December 17, 2021

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU celebrates graduates at fall commencement ceremonies

Fall commencement at California Baptist University provided two days of celebration as graduates participated in ceremonies at the Events Center. Students received recognition in front of cheering friends and family members on Dec. 15-16.

A total of 920 students were eligible to participate in the ceremonies. Combined applications for graduation included 15 candidates for doctoral degrees, 277 for master’s degrees and 628 candidates for undergraduate degrees.

In his commencement address, Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, congratulated the graduates for reaching their goal.

“Today, all the demanding work and sacrifice poured into your college years finally pays off,” Ellis said. “Even more, you weathered continual changes, interruptions and unknowns caused by a global pandemic. You adapted to these unprecedented circumstances and finished strong.”

Through their pursuit of their educational goal, the graduates showed what it means to Live Your Purpose,® Ellis said.

“At CBU we believe each person is created for a purpose. Graduates of this institution are challenged to become individuals whose skills, integrity and sense of purpose glorify God and distinguish them in the workplace and in the world,” Ellis said.

As the graduates prepare for their next endeavor, Ellis encouraged them to remember the experiences they had in college.

“May you also take with you a continuing passion for learning, the friendships made and the life lessons gained during your college years,” Ellis said. “My earnest hope and prayer is that each of you will embrace this new beginning with Lancer enthusiasm. May your CBU experience and your CBU degree serve as solid building blocks in a sturdy foundation for all your ambitions and dreams.”

Maddie Garrett, who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, will be student teaching in the spring and plans to be an elementary school teacher. She was thankful to have classes back in-person this fall in order to connect with other future teachers.

“CBU shaped me a lot,” Garrett said. “I was blessed to have a good spiritual community. I was able to find good friends and a good teacher community. I think a lot of those fellow students who are teachers will be friends forever. So without them, I don’t know where I would be.”

Kathryn McBride, who also earned her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, plans to be an elementary school teacher as well. She grew up attending public schools.

“This community has been so sweet and so special, and I feel like it has shaped me and shown me that in an educational and then hopefully in a professional setting that I’ll be able to find fellow believers,” McBride said. “It’s been just very comforting to be able to see people in the same stage of life and wanting the same things. I think that shaped me the most, and I realized that there are a lot of us who want to serve the Lord and can do that in whatever major we’re in.”

Chris Brown, who received a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Flight, said his biggest success was getting his private pilot’s license. He has since earned his commercial certificate. Brown started at a public university before transferring to CBU.

“I like CBU because you’re not just another number,” Brown said. “They shaped me to care about people more and pay more attention to people.”

Michael Odgers earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Statistical Analysis. He did two years at a junior college and played baseball before transferring to CBU.

“Once I decided to come here, it helped me realize what was important, and that school was important,” Odgers said. “Switching from that athlete mindset to more of a student mindset is what really helped me develop at CBU, and my professors helped with that.”

 

Graduate students participate in hooding ceremonies 

Hundreds of master’s degree candidates at California Baptist University are celebrating their academic achievements at hooding ceremonies, leading up to commencement ceremonies Dec. 15-16.

More than 275 master’s degree candidates and 15 doctoral candidates are eligible to participate in the fall commencements. At CBU, colleges and schools hold individual hooding ceremonies to recognize their candidates and also give students their distinctive colored hoods to wear at their commencement ceremony.

The Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business has the largest group of master’s candidates with 44. The Dr. Bonnie G. Metcalf School of Education has the second largest group with 37 candidates. Additionally, the Online and Professional Studies division has more than 140 candidates throughout its various programs.

At the School of Business hooding ceremony, held Dec. 13 at CBU, Dr. Tim Gramling, dean of the school, told the graduates that, equipped with their degree, their work is just beginning.

“Change is needed. There is a need for biblical principles; there is a need for alternative ways of doing business which honor and don’t displease the Creator,” Gramling said. “The result: All of you play a role in every area where you will go into the world.”

Gramling also reminded them that God will work through them.

“It’s not required for you to work miracles, it’s just required of you to believe in the miracle worker,” Gramling said. “As you apply your belief and you bring that energy to your area, you will find that energy infectious and people will believe because they see the belief in you. And as a result, great things will be accomplished.”

Rachel Prudil, who earned a Master of Science in Information Technology Management, said the biggest challenge was doing most of the program through remote instruction due to the pandemic and then making the transition to in-person this fall.

