April 7, 2016

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

Dr. Micah Parker named citizen of the month in Riverside

Dr. Micah Parker, director of athletics at California Baptist University, was named April Citizen of the Month by the mayor of Riverside, Rusty Bailey.

“Dr. Parker is a great example of how California Baptist University is helping students to ‘live their purpose,'” Bailey said on why he chose Parker for the recognition. “The university is a blessing for Riverside, and Dr. Parker leads the Athletic Department toward excellence in athletics and academics in a faith-based environment.”

The 2015-16 year marks Parker’s seventh year as the head of the athletics department at CBU. During his time at CBU, the Lancers have had an unprecedented run of success, leading Parker to also be named The Press-Enterprise Most Influential Sports Figure in the Inland Empire in 2015.

During Parker’s tenure, CBU made the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II where the Lancers had 12 of 19 NCAA programs qualify for postseason in their first year of eligibility (2013-14). CBU now has 27 NCAA Division II conference titles. Additionally, CBU also has three individual NCAA Division II champions, two in women’s swimming and the other in wrestling.

Since joining the PacWest in 2011, CBU has won three of four Commissioner’s Cups — becoming the first school to do so — and is currently in first place in the 2015-16 standings.

Outside of CBU, Parker is also a Christian motivational speaker, speaking at national youth gatherings, faith-based businesses, school assemblies, church events, graduations and Fellowship of Christian Athletes groups.

 

Take advantage of opportunities, marketing exec tells students

Taking advantage of work experiences—even failures—is the key to career growth, Sam Pontrelli told California Baptist University students on April 5.

Pontrelli is the senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Monster Energy. His presentation was part of the Voices of Business lecture series hosted by the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business at CBU.

“It’s OK if you fail. You’re not going to come up with that next great idea if you’re afraid to fail,” Pontrelli said. “Everything that I perceived as a negative in my career all set me up for my job today.”

Pontrelli encouraged students to be patient in their career development.

“When you’re looking at your career and you’re not being promoted as quickly as you want to be, or you might get assigned something that’s a little bit different from what you want, try to make the best of it,” Pontrelli said. “See what you can do, make the most out of [the opportunity]. Learn how to be a leader within, so when the right opportunity comes along you’re prepared for it.”

It is vital for students to understand that careers are not formed instantaneously, he said.

“We all are kind of aggressive in nature and want to move up quickly. It will happen if you do the right things,” Pontrelli said. “It worked out great for me. It took a few detours but it all worked out.”

 

CEO says majority of wealthy people are small business owners

“The largest group of wealth [in the U.S.] is found in small business ownership,” Ron Burgess told the audience at California Baptist University on April 4.

Burgess is the CEO of RedFusion Media and author of “Finding Your Crack in the Market.” Burgess has been a business consultant on growth strategy for more than 30 years. The Dr. Bonnie G. Metcalf School of Education at CBU hosted Burgess.

“There are wealthy people in [the business world], such as CEOs for large Fortune 500 companies, but they are a small percentage. The bulk of wealthy people are small business owners,” Burgess said.

Burgess said that 70 percent of the U.S. economy is comprised of small businesses, but only half of them survive after five years. He said his research indicates several noticeable traits of a successful small business.

“A well thought out competitive strategy and the ability of the business owner to become a leader are the two main characteristics of running a successful small business,” he said.

“It is the cherry on the top to have a successful business with a good leader,” Burgess said.

He said it is also important to find a business’s position in the market to ensure success.

“Consumers are influenced by brand, influenced by things that are not quantifiable, which is why you need to have a niche in the market and have a good image,” Burgess said.

 

Iorg speaks in CBU chapel on principles of forgiveness

“We need forgiveness and we need to give it, too,” Dr. Jeff Iorg told California Baptist University students at chapel on April 4.

Iorg is a pastor, author and president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to his service at the seminary, he was executive director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for nearly 10 years.

