March 8, 2022

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

Honors Exhibit displays creative artwork from CBU students

The ninth annual Honors Exhibit is being held at the Rose Garden Chapel Art Gallery at California Baptist University through March 11.

A variety of works produced by CBU students in fine art courses are on display. Fine art faculty selected more than 70 works, which feature painting, drawing, mixed media and sculpture. Though the works come from fine art classes, the students featured in the exhibition come from a variety of majors.

Kristi Lippire, associate professor of visual art, said faculty look for the best examples of work in terms of craftsmanship, concept and execution created in their classes.

“This exhibition is a way to encourage and support our students on campus that make really good artwork in our classes,” Lippire said. “Students love seeing their work in the context of a gallery space and that keeps the bar high in terms of what can be done.”

During the opening reception on Feb. 22, three People’s Choice Awards were handed out, after the public voted on their top choice. For the People’s Choice, Addie Panasiuk received first place, Brenna Buell received second and Steven Martinez received third.

Additionally, fine art faculty presented a Best Overall Award. It is usually a fine art major who has shown excellence in a number of art classes and who had several media entered into the show, Lippire said.

Emma Limtiaco, a fine art senior, was named Best Overall. She has six pieces in the exhibit, using media such as acrylics, oil paint, watercolor and marker. She was happy to have pieces chosen for the exhibit and to be chosen as the Best Overall.

“It’s always exciting to have opportunities to show my work in a formal setting. It’s exciting to be acknowledged for artwork that represents my personal style,” Limtiaco said. “I love the faculty, so it means a lot that they’d select me.”

The Honors Exhibit is open through March 11. Gallery hours are noon-3:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 2-6 p.m. Tuesday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday.

 

CBU recognized as Military Friendly School for 2022-2023

California Baptist University seeks to support military veterans and dependents in their academic journey and is recognized as a Yellow Ribbon institution.

Recently, CBU was honored as a Military Friendly School for 2022-2023. The list is created each year based on research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the Military Friendly Schools survey from participating institutions.Jay Villasenor, director of the Veterans Resource Center at CBU, said that giving veterans the support they need to succeed is a priority.

“Being inclusive means that we have successfully opened the door for veterans to integrate into the CBU community,” Villasenor said. “We have shown that veterans are well equipped and capable of taking on the challenge of returning to school.”

The Veterans Resource Center provides a communal space on campus where students are always welcome. The center offers support to students, in addition to a lounge, kitchen amenities and computers.

“Being a Military Friendly School is more than just accepting educational benefits,” Villasenor said. “It’s ensuring that veterans have the proper resources and support on campus.”

Lazarus Florence, a psychology senior, said the center helps veterans further their education while keeping military tradition alive.

“I was asked if I wanted to be part of a cake-cutting ceremony for the Marine Corps birthday celebration,” Florence said. “They help us to keep up with our military traditions and that shows their appreciation for the sacrifices we have made.”

The Veterans Resource Center takes time to recognize veterans and their service. At graduation, all veterans receive a red, white and blue cord and are honored at every home basketball game. The center hosts an annual Veterans Day event, in addition to celebrating military branch birthdays. Lastly, all undergraduate traditional military students and dependents receive priority registration each semester.

 

The mission field needs healthcare workers, speaker says

The world and the mission field need healthcare professionals, the Rev. Doug Christgau told California Baptist University students on Feb. 28.

“Health is the most basic human need. By 2030, we will need 12 million healthcare workers worldwide,” Christgau said.

Christgau, a global ambassador for MedSend, spoke at the lecture hosted by the College of Health Science. MedSend works with mission agencies to send out healthcare professionals by providing grants to cover student debt for certified healthcare professionals. Over the past 30 years since its beginning, MedSend has covered $25 million in student debt, Christgau said.

“I think it is important because you are going to end with so much debt, and it can be a really hard barrier … if you want to go overseas,” said Jade Adams, a biomedical sciences junior. “They take care of that stuff for you to go serve, especially in underserved communities.”

Christgau said MedSend derives its mission from the Great Commission. He also emphasized the need for more trained healthcare professionals in other nations, especially in Africa. Currently, the world would need 7 million more healthcare professionals to have one for every 500 people globally. The organization also supports the training of indigenous doctors in Africa and Asia.

While most missionaries sponsored by MedSend travel internationally, some serve at clinics in the U.S. In 2021, MedSend funded 160 grants whose recipients went into the field in 60 different nations.

Marina Emhoff, an athletic training graduate student, said providing medicine for those who do not have access to it can show them both a healthy lifestyle and Christ.

“He talked about providing healthcare to those who don’t have it readily available, and he talked about taking that as an opportunity to show them Christ and to lead them in faith,” Emhoff said. “I feel like being able to send certified healthcare providers into those areas will give them an opportunity to see Christ in a different light.”

