August 16, 2019

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU team competes in physician assistants challenge bowl

Students in the physician assistant studies graduate program at California Baptist University had a strong showing at the Physician Assistants Student Medical Challenge Bowl on Aug 10. A team of three students made it to the semifinals.

In the first round, CBU beat University of Pacific, 30 to 0, which advanced the team to the semifinals. The CBU team consisted of Ariel Bryant, Bryan Curtis and Jonathan Edens, with several alternates.

Teams had to answer questions pertaining to their field of study, in a fast-paced competitive environment. Teams scored 10 points for each correct answer and lost 10 points for each incorrect one. In addition, they had to take into account the pressure of the “buzzer system,” which a team could “buzz” in to answer a question before it was even finished being read. CBU had won the event the previous two years.

“A lot of what we’re doing is rapid recall. The answers are really quick,” Edens said.

The students had been preparing for the event since May. The team went through a physician assistants’ textbook, chapter by chapter, and Edens made flashcards to help the group prepare and compete.

Meanwhile, the team had also been busy with clinical rotations. Also, the bowl event came during finals.

“It’s pretty amazing that they committed to doing the bowl,” said Mary Ann Stahovich, assistant professor of physician assistant studies. “It’s coming at an extremely busy time. The fact that they each chose to do this is quite remarkable.”

 

Lancers cheer begins defense of its 7 national championships

The Lancers cheer squad kicked off its 2019-20 season with a successful placing at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA)/USA Collegiate Camp held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from Aug. 1-3. The Lancers secured a first-place finish in the Game Day Run-Off and All-Girl Rally Routine events. Additionally, CBU finished second with 149 points, only three off the lead, in the Best All-Around event.

Twenty Lancers grabbed All-American titles at the camp. The strong showing for the Lancers earned them a Gold Paid Bid to the NCA National Championships and a Full Paid Bid to the USA Collegiate Championships.

“This is a great start to the 2019-2020 season,” said Olivia Miller, assistant cheer coach at CBU. “Pulling together two competition-ready routines in such a short amount of time is always a challenge, but the work was definitely worth it. The skill and dedication of this new team is exciting, and the entire coaching staff is looking forward to a great year with these athletes.”

The cheer team is in contention for its eighth consecutive NCA Cheer Championship. This past year, the Lancer secured its inaugural win as a D-1 program. The Lancers remain undefeated in the NCA since 2013.

 

CBU students practice Global Health Engagement overseas

Justin Dennis had some hesitation about traveling abroad to practice health care over the summer. He put his worries aside, however, and signed up for the Global Health Engagement (GHE) program at California Baptist University.

Ultimately, serving in East Africa through GHE became an enlightening experience for him.

“I learned a great deal about physical therapy, athletic training and manual therapy,” said Dennis, a kinesiology senior at CBU. “More importantly though, I learned how to incorporate my love for Jesus into my daily life. I also learned how privileged of a life we live in America, but we can use this privilege to do amazing things in other parts of the world.”

This summer the College of Health Science at CBU sent out several teams to serve in a variety of health care roles in China, Uganda and East Africa. The trips—part of the GHE program —provide students the opportunity to serve in health care roles abroad while gaining course credits.

Lisa Friesen, assistant professor of athletic training, co-led a team to East Africa. The students served in a hospital providing evaluation and rehabilitation for its patients.

“This experience is an incredible way for students to connect their career goals to what God is doing globally,” Friesen said. “It also exposes students to see practically how to engage in integrating faith into the health care setting.”

Dr. William Boyer, assistant professor of kinesiology, co-led a team to China. Boyer said the trip created opportunities for students to become more culturally sensitive in their service.

“This allows students to have a clinical experience in a setting outside of the U.S., forcing them to think critically, adapt their instruction to the culture around them, and also to potentially influence the next steps their take in their careers,” Boyer said.

CBU students in the China group worked in a hospital. They performed activities including developing nutrition and exercise programming, and creating an exercise prescription and testing program for the cardiac rehabilitation center.

Connor Pacharis, a business administration senior, said his service in China was a rewarding experience.

