for the School of Nursing, married Charles Nagel on Sept. 14, 2013. The ceremony took place at First Chino United Reformed Church in Chino, and the reception was held at the Vellano Country Club in Chino Hills.
Personnel Updates
| DATE | DEPARTMENT | POSITION | NAME | STATUS |
| 11/18/2013 | Facilities and Planning Services | Food Service Equipment Technician/Lead | Scott Glackin | New Hire |
| 11/18/2013 | Student Accounts | Students Accounts Advisor | Lauren Morgan | New Hire |
| 11/18/2013 | Public Safety | Public Safety Officer | Angel Castro | New Hire |
| 11/18/2013 | Marketing and Communication | Graphic Designer | Ryan Hubbard | New Hire |
| 12/2/2013 | Institutional Advancement | Director of Development | Amy J. Burggraf | New Hire |
| 11/18/2013 | Accounting | Payroll Manager | Tracy Burgess | Change |
| 11/13/2013 | Athletics | Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach-Part-time | Troy Johnson | No Longer Employed |
| 11/14/2013 | Facilities and Planning Services | HVAC Supervisor | Daniel T. Schwartz | No Longer Employed |
| 11/18/2013 | Student Accounts | Student Accounts Counselor | Kayly M. Watson | No Longer Employed |