February 12, 2014

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

Riverside mayor challenges community to live healthier lifestyle

 “One in four youth in Riverside are overweight,” said Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey, “and about 56 percent of adults in this area are overweight or obese. We’re going to change that.”

Bailey was featured speaker Feb. 10 at California Baptist University’s College of Allied Health Distinguished Lecture Series, presented by The Press-Enterprise. An audience of Riverside residents, CBU students, faculty and staff packed the Wallace Theatre to hear him discuss the topic Healthy Riverside: City of Riverside Initiatives for a Healthier Community.

A third generation Riverside native, Bailey quoted I Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”

The Bible verse was the focus of Bailey’s lecture on his vision for a healthy Riverside.

“Individuals became G.I.s when they stepped into the role of soldier,” he said. “That stood for ‘government issue.’ Maybe we should call ourselves G.I.s also and let it stand for ‘God issue.’”

Bailey said that three behaviors contribute to the most common chronic diseases: smoking, diet and lack of exercise. He said Riverside has a number of programs to address those behaviors.

He identified “food deserts” in Riverside, where low-income residents have little access to transportation and, therefore, few healthy food options.

“Green Riverside is a program that encourages community gardens on city property,” he said. “We’ve also taken an active role in local food access by providing mobile trucks.”

Bailey acknowledged the farmers’ markets available in several parts of Riverside each week, making healthy food more available to citizens. In addition, he spoke about the Fit, Fresh and Fun program, which encourages residents to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

“Our goal is to reduce the overweight and obese to less than 50 percent of the city population,” he added.

Bailey praised local partnerships, which have been key in the city’s initiatives for a healthier community.

“The Walk Riverside Campaign involved 428 walkers in 26 local neighborhoods,” he said. “Those individuals took 4,056 walks for a total of 12,518 miles in three months. Also, the Workplace Wellness program helped 330 employees shed 2,900 pounds last year just by providing them exercise space in stairwells and walking paths.”

Yet, the mayor was quick to say that his own healthy lifestyle, just like anyone else’s, could use improvement.

“It’s hard to fit in time to diet and exercise,” he said, “but we’re going to work on that, right?”

The Distinguished Lecture Series explores local and national issues and trends of interest to people involved in the promotion of good health. The next speaker will be Dr. Gil Odendaal, vice president of integral mission for World Relief, a non-profit that works to empower churches to serve the vulnerable in their communities. Odendaal will speak on the topic Healthcare is a justice issue: From ideology to practice and the changing role of the church March 10 at 6:30 p.m. in Wallace Theatre.

 

College of Engineering hosts MATHCOUNTS for area schools

MATHCOUNTS, a competitive mathematics program held at California Baptist University on Feb. 8, attracted 129 middle school students from 19 area schools.

The top three individual winners were Alair Zhao of Chino, a student at Oxford Preparatory Academy; Audrey Yao and Angela Xu, both from Riverside’s Frank A. Miller Middle School. In addition, teams from three area schools will move on to the state competition: Frank A. Middle School, Beattie Middle School of Highland and Riverside STEM Academy.

“MATHCOUNTS is a national competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement,” explained Dr. Ziliang Zhou, chapter competition coordinator and chair of CBU’s mechanical engineering program. “Participants advance through school, chapter and state competitions until the final students are selected from 57 states and territories to advance to the national competition held each May.”

CBU’s College of Engineering (COE) has hosted the Riverside/San Bernardino chapter competition since 2009. COE students volunteer their time during the event to serve as competition graders and proctors. Top performers receive a $10,000 scholarship ($2,500 per year) if they enroll in the CBU engineering program as a full-time student in the future.

The competition included four rounds: the spirit round consisted of 30 problems that could only be completed by the most capable students within the time limit; the target round featured multi-step problems to engage students in mathematical reasoning and problem-solving processes; the team round included 10 problems that team members worked together to solve; and the countdown round was a fast-paced, oral competition for individuals with the highest scores from the spirit and target rounds. Calculators were only permitted in the target and team rounds.

