In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

Lancer wrestlers make history at championship tournament

The California Baptist University wrestling team won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship tournament on Jan. 31 and claimed CBU’s first RMAC wrestling title.

Lancer wrestling notched 133.5 team points during the tournament to claim the top spot. Lancer Joe Fagiano won Co-Wrestler of the Meet honors by winning the 284-pound title.

“It’s a great feeling [winning the RMAC Championship],” Head Coach Lennie Zalesky said. “There were some really tough teams to wrestle against but none of my wrestlers really surprised me today.”

Read more here.

 

 

Baseball Lancers reunite as 2016 season approaches

The California Baptist University baseball team welcomed back former players for an evening filled with nostalgia prior to 2016 home opener.

Baseball alumni participated in a home-run derby contest and scrimmaged against the current CBU baseball squad on Jan. 30 at the James W. Totman Baseball Stadium. The evening’s activities are part of the baseball team’s annual tradition.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been out on this field,” said Robert Hood (’08), former third baseman. “Playing tonight gave me major nostalgia. Some of my best years were here playing for CBU.”

Sharif Othman (’11), a former catcher at CBU and 2016 spring training invitee for the Miami Marlins, reflected on his time at CBU.

“Playing for CBU has given me so many opportunities, so it was awesome being back on this field again,” Othman said.

For the current baseball squad, the expectations for the 2016 season are high. The coaches PacWest preseason poll picked CBU to finish atop the division with Dixie State University. Additionally, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association ranks the Lancers fourth in the West Region.

Coach Gary Adcock, heading into his 13^th season with the Lancers, is excited to see what this season holds.

“We expect to compete for a championship, but we understand a lot of factors go into achieving a goal like that,” he said. “For now, we are more focused on the process, controlling the controllables if you will, and at the end we will see where that puts us.”

The Lancers were 31-22 last year, finishing second-place in their conference and earning a No. 3 ranking in the NCAA II regional playoffs.

CBU opens the 2016 season at home Feb. 4 at 6 p.m., against California State University, Los Angeles.

 

The Point at CBU receives beautification award

The revitalization of The Point at California Baptist University has received a beautification award from the Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful (KRCB) program.

CBU received first place in the category of Exterior Reconstruction with Landscaping. Mayor Rusty Bailey and Cindy Roth, CEO of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce, presented the KRCB awards during the annual State of the City address on Jan. 28. Mark Howe, CBU vice president for finance and administration, accepted the accolade on behalf of the university.

“This award represents CBU’s continued commitment to improving our campus and the community at large, which we represent,” Howe said.

KRCB is a community-sponsored program by the City of Riverside and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. Its mission is to foster a sense of community pride by creating partnerships that work toward the beautification of the city.

In the summer of 2015 the last section of The Point remodeling was completed. The former San Carlos apartment complex located on Adams Street now features multiple office suites and a team room for the CBU wrestling program, as well as student living areas.

The 2016 award is the second consecutive first place finish for CBU in the Exterior Reconstruction with Landscaping category. The 2015 award was for the remodeling project known as Lancer Plaza North.

 

CBU hosts music festival for international guests

Aspiring musicians from China were welcomed at California Baptist University to participate in the second International Music Festival on Jan. 28-29.

“The festival is a good-will event, an expansion of musical flair and an opportunity to open the doors for international students to further their musical aspirations,” said Dr. Larry Linamen, vice president for global initiatives at CBU. “The music festival also provides cultural enrichment for all involved.”

The Chinese guests arrived on Jan. 28 and got a glimpse into the lives of CBU music students. The visitors attended a music class, practiced their musical skills and attended practice sessions of various CBU music groups.

The following day nearly a dozen of the international guests participated in competitions against CBU students in a variety of instrumental and vocal fields.

CBU music faculty judged the competition, and participants were given valuable feedback on their performances. The winners received 1^st and 2^nd place awards. The other participants received honorable mention certificates.

 

CBU leading team to enhance teaching of science classes

California Baptist University will lead a team that will work on revamping curriculum and learning environments for science classes in the Chaffey Joint Union High School District. The partnership will be funded by a $1.35 million grant from the California Department of Education (CDE).

The grant is made available by the California Mathematics and Science Partnership grant program and is administered by the science, technology, engineering and mathematics office at the CDE. The grant’s aim is to increase the academic achievement of students by enhancing the knowledge and teaching skills of high school instructors.

CBU is the lead university in the project that also will include University of California, Riverside and Michigan State University. Additionally, the California Science Project, a statewide network for educators, and Concord Consortium, a software company known for its innovative technology, will be part of the collaborative efforts.

