June 3, 2016

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU to host first-ever Courtyard Shakespeare Festival

You can expect plenty of drama in the Smith Courtyard for the next couple of weeks at California Baptist University. The theatre department at CBU will create an outdoor theater to stage two plays during the program’s inaugural Courtyard Shakespeare Festival starting this weekend.

CBU students, alumni and actors from the community will comprise the casts that will perform in repertory productions of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Romeo and Juliet.”

Garret Replogle (’11), theatre shop foreman, is directing “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He said that having actors from the community will help students gain valuable experience working alongside professionals.

Frank Mihelich, assistant professor of theatre, is directing “Romeo and Juliet” and will also portray Lord Capulet in the play. He said an outdoor theater is the venue that Shakespeare intended for his plays.

“In [indoor theater], we do everything for you. Out here, you have to bring your imagination to it. But there is something that’s really wonderful about doing outdoor theater because it’s such an event,” Mihelich said.

Both productions feature different settings than the original plays: “Romeo and Juliet” is set during the Italian Renaissance, whereas “Midsummer Night’s Dream” takes place in the ’30s at an abandoned carnival in the South.

“Midsummer Night’s Dream”
When: 8 p.m. June 3, 5, 9 and 11

“Romeo and Juliet”
When: 8 p.m. June 4, 8, 10 and 12
Where: Smith Courtyard, California Baptist University, 8432 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA, 92504
Tickets: $10

Tickets or questions? Call the theatre box office at 951-343-4319 or email: mhyde@calbaptist.edu

 

CBU campus community holds Memorial Day observance

California Baptist University faculty, staff and students gathered for a Memorial Day tribute on May 25 to remember American servicemen and women who lost their lives in service to their country.

The ceremony, held at the Addink Flag Plaza, included the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” laying of a wreath and a rifle salute. CBU’s Student Veterans Association (SVA) hosted the event.

Daniel Fragoso, a psychology major and vice president of SVA, spoke about what Memorial Day means to him.

“To me, it seems that too many people have forgotten that true meaning of Memorial Day,” said Fragoso, who served in the Army for five years. “Memorial Day is a day in which we honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend this beautiful and free country of ours. To me, it is much a day like Thanksgiving where we give our thanks, appreciation and prayers to the men and women who saw our country was in need of brave people to defend her and chose to answer that call and give their lives for [their country].”

Oscar Valdez, a counseling psychology graduate student and SVA president, said the event is an important reminder never to forget the sacrifices made for the U.S.

“It is important to observe Memorial Day as a tribute to those lost,” said Valdez, who served in the Marines for five years.  “On Memorial Day, we stand as a nation and say to those that they left behind, ‘you lost a loved one, and on this day we stand beside you to mourn those who were lost but not forgotten.’”

The event concluded with members of the American Legion Post 79 of Riverside playing Taps and conducting a rifle salute.

 

CBU to offer first-of-its-kind Comedic Arts Program

Starting in the fall, California Baptist University is set to offer students the opportunity for four years of continuous laughs. The College of Arts and Science will offer the first Christian-based Bachelor of Arts in Comedic Arts program in the U.S.

Students will be trained to produce family friendly entertainment to land careers in comedy, film, TV or as live performers.

John Pate, communication department chair and assistant professor of communication, said that several factors led to the program’s development. First, current trends indicate that TV production is going away from reality-based scripts and more toward family programming. Additionally, individuals that seek a career in Hollywood have an opportunity to gain training and develop a career plan near the “entertainment capital of the world.”

Pate noted that CBU’s theatre arts major already has produced successful careers in the entertainment field, stemming from successful internships, which the comedic arts program will seek to replicate.

“CBU’s program will be the closest university to Hollywood for students to be able to earn [a comedic arts] degree,” Pate said. “Our program will create an educational experience that incorporates a ministry component and will help students develop family entertainment.”