Iorg taught from Matthew 18:21-35, where Jesus presents the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

“There are two principles that Jesus teaches out of this passage,” Iorg said. “First that we need forgiveness and the other that we must forgive others.”

Iorg said that just as the king forgave the servant of a debt he could never pay back, so God offers the opportunity for forgiveness for all those who ask for it.

“This is the good news, we can be forgiven,” he said. “You can go to God and ask God to forgive you and He will.”

The second part of the principle of forgiveness might be more difficult to do, Iorg said.

“We have to learn to forgive those who have hurt you deeply,” he explained. “We must learn to forgive those who wounded you in a way you didn’t deserve.”

Iorg gave a personal example from his past.

“My dad was a violent alcoholic man that beat my mom,” he said. “I despised him and carried along bitterness and anger into adulthood. I tried to mask these feelings by becoming a perfectionist.”

“I had a friend who saw through the mask of perfectionism and confronted me on the issue of forgiveness,” Iorg recalled. “He then helped me work through forgiveness for several years.”

“Failing to forgive the other person doesn’t do any harm to the other person, just yourself,” Iorg said. “Forgiveness sets you free.”

Iorg said forgiveness does not mean the absence of consequences. Rather, it is coming to the belief that God will deal with the people that harmed you.

 

CBU staffer, alumna performs national anthem at Lakers game

Morgan Teruel (’14), career counselor at California Baptist University, shone brightly to the applause of more than 18,000 cheering fans as she performed the national anthem at the Los Angeles Lakers game on April 3.

Teruel, who often leads worship at Sandals Church in Riverside, graduated from CBU with a bachelor’s degree in music education. She credits her many concert performances as a student with giving her the ability to sing before audiences.

Although she had never performed in front of an audience as large as a Lakers game, Teruel said God gave her the courage she needed for the occasion.

“I felt good about the overall performance. I’m always self-critical of little mistakes or sounds that did not come out the way I hoped or prepared for,” Teruel said. “I felt like God gave me the confidence and strength I needed at that moment to fully be present and enjoy the anthem and the opportunity.”

Teruel said she is always interested in opportunities to develop her singing talent.

“I’m trying to be a faithful steward of my gift, even if that means trying to take a risk like singing the national anthem.”

Last summer Teruel sought help among her CBU “family” to create an a cappella promotional recording of the national anthem. She reached out to Bryan Engle, assistant athletic director for facilities/game management, and he offered her the opportunity to record her promo at the James W. Totman Baseball Stadium. Jonathan Nyquist, an adjunct professor of graphic design at CBU, helped produce the recording that afforded Teruel a chance to visualize performing in a stadium setting.

Teruel sent the finished product to several professional teams in hopes of landing an opportunity to sing the national anthem at a sporting event.

Lisa Estrada, vice president of entertainment and facilities for the Los Angeles Lakers, said she had a musical talent cancel before Sunday’s Lakers game and that Teruel was the next person on the list to call.

Teruel gladly accepted the invitation, which also included courtside tickets for seating near celebrity athletes David Beckham and Floyd Mayweather.

“It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life so far and I feel immensely grateful for the opportunity,” Teruel said.

Watch Teruel’s performance here.

 

CBU students plant trees to celebrate Spring Arbor Day

Nearly 60 California Baptist University students celebrated Spring Arbor Day by planting 15 trees on April 2.

The event was organized by the university’s Facilities and Planning Services and the Environmental Science Club at CBU. Volunteers planted trees in the CBU parking lots and around the exterior of campus. The club’s goal is to do its part to better the environment and the community.

The Arbor Day Foundation recently recognized CBU as a 2016 Tree Campus USA for the second consecutive year.

“We are committed to planting and maintaining trees on campus,” said Ed Schmachtenberger, grounds and landscaping manager at CBU. “Trees add so much to our campus plus they are great for the environment and community.”

The volunteers worked several hours to dig holes and then to plant the trees.

Anthony Ballinger, a biology senior, said he planted his first tree at the event and enjoyed getting his “hands dirty.”

