April 16, 2021

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU aviation spreading its wings with federal agencies

The Department of Aviation Science at California Baptist University recently made advancements with federal agencies that will help it better serve students.

First, the Federal Aviation Administration granted CBU its Air Agency Certificate as a part 141 school. To achieve this, CBU was required to have dedicated training facilities, flight instructor oversight, and FAA-approved course curriculum.

“It bodes to the excellence in the program because it’s a greater oversight by the FAA and represents over two years of hard work from many people,” said Dr. John Marselus, chair of the Department of Aviation Science.

CBU was granted provisional part 141 status in September 2020. After receiving provisional, schools need to have 10 check rides with an 80 percent pass rate within two years to move to full certification. CBU did it in under six months, Marselus said.

With the certification, CBU applied for restricted ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) approval, which allows college students to be employed by the airlines with 1,000 flight hours instead of 1,500 hours, Marselus said. Other advantages to becoming a part 141 school include allowing more hours to count in the aviation simulators, fewer hours required in the program, and accepting international students in the aviation program.

Additionally, CBU revamped its two aviation science degree programs—aviation flight and aviation management—and in January, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted approval for veterans pursuing these degrees to receive VA funds. Concentrations were created, including commercial, military, missionary and unmanned aerial systems in the aviation flight program, and aerospace technology, dispatch, flight operations, airport management and operations in the aviation management program.

“I look at what’s the job at the end, and then back it from there. I go to the military, the airlines, the missionary [aviation], and ask them, ‘What are you looking for?’” Marselus said regarding making program changes. “Then I ask, how can I develop a program that provides the professional aviators they seek?”

Finally, the FAA selected CBU for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative program. The program recognizes institutions that prepare students for careers in unmanned aircraft systems, known as drones. CBU offers a minor in aviation unmanned aerial systems.

The integration of drones into the national airspace system takes government, private enterprise and higher education working together, Marselus said.

“We’re now one of those institutions that is cooperating with the FAA,” Marselus said. “This is a way to get CBU in the game, and CBU becomes part of the solution.”

Marselus said all the changes and advancements allowed the department to do a culture shift with the students.

“This university has bought the students great airplanes, great simulators, and we have great flight instructors,” Marselus said. “We now have everything for them to succeed. We’re here and we’re going to help them, but I look at each of these young men and women and say, ‘It’s now up to you.’”

 

CBU students pitch entrepreneur ideas at business competition

Love for the environment led a team to win the Bob Goodrich Business Plan Competition on April 8. Sarah Rourke and Rachel Price, juniors at California Baptist University, earned $5,000 for their accomplishment.

The competition, which was held virtually, was sponsored by the Robert K. Jabs School of Business. Prizes for the competition were made possible by an anonymous donor.

The winning team designed a machine that accelerates the composting process in a 24-hour period, generating fertile soil on-site. The business—named Yarkona, which means green in Hebrew—initially would sell to universities.

Rourke said she was inspired to create Yarkona when she observed food waste at a cafeteria.

“I recognized that these food scraps can turn into something that would help the environment instead of hurting it,” she explained.

Rourke, a business administration major, grew up in Portland, Oregon, where a lot of people compost, including her family.

“Living in such an environmentally friendly city like Portland, sustainability values were instilled into me at a very young age,” Rourke said. “I grew very fond of composting and watching the food scraps turn into nutrient rich soil overtime; the idea of that always interested me.”

After winning the competition, Rourke said she has received offers to help create the prototype and to provide financial investments.

Ten student teams submitted business plans earlier in the semester. Students worked with a faculty advisor during the submission process.

Once the business plans were submitted, CBU faculty analyzed and measured their viability. The plans included an executive summary, the type of products and services the company would be selling and various marketing research metrics. Each plan was ranked by an MBA professor who ensured that all elements of a business plan were considered.

Five finalists were selected to present a business pitch to a panel of judges consisting of Nolan Gouveia, department lead for entrepreneurship; Dr. Adele Harrison, professor of finance; Dr. Marc Weniger, professor of business; Ana Lee, owner of Women in Tandem; and Methode Maniraguha, owner of Current Renewables Engineering Inc.

Gouveia said he hoped through the process the students learned about leadership, teamwork and pushing through adversity.

“To articulate a new business idea is a tough thing to do and our students exceeded expectations,” Gouveia said. “I believe this experience is exactly what college students need while in school in order to come out as a well-rounded individual as they graduate.”

Double Down Doggie Daycare, with Jenny Kottman and Seth Desena, placed second in the competition and earned $3,000. Their business provided mobile dog grooming and dog walking services.

Chad Gaines and Carissa Arguello created Good Thymes and took third as well as $2,000. Their concept of an app would connect those interested in renting their land to individuals who wish to have their own gardens.