The Southern California state competition will be held March 15 at the University of California Irvine. The 2014 Raytheon national competition will take place in Orlando, Fla. on May 9.

 

 CBU speech and debate team wins awards, sweepstakes

California Baptist University’s speech and debate team earned 10 individual trophies and a 3^rd place team sweepstakes Award among all schools at the Golden Cowboy Speech and Debate Invitational tournament held at California State University Los Angeles on Feb. 9.

Individual trophies were earned by the following CBU students:

• Daley Thomale – Top Novice Speaker in Informative Speaking and Persuasive Speaking, 3^rd Place in Novice Impromptu Speaking
• Bridgette Michna – 1^st Place award for Novice Impromptu Speaking
• Isabel Zumaya – Top Novice Speaker for Communication Analysis, 6^th Place in Novice Impromptu Speaking
• Alexandra Moomaw – Top Novice Speaker for Prose Interpretation
• Brianna Nelson – 2^nd Place award for Novice Impromptu Speaking
• Joseph Chan – 4^th Place award for Open Impromptu Speaking
• Ana’ly Garcia – 4^th Place award in Open Extemporaneous Speaking
• Arturo Cabrera and Adriena Young – 5^th Place award in Open Duo Interpretation

The CBU team narrowly edged California State University Northridge for 3^rd place and were only outranked by El Paso Community College and Illinois State University.

 

Concert guitarist challenges audience to ‘cross the street’

Christian Thomas Lee, a concert classical guitarist and art collector, stood before a group of California Baptist University students, faculty and staff Feb. 6 and talked about his bouts of severe depression.

“There are times in my life when I have been driven to my knees [because] the weight of depression was so great,” he said, “It is in those dark, lonely moments of my life that I hear a still, small, quiet voice say to me ‘my grace is sufficient for you.’”

Lee played a classical selection for the audience and spoke about what it means to live a life of purpose, using the lives of artists and composers as examples. Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Michelangelo all were “fragile, fractured and flawed,” Lee said. Most people would not have crossed the street to meet them, he added, yet, they were driven to use the gifts God gave them.

The performance was one of three Lee is performing this week for CBU audiences.

“I’m not a Christian artist,” he said. “I’m an artist who is a Christian. Why? Because I want to put Christianity back in our culture.”

Lee interjected his talk with a display of art, including works by Pablo Picasso, Peter Carl Faberge, Giovanni Battista Pasqualini and others. He explained that he visits schools to expose students to the arts, and he receives hundreds of letters a year from them as a result.

“This letter is why I do what I do today,” he said, reading from one of them: “‘Mr. Lee, I didn’t know I was an artist until you came to my school and showed me. You changed my life.’”

He told students they are attending CBU so that they can give hope to a world that has no hope.

“If you choose to cross the street, not only will you change the life of the person you encounter, you’ll change your own life, too,” he said.

Lee challenged them to live the purpose God intended for them.

“What is God calling you to do?” he asked. “Go do it, no matter the cost. The world is just waiting for you to cross the street.”

 

 Training teaches CBU volunteers to depend on each other

The group of California Baptist University students, faculty and staff members entered Innovators Auditorium in single file Feb. 1 for dinner. What they found wasn’t what they expected.

Across the front of the room, there were four tables set with tablecloths, plates and silverware. Students sat in upholstered chairs and were served their meals, complete with bread and dessert, by uniformed waiters.

The second group sat in plastic chairs in a circle—no table and a stack of Styrofoam bowls on the floor. The designated leader left the room to retrieve their meal—rice mixed with chicken—and then passed the bowl to others in the circle.

The last group sat on the floor with no bowls and no eating utensils. They ate the rice and beans they were given and then were allowed to beg for food from others in the room.

“I wonder how they decided who would eat where,” mused one student to another. “How did they decide who would be rich and who would be poor?”

