December 10, 2014

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU listed on President’s Higher Education Honor Roll

California Baptist University has been listed on the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Honor Roll for exemplary community service. Approximately 700 institutions qualified for the list nationwide.

“The President’s Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions whose community service efforts achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities,” said Ted Miller, chief of external affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service. “This distinction is the highest federal recognition colleges and universities can receive for community service, service-learning and civic engagement. This recognition is part of our strategic commitment to engage millions of college students in service and celebrate the critical role of higher education in strengthening communities.”

To qualify, CBU submitted a lengthy application outlining the university’s community service and service learning participation. Students, faculty and staff contributed more than 600,000 service hours in 2013, with a value of more than $16 million to the community.

Community service and service learning impact two of CBU’s Core 4 student outcomes: globally minded and equipped to serve.

The Dr. Bonnie G. Metcalf School of Education hosted a luncheon and an open house reception honoring Dr. Bonnie G. Metcalf during homecoming week. Her son and daughter-in-law were also in attendance.

 

ASCBU Christmas Party attracts more than 2,000 people

Students, faculty and staff took a break from end-of-the-semester projects Dec. 4 to celebrate California Baptist University’s annual Christmas Party on the Front Lawn.

The event, organized by Associated Students of California Baptist University (ASCBU), kicked off with a speech by CBU President Ronald L. Ellis who read from Luke 2, which tells about the birth of Jesus. Ellis concluded his speech saying, “This is a special time to remember the birth of Christ.” He then led a countdown that ended with the lighting of the Christmas tree on the front lawn.

The event, attended by more than 2,000 people, featured food stands, arcade games, jumpers, carolers and areas with snow for sledding. Attendees roamed from activity to activity sipping on eggnog and hot chocolate, served at the party.

“The party is great. There are a lot of people here and it looks like everybody is having fun,” said Austin Ng, a sophomore civil engineering major. “I love that our school takes the effort to put on these events. ASCBU always does a great job.”

“ASCBU has been planning this event since mid-August. It is one of our biggest events, and it is great when it all comes together,” said Trent Ward, ASCBU president. “It grows every year.”

High school students who were on campus for the 24 at CBU program to learn about the university also attended the party. Raymond Velasquez, a senior at La Sierra High School in Riverside, was one of them.

“The party is great. I didn’t expect it to be so amazing. It’s like Disneyland out here, I love it,” Velasquez said. “CBU seems like more than just a school, it’s a community. This party made me love the school even more, and I am very much looking forward to coming here next year.”

 

CBU musicians present Christmas concert during chapel services

Musicians from the Collinsworth School of Music kicked off the Christmas season at California Baptist University by performing a variety of selections during chapel services Dec. 3.

The Jazz Band, conducted by Dr. Guy Holliday, began the festivities by performing a mix of seasonal songs as students walked into chapel.

“Christmas is a time of great traditions,” Holliday said, as he talked about putting up lights and how excited children become. He then conducted the Concert Band, while Brett Vowell, director of chapel and compassion ministries, read “The Night Before Christmas.”

Afterward, the University Choir lined the court of Van Dyne Gymnasium as they sang “Tiny Little Town of Bethlehem” a cappella before taking their places on risers.

Dr. Judd Bonner, dean of the School of Music, conducted the University Choir and Orchestra in songs such as “The First Noel” and “Joy to the World.”

The choir and orchestra also performed “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” which is their most requested song, Bonner said. It is based on a poem by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow had suffered personal tragedy during the Civil War and after spending years wishing for peace, he wrote the poem “Christmas Bells,” proclaiming “God is not dead, nor does he sleep.”

The University Choir and Orchestra has several upcoming performances, including one at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at Life Church in Riverside and 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at Magnolia Church in Riverside. Tickets for the Dec. 10 performance can be reserved by calling 951.343.4251.

 

CBU volunteers will serve in 18 countries on 42 teams in 2015

Excitement was in the air Wednesday night, Dec. 3, as several hundred California Baptist University students filed into the auditorium at Sherman Indian High School in Riverside. The occasion? It was Team Reveal, the time when the Office of Mobilization reveals which volunteer teams the students will serve on.

Next year, approximately 400 students, faculty and staff will make up 42 teams for International Service Projects, United States Projects and Summer of Service. The teams will serve in 18 countries.

The theme for 2015 is Resolved, with the theme verse I Peter 4:1-1: Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, equip yourselves also with the same resolve — because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin — in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God’s will.

The Scripture calls for Christians to be resolved to do whatever it takes to live their lives in the will of God, Jared Dobbins, assistant director of global mobilization, told the students.

“Start to ask yourself, what does it mean to be resolved to live in light of the gospel for the sake of the unreached,” he said.

Each participant had received a different colored envelope at the beginning of the evening and were dismissed by color groups later. When they reached their designated spot, they opened the envelopes. Inside was a colored carabiner. Then a leader announced where each color was going. For example, those with a red carabiner were going to South Asia. The leaders and students began getting to know each other and preparing for the training which will run through the spring semester.