Additionally, the anonymous donor provided $1,000 for each of the five finalists to help them launch their business ventures.

 

CBU theatre performs comedy for its spring production

The theatre program at California Baptist University is bringing comedy to audiences with its spring production of “She Stoops to Conquer.”

Instead of performing live however, the CBU cast filmed its production on March 27. It will be available for streaming on the CBU Theatre Arts’ YouTube channel by May 1.

During rehearsals, everyone wore a mask or a face shield, but those came off for filming.

“So many schools aren’t getting a chance to work in person at all. We feel very blessed in that we are,” said Ethan Park, adjunct professor of theatre and the show’s director. “We’re very specific in the precautions we take. I tell them, ‘Take care of yourself, protect the crew, the cast and each other.’”

The story by Oliver Goldsmith takes place in the late 18^th century. The play centers around the desire of Hardcastle, a wealthy landowner in the country, to marry off his daughter, Kate Hardcastle, to the well-educated Charles Marlow. A practical joke leads to mistaken identity and causes Kate to “stoop” when she pretends to be a humble barmaid to secure Marlow’s affections.

“It still takes place as if it was the late 1700s, but we have thrown in some fun surprises for the audience to update it,” Park said.

Park said the play provides laughs and a message.

“You can look at it as this funny comedy from hundreds of years ago, but it has so much to do with our true self that we put forward,” Park said. “Are we putting on this mask in front of people and not being who we are or not treating people the way we should treat them?”

Dr. Joshua Rodriguez, assistant professor of music theory and composition, wrote the musical score. Park wanted the music to unravel throughout the play, gradually becoming unmoored from the 18th century, Rodriguez said. The music starts with the classical sound of the string quartet and then slowly incorporates instruments and musical styles from other genres and time periods.

“I love storytelling and collaboration—in particular film, theater and dance—and in a year in which so many composers lost work, I’m especially grateful for the work,” Rodriguez said.

Though theatre looks different, cast members said they learned a lot from their roles and enjoyed being on stage.

Sophia Oliveri, a theatre junior who plays Mrs. Hardcastle, said the character took a lot of energy.

“Mrs. Hardcastle is a vocally demanding role. Her vocal pitch goes to the highest heights and the lowest lows,” Oliveri said. “Everything about this character is over the top. It’s what I love the most and what was most challenging. I was the first in the makeup chair and the last person out, lathered in layers upon layers of makeup, hairspray and fabric.”

Ryan Lee, a communication studies and comedic arts senior, played Charles Marlow.

“The most challenging part has probably been the British accent,” Lee said. “I wasn’t just focusing on getting the old-timey language in my head, but I was also focusing on doing the accent right.”

Alexis Parsio, a theatre freshman, said she learned about herself while portraying Kate Hardcastle.

“One challenging thing for me has definitely been stepping out in confidence — however, I’d also say, that has been one of the most fun things, too,” Parsio said.

Parsio said she hopes people watching laugh and get lost in a wacky story.

“In a time like this, it’s easy to feel alone to face everything by ourselves, but I think theatre especially can bring people together, connecting everyone watching this silly heartwarming story,” Parsio said.

Lee said the cast had to find new ways to stay motivated in rehearsals beyond that opening-night feeling.

“Energy from a crowd is not easily replicated by any means,” Lee said. “In the end, it all comes down to passion for the art and the joy that comes from telling a story, regardless of the medium.”

Oliveri said the experience made the cast and crew stronger and has proven their resilience and adaptability.

“At the end of the day, I hope the audience is proud of us for what we made for the glory of God in spite of the crazy circumstances,” Oliveri said. “So many other theatres did not have the resources or opportunity to film a mask-free stage show, and yet here is the CBU theatre department.”

 

CBU clinic provides services to hospital staff during COVID-19

When the pandemic hit last year, Psychological Services of Riverside, the California Baptist University-run community clinic, made the transition to telehealth.

The doctoral student clinicians saw the need to serve the community and thought specifically of the front-line workers and how they might benefit from therapy, said Dr. Timothy Sisemore, director of Psychological Services of Riverside.

Sisemore met with Riverside Community Hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Saba Habis, to develop a partnership program.

“The CBU clinic offered free [telehealth] sessions to the hospital staff as an act of support as they provided critical, albeit terribly stressful, services during these trying times,” Sisemore said.

A number of nurses and physicians have received services through the program, which ends June 30. Second-year students in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program conduct the sessions. The students are supervised by licensed psychologists—mostly CBU faculty—who also provide services at the clinic.

In January, the clinic and the hospital also created a program where residents of the hospital could receive free services at the clinic, funded by grants the hospital obtains.

Dr. Gregory Guldner, program director for emergency medicine residency, said he is eager to facilitate the clinic’s services to help residents through what is already a stressful period of their careers. He has turned the program into part of a research project.