For Aubrey MacMillan, a CBU junior participating in an International Service Project (ISP) team, the poverty meal experience was the most sobering.

“I was categorized as a middle class citizen, and I received one small scoop of rice and shredded chicken for my meal,” she said. “At the time, I was tired and hungry, but I became that much more thankful for the meal because of the reminder of so many less fortunate.”

The meal was part of Intensive Training Weekend designed to help prepare volunteers for the summer’s assignments in various U.S. and overseas service opportunities. This summer, about 400 students and team leaders will work in 47 teams to serve in 17 countries.

“Research shows that community and responsibility are the top two concerns that our students have,” said Kristen White, director of global mobilization. “CBU provides extensive ministry and cross-cultural training for students serving in the U.S. and overseas. Also, our faculty and staff leaders seek to connect with and invest in students to challenge them to take their next step in engaging the world.”

On Friday afternoon, students moved into classrooms and lecture halls where they took part in the training and even spent two nights in sleeping bags. In addition to the poverty meal, they experienced simulations such as worship in “house church” settings, visiting a world market, learning to prayerwalk and a variety of other scenarios.

“We were there to support one another,” MacMillan said. “This was an important thing to realize as it made us all aware of exactly how much we will need to lean on each other in any situation.”

 

CBU dean says transformational leadership is key to change

Change is not executed very well,” said Dr. Franco Gandolfi, dean of the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business at California Baptist University. “We don’t really understand it.”

Gandolfi was the featured speaker at the Leadership and Change seminar titled How can you increase your odds of successful change in the workplace?, hosted by CBU’s graduate program in leadership studies.

He contended that two major problems exist when organizations are confronted with change:  first, the vast majority of change initiatives fail and, second, that change is an over-researched and widely misunderstood concept.

Gandolfi quoted Peter Drucker, a management consultant and author, who said “the greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”

Change is a constant, Gandolfi said, but change and transformation are not necessarily the same thing: change can be disruptive, but transformational change can be a stimulus to the organization. The key is to be the type of leader who inspires transformation.

“Once you have been transformed, you are a new entity, and you can’t ever go back,” he said. “So the question is: are you a transformational leader?”

CBU’s School of Education offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in leadership. The Leadership Seminar Series is a community service event free to the public and is hosted simultaneously live and online.

The next seminar in the series is titled Ethical principles for leaders: navigating wicked problems and is scheduled for June 2 at 7 p.m.

 

Riverside beautification program honors CBU Recreation Center

California Baptist University’s Recreation Center was honored with a beautification award recently from the Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful (KRCB) program.

Mayor Rusty Bailey presented CBU with the 2014 KRCB Mayor’s Award during the annual State of the City Address luncheon on Jan. 23. Kent Dacus, CBU vice president for enrollment and student services, accepted the award on behalf of the university.

The Mayor’s Award is one of nine KRCB beautification awards presented each year, with some including second- and third-place honors. The program received 47 nominations for 2014.

According to the KRCB website, the awards are presented “to buildings and facilities within the City of Riverside that capture outstanding landscape, cleanliness and curb appeal.”

KRCB is a volunteer program sponsored by the City of Riverside’s Public Works Department and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. Its mission is “to instill a sense of community pride by creating partnerships that work toward the beautification of the city.”

The Recreation Center also was honored in the November 2013 edition of American School & University magazine, which profiled the facility in its Architectural Portfolio issue for its outstanding design.

Family Updates

Dr. Bruce Stokes, professor of Behavioral Sciences and Julie Goodman, assistant professor of anthropology, attended Hashivenu, a conference designed for leaders to discuss important issues related to the Messianic Jewish movement, a segment of Christian faith which values Jewish identity and practice. This year’s topic was centered on issues regarding caring for the earth and being good stewards of God-given natural resources. Goodman presented a response paper to Dr. Elliot Klayman’s position paper titled Exploring our Responsibility for Earth’s Resources: Shaping an Eco-Ethicological Approach for Discussion.  The meeting was held in Encino, Calif. Jan. 19-21.

