In this issue…
Current News
Neil Simon’s ‘Fools’ brings laughs to Wallace Theatre
California Baptist University’s theatre program is bringing comedy and laughs to audiences with Neil Simon’s “Fools.”
The production was pushed back a week due to the delayed start of the spring semester caused by a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“I am incredibly proud of the work the students are doing on the production,” said Ethan Park, director of “Fools” and adjunct professor of theatre. “Their commitment to not only putting on a performance full of heart, joy and laughter but continually practicing safe COVID protocols to protect themselves and others has me leaving each night with a full heart.”
Neil Simon’s “Fools” is a lighthearted comedic fable set in a small Ukrainian village of people who have all been cursed with unintelligence for 200 years. Leon Tolchinsky, an out-of-town schoolteacher arrives to educate Sophia, the daughter of Dr. Zubristsky. Leon soon discovers the curse and is tasked with breaking it before falling victim himself.
Nathan Sporcich, a marketing junior, plays Leon Tolchinsky. His favorite thing about the character is his frantic, hyperactive behavior, Sporcich said.
“(Leon) is high strung in a very humorous and entertaining way,” said Sporcich. “The audience can see his brain running at 110 percent at all times, laughing all the while as the village can never keep up with him.”
Elizabeth Wright, a theatre freshman who plays Sophia Zubritsky, said she enjoys playing a character with an optimistic look on life.
“Even when faced with arduous tasks, she still manages to find the bright side to it all,” Wright said.
With the play taking place in Kulyenchikov, Ukraine, the students had to master an accent. Shane Moser, a theatre junior, plays Dr. Zubristsky. He said the accent has been a challenging part of preparing for his role.
“The accent has not been the easiest thing to figure out,” Moser said. “But I hope everyone coming to see it will appreciate the work that not only I but the whole cast has put into our voices and characters.”
When: Feb. 18-19, Feb. 24-26 at 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 19, 26 at 2 p.m.
Where: Wallace Theatre, California Baptist University, 8432 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA, 92504
For more information, please visit https://calbaptist.edu/theater/current-production
Spring Career Expo gives students employment options
Over 70 local and national businesses gathered at the Van Dyne Gymnasium at California Baptist University on Feb. 16 for the Career Center’s Spring Career Expo.
Jaiden Arechiga, a construction management junior, noticed three companies he was interested in interning with this summer. Ahead of the expo, he went to the Career Center to tweak his resume and prepare to ask the right questions.
“The Career Center researches companies to see what needs to be added (to your resume) regarding your industry,” Arechiga said.
Amanda McInnis, recruiter for Enterprise Holdings, the car rental operator, said that the possibilities at the Career Expo are endless.
“Recruiting events are a great way for a student to get real-world information about potential industries they are interested in,” McInnis said. “All with many employers under one roof.”
Lisa Singer, director of the Career Center, said employers attending are eager to hire, and that students and alumni should take advantage of opportunities to network.
“Career fairs such as the Spring Expo offer a platform to gain industry knowledge, practice networking skills and, in many cases, students leave with a job offer,” Singer said.
Melanie Frank, human resources manager for Olive Crest, a local social services nonprofit whose goal is to stop child abuse, said that CBU students align with the nonprofit’s mission.
“Olive Crest was founded on Christian values,” Frank said. “We try to exhibit all of that with our families, and CBU really aligns with the vision of what we do.”
McKenzie Murray, a psychology senior, wants to spend time ahead of graduate school getting more knowledge about her field. She came to the expo looking to meet with Olive Crest and learn more about what they do. She said the Career Center helped connect her and gave her tips for the event.
“They have a lot of resources that I feel are really good,” Murray said. “They helped me a lot on my resume because I was a little clueless.”
Generations of Lancers attend 2022 Homecoming festivities
Homecoming weekend at California Baptist University drew thousands of alumni and friends to campus on Feb. 11-12.
The weekend featured various events for attendees to enjoy, beginning with a reception on Feb. 11 to welcome alumni back to campus. In the evening, the Alumni Awards Dinner was held. Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, thanked the alumni audience for returning to campus and for all the support the university has received from them throughout the years.
CBU recognized several alumni at the dinner: Ross Stout (’07), recipient of the Young Alumni Achievement Award; Jessie Bekkedahl (’02, ’04), recipient of the Alumni Service Award; Will Taylor (’94), recipient of the Alumnus of the Year; Dr. John Chestnut (’88), recipient of the Distinguished Service in Christian Ministries Award; Frank Ciprian (’84), recipient of the Lancer Lifetime Achievement Award; and Lisa Collinsworth (’83), recipient of the Alumni Philanthropy Award.