Earlier, Kristen White, director of global mobilization, told students to do their best whatever team they are on, whether it’s sports or nursing.

“It’s really not about where you go, it’s about who you serve,” she said. “Over the next six months, you’re going to learn more about yourself, more about the world and more about God.”

 

CBU program helps international students feel connected

Going to college is a big adjustment for anyone. Going to college in a foreign country makes the adjustment even bigger. California Baptist University has a program in place to help international students feel at home and connected.

The American Family Program, operated by the International Center, gives international students a family here in Riverside to serve as a support system far from home, said Marie King, a graduate assistant at the International Center. Students from Rwanda and students enrolled in the Intensive English Program are required to be in the family program, but all international students are welcome to be part of it, King said.

“It can be a hard transition being that far away, especially this time of year, too, when everyone else has plans and you’re not going home till the summer,” King said. “We just kind of seek to make that connection and help them get a lasting connection to people in Riverside.”

She finds families from the staff at CBU and local churches. Each student and family fills out a profile and then are matched. The commitment for families and students is for at least the academic year, with the potential of being longer, King said. Families have the students over for the holidays and often get together throughout the school year for other activities. Both sides are expected to communicate weekly.

Ken Sanford, student teacher supervisor, and his wife, Denise, started as a host family last year for two Chinese students and are continuing this year with those students. Sanford has been to China through participation in International Service Projects for five years in a row, and he has gotten to know international students at CBU. Sanford and his wife have had the students over for meals, gone out for dinner and visited an amusement park. They touch base with each other almost every day.

“Here you are across the seas, thousands of miles away from home,” he said. “It gives them that other person that can feel like family to them, that they can turn to. This is the more personable, family touch.”

Kristina Tchernyshev is a sophomore from Israel majoring in international studies. She came to CBU because of its swim program. Tchernyshev was matched with a family last year and has spent time with them, including dinners at their home.

“They were really supporting. They welcomed me to their house, to their family. Last year was my first Christmas with them and it was so fun,” she said.  “I got a chance to be part of the family, because my family’s not here.”

It’s essential for international students to feel supported while far away from home, King said. The International Center also offers the Intensive English Program, helps run International Chapel and holds events for international students, such as a Disneyland trip and International Celebration Week, in hopes that they will connect with other students.

“I think it just helps form deeper connections and enhances their education experience,” she said of the family program. “I think it’s a really cool way to impact the nations here at home. You don’t have to get on a plane to make a difference. That’s one thing I really love about this program.”

 

 

Family Updates

Dr. Shasha Zheng, assistant professor of nutrition, is author of an article titled TAM receptor-dependent regulation of SOCS3 and MAPKs contributes to pro-inflammatory cytokine down regulation following chronic NOD2 stimulation of human macrophages, which was recently published in the Journal of Immunology.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Melissa Antonio, assistant professor of biology, gave a presentation titled Pedagogical Techniques to Improve Undergraduate STEM Teaching and Student Learning at the monthly Natural and Mathematical Sciences Department Colloquium on Nov. 19. Her report was based on information she learned last June at the West Coast Scientific Teaching Summer Institute in Riverside on how to “flip the classroom” and incorporate active learning tools into otherwise didactic lectures.

 

 

 

Dr. William Flores, associate professor of Spanish, presented a paper titled Ecocritical Approaches to the Teaching of Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa Oct. 11 at the 2014 Regional American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Conference on Hispanic Literature in Moreno Valley. Flores also presented information about the CBU bachelor of arts in Spanish to a large number of students and diverse local student organizations.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jong-Wha Bai, department chair of civil engineering; Dr. Julian Mills-Beale, assistant professor of civil engineering; and 16 civil engineering students visited the construction site of the Wilshire Grand in downtown Los Angeles, which will become the tallest high-rise building west of the Mississippi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Erin Smith, assistant professor of psychology, presented a paper titled Creation Beliefs: The Default of the Mind or the Product of Culture? as part of a symposium on Children’s Concepts of Gods: Investigating Cognitive and Cultural Variables at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion on Nov. 23 in San Diego.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jeff Cate, professor of Christian studies, has been selected to serve a three-year term on the International Greek New Testament Project (www.igntp.org). The IGNTP is comprised of 25 North American and European scholars in textual criticism who oversee work towards comprehensive editions of the manuscript evidence for the books of the Greek New Testament.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jeff Barnes, dean of academic services, is author of a book titled A Student’s Guide to Understanding Jesus and the Gospels:  Navigating Your Journey Through Critical Scholarship, published by Aviva Publishing.