“My biggest success I think was getting through it with my cohort. I think that was really great—building relationships and communicating and having that family,” Prudil said.

She said the program made her more open minded.

“I met so many different people. Where I grew up, it’s more like a bubble and coming here, there’s so many people coming from everywhere, so that’s really nice,” Prudil said.

Fernando Quiroz-Raya, who earned a Master of Science in Information Technology Management, said his biggest challenge was balancing school and family. He will work as an IT director for a police department.

“CBU helped me put a spiritual vision on what I was studying,” Quiroz-Raya said. “Before, I was finding it a struggle, how can I use technology in a spiritual way? My professors helped me visualize that, blending technology with Christ, with my colleagues.”

 

Distinguished students ring in commencement ceremonies 

More than 910 students at California Baptist University were eligible to participate in three fall commencement ceremonies on Dec. 15-16. In keeping with a CBU tradition, each ceremony began with the ringing of a bell.

Each toll of the bell represents one decade of the university’s existence. The bell rang seven times at each of the ceremonies to commemorate more than seven decades of academic excellence. CBU was established in 1950.

In keeping with another aspect of the tradition, graduates from among the highest-ranking students were chosen to ring the bell.

Johnathan Toews, who received a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, rang the bell for the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on Dec. 15. Rebecca Giovannini, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, rang the bell at the 2 p.m. ceremony on Dec. 15. David Stahr, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English, did so at the 9:30 a.m. Dec. 16 ceremony.

Giovannini said she was surprised when she learned she had been chosen as a bell ringer. She said her biggest challenge in college was overcoming the fears and anxieties that come with college life and being away from home.

“I am so thankful for my family and my professors for supporting me,” Giovannini said. “How much I’ve learned personally and academically was my biggest success. I have matured a lot during college and everything I learned has helped me become the person I am today and has prepared me for the future.”

She plans on earning her teaching credential and Master of Science in Education on her way to becoming a high school teacher.

“As I began my first classes and met my professors, I started to figure out God’s purpose for me. I have been able to develop an understanding of what I am meant to do in the future and my professors have helped me grow to be able to be successful,” Giovannini said.

Stahr, who is an aircraft electrician in the U.S. Navy, said his biggest challenge was balancing his academic and military responsibilities.

“Many long nights were spent focusing on my schoolwork,” Stahr said. “Without the help of my professors and my loving wife, I would not have been able to achieve this level of success.”

He plans to leave the Navy in 2023 and become an English high school teacher.

“CBU shaped me by showing me how to write and to express myself in creative ways that I was unable to see otherwise. This has also directly impacted my spiritual life and has made me feel a closer and more real connection to God,” Stahr said. “My academic accomplishments and my spiritual progression have made me realize that I should strive to help others learn as I have learned, and that has led me to decide to pursue a career in education.”

Toews said his biggest challenge was achieving his goal of earning a 4.0 GPA. He will work for a construction management company.

“I chose CBU because I was looking for a place where I could be challenged academically and be nurtured in my faith at the same time,” Toews said. “I have had many influential professors both in my major specific courses but also my general education. Dr. Jay Lee, the director for construction management, has been the most influential on my future. He has worked hard to walk with me through this program and provide support for extra opportunities to advance my career.”

 

Leadership seminar focuses on understanding wisdom 

Speakers discussed the pursuit of wisdom at a California Baptist University seminar Dec. 7.

The event was part of the Leadership Seminar Series, a community service event designed to enhance the effectiveness of leaders. The Dr. Paul & Annie Kienel Leadership Institute at CBU hosted the seminar.

Philosophy, theology and science agree certain perpetual truths govern the universe, said Dr. John Shoup, the executive director of the leadership institute. Wisdom leads to people flourishing through their better decisions.

“Once wisdom is better understood, the easier it will be to acquire it, to practice it and even to teach it,” Shoup said during the seminar.

Shoup; Dr. Troy Hinrichs, professor of criminal justice; and Dr. Jacqueline Gustafson, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, spoke at the seminar. They co-wrote the book “Pursuing Wisdom: A Primer for Leaders and Learners.”

“In this construct of wisdom, there is this concept of telos. What is the endgame?” Shoup said. “Wisdom is the pursuit of fulfilling a particular telos, a particular end.”

To find the common denominators among philosophy, theology and science, he and his colleagues researched and compared numerous sources.

