March 6, 2020

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

Generations of Lancers attend 2020 Homecoming festivities

More than 5,000 spectators attended various activities for the 2020 Homecoming weekend at California Baptist University on Feb. 28-29.

On Friday evening, CBU hosted hot air balloon rides for the first time ever on the Front Lawn. Additionally, there was an Alumni Awards Dinner hosted in the Innovator’s Auditorium. Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, expressed gratitude at the dinner, for the large alumni crowds that come back each year for homecoming weekend. He also thanked them for all the support the university has received throughout the years.

CBU recognized several alumni at the dinner: Jacob Gonzalez (’17), recipient of the Young Alumni Achievement Award; Alexander Clifford, recipient of the Alumnus of the Year award; Mark Craig (’73), Distinguished Service in Christian Ministry Award recipient; Viola Estel (’64), Lifetime Achievement recipient and Alan (’69) and Sandy Young (’69) Alumni Philanthropy Award recipients. Also at the awards ceremony, four new inductees into the Lancer Hall of Fame were annoucned: Joseph Pacheco (’14) for men’s soccer; Taylor Siemens (’11) for baseball; Kendall Gorham (’12), for softball; and Mary Logan (’15) for women’s swim.

On Saturday, the festivities included 50-, 25- and 10-year class reunions.

For Sandra Heflin (’65), it has been years since she had visited the campus.

“I am just amazed on how it has grown,” Heflin said. “CBU has really changed my life. I met my husband here and the friends that I have today are from CBU. Being here has really reminded me that the longtime friends I have in my life originated here.”

Joanne Harper, who participated in the 50-year reunion, said the growth at CBU was remarkable.

“The campus is so big now. We only had the old James Building when I was here,” Harper recalled. “I am amazed with how the whole campus has grown.”

For the second straight year, there was a time to sing hymns led by Dr. Joseph Bolin, dean of the Shelby and Collinsworth School of Music. Bolin, at one point, asked the audience to call out their favorite hymn and he would proceed to play the requested song.

Viola Estel said she appreciated the worship at the event.

“The last song we sang, ‘When We Go To Heaven,’ I thought this is like a rehearsal for when we all get to heaven,” said Estel.  “It was nice to see how some people didn’t even use their [hymn] books and they just knew it by memory. The blessing of just singing the hymn was great.”

On Saturday evening the focus of festivities switched outdoors for a men’s basketball pregame party that featured games, activities and food for event-goers leading up to the game’s tip-off.

The CBU Lancers secured a thrilling overtime 88-87 victory over Seattle University in front of 5,000 plus fans. CBU improved to 21-8 overall in the season.

 

CBU students share their musical talents at Open Mic Night

Students at California Baptist University enjoyed music performed by their peers at Open Mic Night on Feb. 27. The event was hosted by Community Life and featured more than 10 musical performances.

Students have two opportunities, one each semester, to perform for Open Mic Night.

Kristin Holderman, director of campus activities, said Open Mic Night gives CBU students the ability to gain an appreciation for their peers, their talents and abilities in a more casual setting.

“This event is a great opportunity for students to enjoy music and various forms of creative expression from their peers,” Holderman said. “We think performers are glad to have the opportunity to perform and hope they gain more confidence to continue to share their gifts.”

Joy Ogbatue, a business junior, performed a ballad and enjoyed being able to sing on stage.

“I overcame a lot of fears tonight. I was afraid I wouldn’t hit my high notes, but I did,” Ogabatue said. “Even though I am majoring in business, singing has been a lifelong dream that I have always had.”

Mikayla Williams, a communications freshman, said that she is a musician in the choir and thought attending would be a great way to support other musicians on campus.

“Open Mic Night is great for students who aren’t in the music department to show the abilities they have. And it really gives us all a chance to support each other as a community,” Williams said.

 

Greg Laurie to students: Combat anxiety, stress with prayer

Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, encouraged a California Baptist University chapel audience to seek God’s will in the midst of life’s worries.

“We need to learn how to communicate and hear from God instead of focusing on worrying,” Laurie said. “We can take all our concerns and anxiety to God. Prayer is a conversation with God to help get my will aligned to His will.”

Laurie, a best-selling author and international evangelist, spoke in chapel on Feb. 25.