“Riverside Community Hospital has coupled with the experts at California Baptist University’s Psychological Services of Riverside to provide much needed therapy and psychological support for our heroic front-line resident physicians,” Guldner said.

Sisemore said the partnership has provided service to the medical workers and training for students.

“I think this serves the community by protecting front-line workers during COVID and allows CBU to reach out to the community that surrounds us,” Sisemore said. “It also provides excellent training opportunities for our Doctor of Psychology students. We hope also that residents who see the benefit of therapy will be more inclined to refer their patients for therapy during their careers.” 

 

CBU wins numerous awards at local advertising competition

Students, alumni and faculty at California Baptist University won nearly 30 awards including two Best of Show honors from the American Advertising Awards—Inland Empire. The awards were announced March 20.

CBU students and alumni received seven of the nine gold awarded. Anne Sowers, an illustration freshman, earned a gold and Best of Show in the student category for Illustration-Campaign for her Harry Potter posters. This is CBU’s fourth Best of Show award.

“I was super excited to win a gold and super surprised when I won Best of Show,” Sowers said. “I am so thankful for the opportunities God has provided and for my passion for art. I am also so thankful that my professor, Dirk Dallas, submitted the posters and helped encourage and critique my work throughout the process.”

Additionally, Dallas, program director of graphic design and visual experience, and Christopher Wright, assistant professor of graphic design and visual experience, both received gold in the professional categories. Dallas also earned Best of Show for Book Design for his “Eyes Over the World.”

This year was special because both the student and professional awards were presented together, Dallas said.

“This provided a great opportunity for the excellent work of our students to be not only recognized in a public forum by a professional organization but also to be showcased in front of professionals in the Inland Empire who will be looking to hire the next generation of creatives,” Dallas said. “Receiving again more awards than any other school and the top honor of Best of Show further reinforces that our talented students and professors have a special and fruitful collaborative partnership.”

Dallas’ win was his second Best of Show in five years. He said it was humbling and rewarding to earn his awards alongside his students and Wright.

“It is my hope that our students can see that their professors ‘still got it’ and that we are able to be trusted as wise mentors that they can learn from and be challenged and inspired by,” Dallas said. “It’s also a reminder that by striving for excellence not only does our work stand out and invite us into the industry’s conversation but more importantly it is the means in which we can honor and glorify the Lord.”

Local gold and Best of Show winners will advance to the district competition with a chance to move on and compete at the national level.

 

Family Updates

Dr. Joshua Knabb, associate professor of psychology, Dr. Veola Vazquez, professor of psychology, Dr. Robert Pate, associate professor of psychology, and students DeAndra Edison-Riley, Alexandra Slick, Royalle Smith and Sarah Weber published an article in Spirituality in Clinical Practice (March 25, 2021). It was titled Christian Meditation for Trauma-Based Rumination.

 

 

Dr. Matthew Niermann, associate professor of architecture, has published book. It is titled The Humble Creative: Moral Vice and the Pursuit of Flourishing Creativity (Wipf and Stock, March 4, 2021).

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Nathan Iverson, assistant professor of psychology, was appointed to a four-year term to the Park and Recreation Commission for the City of Riverside. Members act in an advisory capacity to the mayor and City Council in matters pertaining to parks, recreation and parkways.

 

 

 

Dr. Robert Shields, assistant professor of computer information technology, Dr. Dirk Davis, associate vice president of academics, and Jeff Keneaster, director of academic operations, all for Online and Professional Studies, authored an article published in the Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice (March 2021). It was titled Measuring the Effectiveness of Do-It-Yourself Online Course Quality Assurance Training.

 

 

Ten CBU photography students were selected for the Communication Arts Photography Competition short list. The competition entries are judged by an internationally jury of distinguished creative directors and photographers. Of 2,328 submissions, 789 entries were short listed from which the winners were chosen. On the short list, 57 students were selected, 10 being from CBU.

 

 

The Department of Arts and Letters held its inaugural symposium on March 20. The symposium was held virtually and included live synchronous presentations and speakers as well as an asynchronous gallery of student performances. The symposium included traditional academic research papers, creative readings and performances given by undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty members. The keynote speaker was Dr. Byron Spradlin, president of Artists in Christian Testimony Intl.

 

The Creative Writing program held a virtual creative writing workshop for high school students on March 23. High school students connected with CBU faculty and students, practiced various writing and editing techniques, and learned more about creative writing strategies. Workshop sessions were led by faculty Dr. Erika J. Travis, associate professor of English and behavioral sciences, Dr. Berniece Alspach, associate professor of English, Jennifer Tronti, assistant professor of English, and students Harmony Taetz and Trevor Vals.