Hinrichs listed Aristotle, Plato, Confucius and a number of Islamic philosophers as sources of philosophical wisdom. He also described wisdom from the point of view of several theological texts, including the Bible and the Quran.

“Wisdom is the metanarrative that makes sense of life on both sides of the grave,” Hinrichs said. “The dominant motif across the wisdom literature is the law of harvest. People reap what they sow.”

Gustafson described the approaches of contemporary psychologists and sociologists.

“The empirical tradition treats wisdom as having expert levels of understanding of the pragmatics of life and successfully navigating competing values and priorities to live ethically,” Gustafson said.

Understanding what makes wisdom is key to learning, applying and teaching wisdom to others, Shoup said.

“It is both an intellectual and a moral virtue. If you have some understanding and fail to act on it, it stops short of being wisdom,” Shoup said. “It’s not about us, it’s not about me, it’s about the bigger picture.”

 

Engineering students display their robots’ talent 

The Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering at California Baptist University held its annual Robots Got Talent event on Dec. 6. During the event, engineering students shared their robotic designs and skills.

The event is the finale of a five-week project for freshmen and transfer students enrolled in Engineering from a Christian Worldview (EGR 101 or EGR 301). At the beginning of the project, 48 teams of about five students received a design kit, which included remote controls, motors, sensors and Lego pieces. The teams used the kit to create a create a robot that would solve a problem.

Each team consisted of students pursuing different specialties within engineering, making it a multidisciplinary experience, said Dr. Matthew Rickard, professor of bioengineering.

“It is really a taste of what it is to be on an engineering team. They are working on a team with multiple disciplines,” Rickard said. “These engineers are forced to come up with something creatively out of nothing and create a problem to solve, and then go forward and follow a design procedure where they are arranging things to solve it rather than just studying the physical world.”

The teams first competed in their class, during which the professor chose a winner. The nine finalists showcased their creation at the Robots Got Talent event, where the audience voted on its favorite robot.

This year’s winner was the Lancer Eats robot, which navigated a board modeled after the CBU campus. Using color sensors and colored tiles, the robot carried a Coca-Cola can from one side of the board to a model of the engineering building on the other side, dodging other buildings along the way.

The winning team consisted of Jonah Brawley, a computer science sophomore; Zoe Barbee, an electrical and computer engineering freshman; Riley Spence, a software engineering freshman; Jose Cortez, a construction management freshman; and Carlos Moran, a construction management junior. The team received 3D-printed trophies.

“We wanted to do something with a maze of some sort and color reading, so that is where we got the idea to use the color sensor at the bottom to determine whether it turns right or left,” Spence said.

The team said the process included plenty of testing to ensure the sensors worked correctly. Overall, the team most enjoyed programming and working together throughout the project.

“Programming was a lot of fun,” Spence said. “We all got together and worked on it for a good three hours straight and it was a lot of fun. We were testing and there was a lot of communication.”

Last year, the event consisted of recordings due to the pandemic. Rickard said he was excited to be back to an in-person setting for the event and to watch the participants launch themselves down the path of engineering.

“Because these are finalists, [the robots] are always good,” Rickard said. “They are always entertaining. It is fun to see what was in the [students’] minds. This is the finale of 101, and now they got a taste of engineering. For the ones at the event, I think they are probably confirming their academic and life career choice.”

 

Musicians bring the sounds and spirit of Christmas to CBU

Thousands enjoyed the joyous sounds and spirit of Christmas at California Baptist University as the Shelby and Ferne Collinsworth School of Music celebrated its third annual Christmas celebration on Dec. 5 and 6.

More than 400 students and faculty participated in the two “Joy” concerts held in the Events Center.

While the musicians brought the sounds of joy alive, Dr. Joseph Bolin, dean of the School of Music, talked about the true joy of Christmas, saying the holiday event was held “to celebrate the central event in history: God sending His son to the world.”

The School of Music showcased groups including the University Choir and Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Wind and Jazz Ensembles, and Camerata.

Renowned artist faculty—Sheila E., Nia Allen, Bruce Sledge, Paul Jackson Jr., Vinnie Colaiuta, and Nathan East—also took the stage, performing songs such as “Feliz Navidad,” “Joy to the World” and “Holy Night of Angels.”

