September 16, 2015

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU remembers 14th anniversary of 9-11 terrorist attack

Students, faculty and staff at California Baptist University took time to mark the 14^th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.

For the second year, the Associated Students of California Baptist University offered an opportunity to remember and honor the 2,977 people who lost their lives. At the Stamps Courtyard, students, faculty and staff took one of 2,977 flags, one for each victim, and placed the flag in the lawn, outlining a cross.

Makenna Lammons, ASCBU executive president and a junior psychology and criminal justice double major, wanted to hold the event again because it is important to take time to remember the nation’s history, she said.

“We get stuck in our CBU bubble and we need to reflect on what has happened in the outside world,” she said.

Mia Sewell, a sophomore psychology major, took time out of her day to place a flag. She was 5 when the attacks occurred. Her family was living in Santa Ana, California, at the time, but her father is from New York and had previously worked in the Twin Towers. She remembers a day of fear, mourning and confusion.

“It’s important to remember because I think it was such a huge event in our culture. … It kind of shook us at our core and we were worried,” she said. The event united her family and community. “We looked past all the stupid differences we fight about all the time, and we realized we’re human and we love each other and we just want to be safe.”

Greg Troehler, a pre-nursing senior, was attending college in North Carolina at the time. He remembers feeling helpless for the first time in his life, he said. The event led him to join the Army.

“It just shocked me and hurt my spirit so deeply that someone could organize, plan something so evil and so wicked,” he said. “At the same time, I think it brings us together tighter because we have that appreciation for the freedom that we have, and it gave me the desire to contribute to that.”

Joni Dunlap, office manager in residence life, was afraid to take her children to school that day 14 years ago. She is grateful for the ASCBU event to pull the campus together.

“I think that the lives that were lost still matter, and we need to remember their families and pray for them even this long after,” she said.

 

CBU women’s basketball team visits the Riverside mayor

Inspired by the California Baptist University women’s basketball national title run earlier this year, Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey made a special request for the team to visit him when they returned home.

CBU followed up on that invitation Sept. 11 as the mayor welcomed the Lancers to his office for a chat.

Read more here.

 

 

 

New freshman class arrives at CBU to begin a journey of faith

Hundreds of members of the Class of 2019 arrived at California Baptist University the first weekend in September to begin their college experience.

Who are these freshmen? A majority of them were born in 1997 or 1998; they are part of the millennial generation. For many, social interactions include emoticons. Technology is second nature and if you want to annoy them just try “labeling them” with a title.

Millennials also have lived through one of the worst recessions in modern history, post 9/11 realities and the rise of ISIS and other terrorist organizations.

Yet in addition to the social, political and economic conditions that will shape their coming-of-age story, for many of these CBU freshmen faith will also play a significant role.

For many, faith was a key reason they choose CBU. For some it meant leaving their families and communities behind to begin this new journey.

Michaela Vansant, a visual arts major, made a road trip with her family from Colorado to move into student housing during Welcome Weekend.

“I’m open to seeing what God is going to do in my life during my time at CBU,” said Vansant. “What I do know is that CBU is a “Great Commission” school and I wanted to be here.”

Kevin Chen, an aviation science major, made the journey to California Baptist University from Taiwan.  Chen said the decision to leave his family and study abroad was made easier by the fact that he is coming to CBU.

“Faith is very important to me. CBU has a safe environment where I can talk about my faith, especially to those who haven’t heard about Christ yet,” Chen said.

Janelle Lopez, a special education major, came to CBU from Florida to be a part of the cheer team.

She said it was a scary decision to move to California not knowing anyone. However, knowing others on campus share her faith will help in her transition.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people,” Lopez said. “I feel like I will fit in here just fine. I love being around others who believe the same thing as I do.”

John Montgomery, dean of spiritual life, said CBU is about “investing in students lives to develop followers of Jesus.”

“No matter where a student is in their spiritual journey, we want to help them take the next step as they grow in their relationship with God,” Montgomery said.

 

Celebrity Chef Jet Tila “stirs” it up at WOK ON grand opening

The recipe for the grand opening of California Baptist University’s new WOK ON dining option featured vegetables, protein, noodles and a celebrity chef.

Jet Tila, Food Network celebrity chef, was on hand Sept. 8 to serve up stir-fried cuisine, with CBU President Dr. Ronald L. Ellis enjoying the first serving of the Pan-Asian culinary delight.

WOK ON is the brainchild of Tila, who has partnered with CBU and Provider Contract Food Services to create the concept. Dining options include a modern twist to Thai, Cantonese and Chinese wok-style or stir-fried cooking.

