In this issue…
Current News
Homecoming Weekend events announced for Nov. 6 and 7
California Baptist University will host alumni and friends at Homecoming and Family Weekend on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7. Approximately 8,000 people are expected to attend the weekend’s festivities.
The activities kick off at chapel services on Friday at 10 a.m. Worship will be led by Christian recording artist, Danny Gokey, and the chapel speaker will be Daniel Bishop (’06), lead pastor of the Grove Community Church and the recipient of the 2015 Young Alumni Achievement Award.
Friday evening, the annual Alumni Awards Dinner takes place at the Recreation Center. Awards will be presented to Bill Pierpoint (’68), recipient of the Lancer Medal for Lifetime Achievement Award; Todd Knowles (’85), Alumnus of the Year Award; Daniel Bishop (‘06), recipient of the Young Alumni Achievement Award; and Randy McWhorter (’78), recipient of the Distinguished Service in Christian Ministry Award. There will also be a ceremony to honor Dr. Gary Collins, professor of psychology, for 50 years of service at CBU. Gokey will provide entertainment for the evening.
Friday’s festivities will conclude with a pair of sporting events. CBU’s men’s water polo will host the University of Redlands at 7 p.m. at the Lancer Aquatic Center and CBU’s Wrestling will host Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at 7:30 p.m. at the Van Dyne Gym.
On Saturday, the Alumni Association holds their annual meeting at 9:00 a.m. in the Copenbarger Dining Room. At 9:30 a.m. at the Van Dyne lawn, the second annual FLAApjack Breakfast takes place hosted by the Athletics Association.
A Block Party scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. will feature events and activates for all ages including food trucks, inflatable attractions for children, games, live entertainment and interactive academic booths on the Front Lawn. Campus tours also will be available.
Food truck vendors will include Belly BomZ (Korean chicken wings and sliders); Rolling BBQ Barn (pulled pork and BBQ chicken); Classic Taco Truck (burritos, quesadilla and tacos); Big Wave Grill (cheeseburgers and fries); Sweet Stop (corn dogs and fruit juices); Cousin Maine (lobster rolls and lobster tacos); Frankie’s (shaved ice) and Kettle Masters of America (kettle corn).
The CBU Lancers women’s volleyball team will host Concordia University, Irvine at 1 p.m. in the gym.
There will also be a concert titled “Zestival” with Danny Gokey in Stamps Courtyard at 3:00 p.m. The concert will feature festival style seating—meaning spectators should bring a blanket or lawn chair.
The Fortuna Bowl kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday. The annual event, which features men’s and women’s championship intramural flag football games, is CBU’s largest annual athletic event. Last year, some 4,000 people packed the bleachers.
The 2015 Homecoming weekend activities will close with a fireworks show immediately following the Fortuna Bowl championship game.
Some of the events require paid admission or a RSVP. For tickets and more information, contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at 951-343-4439 or visit www.calbaptist.edu/homecoming.
Nursing students called upon for a real-life emergency
California Baptist University nursing faculty and students sprang into action to help a local rehabilitation center when the power went out on Oct. 30 shortly after 11 am.
A collapsed tree fell onto power lines on Magnolia Avenue in front of CBU’s front lawn and caused power outages in the surrounding areas. The Mission Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, located across the street from CBU, lost its power as well. This facility takes care of nearly 30 individuals that depend on power-operated ventilators to breathe.
The Riverside Fire Department initially responded to the scene.
Dr. Geneva Oaks, dean of nursing, said that her office received a call stating that they could use some help.
“We responded immediately, probably around 30 – 40 of our staff and students went down the street,” said Oaks. “There were students running to the center.”
Oaks said that Jeff DeLaurie, battalion chief, wanted skilled hands available in case they needed to use manual devices to help patients breathe.
The center’s backup generators failed to turn the power back on. As a result, more than 10 fire engines and ambulances were called in to provide the power needed to allow the ventilators to keep running.
