In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU flight student qualifies to teach others how to fly

Hannah Maria Guajardo, an aviation flight student at California Baptist University, holds a unique role for her senior year—she will be a flight instructor. Guajardo recently became the flight school’s first student to earn a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certificate, which will allow her to teach at the Department of Aviation Science at CBU.

Dr. Daniel Prather, chair of the aviation science department, said flight training traditionally requires individuals to pay for their required flight training hours. However, once a CFI is obtained, an individual can be paid to accumulate flight hours through teaching. Guajardo will teach courses for students pursuing their private pilot certificate.

“The (CFI) certificate is a significant accomplishment,” said Prather. “Hannah has excelled as an aviation flight major and is paving the way for many students to come after her in this exciting major.”

Guajardo’s latest accomplishment comes on the heels of receiving a conditional job offer, along with three classmates, from ExpressJet airlines.

“I’ve been blessed by my experience at CBU,” said Guajardo, who expects to graduate in the spring of 2017. “The aviation community has been extremely supportive of achieving my dreams.”

Prather reflected on the historic achievements of Guajardo.

“She is a history maker at CBU, as she was the first student to be admitted as an aviation flight major and the first student in the history of CBU to earn her CFI before graduation.  She is also one of the founding members of our Women in Aviation Blue Yonder chapter,” Prather said.

 

CBU dynamic duo wins historic national ADDY awards

Two California Baptist University students’ teamwork and creativity resulted in the first national American Advertising Awards (AAF) won by an Inland Empire college student. The awards were given at the AAF ceremony, also known as ADDYs, held in Anaheim, Calif., on June 7.

Jacob Gonzalez, a photography senior, received gold for his entry in the “Elements of Advertising—Still Photography, Campaign” category. Brittany Hatch, a graphic design and digital media senior, received silver for her entry in the “Out-of-Home—Poster” category.

The two students agreed to collaborate last fall on a project for their Intermediate Image course. Since Gonzalez has experience as a sports photographer, they focused in that field. Gonzalez took photos of athletes, and Hatch used her graphic design talents to create fictional Nike advertisement posters.

The students submitted three posters in separate categories for the AAF-Inland Empire Awards in March. Both won gold. Then they won silver in AAF District 15, which covers Southern California and Southern Nevada, and advanced to the nationals. Nationwide, the local student competitions drew more than 6,000 entries.

“Getting recognized nationally is something I am extremely grateful for,” Gonzalez said. “I am thankful for the talent God gave me. It was such an honor to represent CBU and all the dedication of the photography and design professors for teaching us every year.”

Michael Berger, program director for the photography and graphic design and digital media majors, said the students’ awards are evidence of their hard work and the success of CBU’s College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design.

“Jacob and Brittany’s work stood up against work done at the nation’s best art schools. For them, it is a great honor and evidence of the quality of work they are doing,” Berger said.

 

Journalism students spend time in prison—to tell stories

Equipped with cameras, pens, notepads and willing hearts, 10 California Baptist University students entered the confines of two Louisiana state prisons to capture the stories of inmates for Awana Lifeline ministries. The students created content through articles, photographs and video to help promote the organization’s various prison ministries.

Dr. Michael Chute, CBU professor of journalism, said the trip to the prisons were equal parts service and field training for the students: they work on deadline to create stories, and in the process they also learn a different perspective on life inside a prison.

“Just because [the prisoners are] behind bars and razor wire, doesn’t mean that God’s not there,” Chute said.

This was the second consecutive year students, along with faculty and staff, worked with Awana Lifeline. The group visited the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women and the Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) in mid-May.

CBU students captured stories for the women’s ministry called Hannah’s Gift and the men’s ministry, Malachi Dads. Both programs teach biblical parenting concepts to the inmates.

Additionally, the students chronicled the Returning Hearts Celebration event at the Angola prison, which featured inmates reuniting with their children for a day of activities and fun.

Randy Plavajka, a journalism and new media junior, was a videographer for the group.

“As a journalist, it’s an opportunity to expand my horizons and [in the process] recognize the needs of a group of people that are so often marginalized in society,” he said.

Raine Paul, graduate assistant for journalism, said she was grateful for the chance to visit the prisons.