“It’s healthier Asian food that gives you a range of Asia,” said Tila. “[WOK ON] really covers all of Asia…nice thing about Asia it’s a big place.”

Divina Cortes (’19) tried WOK ON for lunch on the first day of fall semester classes.

“It’s delicious and has great flavor,” said Cortes, who ate a bowl of stir-fried chicken, noodles, rice and veggies. “It tasted like a home cooked meal.”

Kipp Dougherty, director of Provider Contract Food Services, said CBU’s dining options included bowls but did not have a real focus on this type of cuisine until WOK ON arrived.

“We really wanted to focus in on Asian cuisine, which is extremely popular in Southern California. We knew that wasn’t in our wheelhouse, it wasn’t a strength of ours, so we started to look for culinary experts,” she said.

Tila is familiar with food services on campus communities. He has collaborated with more than 20 universities.

“We did a great job in nine to 12 weeks of creating a station that’s crave-able, delicious and that works well. It’s a feat,” Tila said.

Brittaney Perkins (’16) said it was a hardy meal for the amount she paid.

“If I can’t finish my meal then you know their serving size is good,” said Perkins, who tried a bowl of stir-fried rice, beef, chili and mushrooms.

WOK ON is located inside CBU’s Brisco’s Café at The Village student housing complex.

 

CBU named in three “Best Colleges” rankings for 2016

For the tenth time in as many years, California Baptist University has been named one of America’s Best Colleges in rankings by U.S.News and World Report for 2016. In addition to a top-40 ranking as a “Best Regional University”, CBU also ranked among the “Best Colleges for Veterans” and “Best Online Degree Programs” in the nation.

“These are influential rankings that affirm the value and quality of the educational programs that California Baptist University offers in both traditional and online settings,” said Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president. “Perhaps more importantly, they validate the decisions made by thousands of students—including a growing number of veterans—who choose to pursue their educational goals at California Baptist University,” he added.

The 2016 rankings place CBU in the top tier of educational institutions across the nation. CBU’s No. 39 ranking in the publication’s “Best Regional Universities” in the West for 2016 is a change of just one position from No. 38 for 2015, which was up four spots from No.42 the previous year.

‘Best Colleges’ rankings are featured in U.S. News & World Report each year to aid prospective students and their parents looking for the best academic values for their money. Now in its 31st year, the annual comparative listing uses a quantitative system of 16 weighted indicators of academic excellence to rank universities. Those indicators include: student selectivity, retention and graduation rates; assessment by peer institutions; faculty resources; financial resources and alumni giving.

For 2016, the category of Best Regional Universities includes 618 institutions that offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and master’s degrees but few, if any, doctoral programs. A full list of the rankings can be viewed at www.usnews.com/colleges.

 

Exhibit at CBU Gallery features works from CAVAD faculty

A California Baptist University art exhibit titled “Unlikely Visitors” is being held at the CBU Gallery through Oct 1.  The show features paintings, drawings and stoneware from faculty from the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design (CAVAD).

The show also includes an installation and performance piece, titled “Linhurst,” by Andrew Hochradel, adjunct professor. He set up a room to look like a darkened bedroom that visitors can wander through. During the opening reception, he lay “sleeping” in the bed.

“When I heard that the theme of the show was ‘Unlikely Visitors,’ I really was inspired to create an installation that turned the viewer into the art. I wanted the viewers to experience what it felt like to exist in someone else’s space,” Hochradel said. “I hope the one takeaway was that the public felt something—wonder, mischief, fear or any other emotion. It was meant to be a very personal and an individual experience.”

Hochradel plans to be in the space occasionally throughout the show’s run, however the room is still open when he is not there. During the opening reception, the performance art was him pretending to sleep. Throughout the evening, people left notes in his hand, drew on his feet and ink stamped him three times.

“Although I did drift off a couple times, the majority of the show was throwing myself into the context of the piece to allow people to explore and do whatever they chose to,” he said.

Nancy Ward, lecturer in art, is exhibiting a 6-by-7 foot acrylic on canvas titled “53.” It is part of a series she created around the disappearance of middle-age women in American media. She wants to make them visible again.

“It’s about looking at the beauty that comes with age,” Ward said. “I want to revisit the idea of what is beautiful; in that the beauty of wisdom, experience and joy that comes through on a woman’s face.”

Duncan Simcoe, professor of visual arts, said the faculty choose the work they wanted to be displayed.

“Art is a very large word in the 21^st century and can and does mean many different things. This exhibit underscores this fact,” Duncan said. “Viewers, whether they are students, fellow faculty or members of the public, should see that we as a group are productive studio artists. Each has a demonstrated commitment to refine a personal vision for art in the 21st century.”

