March 17, 2016

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU wrestler becomes program’s first NCAA Div II champion

Lancer heavyweight wrestler Joseph Fagiano became the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II champion on March 12, capturing CBU’s second individual NCAA D-II championship in less than a week.

Fagiano, a Chicago native earned his spot at the final match by pinning fifth-seeded Austin Goergen in one minute, fifteen seconds in the semifinal bout of Division II competition.

In the final matchup of the tournament and Fagiano’s career, he faced off against Malcolm Allen of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Fagiano went on to win the match 6-3, and ends his CBU career with an impressive 29-5 mark.

Fagiano was the second CBU athlete to win an individual NCAA D-II championship in as many different sporting events in less than a week. On March 9, swimmer Christie Halverson won an individual NCAA champion by winning the 1000-yard freestyle.

Read more about Fagiano here.

 

Swimmer’s win gives CBU its second NCAA II championship

For the second time a California Baptist University swimmer has won a NCAA II championship. Christie Halverson, sophomore from West Linn, Ore., won the first race of the NCAA Division II Championships, with her 1000-yard freestyle victory, in nine minutes, 51.96 seconds.

It is the first time a Lancer has swum the event under the 10-minute mark, as Halverson bested the program’s previous record she held herself earlier this year (10:02.17) by more than 10 seconds. It was just off the Division II record of 9:50.49.

The victory also earns Halverson an All-American award, the second in her career as she earned honorable mention last year for her participation in the 800-year freestyle relay at last year’s championships.

Halverson also becomes CBU’s second-ever individual NCAA champion. Mary Hanson won the Lancers first NCAA title in the team’s first year as a fully fledged member in 2014, taking the 100 back in a then D-II record time of 52.45.

 

Tracking an Operation Christmas Child shoebox to journey’s end

It took two hours by car, boat and then by foot to reach their destination in Guyana, South America. The prize they sought was the joy in the schoolchildren’s eyes as they received shoeboxes filled with gifts. The sacrifices on the journey were made in an effort to spread the Gospel message and it was worth the trip, said Julie Dobbins, assistant director of chapel and compassion ministries at California Baptist University.

Dobbins was given an opportunity to travel to Guyana to deliver shoeboxes with Operation Christmas Child (OCC) last month. Her team of 10 people handed out about 220 boxes at three schools. Dobbins saw firsthand that the kids loved balls and that toy cars with big wheels work better on dirt.

The local OCC volunteers “view this as a gospel opportunity. It’s worth it, to do the work, to raise the money,” Dobbins said. “It gives them an avenue into people’s lives to be able to share the Gospel with them.”

Dobbins has been involved with Operation Christmas Child (OCC) since California Baptist University started participating in OCC’s shoebox drive four years ago. She has coordinated efforts with other departments on campus, sought donations for the shoeboxes and organized the packing parties that have resulted in more than 1,700 shoeboxes being packed to date at CBU.

Her trip to Guyana gave her a fresh perspective on all the labor of love that goes into a successful delivery, she said.

Despite its name, the shoeboxes are usually not handed out at Christmas time. Some countries do get them closer to the holiday, but some countries do not celebrate Christmas, Dobbins said. The main reason for the delay is logistics. The shoeboxes are counted and then run through a quality check process to ensure they contain certain items such as hygiene products, school supplies, a candy and a toy.  Additionally, OCC volunteers in Guyana coordinate and raise money for such things as renting storage space at the port and paying taxes.

Dobbins said she was grateful for the opportunity to go to Guyana and witness people around the world who love the Lord.

“That was so humbling and really encouraging,” she said. “It reminds you to be grateful for what you have and to be really intentional with how you participate with (OCC).”

 

First Hackathon at CBU helps students “catch a vision”

Students at California Baptist University were encouraged to use technology to spread the Gospel at the first Hackathon seminar.

“We want students to catch a vision and to understand they can help people and also spread the Gospel in their professional pursuits,” said Dr. Mi Kyung Han, assistant professor of computer science and event organizer.

CBU collaborated with Code for Kingdom ministries to host the event on campus on March 3-5.

Hackathons are traditionally known as an event were technologists work collaboratively on software projects. The Code for the Kingdom ministries put a twist on the concept of a hackathon. They aim to bring technologists and entrepreneurs together not to solve software problems but to focus on how they can spread the Gospel through technology.