 

 

 

Marilyn D. Moore, associate professor of sociology, was honored at a non-profit event in Fontana Nov. 22 called Women Who Hide, an organization designed to highlight issues related to women’s mental health. Moore was given the Courage Award for her contributions to the community to promote the needs of women in the Inland Empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Torria Bond, instructional designer for Online and Professional Studies, published a guest blog titled Fostering Real Conversations in the Online Classroom for Blackboard in December.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Ricardo J. Cordero-Soto, assistant professor of mathematics, was a guest panelist for a session called Field of Success: How to succeed in a math science doctoral program. Alliance PhD graduates tell their stories at the Field of Dreams Conference Nov. 7-9 in Mesa, Ariz. The conference is presented annually by the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences, an organization committed to ensuring an equal opportunity for all who wish to pursue a doctoral degree in mathematical sciences.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Margaret Barth, professor of nutrition and food sciences, is co-author of an article titled Effect of Modified Atmosphere Packaging on the Quality of Sea Buckthorn Berry Fruits during Postharvest Storage, which was published in the Journal of Food Quality. Barth collaborated with colleagues from the Harbin (China) Institute of Technology. She also served as moderator for a session on local food systems, food insecurity and public health at the American Public Health Association Conference in New Orleans Nov. 17th. Barth presented research on native American edible plants, antioxidant activity and opportunities for development of functional foods at the Southern California Institute of Food Technologists Section Nov. 19 at the Rio Hondo Event Center in Downey.

 

Kay Fangerow, adjunct professor in the School of Nursing, was a presenter Nov. 7 at the 2014 Southern California Public Health Association Annual Conference held at The California Endowment in Los Angeles. Her topic was Using Healthography to Define a Healthy Montclair.

 

 

 

Dr. David Poole, vice president for Online and Professional Studies, was a featured speaker at the 2014 County of Riverside Human Resources Conference in September.  His workshop/presentation centered on the topic of leadership types including transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leaders. In addition, Poole recently served on a panel with other senior educational leaders on the impact of online education for Leadership Riverside Class of 2014.

 

 

 

 

CBU’s Division of Online and Professional Studies dedicated its new Brea Educational Service Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 13. More than 100 faculty, staff and members of the community attended the grand opening held in Downtown Brea.

 

 

 

 

 

Kenneth George, assistant professor of business administration for Online and Professional Studies, spoke at the Certified Fraud Examiner Conference in Orange County, Calif. on November 13th. His topic was Ethical Financial Management.

 

 

 

 

 

Kenneth Minesinger, associate professor of law for Online and Professional Studies, recently edited an article for the State Bar of California’s Business Law News titled Using LLCs in Fiscal Sponsorship: An Update on “Model L.”

 

 

 

 

 

Code42, a data security firm in Minneapolis, Minn., is currently featuring California Baptist University in a case study on their website. The case study outlines the plan CBU used for to protect online data.

 

CBU academic secretaries purchased a water buffalo, a sheep, a hive of bees and a flock of chicks through Heifer International as part of their Christmas luncheon. In the past the group exchanged Christmas ornaments but decided three years ago to spend their money to help families in need all over the world. Each family who receives an animal through Heifer International agrees to give the animal’s first female offspring to another family in need.

 

Shawn Wilhite, adjunct professor in Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies, presented a paper titled Revisiting the Historical Present: John 13 and the Prominence of Discourse Features at the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in San Diego Nov. 19-21. In addition, Dr. Matthew Emerson, assistant professor of Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies, and Dr. Lucas Stamps, assistant professor of Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies, presented a paper titled Baptists and the Catholicity of the Church: Toward an Evangelical Baptist Catholicity at the meeting. Also, Emerson moderated the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar at the annual meeting of the Institute of Biblical Research Nov. 21 and wrote two articles: Human Flourishing Through Imagining Communion in Revelation 19: Confronting Evil by Incorporating Christ’s Victory, which was published in Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, and Facing Our Giants? Getting the Moral Sense Right in 1 Samuel 17, which was published in Fides et Humilitas.

 

The School of Nursing Association participated in the annual Festival of Trees Nov. 24-30, which is sponsored by the Riverside County Regional Medical Center Foundation. The festival features more than 50 elaborately decorated trees, each with its own unique theme, and is the only major fundraiser benefiting the pediatric units at the hospital. Through the support of the residents of Riverside County, the Foundation has raised more $8.5 million to better serve the children of Riverside County. CBU’s School of Nursing has participated in the festival since 2006.

 

Dr. Namhee Kim, assistant professor of communication disorders, presented a poster Nov. 21 titled Group Patterns and Individual Variations in Consonant Assimilation and Vowel Effects at the American Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention held in Orlando, Fla.

 

 

 

 

Sandra Romo, assistant professor of journalism, presented a paper titled Major Minor Faith: An exploration of social and relational factors that influence conversion among traditional college students at the National Communication Association meeting in Chicago on Nov. 19-21.

 

 

 

Shawnn Koning, university registrar, was honored as the 2014 Best Task Force Member by CBU’s institutional data task force at their Dec. 3 meeting. Koning was recognized for her continuing dedication and leadership in improving data-related processes. The mission of the task force is to manage information functions to ensure that CBU data are accurate, timely, sufficient and protected.

 

 

 

 

Personnel Updates