“The experience gave me a whole new perspective on incarceration and reminded me of how blessed I am to have a father who I am able to talk to every day,” she said.

 

Lancers claim top 5 ranking among NCAA D-II athletic programs

In just its third year as a fully-fledged NCAA Division II member, CBU grabbed its highest finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup at fourth overall.

“What a tremendous accomplishment for our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” said Dr. Micah Parker, athletic director at CBU. “Finishing as one of the top-five athletic programs in all of NCAA DII is something to be proud of.”

Read the full article here.

 

 

CBU to offer three new marketing concentrations

Students at California Baptist University will have more of an opportunity to distinguish themselves in the diverse marketing field starting this fall. CBU will offer three new concentrations for the bachelor’s of science in marketing (BSM) degree: sport marketing, international marketing and sales management.

“The goal of the new concentrations is to prepare students for a very specific career field,” said Dr. Natalie Winter, interim associate dean and associate professor at the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business. “These options give students the opportunity to make a decision about their career path sooner than later.”

Winter said the marketing faculty had been collecting feedback for several years from alumni and students on its BSM program. The responses indicated a demand for more concentrated marketing programs.

The department responded by conducting research on the local job market trends to find appropriate concentrations to offer, she said.

Each concentration consists of 12 units of coursework related specifically to a field of study. Declaring a concentration allows students to focus on courses that are relevant to a desired career path. Additionally, the concentrations add an internship component that propels students to gain hands-on learning experiences.

“Internships are great opportunities for students to position themselves as experienced graduates and help them stand out for future employers,” Winter said. “One of the nice things about being located in the Inland Empire is that students can choose from a broad range of industries to gain this professional experience.”

Winter said students can still graduate in four years with a declared concentration, and they will also receive a general marketing background.

“I believe it will be a win-win situation for students and CBU,” she said.

Read more about courses for each concentration here.

 

CBU announces new dean for College of Health Science

Dr. David J. Pearson, a California Baptist University veteran, has been announced as the new dean of the College of Health Science (CHS).

Pearson will officially begin his new role on July 1. He has held several roles at CBU since he started 15 years ago, including professor, associate provost for administration and Department of Kinesiology chair.

“CBU has been a significant blessing in my life, and I am excited to take on yet another role in my service to this amazing university,” Pearson said.

Pearson will oversee a broad range of programs including an associate degree program, 15 undergraduate and five graduate programs at CHS. During the 2015-16 academic year some 1,000 students were enrolled in CHS. Pearson expects that number to increase about 10 percent this fall. The top three programs by enrollment numbers are health science, kinesiology and communication disorders.

Pearson said the college is growing and the atmosphere is vibrant at the relatively new CHS campus (the former Riverside Christian School facilities), which began hosting classes in the fall 2015.

Pearson earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education and a master’s degree in sport management from West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He also earned his doctorate in institutional leadership and policy studies from University of California, Riverside.

Founded in 1950, California Baptist University is a private comprehensive institution located in Riverside, Calif. CBU offers more than 150 majors, minors and concentrations, as well as more than 40 graduate programs and two doctoral programs. Affiliated with California Southern Baptist Convention, CBU is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities and the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities.

 

CBU sends year’s third wave of service project volunteers

California Baptist University this week sent out its third wave of volunteer teams to serve for the 2016 International Service Projects, United States Projects and Summer of Service programs. Eight teams departed from CBU June 1-2 en route to service projects in Spain, Germany, Canada, Japan, Central Asia and Thailand.

Aura Opris, mobilization coordinator in the Office of Spiritual Life, said these service projects are among many CBU activities designed to help students form a global mindset for service.

Before departing, teams gathered with their families and friends 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 team leaders prayed that God would bless their service, help participants work well together, build relationships with those they serve and be a support to the workers they will be helping.

The teams departing this week join nine others already serving in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Austria, Spain, Canada 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

The School of Nursing (SON) created a simulation to train a nursing team and a community health team going to Thailand for their International Service Projects. This simulation took place in the Simulation Studio, a room that creates an immersive and interactive simulation environment. The room was complete with humidity, smells of fish and dirt, and housed a traditional hut, a cooking area, washing area, spirit house, and actors from the International Center who portrayed villagers from Thailand, so the ISP students could practice the skills they had been learning during training. The event was created by Sarah E. Pearce, assistant director of the SON’s Learning Resource Center, and Dr. Lisa Bursch, assistant professor of nursing.