The program is a 36-unit major. Courses range from Pantomime, Commedia and Physical Comedy to Comedy Sketch Writing for Entertainment. The program also includes a course on ‘Comedy in Christian Ministries’ that instructs students on the use of comic techniques to encourage individuals to progress toward “Christ-likeness.”

Pate, who has more than 30 years of performing experience in the entertainment industry, including opening up for stand-up comedy acts such as Red Skelton and Jay Leno, will also be an instructor in the program.

“I tell students that if you produce clean work, you can work forever,” he said. “Because I did clean work, I got a lot of work. Comics want to perform after clean routines.”

To learn more about the program click here.

 

Mission Inn Foundation honors CBU President and First Lady

Riverside’s Mission Inn Foundation honored California Baptist University President Dr. Ronald L. Ellis and First Lady Jane D. Ellis with the 2016 Frank Miller Civic Achievement Award at the organization’s annual banquet May 19.

The award is presented each year by the Mission Inn Foundation to an individual or group that has provided outstanding civic leadership, service, and support to the community in the tradition of Frank Miller, founder of the Mission Inn.

Dr. and Mrs. Ellis were recognized for “remarkable achievements realized during more than 20 years as the President and First Lady of California Baptist University” including civic leadership and service on the boards of numerous community organizations in the greater Riverside area. Tributes included a video presentation from Dr. Rick Warren, CBU alumnus, best-selling author and founder of Saddleback Church.

 

 

Second wave of teams sent for Great Commission global service

California Baptist University sent out its second wave of volunteer teams to serve for the International Service Projects and Summer of Service programs. Seven teams departed from CBU May 14-May 28 to volunteer for various service opportunities in East Asia, Austria, Spain, United Kingdom, Thailand and Canada.

Lisa Hernandez, associate professor of mathematics and a team leader, addressed families and friends who were seeing the teams depart.

“Please pray that we’ll be bold in our faith, that we’ll be strong in the knowledge of the gospel and that we’ll be able to listen to the Spirit giving us those opportunities to share,” Hernandez said.

Before departing, teams gather to pray at the Kugel, a granite globe that rotates on a base inscribed with the scripture from Matthew 28:19-20, symbolizing CBU’s commitment to the Great Commission.

The teams joined 14 others already serving in South Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Germany, Poland, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom. This summer, more than 300 volunteers comprising 37 teams will serve in 17 countries. 2016 marks the 20th year for CBU’s mobilization efforts.

 

Family Updates

Grace Conaway, One-Stop Student Service Advisor for Online and Professional Studies, is CBU’s Employee of the Month for June. The nomination Form included the following statements: Grace is a superb CBU employee … She is able to accomplish a significant amount of work in a short amount of time without sacrificing precision in her work.  Grace provides excellent customer service to our students by always being available to them, being eager to answer their questions and provide assistance, and by letting each student feel s/he is the most important person to her at that moment in time.

 

 

 

Dr. Jeff Gage, professor of nursing, co-authored an article, Epidemiology of dental caries among adolescents in Tamil Nadu, India, that was published in the International Dental Journal (June 2016).

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Dennis K. Bideshi, professor of biology, coauthored papers, The endochitinase ChiA Btt of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis DSM-2803 and its potential use to control the phytopathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Bacteriocinogenic bacteria isolated from raw goat milk and goat cheese produced in the center of Mexico, that were recently published in Microbiology Open and Indian Journal of Microbiology, respectively.

 

 

 

Dr. Joshua Knabb, assistant professor of psychology for Online and Professional studies, and Dr. Thomas Frederick, associated professor psychology for OPS, co-authored an article, Surrendering to God’s Providence: A Three-Part Study on Providence-Focused Therapy for Recurrent Worry, published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.

 

 

 

Dr. Dawn Gilmore, assistant professor of music, led a workshop at the National Worship Leaders Conference in Centerville, Va., on May 17-18. It was titled The Art of Public Prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Keanon Alderson, associate professor of business, spoke to four classes of juniors and seniors of the Business Academy at Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley. The topic was Marketing a Successful Product or Service. Alderson was accompanied by Jared Prins, undergraduate admissions counselor, and Michaela Meeter, undergraduate admissions counselor/recruiter. The Business Academy is a three-year program where students focus on entrepreneurship.