Oaks said the fire department requested that CBU faculty and students observe patients to ensure they were breathing correctly.
“They were asked to make sure the patients were receiving everything they needed to preserve life,” Oaks said.
The fire department was extremely thankful, Oaks said.
“It was a blessing to see the heart of our staff and students,” said Dr. Susan Drummond, associate dean and associate professor of nursing. “They want to do good and have a heart for service.”
New facilities help advance Lancers Wrestling program
California Baptist University’s wrestling team continues to make the right moves to establish itself as an elite program. The wrestling team moved into their new facilities complete with a lobby, coaches’ offices and team room.
“This facility will help us achieve our goal of winning a national championship in wrestling,” said Dr. Micah Parker, director of athletics. “These state-of-the-art additions separate us from most wrestling programs.”
Read more here.
Hip-hop artist talks of loving Jesus more than life’s pleasures
“It’s a really hard thing to know that God is holy, to know that God is righteous, to know that God is loving, yet to reject him.”
Jackie Hill-Perry had this realization when God called her as a teenager. Hill-Perry, a poet, writer and hip-hop artist, spoke to California Baptist University students during chapel Oct. 28 about the temporary pleasures of life compared to the holiness of God and the joys of a relationship with Jesus.
Growing up, Hill-Perry was confused over her gender identity and in high school started one of her first same-sex relationships. However, she felt more and more convicted as time went on, she said.
“I felt God speak to my heart and tell me that the girl I was with would be the death of me. When He said it, it was like, it wasn’t just homosexuality,” she said. “It was as if everything that I loved and enjoyed would be the death of me. I saw my pride, I saw my lust, I saw my anger, I saw my bitterness.”
She had heard of the verse in Romans that talked about “the wages of sin was death” and at that moment, it became reality for her, she said. Hill-Perry began weighing the cost and compared everything that she loved with the consequences.
“I saw that the consequences far outweighed the pleasure that it brought me in the moment,” she said. “I saw that an eternity in hell can’t really be worth it and life in God is.”
She broke off the relationship she was in at the time and moved to Los Angeles to be involved with Passion 4 Christ Movement ministries.
Everyone will be tempted, Hill-Perry said, but that is not the end of the story.
“I have realized that I have a new identity in Christ as His friend, a saint and I am reconciled to the Father,” said Hill-Perry. “I don’t have to believe in what my feelings are telling me.”
Hill-Perry elaborated on the consequences of living in a fallen world. “We were born into sin, born with an inherent disposition to love and enjoy and do everything that God hates,” she said. “We think it makes us happy, and it does for a moment, but then we have to do something else to get that itch.”
“But God is so gracious, so intentional, and so loving and so faithful and so holy that he sent Jesus … to live the life that none of us will ever be able to live,” she said.
Two years after coming to Christ, Hill-Perry met a man in ministry that would become her husband. When telling that part of her story, Hill-Perry cautioned the students that marriage is not the climax of living a Christian life.
“The aim of this life is not marriage,” she said. “The aim is to know God, the aim is to serve and love Jesus.”
CBU adds IMPACT player to men’s volleyball team
California Baptist University added inspiration to its men’s volleyball lineup recently.
Davis Galluzzo, 7, signed a letter of intent to join the Lancers this season. Galluzzo was just 2 years old when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a condition he still battles to this day.
Despite all of Galluzzo’s adversity, people view him as an inspiration.
“I think Davis will bring a lot of encouragement to the team,” said coach Derek Schmitt. “No matter what he’s doing, he comes in with a huge smile on his face. He gets the guys laughing and brings a positive attitude.”
Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit organization, matched Galluzzo with CBU.
IMPACT seeks to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team
“In the short time I have gotten to know Davis through the recruiting process, one thing I know is that he will bring a variety of strong attributes to the program,” said Schmitt. “One of them is the ability to fight through adversity. He has been doing that for several years and continues to do it day after day.”
By signing the letter, Galluzzo committed to always have a good time with his teammates, as they live their purpose by pursuing excellence in athletics and vowed to always “Lance-Up.”