Gabriella Seratti, an environmental science junior, said the event was a career preparation opportunity.

“I love trees,” Seratti said. “I want to go into forestry after graduation, and I think this event was a good starting point for me to learn more about trees.”

 

First CBU Small Groups album now available on iTunes

The Collinsworth School of Music released its first Small Groups album, “When I Laid It Down,” in March for CD distribution and now it is also available by digital download through iTunes.

Eight vocalists and three instrumentalists recorded songs for the project; the album is composed of 13 Christian contemporary songs.

“We were looking for the best blend tonally with all eight voices,” said Dr. Judd Bonner, dean of the Collinsworth School of Music. “The strongest vocalists that could also blend the best together and make the most dynamic group were chosen.”

CBU has five vocal Small Groups, each with seven to nine members per team that perform in local churches and other venues several times each month. Additionally, each summer, two student-led groups travel across the U.S. on an eight-week concert tour, singing and ministering in churches, schools and summer camps. Now audiences that hear the Small Groups in concert will have the opportunity to take similar music home.

CBU composition graduate students Connor Smith (’15) and Desmond Clark (’14) collaborated to write and arrange six songs for the new album.

“It’s an unbelievable blessing and gift to know that my God-given talents and my bachelor’s degree are being put right back into ministry,” Clark said.

“The opportunity to have my music recorded is huge to me,” Smith said. “My songs have now gone beyond myself and they’ve gone beyond the people I can sing to and it’s cool to be a part of that.”

 

“Pirated!” takes over Wallace Theatre

The theatre program at California Baptist University is ending its 2015-16 season by bringing a comedy to the Wallace Theatre starting on April 8.

“Pirated!” is a clever and zany re-imagining of the classic “The Pirates of Penzance” by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. This screenplay adaption comes from James C. Christian and is set to a 1930s movie studio when talking pictures are the new hot thing. As the director attempts to film a movie, the voices behind the actors revolt and take over the studio.

“It’s light-hearted entertainment. If they (audience) don’t laugh at least 10 times during the production, I have failed,” joked Lisa Lyons, a theatre adjunct and director of the production.

Katie Shaw, a business administration senior, plays a silent film star. Shaw said she has enjoyed learning how to express her role without words since her character does not speak in the first act.

“She is very over dramatic with her physical actions, which has been my favorite part,” said Shaw in describing her character. “I have loved finding different physical actions that portray her personality, so the audience can see how high maintenance she really is.”

Bryan Richardson, a theatre senior, plays Daniel Brown, the lead vocal actor. Having the opportunity to do a comedy has been a highlight for him.

“This show is supposed to be fun and over-the-top,” he said. “I hope our audience can come to this show and just escape for a couple of hours.”

“Pirated!”

When: April 8-9, April 14-16, at 7:30 p.m.; April 9, April 16, at 2 p.m.
Where: Wallace Theatre, California Baptist University
Tickets: General admission $15, CBU Faculty and Staff $12, CBU students $10
Tickets or questions? Call the theatre box office at 951- 343-4319 or email: mhyde@calbaptist.edu

 

CBU Army ROTC earns top spots at national drill competition

Two teams from California Baptist University’s Army ROTC marched to success in the color guard event at the John J. Pershing Memorial Drill Competition held in March in Chantilly, Va.

The female squad, the only all-woman squad among 22 teams, won first place, and the men’s team took third in the event.

Cadets on the winning CBU team were Shannon Garcia, Bryanna Mora, Sheraya Bentick and Imelda Camaja. Cadets on the men’s team were Caleb Fink, Joshua Fink, Kevin Grebbien and Kendal Morris.

“It was definitely an honor, being the only all-female team to take first place,” Bentick said. “Our team worked so hard for hours and hours on end, meticulously practicing to perfect our routine…  Our performance was the best run through of our routine that we had ever done. I am more than proud of our team and what we have accomplished.”

Although the two CBU teams competed for the same prize, they still were rooting for each other.  When the men’s team was docked for doing a command wrong, they told the women’s team in hopes they would avoid the same error.