Christgau emphasized the importance of spreading the gospel to others through healthcare.

Daisy Martinez, an athletic training graduate student, said healthcare allows her to use the knowledge and experience God has given her to help others.

“I think it brings awareness to all of us healthcare providers about what is going on outside our country and how we can make a difference or impact,” Martinez said. “Having this lecture makes me look more into this.”

 

Speaker encourages students to pair their gifts and values

Finding your purpose takes putting your gifts and values together in the service of others, Keri-Lyn Coleman told a California Baptist University audience on Feb. 24.

Coleman is the president and CEO of both Collaborative Planning Group and WellScreen Inc. The companies provide services to nonprofits and agencies to support the work of substance abuse prevention programs and behavioral health initiatives. Additionally, Coleman has served as the White House drug policy advisor and national substance abuse expert. She spoke to CBU students as part of the Culture and Justice Lecture Series hosted by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Coleman talked about her journey to discover her purpose and find happiness.

“I found that I was following this formula: hard work would lead to success, which leads to happiness,” she said.

But Coleman discovered this did not result in happiness. She described research on happiness that found that 50% of happiness is genetic, 10% is circumstantial and 40% is up to the individual.

“Intentional activities can increase our happiness, so taking that 40% and doing some intentional activities on a daily basis can increase that happiness,” Coleman said.

She described various activities that can increase happiness, such as practicing gratitude, meditation and mindfulness; building strong relationships; and doing acts of kindness.

“What we want to do is build that happiness first, which will lead to hard work and ultimately success,” she said.

Aside from happiness, Coleman encouraged her audience to pursue the search for their purpose.

“It’s taking your gifts and recognizing the things that you’re good at, aligning them with your values, and finding a way to fuse both of those to serve others,” said Coleman. “I do think that’s the way a person can find their purpose.”

She described her shifting career goals as she went through college. Coleman began as a criminal justice major, intending to become an attorney to fight for abused and neglected youth. She shifted to social work upon realizing that law school would not be a good environment for her. In the process of getting her Master of Social Work, she discovered that working with children directly was not her strong suit, but managing, writing, community outreach and communication were. In pursuing a career in these areas, she found her purpose. Others can do the same, she said.

“Think about, what are your values? And is the organization you’re working for, the city you’re living in, the people you’re surrounded with—do they share your values? And if not, do you have the courage to find somewhere that does?” Coleman asked.

 

Lancer Day helps prospective students choose CBU

Melissa Sanchez, resident of Grand Terrace, and her friend Kimorha Harrison, of Moreno Valley, made the decision to attend California Baptist University together on Feb. 18 at Lancer Day. Both are excited to become part of the CBU community.

“Everyone was very welcoming,” Sanchez said. “Admissions was really helpful in the way they set everything up for us.”

“I really like the community aspect of the school,” Harrison said. “I also enjoy how they implement Christianity into your studies.”

Taylor Neece, assistant vice president for admissions, kicked off the event as he welcomed attendees in the Van Dyne Gymnasium. He told the audience that Lancer Day was designed to help students decide if CBU is a good fit.

“If you think you are going to purchase a car, you are going to test drive,” Neece said. “That’s what you are doing here today … test driving the CBU experience.”

Neece discussed how the average person makes 35,000 decisions per day and how choosing a school is important.

“Where you decide to attend college will play a major factor in how you are going to live your God-given purpose during and after college,” Neece said.

Lancer Day is one of many events that CBU hosts during the year to connect prospective and accepted students to campus. Over 300 potential Lancers came to campus with friends and family. Attendees were given the chance to tour the campus, attend academic and campus life sessions and learn more about the amenities and programs CBU offers.

Kylie Garcia, a resident of Riverside, was set on coming to CBU. Growing up in the area, Garcia visited campus for sports clinics. She said she loved seeing how much fun the students had on campus.

“The community and social life CBU offers is really fun,” Garcia said. “There’s never going to be any boredom here.”

Those who officially committed to attending CBU were given the red-carpet treatment, complete with signing their name on “CBU” letters and ringing a bell to symbolize the start of their journey as a Lancer.

Cole Schulenberg, resident of Apple Valley, wanted to follow in his sister’s footsteps and attend CBU.

“I love the energy here,” Schulenberg said. “The campus and the students are so lively.”

 

CBU practicum luncheon connects students with local agencies

More than 30 Southern California based agencies—ranging from school districts to nonprofits organizations—gathered on Feb. 17 for a practicum luncheon hosted by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at California Baptist University.

Graduate counseling psychology students were eager to connect with agency representatives to find their fit in the field. CBU requires counseling psychology students to complete 400 practicum hours.

“Amongst the busyness of life, you chose to give your time today to students who are preparing to live their purpose in the service of others,” Dr. Antonio Mejico, interim program director for the Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, told the representatives. “The success of our program is contingent upon the collaboration between our esteemed community providers and our institution.”