The Lancers, with their new addition, open their season on Dec. 5 at home, hosting Pepperdine at noon.
CBU president honored for his leadership in education
CBU President Dr. Ronald L. Ellis receives recognition for his leadership from the Salvation Army Community Center in Riverside.
The Salvation Army Community Center in Riverside honored California Baptist University President Dr. Ronald L. Ellis for his leadership in higher education.
“Dr. Ellis has elevated the city of Riverside when it comes to educational opportunities,” said Dan Vaughn, CEO of Gallant Risk & Insurance Services. Vaughn read a statement on behalf of the Salvation Army Community Center at its “Soup-er Stars” luncheon on Oct 23.
“Residents are enriched because of Dr. Ellis’ innovative leadership,” Vaughn said.
When Ellis became president of California Baptist College in 1994, enrollment totaled 808 students. This fall, CBU surpassed an enrollment goal of 8,080 five years earlier than anticipated, with a record enrollment of 8,541 students. It is the largest enrollment in CBU history and an increase of more than 1,000% in the past 21 years.
Academic offerings also have increased during the Ellis presidency. In 1994, CBC offered 22 academic majors and one graduate program. Today CBU offers more than 150 majors, minors and concentrations through traditional and online programs. CBU also offers more than 40 graduate programs through traditional and online programs. In the current academic year, CBU will offer its first two doctorate programs, one in nursing practice and the other in public administration, delivered online.
Leadership and calling discussed at CBU lecture series
A prominent Christian industrial-organizational psychologist told California Baptist University students that good leaders possess three qualities: character, competence and calling.
Dr. Robert McKenna spoke about his passion—developing leaders—at the School of Behavioral Science’s Culture and Justice Lecture Series on Oct. 22.
McKenna is the chair of the Department of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Seattle Pacific University as well as the executive director of the Center for Leadership Research and Development. He is also the creator of an online leadership development program, “BadBobby,” and founder of Real Time Development Strategies, a leadership and organizational consulting group.
He described the field of industrial-organizational psychology as, “the most powerful guild in corporate America that you have never heard of.”
McKenna said this form of psychology focuses on selecting the right candidate for employment and then performance management throughout the candidate’s occupation.
“What could be more powerful and can affect the culture of the places you will work than who gets selected and how their performance is managed once they get there?” McKenna asked the audience.
McKenna said good leaders possess three qualities: character, competence and calling. He focused on the calling aspect of leadership.
“We’ve turned calling into more of a burden than something that should set us free,” he said. “Your call is whatever God’s wants from you.”
When asked what makes a great leader, McKenna said, “People who show up with a sense of themselves. Show up like you mean it. The second part is ‘editability.’ That means you are willing to hit the backspace key, even sometimes on the way you were thinking about yourself.
“I also want a leader that wakes up each morning with a spirit of conviction before God,” he said.
CBU chapel speaker counts blessings in spite of circumstances
Chapel speaker David Ring talks with a student after his presentation.
David Ring was born with cerebral palsy and orphaned at age 14. In spite of those obstacles, he is blessed, he told California Baptist University students.
Ring is a motivational speaker and author who spoke at chapel on Oct. 21. Ring spoke with wit and humor as he unfolded his story.
Ring said the more he tells his story, the more he realizes the obstacles and difficulties he has overcome and this reminds him he is blessed.
Some of those hurdles include the difficulty of being moved from family to family after being orphaned, of being told he would never graduate from college, or be a preacher or find a wife.
Ring noted that some people might say he has a disability or lives with a burden. Ring sees it a different way.
“Some may say I have a handicap,” he said. “No, I don’t. I have a platform to tell my story, which is I am blessed.”
At 16, he became a Christian and realized that God uses broken people.
“It’s not over until God says it’s over,” he said. “God had a plan for my life.”
Ring now gets to speak to church and business leaders alike across the nation. He also is married and has four children.