Together the group will develop curriculum to help teachers in the subjects of biology, chemistry, physics and earth and space. Furthermore, they will create labs and computer simulations that teachers can use to meet new state standards in science.

“[The grant will] help teachers have a higher level of content knowledge and also provide more tools for them to make sure they’re producing better students,” said Dr. Jim Buchholz, CBU professor of mathematics and physics and principal investigator of the grant. He will be working with other CBU faculty from the department of natural and mathematical sciences to develop tools for the teachers.

 

Biblical scholar talks of responding to God’s deliverance

The well-versed Biblical scholar and author Dr. D.A. Carson spoke at California Baptist University on how believers should respond when God delivers them through difficult circumstances.

“The only adequate response when God pulls you out the muck is the transformation that comes when God opens our ears so that we hear and obey and want to do His will,” said Carson, who spoke as part of the School of Christian Ministries Lecture Series on Jan. 28.

Carson is the president of The Gospel Coalition, a network of churches focused on the theological application of the gospel to accomplish the Great Commission. Carson is also a research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and the author or editor of more than 50 books.

During his talk, Carson focused on Psalm 40, especially the first 10 verses.

Carson said when God rescues David from difficulties, David responds to God with gratitude, a desire to do His will and public proclamations of God’s faithfulness.

“How will the next generation of Christians learn how to voice appropriate praise to God unless they see the older generation doing it?” Carson asked. “When it comes to testimony time in the church, there should be a lot of senior saints getting up and saying things, because they’re fulfilling a pedagogical function of how it’s done.”

Carson added that God does not always take believers out of a trial. Even the Apostle Paul learned to rely on God’s grace through his suffering.

“It must be said that sometimes God pulls us out of the swamp, out of the miry bog and sometimes He leaves us there and adds grace,” Carson said. “God’s more interested in our humility than in our happiness.”

 

CBU hosts Global Missions Health Conference

Students from the Southern California region came to California Baptist University Jan. 22-23 to attend a Global Mission Health West Coast Conference designed to help participants explore a calling in the area of healthcare missions.

CBU’s College of Health Science and School of Nursing hosted the second annual event, which drew students from CBU, Loma Linda University, University of California, Irvine and University of California, Riverside.

“Our hope is to cast a vision for healthcare missions so that more people can see clearly how to use their specific gifts and talents for the Kingdom,” said Will Rogers, executive director of the Global Mission Health Conference, before the conference.

Morgan Banducci, a CBU pre-nursing sophomore, said the event gave her an opportunity to learn more about medical missions, the various organizations involved in these ministries and how she can be a part of them.

“I came to the conference because my long-term goal in nursing is to be a missionary nurse and go overseas,” Banducci said.

Speakers included Jeff Lewis, CBU interim director of global mobilization, Brian Zunigha, CBU director of discipleship ministries, and Rebekah Naylor, global health consultant for Baptist Global Response.

Lewis spoke to students about the importance of ministry and using their skills to be representatives for Christ.

“You are developing yourself first and foremost to be ambassadors for Christ through the skills that God has blessed you with. It is your calling,” Lewis said. “Everything we do here at California Baptist University should be, and is, about preparing men and women to disciple the nations through their marketable skills.”

Alumna Jenna Reed (‘15) attended the conference to learn how she can use her nursing degree for ministry opportunities.

“With all the things I’ve learned at CBU, I think it would be great to take that [knowledge] to other nations and serve a greater purpose,” Reed said. “I think [it would be] a good experience to have, to get out of my comfort zone.”

 

CBUONLINE earns several top 40 national rankings

California Baptist University has earned the No. 34 spot among online bachelor’s programs in the 2016 Top Online Education Program national rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. This puts CBU second among California colleges ranked in the top 40 for the best online bachelor’s programs. CBU has placed in the top 40 for the fourth consecutive year.

CBU Online and Professional Studies (OPS) currently serves more than 3,600 students online. OPS offers 25 online undergraduate majors and concentrations, 14 graduate majors and specializations and a doctorate in public administration program that launched this month.

“When you look at the number of universities that continue to add online programs, thus making it even more competitive, to be consistently rated in the top 40 nationwide speaks well to meeting our goal of serving the adult student’s educational needs,” said Dr. David Poole, vice president for OPS.

CBU also received high online rankings for training instructors with a No. 2 for online MBA faculty and credentials training; No. 3 for online graduate education faculty training; and a No. 4 for faculty and training in the bachelor’s degree category.

