May 19, 2016

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

Lancers baseball hosts its first-ever D-II Regional as No. 1 seed

The California Baptist University Lancers baseball team was awarded the No. 1 seed and is hosting the West Regional NCAA Division II Tournament. This marks the first time a CBU athletic program will host a regional tournament in NCAA D-II.

CBU opens the double-elimination tournament on campus at the James W. Totman Baseball Stadium against No. 6 seed California State University, East Bay on May 19 at 3 p.m.

Read full story here.

 

 

 

Art students show their colors at CBU Gallery

California Baptist University students tackled color and its aesthetic, symbolic and psychological dimensions, for “The Spectrum of Color” exhibit.

The exhibit features 14 unique mixed media pieces, which were created by students in their Color Theory course. The exhibit also includes a section on how colors have been used throughout history.

Kristi Lippire, assistant professor of visual art, said the students were tasked with expressing what a set of colors can represent.

“As art students this is their future—coming up with their own ideas, executing them in a creative and professional way and then presenting them to the public,” Lippire said. “The purpose is to get a fuller taste of being a professional artist.”

Tawni Franzen, a visual arts and graphics design senior, chose the colors black and red.  For black, her artwork features birds.

“I wanted to see if I could make something slightly creepy, slightly mysterious,” she said. “I wanted to try it because I’ve never done anything that was on the eerie end.”

Brooke Villegas, a visual arts junior, picked violet and yellow. Her yellow pieces feature a light bulb and an eye. Instead of going with the idea that yellow means happiness, she connected it with intellect.

“As an artist, it’s a big deal to be seen and to be known. I think there’s an exciting feeling of potential … to think about what else I could do in the future,” she said in response to her artwork being featured at the gallery.

The exhibit runs through June 25 at CBU’s Gallery located at 3737 Main St., Suite 101 in downtown Riverside. There will be an opening reception May 19, 6-9 p.m. The gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday from 12:30–8 p.m.

 

CBU student’s creativity lands interview, gains attention

Graham Allgood, a marketing junior at California Baptist University, appeared on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” to retell the creative way he landed a job interview at Horizon Media on May 17.

Allgood described how he used Snapchat, an image messaging and multimedia mobile application, to design and implement a Geofilter advertising campaign to land his “dream job” interview.

“Why not market to a marketing agency by running my own ad campaign,” Allgood asked during his interview with Fox host Maria Bartiromo. “I’ve used Snapchat in the past to build Geofilters with my university before… so I developed a design set and got it approved by Snapchat.”

Geofilters help users advertise to a specific targeted area through Snapchat. When a Snapchat user takes a photo, they can swipe left or right on their smartphone to display other user photos that had been taken in the vicinity. Geofilters allows approved images to display amidst the array of photos.

Allgood created a photo advertisement to promote Horizon Media with a small caveat— a special message at the top of the screen that read “Hey Hire Me.”

His well thought-out plan grabbed attention immediately.

“I had more than 1,000 engagements, received a tweet that day (from Horizon), and an email for an interview the next day,” Allgood said.

Horizon’s social media tweet read, “Best thing we’ve seen in months! You rock man! Love the design.”

Although Allgood was not offered a job because summer internship positions were already filled, he said the company has mentioned the possibility of offering him a job after graduation.

 

Two CBU engineering students off to the races at the Indy 500

Two engineering students from California Baptist University are spending three weeks with KVSH Racing getting ready for the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – the Indianapolis 500.

Craig Easton and John Free joined KVSH Racing team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 10 as the team prepares for the competition.

“What a great experience for California Baptist [Gordon and Jill Bourns] College of Engineering students to not only be integrated into our organization, but to experience the engineering marvel that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said James “Sulli” Sullivan, KVSH co-owner. “We’re blessed to have CBU College of Engineering as a partner and these students as part of our team for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.”

Easton and Free, both mechanical engineering seniors, are tasked with studying and cataloging aerodynamic differences between the KVSH Racing #11 car’s performance and IndyCars from other competing teams.

Easton and Free will be at the speedway during practice runs and for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

“I am looking forward to having close contact with these excellent engineers,” Free said. “It will give me a perspective on life after graduation and it will allow me to see experienced engineers in action.”