 

Dr. Mary Ann Pearson, professor of communication, and Dr. Victoria Brodie, assistant professor of public relations, presented a workshop to a leadership group in Rancho Cucamonga on April 1. Their topic was Emotional Intelligence and the Adversity Quotient. They spoke on behalf of the Dr. Paul and Annie Kienel Leadership Institute.

 

 

 

Dr. Amy Nantkes, adjunct professor of history and government for Online and Professional Studies, successfully defended her dissertation on April 5. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in political science from Claremont Graduate University. Her dissertation was titled Elite Rhetoric, Target Group Positioning, and Policymaking: Immigrant Women and Project 100% in San Diego County.

 

 

 

Dr. Bruce Prins, professor of biology, was appointed to a two-year term as a commissioner to the Parks, Trails & Community Services for the City of Calimesa. The commission is responsible for recommending policies and procedures to the City Council for the operation, development, and maintenance of parks, trails, recreation facilities, and park and recreation programs.

 

 

 

Dr. Erin Smith, associate professor of psychology, was selected to serve a three-year term on the editorial board for Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, the quarterly peer-reviewed publication of the American Scientific Affiliation.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Thomas Schneider, associate professor of English, had an article published in a peer-reviewed journal, Arthuriana (Volume 30, No. 4). It was titled Malory’s “Fyne Force”’: Motion in Le Morte Darthur.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Veola Vazquez, professor of psychology, published an article with two students, Jaimee Stutz-Johnson and Roy Sorbel. The article was published in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (March 22, 2021) and titled Black–white Biracial Christians, Discrimination, and Mental Health: A moderated mediation model of church support and religious coping. Vazquez and the students also presented the research at the Christian Association for Psychological Studies conference on March 26.

 

 

Cindy Sendor, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders, presented at the California Speech and Hearing Association’s Convergence 2021 Conference on March 14. The presentation was titled Assessment of Learning in Higher Education.

 

 

 

Robyn Glessner, adjunct professor of history, wrote assessment material for the U.S. History textbook (OpenStax). Glessner wrote assessment material for two chapters covering early American history—Early Globalization: The Atlantic World, 1492-1650 and Creating New Social Orders: Colonial Societies, 1500-1700.

 

 

 

Dr. Jong-Wha Bai, professor of civil engineering, co-presented a poster virtually at the 2021 EERI Annual Meeting in March 24. It was titled Seismic Fragility Assessment of Building Structures through Probabilistic Inference of Bayesian Network.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Dennis K. Bideshi, professor of biology, co-authored a chapter in the Encyclopedia of Virology (4th Edition, Academic Press) It was titled Ascoviruses (Ascoviridae).

 

 

 

 

Master in Social Work students gathered donations and assembled 40 Easter baskets for Olive Crest, which cares for abused and neglected children. The students delivered the baskets for children ages newborn to 18 on March 27. The students, who are part of Love Thy Neighborhood student group, partnered with CBU’s Recreation department to help assemble and deliver the baskets.

 

Lisa Singer, associate director of employer relations in the Career Center, spoke at the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Business in Action meeting on March 17. She presented on Employers Return on Investment and the Call to Action to provide Internships to current College students.

 

 

 

Dr. Debra Coleman, associate professor of nursing, spoke at the International Conference on Mental and Behavioral Health on March 23-24. The title of her presentation was The Lived Experience of Bedside Nurses During Transition.

 

 

 

 

Rhonda Moll, associate registrar for Online and Professional Studies, and Rich Simpson, university registrar, presented at the virtual annual meeting for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on March 30. The presentation was titled Serving Online Students – A Unique Approach.

 

 

 

The Natural and Mathematical Sciences Division held its annual NMS Research Symposium on March 27. Approximately 70 students presented research during the virtual event. The keynote speaker was Dr. Stephen Meyer, the director and senior fellow at the Center for Science & Culture at the Discovery Institute in Seattle.

 

 

University Advancement reports a recent planned gift commitment of $5,300,000. This legacy gift from an anonymous donor is one of the largest estate gift commitments that CBU has ever received. When realized, the donor intends the gift to provide scholarships for students majoring in business in the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business. This planned gift will fund an endowment, ensuring that scholarships will continue in perpetuity. Donors who commit to a planned gift are invited to join CBU’s Palm Drive Legacy Society, which recognizes alumni and friends who have invested in the university’s future through a gift from their will, trust, annuity, life insurance or an IRA. CBU is profoundly grateful for this remarkably generous gift that will help the university carry out its mission far into the future.

 

Dr. Mark Kling, associate professor of criminal justice, and Dr. Linda-Marie Sundstrom, associate professor of public administration, both for Online and Professional Studies, presented a research paper at the American Society for Public Administration Conference on April 9. The title of the paper was The Impact of Changing Cultural Norms on Law Enforcement Practices: An International Perspective. Additionally, Sundstrom moderated a panel, International Perspectives on Shared Learning in Action.

 

 

Personnel Updates