He jokingly said another blessing of cerebral palsy is being the only man alive with four children and never having to change a diaper. He told his wife he would make a mess if he did that task.
Ring urged students to get out of the stands and into the game of the life and let God use them to encourage others.
“My life is a message of hope,” Ring said. “If God can use me, he can use you.”
Family Updates
From left: Dr. Mary Vixie Sandy, executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and Denise Payne
Denise Payne, senior credential analyst in the Metcalf School of Education, served a second term as president of Credential Counselors and Analysts of California (CCAC) and led the 37th Annual CCAC Conference in Sacramento on Oct. 13-15. More than 825 members attended. During the conference, Payne hosted the president’s lunch, led the annual business meeting, served as a presenter with the commission staff on Accreditation Site Visit Preparation, and served on a panel representing universities in the Inland Empire. Upon completion of her term in November, she will serve as immediate past president and consultant to the board of directors.
Dr. Derek Updegraff
Dr. Derek Updegraff, assistant professor of English and creative writing, was recently interviewed by the Sierra Nevada Review. In the interview Updegraff discusses being a fiction writer, poet, and translator, and he also talks about the new BFA program in Creative Writing at CBU. His most recent publications include a poem in The Maine Review, a short story in Gravel Literary Journal, and an edition and translation of Aelfric of Eynsham’s Life of St George, which appeared in the fall issue of Metamorphoses, the journal of translation published jointly by Smith, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, and Hampshire colleges and the University of Massachusetts. Updegraff edited the Old English text from a facsimile of the late Anglo-Saxon manuscript Cotton Julius E.vii. His translation into present-day English attempts to capture the rhythmical qualities of the original.
Dr. Mary Ann Pearson
Dr. Mary Ann Pearson, associate professor of public relations for Online and Professional Studies, presented a paper on Research on Online Mentoring through Internships at the International Mentoring Conference held at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, on Oct. 20. Pearson attended the conference with more than 800 attendees from academia and private industry.
The first Nashville CBU Alumni and Friends Reunion was held in Brentwood, Tennessee, on Oct. 3. Alumni who attended the event graduated in years from the 1970s to spring 2015. Dr. Monica O’Rourke, visiting professor of kinesiology for Online and Professional Studies, participated in the reunion. Gail Ronveaux, director of alumni and parent relations, and Allison Hare, director of development for University Advancement, coordinated and co-hosted the event.
Dr. Monica O’Rourke
Dr. Monica O’Rourke, visiting professor of kinesiology for Online and Professional Studies, in collaboration with Middle Tennessee State University professors, co-presented at the Tennessee Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance’s Annual Convention on Oct. 26 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The presentation was the latest results of an ongoing study on college-aged women and health. O’Rourke presented the effects of psychosocial-based social media interventions and the impact on women’s weight management and motivation for personal fitness conditioning.
Dr. Elaine Ahumada, associate professor of public administration, Dr. Cammy Purper, assistant professor of early childhood studies, Dr. Maria Hopkins, education adjunct, and Noemi Alexander, visiting professor of political science, all with Online and Professional Studies, presented sessions at the Soroptimist International of Corona’s workshop for high school girls. Beth Groves, assistant professor of public administration for OPS and a member of the Soroptimist Club, chaired the event. Fifty-seven girls participated in the workshop, called “My Future: Dream It. Believe It. Achieve It,” on Sept. 26 at Norco College. The event focused on careers and creating personal career, education and life goals. CBU’s faculty taught two break-out sessions — exploring careers through self-assessment of interests and values, and creating achievable goals and overcoming obstacles to success.
Dr. Veola Vazquez
Dr. Veola Vazquez, associate professor of psychology, presented a workshop titled Parenting Education: Supporting Parents Who Were Not Parented Well at the California Childcare Resource and Referral Network/California Alternative Payment Program Association Joint Conference in Sacramento on Oct. 21-23.