CBU is an associate partner for the KVSH No. 11 team. The partnership allowed 19 students up-close access to the car, driver and crew at the 2016 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. It also will allow CBU students continued access to the KVSH engineering team throughout the 2016 season including internship opportunities.

 

Lancers win PacWest Commissioner’s Cup for 3rd-straight year

For the third-straight year and the fourth in the program’s 5-year history, California Baptist University Athletics have been declared the best in the PacWest by winning the Commissioner’s Cup. Since joining the PacWest in 2011, CBU has won four of five Commissioner’s Cups — becoming the first school to accomplish this feat.

The Lancers clinched the Commissioner Cup when CBU’s baseball team claimed the PacWest title on the last day of competition. In total, the Lancers have captured nine conference crowns this academic year – men’s and women’s basketball, women’s golf, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, wrestling, baseball and men’s and women’s cross country.

“I’m proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff for winning the cup three years in a row,” said Dr. Micah Parker, CBU director of athletics. “Particularly, this group of senior athletes has been consistently outstanding in PacWest competition. The PacWest Conference continues to get better each year, so we’ve had to keep improving also. This accomplishment is a true blessing.”

The PacWest Commissioner’s Cup was established in 2007-08 to honor the athletic program with the best overall performance in that academic year. The competition is based upon average finishes. Each school’s conference finishes are totaled and then divided by the number of PacWest athletic programs it offers, giving an overall average finish for the school.

 

Fall orientation arrives early on campus at CBU

Months before the fall semester starts, incoming freshmen were already strolling on campus at California Baptist University, registering for classes, learning about the university and getting to know each other.

More than 220 students, along with their parents, registered to attend the New Student Orientation on May 9.

Heather Hubbert, assistant dean of students-assessment and student conduct, said that offering orientation in spring helps both the student and their parents adjust to college life sooner.

“We’re trying to create the best experience for students and their families. By giving them some of the orientation information earlier, they are better prepared,” she said. “We want them to feel welcomed and a part of the community from the moment they get here.”

Throughout the day, students and parents heard information about housing, meal plans, financial aid and CBU’s purpose. The students also registered for classes and received their ID card.

Allen Johnson, dean of admissions, said another advantage to early orientation is the connections that are made.

Makenna Young, of Valencia, Calif., agreed.

“[Meeting fellow students] makes me more excited about coming here and it gives me something to really look forward to,” said Makenna, who will be a liberal studies major.

“I’m looking forward to getting her all set up,” said her dad, Will. “This is our oldest, so it’s our first experience at this.”

Orientation will be offered six times for first-time students and four for transfer and non-recent graduates before the fall semester. A final orientation is also held before classes start for international students and other students who could not attend during the summer. CBU also offers Welcome Weekend, a weekend filled with activities to help freshmen and transfer students become familiar with CBU.

 

New graduate school grant rewards Lancer loyalty

Graduates of California Baptist University now have an extra incentive to go back to school in the fall – free money. Applications are being received for the Lancer Loyalty Graduate School Grant (LLGSG) offered exclusively to CBU bachelor degree graduates who want to advance their education and remain a Lancer.

Grants range from $500 – $3,000 and are awarded based on enrollment in select graduate program, academic merit and financial need.

Taylor Neece, director of graduate admissions, said the grant is a way to encourage past and future graduates to stay with their “CBU Family.”

“If our students are going to graduate school, let’s motivate them to stick around here and create a deeper tie to the Lancer Family and the Lancer legacy,” he said. “[The grants are] a way of saying thank you for staying loyal and sticking around.”

To be eligible, students must have a bachelor’s degree from CBU and be accepted to an eligible on-campus graduate program by July 1 for the fall semester (Nov. 1 for spring 2017 semester; March 1 for summer 2017 semester). Not all graduate programs qualify. The grant is a one-time award that will be split between the student’s first two semesters.

Apply or read more about the grant here.

 

Men’s golf qualifies for first trip to D-II Championships

The men’s golf team at California Baptist University advanced to its first-ever Division II Championship by landing a fourth place finish at the NCAA Division II West Regional.

The Lancers rallied in the final round of the regional, moving up five spots by shooting a combined two-under-par on the day, which is the fourth-lowest round in program history, for an 869 score over three rounds (297-290-282).