“The opportunity to go overseas and observe a hospital melded my entire CBU education perfectly into one trip: business, foreign culture and health science,” Pacharis said.

 

Family Updates

Tracey Diaz, program advisor/clinical coordinator for the Dr. Bonnie G. Metcalf School of Education, was named employee of the month for August. Her nomination included the following statements: “Tracey goes above and beyond in serving our student, faculty and K-12 community. Tracey is our liaison between CBU and many K-12 partners. She represents CBU with professionalism and grace.”

 

 

 

 

Dr. Andrea Scott, dean of the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business, attended the Lausanne Movement’s Global Workplace Forum held in Manila, Philippines, June 25-29. She served as a coach and judge for new social enterprise opportunities.

 

 

 

Dr. Kristin Mauldin, assistant professor of psychology, and Dr. Ed Garrett, associate professor of kinesiology for Online and Professional Studies, received a Community Outreach Grant from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. The grant will provide funding for a partnership with the Riverside Unified School District Coaches Clinic. Instructors and students in the Master of Science Sport and Performance Psychology program will organize and lead two clinics.

 

 

Dr. Juliann Perdue, professor of nursing, was the keynote speaker at the World Congress on Nursing and Healthcare, in Rome, Italy, on July 15. The title of her presentation was Innovative Prelicensure Curriculum Using Animal-Assisted Interventions.

 

 

 

Dr. Fred Pontius, professor of civil engineering and construction management, spoke to the Department of Environmental Engineering at Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU), in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, on July 9. His topic was Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Environment. He also presented at the CYCU International Industrial/Academic Leadership Experience held July 1-19. He spoke on population growth, assessing climate changes, and PFOA/PFOS contamination. His wife, Nancy Pontius, was a guest speaker at a CYCU class on how to teach extensive reading on May 29. She also spoke on cultural differences at the 2019 English Camp on 360 Degree Leadership Principles and Characters and was a small group leader during a week of the camp, July 2-12.

 

 

Graduate students in the Physician Assistant Studies Program provided a health and STEM outreach to children from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians at CBU on July 23. Heather Ontiveros, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, supervised and Mary Ann Stahovich, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, organized the event. The CBU students developed health education activities, including hands-on dental care stations to supplement oral hygiene kit donations, and played health trivia with the children.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. John Marselus, professor of aviation science, Laura Walker, flight instructor II, and four aviation science students attended the EAA Oshkosh air show, the largest in the nation, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 22-28. Two CBU student pilots flew one of the new aircraft to the event and back to showcase the new fleet. The department also had two booths at the show. One in the International Association of Missionary Aviation area showed CBU as a school that offers training in missionary aviation. The other booth, in one of the main display buildings, showcased the commercial, military, missionary, unmanned aerial system, dispatch and aviation management programs.

 

Dr. Keanon Alderson, professor of management, had research published in the Journal of Family Business Management (Vol. 9, No. 2, 2019). It was titled Contributions and Constraints to Continuity in Mexican-American Family Firms. Harvard Business Publishing is also distributing four chapters of his book Understanding the Family Business paired with case studies.

 

 

 

Dr. Erin Kirk, adjunct professor of piano, was elected as national council representative of the Pacific-Southwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society on July 3. The term is for three years.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Tim Sisemore, professor of psychology, was a panelist at a meeting sponsored by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Partnership Center in Washington, D.C., on July 24-25. The panel examined how to promote more awareness of the importance of religion and spirituality as a form of diversity.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Kendra Flores-Carter, assistant professor of social work, became a perinatal mental health certified faculty member with Postpartum Support International in June. She can now provide perinatal mental health training to doctors, nurses and healthcare providers. She also presented several workshops in Belize in July, in partnership with Children First and Last Belize; Belize Brain Awareness Society; Belize Police Department; Belize National Association of Social Workers; and the University of Belize. The workshops were on child abuse prevention, vicarious trauma, mental health and wellness.