 

 

 

Dr. Matthew Rickard, associated professor of bioengineering, Dr. Creed Jones, professor of software engineering, and Chardythe Gipson-Bean, a biomedical engineering student, presented a paper on April 30 at the 2016 ARVO (The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) Imaging Conference in Seattle. The paper was titled Image processing to measure scleral strain near the limbus using digital microscopy in porcine eyes.

 

 

 

Dr. Daniel Prather, professor of aviation science, trained 40 airport personnel from the FAA Western Pacific region in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 23-26.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Erin Smith, assistant professor of psychology, was a panelist at the Graduate Division’s Teaching Development Day at the University of California, Riverside on May 13.  The panel was titled Getting Hired at a Teaching Institution. The event was attended by current graduate students at UCR in the humanities and social sciences.

 

 

 

 

Terri Thompson, assistant professor of nursing, and Dr. Susan Jetton, assistant professor of nursing, coordinated the Oregon PPE Collaborative: Student Training for Preconception Peer Educators at Linn Benton Community College in Albany, Ore., on May 1-2. Both professors spoke at the event along with Nneka Omoefe and Shannon Vicuna, CBU students from the PPE club. Jetton also presented Why Nursing? at the Health Care CareerCon, held at Norco College on May 20.  Two nursing students, Micheline Helou and Michelle Quon, also participated in the presentation.

 

 

 

CBU’s Modern Languages and Literature department hosted the west region’s Conference on Christianity and Literature on May 12-14. The event was organized by Dr. Laura Veltman, associate professor of American literature, and Dr. Toni Dingman, associate professor of English, with the support of MLL faculty and CBU staff. More than 65 professors, graduate students and undergraduates from Christian colleges attended. The conference included academic presentations, workshops, and poetry/fiction readings. CBU faculty presenters included:

• Berniece Bruinius Alspach, assistant professor of English, Understanding the Language and Ethics of Modernism in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day and Margaret Atwood’s Cat’s Eye
• James Lu, professor of English, Lyrical Stirrings of the Soul: The Power of Poetic Prose in Fiction
• Tom Schneider, assistant professor of English for Online and Professional Studies, and Dr. Gretchen Bartels, assistant professor of English for OPS, workshop, Online English Instruction: Theory and Praxis
• Tae Sung, assistant professor of English for OPS, On Gadamer’s Truth and Method: Recovering Philosophical and Rhetorical Hermeneutics for Today
• Erika Travis, assistant professor of English and behavioral sciences, What shall I do for God?: Catechism in Puritan Joyful Death Narratives
• Jennifer Tronti, assistant professor of English, Ritual Poetry in Tolkien’s The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings and  poetry reading
• Derek Updegraff, assistant professor of English and creative writing, The Butcher’s Tale
• Veltman, associate professor of American literature, Towards a Christ-Haunted Classroom: Reading Flannery O’Connor Pedagogically

 

Dr. Jong-Wha Bai, associated professor of civil engineering, co-authored an article titled Seismic Fragility Estimates of Moment-Resisting Frame Building Controlled by MR Dampers using Performance-Based Design, which was published in the journal Engineering Structures (June).

 

 

 

 

Dr. Monica O’Rourke, visiting professor of kinesiology for Online and Professional Studies, co-presented at the Eastern District Society for Health and Physical Educators conference in Atlantic City, N.J., on May 23.  The presentation was titled Understanding the Importance of Female Specific Wellness Programs.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Anthony Chute, professor of church history, contributed a chapter, Jesse Mercer, to the book A Noble Company: Biographical Essays on Notable Particular-Regular Baptists in America, edited by Terry Wolever and published by Particular Baptist Press.

 

 

 

Personnel Updates