Also on Friday evening, students and alumni enjoyed the Homecoming kickoff event on the Front Lawn, which featured carnival rides, food, and hot air balloons.
Bob and Jana Tingle, graduates of 1976, attended several events and said they were most looking forward to seeing how much the campus had changed since they were students.
“I’m excited about everything and just to see the campus,” Tingle said. “We are doing the tour because everything is so new to us now.”
The events on Feb. 12 included a 50-year reunion breakfast, a hymn sing, a paint party, campus tours, and 10- and 25-year reunions.
Sandy and Alan Young, graduates of 1969, attended many of the events, including the 50-year reunion breakfast, the hymn sing, and the basketball game. They have attended Homecoming in previous years and their granddaughter attends CBU.
Sandy said her favorite part of Homecoming is the chance to see people they used to know.
“At the dinners and the breakfasts, they always set out the old yearbooks that were our years, so we go through those and talk about the people. That part is really fun,” Sandy said.
Sandy said her dorm was in the James Building, proving that CBU has changed a lot over the years.
“The facilities are just amazing,” Sandy said. “We have friends who have not been here since graduation who came back in the last couple years and they didn’t even know where they were. And then the programs and the outreach. There are so many more majors and things than what we ever had. We just had a few hundred kids.”
Alan was excited to attend the basketball game while at Homecoming and enjoyed hearing Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, speak during the weekend’s events.
“Every time I hear him, I’m inspired, and it reminds me of the vision that he had when he came,” Alan said. “He uses the phrase ‘Roll up the sleeves.’ Obviously, a lot of people rolled up their sleeves here to make all this happen.”
Homecoming weekend came to an end Saturday with a pregame party and a men’s basketball game against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The pregame party featured games, activities and food for eventgoers leading up to the game’s tip-off.
During the game, seven new inductees into the CBU Athletics Hall of Fame were announced: Ashley Boyd and Emma Holden, both for softball; Kamille Diaz and Cassidy Mihalko, both for women’s basketball; Brian Sharp, for baseball; Michael Smith, for men’s basketball; and Jacob Waste, for wrestling.
The CBU Lancers secured a victory over UTRGV with a final score of 80-72 in front of more than 4,600 fans. The Lancers are now 14-11 on the season and 4-8 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Lecture looks at wisdom and leadership
Dr. Doug Wallace discussed the role of wisdom in leadership on Feb. 8 as part of the Dr. Paul and Annie Kienel Leadership Institute’s Leadership Seminar Series at California Baptist University.
“Who doesn’t want to be the wisest one in the room?” said Wallace, associate dean for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at CBU.
He gave a glimpse into the origins of wisdom with quotes from philosophers such as Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. He also mentioned the Bible story in 1 Kings 3:1-15 where God offered King Solomon anything his heart desired and he asked for wisdom.
“With wisdom comes great responsibility,” Wallace said.
Wallace elaborated on the insights into social psychology and how to understand why people behave the way they do. Wisdom is effective decision making, and a wise leader assembles as much knowledge as possible to empower them to make the right decision, he said.
“Wise leaders surround themselves with the best people,” Wallace said.
Grasping the concept of emotional and social intelligence is key in effective leadership, he said.
“Emotional and social intelligence are more important than IQ in being a leader who connects well with people,” Wallace said. “The higher emotional intelligence you have, the better leader you can be and [the] more successful at motivating and influencing others.”
Wallace emphasized the ability to be authentic with people and with ourselves in any given situation.
“Hard to do but extremely important,” he said. “Don’t try to be somebody else. People pick up on that.”
While it is important to be able to “read the room” and connect with people, it is of equal value to understand where your individual wisdom and emotional intelligence comes from, Wallace advised.
“The wisest people I know say, ‘I blew it’ and they have a strong sense of their own emotional intelligence,” he said. “To be wise, you have to know about yourself.”
CBU celebrates Black History Month with artistic event
Community Life partnered with the Black Student Union (BSU) to host a Black History Month event on Feb. 8.
The evening was hosted in Lancer Plaza at California Baptist University and featured an art gallery, Southern food and a talent showcase. BSU members presented poetry, performed spoken word and sang. Attendees also had an opportunity to paint their own art pieces.
“Our goal was to provide an atmosphere for students to learn about Black culture and about Black history and to provide a safe space for our Black students on campus to showcase their talents,” said Mia Tamayo, a biomedical sciences sophomore and Community Life intern.
Jordan Hill, a political science senior and BSU president, said the event allowed students to learn from each other in a community-oriented setting.
“One of the main purposes of this event is one of [CBU’s] Core 4—Globally Minded,” Hill said. “It is also to help us demonstrate spiritual literacy and expand upon things we might not understand and learn from one another.”