Laurie said students live in some of the most “stressful and anxiety-filled days.” He exhorted students not to stay stuck in a pattern of worrying but instead to trust in God’s sovereignty and promises revealed through His word.

“Worrying does not help make your life better in any way,” Laurie said. “Worrying is like a rocking chair;  you keep rocking but you go nowhere.”

Laurie quoted Jesus’ statement about worrying from Matthew 6:25-27:

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (NASB)

Laurie joked that he has never seen a stressed-out bird. He also reminded the audience that God has a plan for their lives.

He quoted Jeremiah 29:11 to reinforce his claim: “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” (NASB).

“When life is all going bad, it is good to know that God is still all good. In life we want to know what’s coming ahead. Only God can see what’s ahead and it is God who is in control,” Laurie said.

 

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences honors agencies

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at California Baptist University hosted a practicum luncheon to honor 40 agencies located in Southern California on Feb 21. CBU honored school districts, government programs and nonprofits for their collaboration and support of the Master of Science in Counseling Psychology program on Feb 21.

The event also gave counseling psychology students at CBU a chance to network with the agencies’ representatives. Counseling psychology students at CBU are required to obtain at least 400 practicum hours.

“The event is a way to thank our wonderful agencies and supervisors and to introduce our fabulous students to our community partners,” Dr. Mischa Routon, associate dean of graduate programs in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, told the audience in attendance. “It is a hurting world. I’m reminded daily of how much our service is needed. Thank you for helping train our students. Students, thank you for taking so seriously this next part of your journey.”

Barbara Windeknecht, a graduate student in the counseling psychology program, said the event was beneficial since it provided a group of agencies interested in having students work for them.

“I want to work with a broad spectrum instead of a specific population. That way once I’m done with practicum, I’ll really know where I want to go next,” Windeknecht said.

Kenesha Mitchell, a graduate student in the counseling psychology program, said she was interested in working with children.

“The practicum will help give me the tools because I am more of a hands-on learner,” Mitchell said. “Learning everything from behind the scenes in the books is helpful, but I can’t wait to get hands-on and actually do it and apply what we’ve been learning.”

Bonnie Monfils (’14), an education related mental health services therapist, attended the event for Perris Union High School District. She said after starting her career, she was told the quality of the education at CBU and internships showed in the workplace.

“When we were thinking of getting interns, I thought ‘We’re going back to CBU,’” Monfils said. “I know that they’re educated, I know that they’re supported, I know that they’ll be good with staff and parents.”

 

Cheer wins ninth straight USA Collegiate Championship

The cheer team at California Baptist University claimed the United Spirit Association Collegiate Championship for an unprecedented ninth consecutive year on Feb. 16.

The USA Collegiate Championships were held at the Anaheim Convention Center over the course of two days. The Lancers dominated both days of competition, finishing with a total of 94.71 points.

“I am incredibly proud of the team’s performance this weekend,” said Olivia Miller, head coach of CBU cheer. “Being able to execute two zero deduction routines this early in the year puts us in a great position to start our competition season.”

The Lancers will now turn their attention to the NCA Nationals in Daytona Beach, Florida, where they will look to win their eighth straight national title. The NCA nationals will take place from April 7-11.

 

Family Updates

Mary Ann Stahovich, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, was the keynote speaker for the 3rd Citrus Health Conference at University of California, Riverside on Feb. 23. She spoke about becoming a pre-physician assistant and was recognized for her service and accomplishments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Cress, director of special projects in the Office of Educational Effectiveness, graduated from the WASC Senior College and University Commission’s Assessment Leadership Academy on Feb. 14. It is a one-year training for higher education assessment professionals.

 

 

 

Dr. Erin Kirk, adjunct professor of piano, performed an all-Aaron Copland lecture recital at CBU on Feb. 15. Kirk performed Copland’s Passacaglia, Danzón Cubano, Duo for Flute and Piano and four of his Old American Songs. She was accompanied by Dr. Mary Vanhoozer, adjunct professor of piano, Mary Oppermann, adjunct professor of instrumental instruction, and Eric Carampatan, adjunct professor of voice instruction.

 

 

 

Dr. Krystal Hays, assistant professor of social work, is the recipient of the 2020 Masters of Social Work Program Social Worker of the Year Award, given by the social work department at CBU. Criteria includes outstanding leadership within the department and in classrooms; exemplifying a positive image of the social work profession to colleagues and students; and taking risks to achieve outstanding results and positive outcomes for the social work department.