“We may have gone up against each other, but we would always help each other out,” said Fink, who also placed second in the individual drill knockout competition. “There was some friendly teasing before the competition, but we really wanted both teams to do their best.”

This is the third consecutive year CBU teams have returned with awards. In 2015, the men’s team placed third in the color guard event and 2014, the men’s team took first place in the same category.

Pershing Rifles is an ROTC related national organization that was started by Lt. John J. Pershing in 1894 when he was the professor of military science at the University of Nebraska. Pershing Rifles drill teams compete in several categories, including squad regulation drill, platoon exhibition drill, individual drill and color guard.

 

Professor, alumna collaborate on beauty product campaign

Gwyneth Paltrow’s new skin-care product line owes a touch of its advertising inspiration to a professor and an alumna from the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design at California Baptist University.

Crème Collective, a beauty sales agency, was hired to create the ad campaign for Goop, which allowed Trever Hoehne (’06), assistant professor of graphic design at CBU, and alumna Kayla Adams (’10) to join forces on the project. Adams was the art director for the project and Hoehne was the photographer.

Adams, whose role in the Goop campaign was to determine how to best represent the product visually, started her career in 2011 by creating her own design studio that specializes in web, brand and print design before being hired on as the art director for Crème Collective. She has worked with online retailers including 31 Bits, Plum Pretty Sugar, and Raven + Lily.

“It’s always a dream to be able to work with clients who have great taste, and (Paltrow) is no exception to that,” said Adams.

Adams said her experience at CBU helped build the foundation for her professional career.

“There’s no doubt that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the team that runs the design program [at CBU],” she said. “They’ve connected me with some of my current clients, encouraged me to grow my business, and have been my biggest supporters even though I graduated years ago. They gave me a great foundation that I’ve been able to build on as I’ve grown as a designer.”

Hoehne and Adams have worked together professionally in the past and have come to appreciate each other’s perspective.

“It is fun being able to work with someone you know and trust,” said Hoehne, who is also a fashion photographer and has worked with clothing and jewelry companies including Oscar de La Renta and Nordstrom. “We share the same creative DNA in some ways. We know what to expect from each other and our visual styles pair very well.”

Hoehne said Paltrow was amazing to work with.

“Because it was her campaign, she knew what she was going for,” he said. “Sometimes these shoots can take 10 hours to actually shoot in studio. She got in front of the camera, and we probably took 20 frames because she was so good.”

 

CBU comes away “Golden” at advertising awards

Students, faculty and staff at California Baptist University combined to win 10 gold awards from the American Advertising Federation-Inland Empire (AAF-Inland Empire) awards gala on March 18. A CBU faculty member also won Best of Show in the professional category. In total CBU won 29 awards, 17 were student awards.

CBU students Brittany Hatch, Colton von Pertz, Jacob Gonzalez and Jessica Schoellerman all won gold awards for various design projects.

Michael Berger, program director for graphic design and photography at CBU, said the award process helps CBU students on several levels. Students get to make connections with other schools and design communities at the award ceremonies. Additionally, the awards act as a barometer for students’ quality of work. Furthermore, the prospect of an award gives the students something fun to work toward during the year.

Berger won two gold awards—one for his work on a digital media brochure that also won Best of Show and the other was for a photography brochure for the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design, where he worked collaboratively with CBU graphic design professors Trever Hoehne and Dirk Dallas.

CBU’s Marketing and Communication Division also won three gold awards: one for the “Put Faith in the Journey” campaign, another for the “Brand Yourself” campaign and the third for a direct mailer it created for the Lancer Athletics Association.

Local Gold and Best of Show winners will advance to the regional competition with a chance to move up and compete at the national level.

To see photos and a complete list of winners in all categories, visit http://aaf-inlandempire.com.

 

CBU Cheer wins fifth straight USA College Championship

The Lancers continued their dominance in cheerleading with their fifth-straight USA College Championship victory March 20. The title keeps the Lancers undefeated since 2013.