 

 

Dr. Jacqueline Gustafson, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Jennifer Costello, assistant professor of social work, and Dr. Antonio Mejico, assistant professor of social work, presented at the CIC Fostering Resilience through Intergenerational Connections Conference in Washington, D.C., on July 29-31. They presented the Legacy Project, a research endeavor supported by the Council of Independent Colleges and AARP, to immerse undergraduate students with senior citizens in the historic Casa Blanca neighborhood.

 

 

Dr. Sean Sullivan, professor of kinesiology, had an article published in the book Christianity and Social Scientific Perspectives on Sport (Routledge, 2019). The article was titled Single, separate or unified? Exploring Christian academicians’ views of the body, sport and religious experience.

 

 

 

Dr. Amanie Abdelmessih, professor of mechanical engineering, served as a track organizer at the Heat Transfer Conference held by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, in Bellevue, Washington, July 15-18. Abdelmessih was one of the main conference organizers and served as a track organizer for the K-16 Committee’s Track (Heat Transfer in Electronic Equipment). She was awarded a certificate of appreciation for her services as track organizer, her sixth certificate since she first served in 2003. During the conference, she also chaired two sessions: Heat Transfer Equipment and Heat Sinks and Capillary Flow, and co-organized a panel, Lifecycle of industrial heat exchangers: Concept to Trouble-shooting. Additionally, the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer awarded Abdelmessih a certificate of reviewing in January.

 

Dr. Joshua Knabb, associate professor of psychology, conducted training for Army chaplains at the Fort Hood Chaplain Family Life Training Center in Texas on July 18-19. The training was titled Faith-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Additionally, he presented in two symposiums at the American Psychological Association’s Annual Convention in Chicago on Aug. 8-11. They were titled A Christian-sensitive approach to examining spirituality, mental well-being and communion with God and Communion with God in Christian psychotherapy.

 

 

Dr. Carol Minton-Ryan, professor of sociology, Mary Sorola, adjunct professor of ASL for Online and Professional Studies, and CBU graduates Jackson Brown and Pamela Perez had an article published in the Journal of the Linguistics Association of Southern African Development Community Universities (July 9, 2019). The title was A Lexicostatistical Study: Phonological Similarity between American and Malawi Sign Languages.

 

 

 

California Baptist University hosted the inaugural International Youth Leadership Conference and Speech Contest on July 15-17. It was sponsored by a number of Chinese American nonprofit organizations that seek to help young people develop in good leadership. The 42 middle and high school students who participated came from California, other states and China and Spain.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Gayne Anacker, professor of philosophy, presented three papers this summer. He presented Nursing Ethics, Ethical Theory, and Virtue Ethics at the American Scientific Affiliation 2019 Annual Meeting in Wheaton, Illinois, on July 20. He also presented at the 2019 Apologetics Series: Faith Engaging Ideas at the C.S. Lewis Study Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, on July 26-27. The titles of the papers were Francis Schaeffer: The Heart of His Apologetics and Atheism to Idealism: Two Early Stages in C.S. Lewis’ Spiritual Journey.

 

 

Dr. Douglas Wallace, associate professor of sociology, presented a paper at the International Round Table Symposium at Harris Manchester College of Oxford University on July 20. The title of the paper, co-written with Dr. Ana Gamez, associate professor of psychology, was Perceptions about Fatherhood Involvement in College Students.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Linda-Marie Sundstrom, associate professor of public administration for Online and Professional Studies, and Dr. Stephen Brown, associate professor of behavioral sciences, published an article in PA (Public Administration) Times (Aug. 5, 2019). The article is titled Two Minutes Before Class.

 

 

 

Stephen Morris, adjunct professor of education, was the keynote speaker for the Corona-Norco Unified School District Leadership Symposium on July 30. His talk was titled Don’t Let Fear Win.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Thomas Frederick, professor of psychology, and Dr. Scott Dunbar, associate professor of human resource management, both for Online and Professional Studies, published a book. It was titled A Christian Approach to Work and Family Burnout (Lexington Books, August 2019).

 

 

 

 

Daniel Akers, senior web services manager for Marketing and Communication, and his wife, Vanessa, welcomed a daughter on July 2. Ariel Vanessa Akers weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 20.5 inches in length.

 

 

 

 

Personnel Updates