Ward said the exhibit also allows students to see that their professors are not just teachers but artists as well.

“So many of (the professors) are doing interesting things and coming from very different places in the art world,” Ward said.

 

CBU students set Guinness World Record at Bunco

During Welcome Weekend at California Baptist University, 748 students packed into a huge tent erected on the Front Lawn of the CBU campus to play rousing rounds of Bunco, a popular dice throwing game. Not only did the activity provide students a fun opportunity to make new friends; the event also set a Guinness World Record for the most people playing Bunco simultaneously in a single location.

Bunco has become rooted in CBU tradition. Joe Adcock, assistant dean of students, introduced the game to the campus more than 10 years ago as part of new student orientation activities. Ironically, due to the game’s rise in popularity, Bunco at CBU had been on hiatus the past few years due to insufficient space to accommodate the game’s large number of players.

“We thought, let’s bring back a student tradition and see if we can break a world record as well,” said Chris Hofschroer, assistant dean of students – for community life.

In Bunco, players take turns rolling three dice, attempting to roll a pre-determined target number. A player who rolls a “three-of-a-kind” matching the target number is awarded a “Bunco” worth 21 points. To notify officials of a Bunco, the students were asked to celebrate by jumping up and down. This led to a playful and noisy affair with hundreds of cheering and screaming students.

The CBU Bunco tournament featured another twist to the tradition—students were encouraged to wear costumes to attend the event.

“Everybody I’ve met this weekend has shown me great love,” said Alvin Bautista, physical therapy freshman, who was dressed up in a banana costume. “When I was told to get dressed up I headed down to the local Goodwill store and picked out an outfit just for tonight.”

The category of most people simultaneously playing Bunco was introduced by Guinness specifically for this event following a formal request by Hofschroer. The record was easily set as Guinness required a minimum of 250 participants in order for the record to be valid. The record-setting CBU tournament featured 187 games being played at once.

Philip Robertson, official Guinness World Records adjudicator, attended the event to provide on-the-spot verification.

“I thought this was an old lady’s dice game, but this was incredible. People were bouncing out of their chairs and screaming,” Robertson said. “It is a lovely way to introduce people to the university and build camaraderie. I see a lot of college inductions, but this was truly incredible.”

With each successive round of Bunco, students relocated to different tables. The emcee for the evening encouraged students to ask questions to each other such as what their favorite movie or ice cream flavor.

“It means a lot to be a part of setting the record, especially with people I just met,” said Cristian Garcia, mechanical engineering freshman. “I met so many new people. It was a lot of fun.”

 

CBU alumnus launches clean air campaign at United Nations

A civil engineering graduate from the Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering launched a global campaign this summer to make clean air a basic human right.

Pedro Piqueras (’13) won a “Millennium Health Prize” from Millennium Campus Network (MCN) for his clean air campaign. As a result, he was given the opportunity to officially launch his campaign at the 7th Annual Millennium Campus Conference, a program of MCN, held Aug. 11 to 15, attended by students and politicians from more than 50 nations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Piqueras’ campaign, “fAIR4all,” is aimed at raising awareness of the health risk of air pollution. He wanted the conference participants to educate others and to take action, whether through creating laws or partnerships with non-governmental organizations. The end goal, he said, is for the UN to establish clean air as a basic human right.

“Until that is done, governments are not going to be forced to fix it or educate. Clean water is a basic human right, and since it is, governments are enforced to implement water projects,” Piqueras said. “By having that minimum standard in a global aspect, it would really encourage governments to do something about it.”

He is studying air pollution as he pursues his doctorate degree in chemical and environmental engineering at University of California, Riverside.

Piqueras said he became interested in the subject when he learned how many people die from air pollution-related causes annually. According to the World Health Organization, seven million people died as a result of air pollution exposure in 2012.

The campaign includes a monthly webinar, an email newsletter and a Facebook page. Piqueras encourages others to join.

“Unless somebody does something about it, nothing’s going to get done,” he said. “I definitely want to make the world a better place.”

Piqueras said CBU professors encouraged him and his fellow students to have a global perspective.

“They taught us it’s not just about making money, it’s about how you can help the world become a better place,” he said. “They definitely taught me to think like that, to think in a global perspective, especially when it came to people in need in developing countries.”

 

CBU professor delves into science, religion at Oxford Seminar

When students are given information about science that seems to conflict with their Christian beliefs, California Baptist University’s Dr. Erin Smith has observed they usually pick one of three responses.