Han said she had worked with this ministry in the past and wanted to bring the experience to CBU students.

CBU’s Hackathon featured speakers Chris Armas, founder of Code for the Kingdom ministries; Chris Lim, founder of TheoTech; LouAnn Hunt, digital Bible manager of Faith Comes by Hearing; Garry Williams, CEO of Cozzee; Dr. Kyungsoo Im, assistant professor of computing software and data science; Dirk Dallas, assistant professor of graphic design and graphic arts; and Han.

Lim, who spoke on March 4, created a prayer app called Ceaseless that helps create a community of prayer. The app selects three people to pray for a day and the online community comes together and prays for the people selected.

“Begin with God as your customer. Let His desires influence the work you do,” said Lim. “In all your time creating codes and working, don’t lose sight of the God you worship. I invite you to use your technological gifts to spread the Gospel.”

In addition to hearing from an array of presenters on how technology can be used to spread the Gospel, students also had the opportunity to pitch ideas to a panelist of CBU faculty and receive feedback on their potential endeavors.

 

CBU President urges restoring maximum Cal Grant awards

In a letter to the chair of a California Assembly budget subcommittee and other legislative leaders, Dr. Ronald L. Ellis has urged restoring maximum Cal Grant for students attending the state’s private, non-profit colleges and universities.

The California Baptist University president called on lawmakers to repeal all previous and pending reductions to the Cal Grant maximum award for students who attend a private, nonprofit college or university in California. He said the recommended action would restore the Cal Grant for students in the private, nonprofit sector to pre-recessionary levels of $9,708. Currently, the average award for those students is $8,800.

Ellis cited significant savings to the state resulting from Cal Grants awarded to students at private, non-profit schools compared with larger awards to students enrolled at the University of California and California State University systems.

“In other words, the State saves money by helping more Cal Grant students access a private nonprofit college or university,” Ellis said.

Click here to read the entire text of the CBU president’s letter.

 

Dr. Art Cleveland, CBU Advancement VP, announces retirement

Dr. Art Cleveland, vice president for University Advancement for California Baptist University for more than four years, has announced he will retire effective April 30, 2016.

Cleveland’s retirement comes after more than five decades in education as a professor and administrator. He served as CBU’s interim Vice President of Institutional Advancement for a year before being named in January 2012 to lead the division that was later renamed University Advancement.

“I have been honored to be a part of California Baptist University for nearly 10 years and University Advancement for about five of those,” Cleveland said. “I appreciate all the support I have been given at CBU, especially from President Ellis.”

Cleveland said he plans to move to a role outside of higher education to do more writing and pursue opportunities in consulting.

As CBU’s top development officer, Cleveland was involved in a number of significant achievements including an anonymous $10 million gift to the university announced in January, the first eight-figure gift in CBU history. He also led restructuring of the advancement team to provide focused fundraising support for a variety of academic programs and projects as well as CBU athletics.

Cleveland joined CBU as dean of research in 2006 after serving as president of Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska. He previously held a variety of faculty positions with six state universities and faith-based colleges in Georgia, South Dakota and Texas.

Cleveland received a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Texas, Arlington; and a Master of Arts in biology and Ph.D. in biology from the University of North Texas. A prolific author, he received several academic honors, published numerous papers and articles, and was invited to present papers around the globe.

“I am grateful for Dr. Cleveland’s contribution as a member of the CBU leadership team,” Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, said. “We wish him all the best as he concludes a distinguished career in higher education.”

A national search will begin immediately to fill the vacancy created by Cleveland’s retirement, Ellis said.

 

Com students receive program’s first broadcasting awards

For the first time, California Baptist University communication students have received awards from the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival Competition.

Brady Bersano’s fictional feature, “The Good Man,” won 2nd place, and Lauren Koski and Randy Plavajka’s radio news story, “Through the Fence: Hazardous Opinions in the Arlanza Neighborhood,” won Honorable Mention in the category of audio production for the 2016 BEA awards. The students will receive their awards at the annual BEA convention in April.