“The USA competition is always a great step in the process of getting the team ready for nationals,” said head coach Tami Fleming. “I am extremely proud of the performance the team put out on the floor in finals and that the hard work has paid off. It is an honor to be the five-time USA College Champions.”

The Lancers will compete in Daytona Beach, Fla., for the National Cheerleaders Association Championships on April 7-8, where they have grabbed an unprecedented three-consecutive championship titles.

Read full story here.

 

Fighting poverty starts with how we see people, speaker says

“A central reason for addressing poverty is because people are made in God’s image,” Dr. Art Lindsley told the audience at California Baptist University on March 21.

Lindsley is the vice president of theological initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work and Economics in McLean, Va. The institute’s mission is to educate Christians to live out a biblical theology that integrates faith, work and economics. Lindsley is also the co-editor of “For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty.”

The School of Christian Ministries at CBU hosted the lecture.

Lindsley reiterated the point that people are all created in God’s image with a quote from C.S Lewis; “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts and civilizations—these are mortal.”

Lindsley challenged students to live out the revelation that “there are no ordinary people.”

“It would be interesting to see that if for one day you could truly live out this idea that people are made in God’s image on this campus,” he said. “When you look everybody in the eye and affirm them that they’re not invisible, that they’re present, that they are a person of worth and value and dignity—that would be worth doing for one day wouldn’t it?”

Viewing others in this way is the first step to combatting poverty in a biblical way, but the Bible also provides insight into the practical issues of poverty such as jobs and businesses, Lindsley said.

Instead of giving things to the poor, believers should work on enabling people to work for themselves, he said. Small business is a great way to do that, and Jesus himself was a small businessman, Lindsley said.

“I think particularly in the Bible and in Christianity you have this place of the importance of enterprise and business,” he said.

 

Alumna named an “Inspiring Woman” at local college

Daniela Medina (’15) was named one of the 2016 Inspiring Women of Mt. SAC in honor of National Women’s History Month. The award given by Mt. San Antonio College is based on a person’s character, involvement in community service and personal and academic achievements.

Medina is an athletic trainer at Canyon High School in Anaheim, Calif., and she has been in the U.S. Army Reserves for the past 14 years and served overseas in Kuwait and Iraq. She earned her associate degree from Mt. SAC in 2009, her bachelor’s from California State University, Fullerton in 2013 and her master’s in athletic training from California Baptist University.

Dr. Jolene Dickert, associate professor of athletic training at CBU, remembers Medina as a compassionate and helpful person. The two of them were part of a CBU team that traveled to East Africa on a Global Engagement trip in June 2014. It was no surprise for Dickert that Medina received the honor for inspiring women.

“It was an amazing experience to see (Medina) evaluate and treat patients in another country while also showing an incredible amount of compassion for each of her patients,” Dickert said. “Daniela is an incredible person and professional, and so I am not surprised at all that she has been chosen as an Inspiring Woman of Mt. SAC.”

Medina tries to lead by example in the care she shows others in her life.

“I would hope to positively influence my students and be a role model that they would like to emulate, especially when caring for others,” she said. “In the military, more than anything, I try to lead by example, and show my interest and concern for my soldiers while working right by their side.”

Family Updates

Dr. Joshua Knabb, assistant professor psychology for Online and Professional Studies, had a book published last month. Faith-Based ACT for Christian Clients (Routledge) balances empirical evidence with theology to give clinicians a deep understanding of not just the “why” but also the “how” of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Christian clients.

 

 

 

 

Three Nutrition and Food Sciences students won third place in the Southern California Food Industry Conference undergraduate research competition held in Anaheim March 10. Students Annalise Rosik, Jadah Stance and Maria Perez developed the concept for the food product and took it through all the steps for new product development in the food industry. The criteria included using organic ingredients, brown rice, and two other uncommonly used plant-derived ingredients that have health benefits. The students developed brown rice herb crusted pizza with tomato and algae protein sauce and celeriac root toppings.