Other highlights included a rendition of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas classic, “Carol of the Bells (Christmas Eve/Sarajevo),” as well as “Sing We Now of Christmas,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Christmas Joy.” The Wind Ensemble performed “The Night Before Christmas” while Bolin read the famous poem by Clement Clark Moore.

The show “was so good, everything I expected and more,” said John Walsh, an audience member.

Jordyn Tilley, a film freshman, came to support her roommate who was performing with the Festival Choir.

“This concert put me right into the holiday spirit. It’s exactly what I needed before finals,” Tilley said.

Siera Morales, a music education freshman, sang in the performance.

“This show is made up of such beautiful compositions, beautiful music and makes for an overall beautiful night,” Morales said.

 

CBU volunteers to serve in 14 countries on 16 teams in 2022

Excitement was in the air at California Baptist University as Spiritual Life’s Mobilization hosted Team Reveal on Dec. 1. The event reveals which service team the students are assigned to next year.

In 2022, the International Service Project (ISP) program will send out 14 encounter teams, which serve for two to three weeks, and two immersion teams, which serve for eight weeks. Overall, approximately 150 participants will go to 14 countries.

2022 marks the 24th year of CBU’s signature global mobilization program. Teams have not been sent out the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event featured an information session followed by the team reveal during which students discovered where they would serve. Following the reveal, students met with their respective teams, and parents and families who attended the event received more information about the program.

“Team Reveal was super exciting,” said Elise Winward, a biomedical sciences and forensic chemistry junior. Her team is going to Southern Europe.

“The Mobilization team did an awesome job,” Winward said. “Breaking off to have our first meeting with our team was great and we really got to see the hearts of our leaders for the unreached and for these trips.”

Kris Smith, assistant director of Mobilization, views Team Reveal as a rewarding event for students who have prepped for ISP throughout the semester, which includes completing applications, interviewing and participating in a support-raising workshop.

“For the students, meeting their leader and team members and finding out their placement is a much-anticipated event,” Smith said. “It is also important that students understand security before they share their exciting news with family and friends and begin the support-raising process.”

Kristie Wiseman, a biomedical sciences junior, is part of an encounter team for 2022. She said she is excited to go on an ISP trip to East Africa, especially after her ISP trip was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“I appreciate that I have another opportunity to go, and I am grateful that they are still trying to do all they can,” Wiseman said. “I like that they make it a whole event to find out where you are going on your ISP trip. It helps you get to know your team fast because you are all excited to get started.”

Josiah Norrie, a mechanical engineering junior, is part of an immersion team going to South Asia. He enjoyed seeing the teams form connections during the event.

“There seemed to be even more excitement than the last Team Reveal two years ago,” Norrie said. “I enjoyed getting to meet several new people and shared fun stories with them.”

Smith said the event is important because students can now form bonds with team members and begin preparing and raising support for their trips.

“The reveal is exciting, but I love walking around and seeing the teams meeting for the first time,” Smith said. “There is an incredible amount of work and prayer that goes into putting teams together, so to see them connecting is very exciting, knowing they are beginning an incredible journey of training and discovery that will culminate in serving cross-culturally next summer.”

 

CBU celebrates Christmas season traditions with tree lighting

The California Baptist University community celebrated the Christmas season at a Merry & Bright event on Nov. 30. The evening featured the tree lighting, a Bible reading by CBU president Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, and live Christmas music.

Before the countdown to the tree lighting, attendees lit candles, passing along the flame to others, as a part of the usual CBU tradition.

The event, organized by Community Life and Spiritual Life, also featured hot chocolate and Christmas treats as well as activities such as photo booths, a snow patch, and an opportunity for students to participate in filling boxes for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child.

Noelle Avera, an exercise science freshman, said her favorite part of the event was lighting candles with her friends during the ceremony.

“It is a great way to have everyone come together and be able to see a tree be lit and celebrate this new holiday season,” Avera said.

Bailey Berzansky, an accounting freshman, said she enjoyed connecting with others at the event.

“I really liked it because it brought the whole community of CBU together to celebrate Christmas before everyone goes home,” Berzansky said.

This year’s event gave the school an opportunity to come together again to celebrate the holiday season. The event did not take place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think these events are important to have and to keep having because it does bring everyone together,” Avera said. “With the pandemic, we lost all those moments with our friends, family and community, so we didn’t have as close of relationships, so this is important to have.”

Melanie Murillo, a biomedical sciences freshman, participated in Operation Christmas Child by filling a shoebox. More than 660 boxes were filled. She appreciated having the opportunity to create something that can positively impact a child.