The Lancers head to Denver, Colo., for the championships, which will be held May 17-21.

Read more about the regional results here.

 

Family Updates

Dr. Veola Vazquez, undergraduate associate dean in the School of Behavioral Sciences, released her new children’s novel in May. The Penny Predicament is the second in The Coin Chronicles series, which is aimed at children ages 8-12 years old. Vazquez also recently launched a Child/Family Psychology blog where she reviews current research. The blog can be found at www.veolavazquez.com.

 

 

Dr. Melissa Wigginton, associate professor of health science, had an article published in the International Journal of Health, Wellness, and Society (Volume 6, Issue 2). The article was titled Modifying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Children’s Exercise Behaviors.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Michael Chute, professor of journalism, made a presentation, Staff Mentoring: They’ll Brave the Challenges If You Inspire Them, at the Evangelical Press Association’s annual Christian media convention in Lancaster, Pa., April 6-8. He also moderated a student panel, Millennials Talk Back: How to Reach Twenty-Something Readers. He also made four presentations at the Association of State Baptist Publications annual meeting in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Feb. 15-18. Titles of his presentations were Publication Trends; Best Practices in Newspapers; Impact of Printing Schedules on Purpose and Content, and Multimedia Journalism in the “Mobile” Age.

 

 

Shawn Wilhite, assistant professor of Christian Studies for Online and Professional Studies, reviewed You Are My Son: The Family of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews by Amy L. B. Peeler. It was published in the online publication of Reviews of Biblical and Early Christian Studies (May 2016).

 

 

 

 

Darla Donaldson, assistant professor of finance and social entrepreneurship, received a $3,000 academic research grant from SawTooth Software. This grant will aid Donaldson’s research concerning nonprofit organization donors and the way in which donors choose from similar donation options.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Kenneth Minesinger, associate professor of law for Online and Professional Studies, and Kenneth George, assistant professor of finance for Online and Professional Studies, made a presentation at the Pacific Conference on the Science and Art of Business on May 8 in Palm Springs. The presentation was titled Healthcare Sector Stock Performance after the Adoption of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

 

 

 

Jennifer Zamora, didactic coordinator for physician assistant studies, spoke at the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) conference held at California Baptist University on April 9. The theme was Women in Medicine. Zamora spoke about her professional journey and was part of a panel answering questions about the field. Zamora also was a speaker at the Journey to Becoming a Physician Assistant event at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona on April 16.  She spoke on volunteering, community service, hands-on patient care experience and global health medicine for physician assistants.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Tae Sung, assistant professor of English for Online and Professional Studies, interviewed the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Jack Miles and had it published in the May/June issue of Books and Culture. Sung also spoke with Miles at a panel presentation for the Western Division of the Conference on Christianity and Literature hosted by California Baptist University on May 12-14. Sung also presented a paper at the event, On Gadamer’s Truth and Method: Recovering Philosophical and Rhetorical Hermeneutics for Today.

 

 

 

Dr. Monica O’Rourke, visiting professor of kinesiology for Online and Professional Studies, presented Kinesiology as a Career to classes at Poly High School in Riverside on April 29.  The presentation included speaking to at-risk youth about overcoming hardships and importance of education.  O’Rourke also partnered with Team Faith Racing Ministry to provide prayer and give away smoothies to professional athletes at the first round of the Pro Watercross National Racing Series held in Panama Beach, Fla., on May 7. While there, Joseph Lemond, OPS kinesiology student and Navy dive medic, provided O’Rourke with a tour of the Panama City Naval Support Activity Center’s Exercise Physiology Dive Research Lab, hyperbaric chambers and dive facilities.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Heather Hamilton-Stilwell, assistant professor of journalism, made two presentations at the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) convention in Las Vegas on April 17-19. The titles were Mining for Morning Meetings: Tools for coming up with story ideas for the morning news meeting and Hanging Tough: Life as the new kid in college radio. She also was elected as chair for the BEA’s Media and Religion Division Steering Committee. She also graduated May 7 from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va., with her doctorate in communication. She received the Outstanding Graduate for Doctor of Philosophy in Communication award for being the top Ph.D. graduate and was one of six graduates invited to speak at the chancellor’s luncheon following commencement.

 

Personnel Updates