 

 

Ryan Falsetti, undergraduate admissions counselor, and Dr. Natalie Winter, associate professor of marketing, presented how to create an advertising campaign to six classes at Norte Vista High School on May 25. Winter also led them in an activity on what it was like to develop an advertising campaign for a brand.

 

 

 

 

Four CBU students, Ashley Lopez, Nicole Klopfer,  Amanda Gomez and Jacob Garst, presented a branding strategy to Wild Goose Coffee Roasters on April 22.  The students conducted marketing analysis of behalf of the company. The team then developed a strategy for the Wild Goose to better reach its target market. The strategy consisted of an Instagram campaign, a time-lapse training video, and the development of a communications strategy and collateral.  Wild Goose plans to use the materials that the students developed to increase its brand awareness.

 

Dr. Bob Namvar, professor of economics, had a paper, A Sluggish US economy is no surprise, published in the International Journal of Business and Economics Development, March 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

CBU President Dr. Ronald L. Ellis was elected to a four-year term as a member of the board of directors of the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities (IABCU) during the organization’s annual meeting June 5-7 in Asheville, N.C.  The IABCU consists of 45 member schools located in 16 states and one foreign country, including 41 colleges and universities, three Bible schools and one theological seminary.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Elaine Ahumada, associate professor of public administration, and Dr. Mark Kling, assistant professor of criminal justice, both for Online and Professional Studies, presented at the Teaching Public Administration Conference on May 24 at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J. The title of the presentation was The use of “Critical Incident Reflection Frameworks” Through Inquiry Based Learning in Online Courses to Professionally Develop Public Sector Practitioners.

 

 

 

The Department of Natural and Mathematical Sciences held its annual Forensic Science Day for students from the Law Enforcement and Protective Services Academy at John W. North High School on May 27. The event was coordinated by Dr. Patrick Schacht, assistant professor of biochemistry, and 37 students attended. Dr. John Higley, associate professor of criminal justice, helped the students process the “crime scene” and collect evidence. The students analyzed their evidence in the chemistry lab with Schacht.

 

 

 

Dr. H. Bruce Stokes, professor of anthropology and behavioral sciences, presented a paper and participated in a plenary panel discussion titled  Messianic Jewish Ethics Concerning Intimacy and Sexuality at the 2016 Hashivenu Forum in Enfield, Connecticut, May 17-19. Hashivenu is an international Messianic Jewish community of scholars who address the Messianic Movement in relationship to traditional Judaism and Historic Christianity.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Daniel Prather, professor of aviation science, taught a four-day Airport Operations course on June 6-9 in New York City. He taught employees of Newark, LaGuardia and JFK airports for the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey.

 

 

 

 

 

Krista Wagner, English lecturer, spoke at the Celebrate Books and Libraries @ Norco College! event on May 12. She talked about her writing process, her experiences with the professional publishing industry and self-publishing.  Wagner recently had her third novel, The Gold, a middle-grade fantasy, published (Clean Reads).

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Zamora, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, and her free medical clinic, Inland Vineyard Medical Mission, joined forces with the mobile Health to Hope Clinic on May 28. The arrangement allowed the Vineyard clinic to have access to an equipped mobile unit and an electronic medical record system. Health fairs and clinics are offered every fourth Saturday of the month at Inland Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Corona.

 

 

Dr. Robert Crosby III, assistant professor of psychology for Online and Professional Studies, and Dr. Erin Smith, assistant professor of psychology, published an article, Measuring children’s church-based social support: Development and initial validation of the Kids’ Church Survey, in the journal Social Development.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Mark A. Wyatt, vice president for marketing and communication, and his wife, Jean, welcomed their ninth grandchild, Levi Jude Roddy, on June 6. He weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 19.5 inches. Levi is the son of Mackenzie (nee Wyatt, ’04) and Michael Roddy (’03) of Long Beach. He joins his brother, Graham, 2, and sister, Piper, 5.

 

 

 

Personnel Updates