Michelle Guerrero, a counseling psychology graduate student, wants to work with people who have eating disorders. Guerrero said she was excited to connect with potential job sites.

“It’s a great networking opportunity,” Guerrero said. “I am so thankful CBU provides it.”

Britney Callins, a graduate student in the counseling psychology program, said attending the luncheon was an important step in continuing her career.

“I just love helping people and listening to people’s stories and seeing people grow and develop,” Callins said. “I think this is the perfect opportunity to do that.”

Diana Negrete (‘21), associate marriage and family therapist, attended the event for Mighty Oak Community Counseling Center in Riverside. She said that being open-minded is a must for students entering the field.

“Being able to be coordinated and open to learning new skills and techniques is key,” Negrete said.

The counseling psychology program is in its 40th year.

 

Family Updates

Dr. Katherine Papineau, associate professor of architecture and art history, and Rylee Woodcock (‘21) wrote a chapter for The Routledge Companion to Women in Architecture (Routledge, 2021). The chapter was titled Lois Davidson Gottlieb: A Woman Fellow.

 

 

Andriani Sugianto and Sam Soine, both in the Master of Architecture program, placed in the Los Angeles AIA 2×8 competition held for regional schools of architecture. Sugianto placed second and Soine received recognition.

 

Dr. Elisa Shepard, associate professor of psychology, Dr. Robert Shields, associate professor of computer information technology, and Dr. Dirk Davis, associate vice president of academics, co-presented virtually at the 14^th Annual Transforming the Teaching and Learning Environment Conference on Feb. 14. The presentation was titled Examining a Teaching Assistant Model for Online Courses.

 

Keelan Kaiser, program director and professor of architecture, was named to The College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) in February for contributions made to the profession and the academy. The contributions include serving as president of the National Architectural Accrediting Board, two terms as president of the local AIA Inland Empire chapter, and advising and guiding multiple new schools of architecture through specialized accreditation.

 

 

 

Dr. Jong-Wha Bai, professor of civil engineering and construction management, presented a paper at the virtual ASCE San Fernando Earthquake Conference on Jan. 31-Feb. 11. The title was Probabilistic Modeling and inference for Building Structures under Earthquake Sequences Using Matrix-based Bayesian Network. Its co-authors included Changuk Mun, visiting scholar in Global Initiatives.

 

 

 

Dr. Ana Gamez, associate professor of psychology, serves as an advisory Board member for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD). On Feb. 5, she presented 36 MADD awards to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department traffic officers for their ​commitment to keeping the streets safe and for excellence in DUI enforcement and arrests in 2020 and 2021.

 

 

 

Dr. Erin Smith, associate professor of psychology, presented at Portland Seminary on Feb. 21. The title of the presentation was Science and Formation. She also participated in a panel discussion at the seminary on psychology and theology on Feb. 23. Smith is a science advisor for the seminary, as part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science for Seminaries project.

 

 

 

CBU and the Christian Medical and Dental Associations sponsored the conference on Global Medical Missions, Remedy 2022, on campus Feb. 26-27. Speakers included those working in the mission field and CBU faculty. The conference brought together health care professionals and students to give them advice on how to better serve Christ in the mission field.

 

 

Dr. Jong-Kyung Kim, professor of kinesiology, co-authored a paper in Frontiers in Physiology-Integrative Physiology. It was titled Arterial Baroreflex Inhibits Muscle Metaboreflex Induced Increases in Effective Arterial Elastance: Implications for Ventricular-Vascular Coupling.

 

 

 

In Summer 2021, CBU was recognized as an official Amazon Web Services Academy Membership Institution offering students introductory and intermediate cloud computing instruction. Dr. Mark Kim, assistant professor of computing, software and data sciences, has been holding a weekly Cloud computing lab with engineering students. Dr. Anthony Corso, associate professor of computing, software and data sciences, assists in the training. Students gain hands-on experience working with the AWS platform and prepare for AWS certifications.

 

Dr. Monica O’Rourke, professor of kinesiology, Lisa Friesen, assistant professor of allied health, Coe Michaelson, head men’s soccer coach, Keith Coury (’18), Michelle Pinkney and Brian Hempel doctoral students in leadership studies, presented a webinar for the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sport Studies on Feb.17. The webinar was titled Transforming Christian Leadership in a Secular World: Challenges and Opportunities for Mentoring Future Leaders in Sport and Fitness Industries.

 

Christine Smith, adjunct professor of photography, curated an art show at Duke Gallery at Azusa Pacific University. Additionally, the exhibit featured some of her photographs.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Deena Graves, adjunct professor of communication, co-wrote a book. It is titled Mind Games: Understanding Trafficker Psychological Warfare (M3 Transformations Publishing, March 1, 2022).

 

 

Personnel Updates