 

 

 

Dr. Torria Davis, director of technology training for Information Technology Services, published a blog article on Blackboard.com. It is titled Improving Outcomes for Learners Through the Use of Analytics (Jan. 24).

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jeff Cate, professor of New Testament, spoke at the Sacred Words: History of the Bible Conference in Tempe, Arizona, on Feb. 21-22. His presentation was titled The Stories They Tell: A Look at Interesting Variants in the Transmission of the New Testament.

 

 

 

Dr. Dennis K. Bideshi, professor of biological sciences, co-authored a paper that was published in the Journal of Virology (February 2020). It was titled Mitochondrial and Innate Immunity Transcriptomes for Spodoptera frugiperda larvae infected with the Spodoptera frugiperda ascovirus.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Vance Nichols, adjunct professor of education, presented at the Association of Christian Schools International (ASCI) Professional Development Forum in Anaheim on Nov. 25-26. The title was The Innovative Teacher’s DNA. He also co-presented at the ACSI California-Hawaii Leadership Summit in Fish Camp, California, on Feb. 5-7. The title was Now is the Time to Thrive: How Christian Schools are Pivoting to Flourish.

 

 

 

Sandy Frazer, NCAA financial aid coordinator, was named employee of the month for March. Her nomination included the following statements: “Sandy has excelled in learning the NCAA awarding procedures, practices and components of compliance. She’s the face of customer service when it comes to representing the Financial Aid Office with the Athletics Department, coach and athletes. She is always diligent in ensuring her work is accurate, timely and consistently exceeds expectations. She views her work as tasks she GETS to do, and not HAS to do.”

 

 

 

Dr. Robert Pate, associate professor of psychology, gave two presentations at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work, California Chapter Annual Conference at CBU on Feb. 22. The presentations were titled Interpersonal Mindfulness in Psychotherapy with Christian Couples and Leveraging Technology to Grow Your Practice.

 

 

 

A team of CBU College of Engineering Construction Management students attended the Associated Schools of Construction Competition in Reno, Nevada, in February. They competed in the pre-construction category, which requires each team to compile a complete written bid proposal for a real project being built by the sponsoring firm.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Deron Walker, professor of English, presented a paper at the 16^th Annual Cambodia TESOL Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Feb. 9. It was titled Harmonizing and synthesizing intercultural rhetoric in East-Asia with the Hegelian Dialectic. 

 

 

 

 

The College of Engineering hosted the Riverside-San Bernardino Professional Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers on Jan. 16. Dr. Anthony Donaldson, dean of the College of Engineering, and Rhonda Clement, industry liaison for the college of engineering, presented an overview of the engineering program and opportunities for collaboration. Dr. John-Wha Bai, professor of civil engineering and construction management, presented highlights of the civil engineering and construction management department.

 

More than 30 athletic training students and three faculty attended the annual California Athletic Trainers’ Association Symposium on Feb. 22-23 and Hit the Hill event on Feb. 24 in Sacramento. Students presented research at the symposium and lobbied at the hill event for a new bill for licensure for athletic trainers in California.

 

 

Ruth Noemy Wheeler, lecturer for the School of Music, was named assistant conductor of the Corona Symphony Orchestra.

 

 

 

 

The College of Engineering hosted the local Advanced Manufacturing meeting on Feb. 10. Dr. Anthony Donaldson, dean of the College of Engineering, and Rhonda Clement, industry liaison for the college of engineering, presented on the engineering program. Dr. Jun Zhang, professor of aerospace, industrial and mechanical engineering, presented on Deming’s 14 principles for Total Quality Management. Dr. April Si, professor of aerospace, industrial and mechanical engineering, and Dr. Daniel Clark, associate professor of aerospace, industrial and mechanical engineering, and students Joyelle Lee, Caleb Bradley, James Suzuki and Patrick Huele also assisted in the event.

 

Upcoming Chapel Services, 9 and 10:45 a.m.:
March 10: Darren Whitehead, senior pastor of Church of the City in Nashville, Tennessee
March 12: Dr. David Platt, lead pastor of McLean Bible Church in the Washington, D.C, metro area

 

Personnel Updates