“I love kids, and that is what I want to do with my future career—be a doctor for kids,” Murillo said. “Looking out for children is something I have always aspired to do and being able to do this little gesture is something that means a lot to me.”

 

Family Updates

Dr. Virgo Handojo, professor of psychology, presented a research webinar on Nov. 19. Titled Love God, Love Others as Yourself and Happiness, the webinar was sponsored by Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, Indonesia.

 

 

 

 

Christopher Kern, assistant professor of photography, was on the organizing committee for the 2021 SPE West x Southwest Virtual Film Showcase, which took place Nov. 20.

 

 

 

 

Andrew Cress, director of special projects in Academic Affairs, served as a peer evaluator on a WASC Senior College and University Commission Special Visit review team. The virtual site visit took place Nov. 16-19.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Gretchen Bartels-Ray, associate professor of English for Online and Professional Studies, presented and published poems through the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association’s conference on Nov. 13-14. The poems were titled Naked Athena and You Can’t Shout the Walls Down. She also presented a paper Gave it Christian burial: Dorothy Sayers on Gender, Horror, and Humanity at the conference.

 

 

 

Dr. Dominick Sturz, professor of public health for Online and Professional Studies, led a national roundtable for the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo on Oct. 26. The roundtable topic was titled COVID-19 Pandemic Fatigue.

 

 

 

Dr. Mark Kling, associate professor of criminal justice, and Dr. Linda-Marie Sundstrom, associate professor of public administration, both for Online and Professional Studies, had an article published in the PA Times on Nov. 16. It was titled Tolerating Rising Crime: Is Cooperate & Comply the New Norm?

 

 

 

Dr. Riste Simnjanovski, associate professor of public administration for Online and Professional Studies, had an article published with Bitcoin Magazine (Nov. 27). It was titled The U.S. Dollar Implosion: Questions to Consider for Non-Bitcoiners. The article was picked up on Nasdaq’s website and other outlets.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Erin Smith, associate professor of psychology, presented at an American Scientific Affiliation event on Nov. 18. It was titled Data don’t speak, people do: How to have better conversations about science and faith.

 

 

 

Dr. Victoria Brodie, assistant professor of public relations, presented research at the International Leadership Association’s 23^rd Global Conference on Oct. 25. The presentation was titled Leading Systems Change in a VUCA World. In addition, Brodie presented at the 2021 Clute International Academic Conference on Oct. 12. The presentation was titled Leading in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

 

 

 

Brittany Davies, director of academic operations for the College of Health Science, was named employee of the month for December. Her nomination included the following statements: “Brittany has a lot of interaction with students, student workers, staff she supervises, staff she does not supervise, faculty, and administration and I have never heard a negative or concerning word about her service. She is a conscientious worker who wants to get things done with very high quality. She communicates very clearly and is willing to assist with any task at any time.”

 

 

Dr. Mary Vanhoozer, adjunct professor of music, had a debut performance on a hurdy gurdy in Los Angeles on Nov. 7. She played with Ciaramella, an early music ensemble.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Joel Bigley, associate professor of business, and Dr. Keith Walters, professor of education, published an article in the Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (Vol. 4, Issue 2). It was titled Agile Scrum Pedagogy: Leveraging Collaborative Corporate Practices to Enhance Engagement.

 

 

 

Dr. Effat Zeidan Hatoum, assistant professor of general education for Online and Professional Studies, was a keynote speaker for the United Conference of AI Role in Pharma Industry and Digital Future on Nov. 16. The title of her talk was Artificial Intelligence: Optimizing Student Engagement in Online Education.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Shawn Wilhite, assistant professor of Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies, presented at the Society of Biblical Literature in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 21-24. He also had a review published in the Evangelical Quarterly. It was a review of Origen: On First Principles, edited and translated by John Behr.

 

 

Dr. Tom Schneider, associate professor of English for Online and Professional Studies, and his wife, Rita, welcomed a daughter on Nov. 3. Chloe Lucille Schneider weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 20.5 inches. She joins brothers Ethan, 5, and Simon, 2.

 

 

 

 

Michelle Quinones, accountant 1-student finance, and her husband, Tyson, welcome a son on Nov. 18. Landon Lee Quinones weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 20 inches. He joins sister Savanna, 3.

 

 

 

Personnel Updates