Community Life and BSU wanted to create a fun environment while showcasing BSU and their members, said Jessenya Scherler, a public health sophomore and Community Life intern.
“I’m really excited for people who have never learned about Black history to come and get a little bit of a taste of it and just enjoy it with their friends,” Scherler said.
Michaila Harrington, a health science junior, performed her poem titled “I Am Black and Beautiful.”
“I wanted to perform to celebrate and give some recognition to Black History Month, and to inspire other Black CBU students with my poem,” Harrington said. “I think events like this are important to recognize Black History Month and just show the beauty and the talent and the creativity that us African American people have.”
Hill said his favorite part of the event was seeing friends share their talents.
“It is really cool to be able to give people a platform to be able to share their experiences whether it is a song, step [dance] or a poem,” Hill said. “It is really cool to work with the campus of CBU and to bring everyone together for an event like this.”
BSU has several more events planned throughout Black History Month, including a CBU basketball game on Feb. 24 and a movie night on the Recreation Center roof on Feb. 25.
Family Updates
Stefani Plummer
Stefani Plummer, director of academic operations for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, was featured in NIRSA News (Feb. 2). The article series features select individuals who have significantly contributed to the recreation profession. The profile was titled Campus Recreation All Star: Stefani Plummer.
Dr. A. Greg Bowden
Dr. A. Greg Bowden, professor of organizational leadership, co-authored an article for the Pediatric Nursing journal (February). The article, titled Types of reviews – Part 2: Meta-analysis and meta-synthesis, was part of a series on demystifying research.
Dr. Amy Dennis
Dr. Amy Dennis, assistant professor of social work, had her dissertation published on ProQuest. It is titled Cultivating resilience in student and novice social workers through a near-peer led contextual learning group.
Dr. Linda-Marie Sundstrom
Dr. Mark Kling
Dr. Mark Kling, associate professor of criminal justice, and Dr. Linda-Marie Sundstrom, professor of public administration, had an article published in the PA Times on Jan. 11. It was titled Thou Shalt Not Prosecute Crime: The Role of an Elected District Attorney.
From left: Electrice Harris, president of SoCal NOMA, and Aaron Greene
Aaron Greene, assistant professor of architecture, was awarded the Educator of Year award from the Southern California Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects.
Chrystian Combs
Chrystian Combs, in the Master of Architecture program, was awarded a national research fellowship working for the American Collegiate Schools of Architecture Student Research Fellow, 2021-22.
Keiren Wright
Keiren Wright, in the Master of Architecture program, won the annual Sean F. Mellon Memorial Architectural Scholarship. She receives $10,000.
Dr. Erin Smith
Dr. Erin Smith, associate professor of psychology, received second place in Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s paper competition, Exploring Personhood: What Is a Human Being? Her paper was titled The Brain’s Default, Selves, and Telos.
Dr. Riste Simnjanovski
Dr. Riste Simnjanovski, associate professor of public administration, had an article published in Bitcoin Magazine (Feb. 1). It was titled Debt of Nations: Bitcoin is an Alternative to the Physical Hand of Keynesian Economics.
Dr. Laura Veltman
Dr. Laura Veltman, professor of English, was re-elected as treasurer for the Conference on Christianity and Literature, a national organization that publishes the journal Christianity & Literature, hosts regional conferences, gives faculty research grants and awards prizes to undergraduate who present at regional conferences. She will serve a two-year term.
Dr. Monica O’Rourke
Dr. Monica O’Rourke, professor of kinesiology, presented at the 2022 Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) International Forum in Dallas on Feb. 12. Her session presentation was titled Sexual Health Behaviors: A Closer Look at Hook-up Culture and Sexual Integrity.
Dr. Virgo Handojo
Dr. Virgo Handojo, professor of psychology, presented a plenary session during a webinar at the 15th Conference of the Indonesian Family Counselor on Feb. 15. It was titled Developing Resilient self, Family, and Community.
Dr. Allan Bedashi
Dr. Allan Bedashi, adjunct professor of physician assistant studies, retired from full-time academia in December. Bedashi came to CBU in 2014 as the founding chair and program director of the PA program. Previously he served 21 years in the United States Navy, then joined the Loma Linda University PA program and then the West Liberty University (West Virginia) PA program.
Andrew Zechariah Estrada
Gabriel Estrada, visiting professor of Old Testament, and his wife, Natalee, welcomed a son on Nov. 23. Andrew Zechariah Estrada weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 20 inches. He joins siblings Amariah 13, Sophia 12, Hazel 10, Joy 8, Gabriel 6, Zoë 4, and Simon 2.
Personnel Updates