“I’m just really proud of the work that they did, and they were able to be really truly be multimedia journalists. It speaks to the program,” said Heather Hamilton-Stilwell, assistant professor of journalism. “Our students have the talent. [This award is giving] them the opportunity to expose it.”

Bersano’s feature was a three-minute fictional story about a minor league baseball player who was facing several life dilemmas. Koski and Plavajka’s story were part of a larger project that a group of CBU journalism students investigated for a news reporting class. The students looked into a chemical spill and the alleged effects it has had on the community.

While working on the story, Koski, a journalism and new media senior, realized how important journalists are to those who need help “raising their voice.”

“I am excited we have received an honorable mention for this piece, but I am mostly just grateful for the experience we had while producing the story,” she said. “It not only gave us real-world experience, but also the opportunity to invest in lives off campus.”

Family Updates

Ted Meyer, dean of enrollment services for Online and Professional Studies, and Martin Lind, educational director from the Velocify Company,  gave a presentation on Four Ways to Unlock the Potential  of Your Admissions Team at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Chief Enrollment Officers Conference in San Diego on Feb. 8.

 

 

 

Dr. Gretchen Bartels, assistant professor of English, Richard Ardito, assistant professor of accounting, Dr. Dominick Sturz, associate professor of public health, Robert Hayden, visiting professor of communication, and Scott Dunbar, assistant professor of human resource management, all for Online and Professional Studies, participated in the Read-Across-America event at Adams Elementary School in Riverside on March 3. Each professor read children’s books to several classes of students, as well as participated in an classroom chat about the importance of reading.

 

 

 

Dr. Mary Ann Pearson, associate professor of public relations for Online and Professional Studies, spoke to students at Michael D’Arcy Elementary School in Fontana on March 9. She participated in the Career Day assembly and discussed careers in journalism, public relations and communication.

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Zamora, didactic coordinator for physician assistant studies, spoke at Arlanza Elementary School in Riverside for Career Day on March 2.  She talked about becoming a physician assistant and encouraged the students to pursue a higher education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Gwilt, financial coordinator, and students Vanessa Lopez, and Giovanna Berrocal attended AICCU (Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities) Day in the Capitol on Feb. 23.  More than 100 participants attended the event to stress the importance of the Cal Grant program.

 

 

 

 

 

The Society of Actuaries has approved California Baptist University for Validation by Educational Experience (VEE) in the areas of Applied Statistical Methods, Economics, and Corporate Finance. Dr. Michelle Nielsen, assistant professor of mathematics, has been working to garner this approval for CBU. This approved VEE strengthens the actuarial science program, which is designed to prepare students to take the first two actuarial exams.

 

 

 

Dr. Jong-Wha Bai, associate professor of civil engineering, and 18 engineering students on March 11 visited the construction site of the Wilshire Grand Center, a 73-story skyscraper, in downtown Los Angeles. It is set to open March 2017 and will be the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River.

 

 

 

 

 

The Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering and the CBU’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) hosted Dr. Norma Jean Mattei, president-elect of the ASCE, on March 11. Mattei spoke to students on Engineering the Future.

 

Dr. Douglas Barnett, adjunct of management for Online and Professional Studies, attended the Movement for African National Initiatives (MANI) conference March 7-11 in Ethiopia. Barnett made a presentation on Biblical entrepreneurship and its role in helping to create businesses and employment for church members, bivocational missionaries and tentmakers. The 560 participants came from more than 50 countries to assess progress made on reaching Africa’s unreached people groups with the gospel and to promote the further development of African missions.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. William Flores, associate professor of Spanish, presented a paper at the Annual Conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish & Portuguese – Roger Anton Chapter, held at California State University at Fullerton on March 5. The paper was titled The Teaching of Ecocritical Theory and the works of Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez, José Vasconcelos, Rodrigo Fresán and Rómulo Gallegos. Flores also was elected review editor of Studia Iberica et Americana: Journal of Iberian and Latin American Literary and Cultural Studies during the February 2016 gathering of the editorial board.

 

 

 

Dr. Daniel Prather, professor of aviation science, taught a one-day workshop, Effective Leadership in Business Aviation, at the Heli-Expo Convention held by Helicopter Association International in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 6. He also taught a one-hour workshop, Lead with enthusiasm!, at the Women in Aviation International Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 12.

 

 

Personnel Updates