They work to determine what is true and integrate the two areas together; they reject science; or they walk away from their faith. This observation has fueled Smith’s passion for pursuing research in this area.

Smith, assistant professor of psychology, is interested in aiding students who reject either faith or science and helping them work through the conflict.

“At CBU especially, we are about integration and I want to know how we can do that best to serve our students,” she said

Smith spent four weeks this summer at the Oxford Summer Seminar in England, participating in the Bridging the Two Cultures of Science and the Humanities 2015-16 project. The project included lectures, mentor sessions and workshops geared toward the integration of faith and science. Smith was one of 25 faculty participants at the seminar.

The project was hosted by Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford, a United Kingdom subsidiary of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. CCCU is an international association of Christ-centered colleges and universities with 119 members in North America and 55 affiliate institutions in 20 countries.

The goal of the project was to develop faculty’s interdisciplinary skills and understanding central to the field of science and religion as well as their use of those skills on their respective campuses.

As part of the project, Smith is required to conduct a research project and then develop a science and religion club at CBU.

For her project, Smith will shadow students as they engage with material that deals with potential conflicts of science and religion. Her goal is to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of an educational program for science and religion discussions, she said.

Smith intends to start the club next year. The goal of the club is to become a place that students can ask questions and then discuss these issues.

“The questions and searching shouldn’t be dangerous,” Smith said. “Especially if it’s done from a perspective of ‘how can I honor God in this?’”

Smith said she is concerned that students who outright reject either Christianity or science have not explored the issues.

“If they never examine those beliefs, then I don’t think they have the opportunity to let God be bigger and more majestic,” she said.

Family Updates

Dr. Jacob Lanphere, assistant professor of environmental science, co-authored a presentation given at at the American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition Aug. 16-20 in Boston: Toxicological potential and environmental fate of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a post-graphene two-dimensional material. He also co-authored a research poster, A Comparison of Novel Hydroponic Systems and Traditional Soil Based Methods for Applications in Agriculture, with biology student Kristin Racoosin that was presented at the CBU’s Fall Faculty Dinner on Aug. 21.

 

 

 

Dr. Hyun-Woo Park, professor of biology, and Dr. Dennis K. Bideshi, professor of biology, attended the International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control and the 48^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology conferences in Vancouver, Canada, Aug. 9-13. They presented co-authored papers on their research on genetic engineering of the mosquitocidal bacterium: Effect of single versus multiple promoters and a high plasmid copy number on the synthesis and assembly of Cyt1Aa crystals in Bacillus thuringiensis, and Cyt1Aa-BinA chimera highly toxic to anopheline, aedine, and culicine larvae including those tolerant or resistant to Lysinibacillus sphaericus.

 

The Online and Professional Studies’ Master of Arts in Public Relations has been named No. 2 by BestColleges.com in its list of best online master’s in public relations programs. With a curriculum based on traditional PR foundations, as well as modern courses in social media theory and utilization, CBU students are guaranteed to receive a well-rounded education, according to the BestColleges.com website.

 

Dr. Tom Frederick, associate professor of psychology for Online and Professional Studies, published an article, Forgiveness and Mental Health Practice, in the journal volume 18 Mental Health, Religion, and Culture.

 

 

 

 

Julie Goodman, assistant professor of anthropology, had a paper published in Kesher: A Journal of Messianic Judaism (Issue 28; Summer/Fall 2014). The paper title was A response to Rabbi Elliot Klayman’s “Exploring our Responsibility for Earth’s Resources: Shaping an Eco-Ethicological Approach for Discussion.”

 

 

 

 

Dr. Keanon Alderson, associate professor of business, received a grant from Target Corp. to work on a case study and propose how Target can change its store level leadership and management structure. Alderson and Dr. Andrew Herrity, professor of business and entrepreneurship, will perform the work in their BUS463 Business and Organizational Management courses.

 

 

 

Dr. Namhee Kim, assistant professor of communication disorders, published a research article titled A phonetic approach to consonant repetition in early words in the August issue of Infant Behavior and Development.

 

 

 

 

Catherine Jane Ellis was born Sept. 6, to Lauren and Ashton Ellis, son of Dr. Ronald L. Ellis and Mrs. Jane D. Ellis. “CJ” weighed 6 pounds and 15 ounces. She joins two brothers and two sisters and is the seventh grandchild of CBU’s president and first lady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Daniel Clark, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and his wife, Nataliya Clark, welcomed their first child Aug. 31. Caleb Vyacheslav Clark weighed 7 pounds and 1 ounce and was 22 inches long.

 

 

 

 

 

Personnel Updates