Dr. Lisa Bursch
Dr. Dayna Herrera
Dr. Lisa Bursch, assistant professor of nursing, and Dr. Dayna Herrera, assistant professor of nursing, presented at the annual Doctors of Nursing Practice conference in Seattle on Sept. 16-18. Bursch presented a session, A Nurse Managed Health Clinic Serving the Vulnerable Population, and Herrera presented a poster, A Interprofessional Education Faculty Development Program.
Dr. Bradley Thomas
Dr. Bradley Thomas, assistant professor of mathematics, presented a talk titled The Design Inference at the monthly Natural and Mathematical Sciences Department Colloquium at CBU on Oct. 27.
Dr. Keanon Alderson
Dr. Keanon Alderson, associate professor of business, published an article, Conflict Management and Resolution in the Family Owned Business: A practitioner focused review, in the September issue of the Journal of Family Business Management.
Dr. Tae Sung
Dr. Tae Sung, assistant professor of English for Online and Professional Studies, gave a colloquia lecture for the M.A. in English program at Azusa Pacific University on Oct. 30. His lecture was on the intersection of literature, religion and theory in the work of William James.
Dr. Seong Kong
Dr. Seong Kong, associate professor of biomedical engineering, co-authored a paper published in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science (volume 462). The title is Control of magnetite primary particle size in aqueous dispersions of nanoclusters for high magnetic susceptibilities.
Dr. C. Fyne Nsofor
Dr. Timothy Mosteller
Dr. Tim Mosteller, associate professor of philosophy, presented a paper at the International Conference on Realist Phenomenology at the International Academy of Philosophy – Edith Stein Institute in Granada, Spain on Sept. 18-21. The paper was titled Josef Seifert’s Ontological Realism: Contemporary Challenges and Christian Continuity. Also, Mosteller and Dr. C. Fyne Nsofor, associate professor of intercultural studies, attended the Free Market Forum on Oct. 15-17 in Omaha, Nebraska, where they were recognized as grant recipients from the Acton Institute. Mosteller received a grant for a project studying Christian philosophical realism and global free markets. Nsofor received a grant to develop a course in introduction to global studies.
Dr. Natalie Winter
Dr. Natalie Winter, associate professor of marketing, had an article, The Stewardship of Trials, published in the October issue of Christian Business Review.
Dr. Namhee Kim, assistant professor of communication disorders, and 12 communication disorders students volunteered at the My Play Club Carnival & Disability Resource Fair on Oct. 17 in Riverside. This was an event for special-needs children and their families. CBU students led games and activities and interacted with children with special needs.
Dr. H. Bruce Stokes
Dr. H. Bruce Stokes, professor of anthropology and behavioral sciences, was elected as an at-large member of the board of the Southwestern Anthropology Association in October. His three-year term begins at the close of the 2016 conference in San Diego.
Dr. Jeffrey Barnes
Dr. Jeffrey Barnes, dean of academic services, participated in a panel discussion at the annual Educause Conference on Oct. 29 in Indianapolis. The panel was sponsored by Jenzabar and titled Is Personalization of the Education Experience Going Too Far.
Dr. Jeff Cate
Dr. Jeff Cate, professor of New Testament, taught a workshop session, The Manuscripts Behind the New Testament, at the California Southern Baptist Convention meeting at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield on Oct. 29.
Dr. Mark A. Wyatt, vice president for marketing and communication, spoke about events that led to the founding of California Baptist University in 1950 by the Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association. The presentation was part of the California Southern Baptist Convention 75th Anniversary celebration held Oct. 27 at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield.
Dr. Judd Bonner, dean of the Collinsworth School of Music, introduces the University Choir and Orchestra performance at the California Southern Baptist Convention 2015 annual meeting Oct. 27 at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield.
Liam Asher Twitty
Andrew Twitty (’11), history and government adjunct for Online and Professional Studies, and his wife, Alexandra (’13, nee Dabney) welcomed their first child on Oct. 23 at 12:49 p.m. Liam Asher Twitty weighed 7 pounds 5.5 ounces, and was 19 inches long.
Personnel Updates