 

Dr. Linn Carothers, professor of mathematics, represented CBU at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) conference at California Polytechnic State University Pomona on  Feb 1. The topic was  STEM Education Effectiveness: From Curricular Frameworks to Student Research. AACU represents a group of 61 research-intensive schools committed to focusing their campuses on achieving the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)  call for “1 million additional college graduates with STEM degrees.”

 

 

Dr. Daniel Szeto, associate professor of biology and biochemistry, spoke on Feb. 4 at the natural and math sciences department monthly colloquium. His presentation was titled Mechanism of BMP signaling in regulating embryonic development of zebrafish.

 

 

 

Dr. Dennis K. Bideshi, professor of biology and clinical bicrobiologist, co-authored two published peer-reviewed articles on the complete genome sequences of invertebrate IIV-30 and IIV-25 iridoviruses and one paper on genetic engineering of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki to produce a chitinase inclusion body that enhances the pesticidal activity of this bacterium. He collaborates with scientists from the United States, France and Mexico.

 

 

 

Dirk Dallas, assistant professor of graphic design, recently did a photo shoot for Nike featuring Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Chuck Sands, dean of the College of Allied Health, was recently appointed to the board of directors of Riverside Community Hospital.

 

 

 

 

The CBU Downtown Gallery will present an exhibit beginning Feb. 13 titled The dogs are on the grass and birds are on top of the dog’s head. A reception also will be held March 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. during Riverside’s Art Walk. The exhibition is a selection of artworks by artists from the First Street Gallery Art Center in Claremont and is curated and designed by Kristine Lippire’s Advanced Art class. Lippire is an adjunct professor in the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design. The gallery is located at 3737 Main St., Suite 101.

 

Stefani Plummer, director of the Recreation Center, was featured in a Jan. 29 article on NIRSA’s website. The article is titled Where are they now: Stefani Plummer and focuses on Plummer’s college experience and her work at CBU. It is available by clicking here. NIRSA was formerly known as the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association and is now called NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation.

 

 

Dr. Keanon Alderson, associate professor of business, was recently named the co-editor of the Journal of Family Business Management, with responsibility for North America. Alderson was formerly on the journal’s editorial review board.

 

 

 

 

Erin Smith, assistant professor of psychology, was a participant at Exploring Origins: Nazarenes in Dialogue, a conference hosted by Point Loma Nazarene University Jan. 23-25.

 

 

 

 

Heather Hubbert, assistant dean of students, ran the Disney Tinker Bell Half Marathon  on Jan. 19.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angela Xu was one of the three top winners at the MathCounts event Feb. 8 on CBU’s campus. Xu is a student at Frank A. Miller Middle School and the daughter of Dr. Grace Ni, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

 

Caleb Michael Henning, son of Sean and Megan Henning, was born Feb. 3, weighing 8 lbs. 12 oz. and measuring 21 inches long. Sean is the assistant coach for the Lancer cross country team and Megan is an adjunct professor for Online and Professional Studies.

 

 

 

Personnel Updates

DATE	DEPARTMENT	POSITION	NAME	STATUS
2/1/2014	Global Initiatives	Director of International Center	Bryan Davis	Change
2/3/2014	Marketing and Communication	Marketing Manager	Jacob Robertson	Change
2/6/2014	Athletics	Asst. Women’s Basketball Coach	Amanda Reynolds(Formerly: DeCoud)	Name Change
1/29/2014	Community Life	Program Director-Outdoor Adventure	Joshua Mott	No Longer Employed
1/31/2014	Public Safety	Asst. Director of Public Safety	Richard Bargas	No Longer Employed
1/31/2014	School of Education	Data/Administrative Coordinator for School of Education	Renee Harris	No Longer Employed
1/31/2014	School of Business	Administrative Secretary	Janelle Peters	No Longer Employed
1/21/2014	Aviation Science	Flight Instructor	Jeffrey Mulhorn	No Longer Employed