“The latest rankings support our plans to continue to build and deliver quality programs that serve the growing need for online education,” Poole said.

For more information on the U.S. News Top Online Education Program rankings, please visit http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education.

 

CBU Flight School earns significant FAA certification

The Aviation Science program at California Baptist University received one of the highest certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A representative from the FAA Riverside Flight Standard District Office (FSDO) was on hand at the Flight Operation Center to present the Part 141 Air Agency Certification to CBU on Jan. 15.

“To California Baptist University’s credit you’ve managed to obtain this certificate within a short time frame,” said Keith Frable, manager of Riverside’s (FSDO). “This is a great step forward for the university and students are very fortunate to be here.”

Marie LeBlanc, chief flight instructor at CBU, said there are several benefits to obtaining this certification. Having an FAA approved Part 141 program allows CBU to admit veterans and international students into the program with fewer admission obstacles. Additionally, CBU may apply for further FAA approvals that would reduce required flight hours for students to become an airline pilot.

To receive the certification CBU had to pass various Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and inspections. Additionally, to retain the certification CBU must continuously meet standards specified by the FAA in categories such as equipment, facilities, personnel and curriculum.

The CBU Aviation Science program currently offers three undergraduate majors and plans to add two more next fall. The inaugural class opened in fall of 2013. This semester there are more than 70 students in the program with enrollment expected to increase to 100 in the fall 2016 semester, said Dr. Daniel Prather, chair of the aviation program.

 

Family Updates

Dr. Hyun-Woo Park, professor of biology, co-authored a paper, Effect of promoters and plasmid copy number on Cyt1A synthesis and crystal assembly in Bacillus thuringiensis, published in Current Microbiology (January 2016).

 

 

 

 

Dr. Kenneth Minesinger, associate professor of law for Online and Professional Studies, made a presentation at the January meeting of the Public Relations Society of America, Inland Empire Chapter in Riverside. The presentation was titled Slander and Libel in the Age of Social Media.

 

 

 

 

Jose Gonzalez, electrician II, was named CBU’s Employee of the Month for February. The nomination form included the following statements: Jose has great customer service skills and is a pleasant, Christ-like servant to his customers. There have been numerous occasions where he has a large work load but drops what he is doing to serve others and assist with a greater need. Jose has completed many special projects on time for the University and has a consistent routine in his work order completion performance.

 

 

 

 

Michael Meyer, associate vice president for University Advancement, was installed as a 2016-2017 board member of the Corona Chamber of Commerce board of directors on Jan. 21.

 

 

 

 

Shawn Wilhite, assistant professor Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies, had an article, “That We Too Might Be Imitators of Him”: The Martrydom of Polycarp as Imitatio Christi, published in Churchman (Winter 2015).

 

 

 

 

Dr. Charles Sands, provost, presented The Future of Healthcare Education to the Leadership Riverside class of 2016 on Jan. 15. Leadership Riverside is a leadership development program sponsored by the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.

 

 

 

 

Victoria Brodie, adjunct for public relations for Online and Professional Studies, and Dr. Mary Ann Pearson, associate professor of public relations for Online and Professional Studies, spoke to business owners and downtown employees about social media and internships on Jan. 14. The presentation was part of a collaborative effort of the Riverside Downtown Partnership and CBU/Online communication and public relations students.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Alex Chediak, professor of engineering and physics, recently has had five articles published on three websites: Minimize Student Debt, Maximize Christian Mission was published on Desiring God; 5 suggestions for getting a college degree without going broke, on Fox News; and Actually, Conservatives Should Champion Liberal Arts Degrees, No, Not Every Millennial Is Drowning in $200k+ Debt, and The Cure for College Student Narcissism: Work were on Stream

 

 

 

Dr. Keanon Alderson, associate professor business, presented at the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship meeting in San Diego on Jan. 11. His presentation was titled Opportunity Recognition and Global Sourcing using Alibaba.com.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Barry Parker, librarian, had his novel, Phantom Revelation, published last month by Page Publishing.

 

 

 

 

 

Elisabeth Murillo, assistant professor of aviation science, and her husband, Cesar Murillo, welcomed their second child on Jan. 17. Samuel Levi Murillo weighed 7 pounds and 4 ounces and measured 19½ inches long. His older brother, Moises, is 2½.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Melissa Wigginton, assistant professor of health science, and her husband, Brian McDuffie, welcomed their first child on Dec. 30. Their daughter, Reagan Lee McDuffie, weighed 6 pounds and 6 ounces and measured 20 inches long.

 

 

 

Personnel Updates