 

 

 

Dr. David Pearson, interim dean of the College of Health Science, is a member of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Committee and provided administrative oversight to the national championship tournament held in Sioux Falls, S.D., on March 11-12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daron Hubbert, director of Residence Life, was named CBU’s Employee of the Month for April. The nomination form included the following statements: “Upon receiving the initial report regarding the possibility of moisture within The Cottages, Daron demonstrated initiative by immediately developing a relocation plan, which included challenging his staff to identify housing assignments that would have the least amount of impact on the sense of community formed with each cottage. As a result of Daron’s leadership and initiative, the University was able to (continue) to offer a residence life program that is recognized as the best in California (2016 Best College Dorms, colleges.niche.com).”

 

 

 

The first steel beams for the CBU Events Center went up early on March 21. The $73 million project will result in a 5,050-seat arena that will showcase some of the CBU athletics teams and provide much needed space for CBU’s chapel program.

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Leonard, assistant director of development for University Advancement, was recently named as one of Corona’s “40 under 40” in Corona the Guide. According to the guide, the list honors the city’s most accomplished young leaders who are committed to business growth, professional excellence and community service. Honorees are nominated by their peers and friends and selected by a panel of independent judges.

 

 

 

Almost 600 high school students attended the Inland Coalition Health Professions Conference held at California Baptist University on March 17. The conference serves students from across San Bernardino and Riverside counties, as well as the Pomona Valley area, exposing them to higher education and the many healthcare professions available.

 

 

 

Dr. Jacob Lanphere, assistant professor of environmental science, presented research, Environmental Implications of Engineered Nanomaterials in the Environment, at the Exchange Club of Hemet-San Jacinto Valley in Hemet on March 17. The Exchange Club is a national service organization.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jong-Wha Bai, associate professor of civil engineering, presented two posters at the first International Conference on Grand Challenges in Construction Materials in Los Angeles on March 17-18. The posters were titled Effect of Fly Ash Particle Size on Early Creep of Self-Consolidating Concrete and Finite Element Modeling for Predicting Creep of Self-Consolidating Concrete Containing Supplementary Cementitious Materials.

 

 

 

Dr. Thomas Ferko, professor of chemistry, and Dr. Patrick Schacht, assistant professor of biochemistry, made a presentation, Engaging Science Majors in a Service-Based Discipleship Program, at the American Scientific Affiliation’s Southern California Christians in Science 2016 Winter Day Conference held at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena on Feb. 27.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Ogbochi McKinney, assistant professor of public health for Online and Professional Studies, presented a paper on African immigrants’ Knowledge and Perceptions of the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa at the Northwest Regional Conference on African Immigrant Health held in Seattle on March 19-20. Dr. Dominick Sturz, associate professor of public health for Online and Professional Studies, co-authored the paper.

 

 

 

Dr. Lisa Hernández, associate professor of mathematics, had a children’s book, Look, Math Is Fun!, published (Archway Publishing) in February. Illustrated by Lisa Beth Orona, a graphic design sophomore, the book follows a little girl through her garden as she discovers many mathematical wonders.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Natalie Winter, associate professor of marketing, and Ryan Falsetti, undergrad admissions counselor, presented Media & Marketing Communications to four classes in the Media & Arts Academy of Arlington High School in Riverside on March 14. Also, Winter presented Generations at Work to the County of Riverside’s department directors on March 17. The presentation was focused on raising up the next generation of organizational leaders.

 

 

 

Dr. William Flores, associate professor of Spanish, presented a paper at the XVII Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica held in Mérida, México, on March 9-11. The paper was titled The Objective, the Method, and the Practice: Ideas for the Development of an Upper Division Seminar on Literature and Ecocriticism.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Daniel Prather, professor of aviation science, taught a four-day workshop on airport operations to 45 airport professionals at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C., on March 28-31.

 

 

 

 

 

Personnel Updates