August 12, 2022

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

NCAA board approves CBU’s Division 1 membership status

California Baptist University has been granted active status as a Division I institution effective for the 2022-23 academic year by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors.

“This is an exciting day for California Baptist University,” said Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president. “Division I is the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics and making the transition to full membership represents a significant step forward for CBU. It’s another way we demonstrate our continual pursuit of excellence, and I am convinced that our student-athletes will compete strongly on the national stage.”

With active status, CBU student-athletes now have the opportunity to compete for berths in NCAA Division I championships.

“Years of preparation went into this and I am thankful for all of the hard work by our campus leadership and staff members to make this a reality,” said Tyler Mariucci, Director of Athletics. “We are ready for this new opportunity of postseason eligibility.”

CBU first announced its plans for a move to the next level in a press conference on Jan. 13, 2017. During the four-year transition process, CBU Athletics teams experienced considerable success including winning 11 conference championships, logging 24 top-three conference finishes and qualifying 14 teams for postseason tournaments involving Division I programs. The Lancers are now immediately eligible for NCAA Division I postseason play, including all Western Athletic Conference Championships, in the 2022-23 season.

 

CBU pair earn awards at national advertising competition

A California Baptist University student and an alumnus recently received awards for their work at the American Advertising Federation (AAF) national awards, known as the ADDYs.

Over 25,000 entries from across the country were entered into this year’s competition.

Jessiel Leander (’22) had two winning entries in the competition. His entry titled “Nike Campaign” in the student category “mass transit” earned him a gold ADDY. He also won a silver ADDY for his entry “Spotify is Everywhere” in the student category “animation or special effects.”

Leander said the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design professors helped him prepare for this competition by supporting him in his creativity.

“They are caring and have great knowledge of the industry and know what the professionals are looking for today,” Leander said.

Brenna Buell, a graphic design and visual experience senior, received a silver ADDY for her entry titled “Airline Branding” in the student category “integrated brand identity campaign.”

Buell said having this national award attached to her resume is a tremendous win for her, and CAVAD is the reason she was able to produce a prize-winning project.

“It was my work, but it was the loving and guiding hands of my professors pushing me to create it that made it all possible,” Buell said. “The faith that my professors have in me often exceeds my own, and I am always encouraged and uplifted to drive for excellence, even when I feel I lack it.”

Earlier this year, AAF Inland Empire Awards recognized multiple CBU students, including Mackenzie Peters, who received Best of Show.

Michael Berger, professor of graphic design, said CBU students historically do well in the competition because the program prepares them for a rigorous career.

“It’s part of our DNA,” Berger said. “We don’t just do it for the competition, it’s part of who we are.”

 

Lancer Farms and Gardens bring science to life

California Baptist University’s campus is home to a hidden gem. Tucked away behind the Colony apartments that house junior and senior students is a garden blooming with life.

The Lancer Farms and Gardens are planted next to the Hawthorne House, built in the late 1800s, and found in the Colony area.

The Botany and Environmental Science clubs created Lancer Farms and Gardens in the spring of 2019 after seeing a need to establish an area for students of all majors and interests to go relax and be out in nature, said Dr. Jacob Lanphere, associate professor of environmental science and advisor to the Botany Club. Honoring the house and respecting its historic charm, the clubs partnered with Facilities and Planning Services to construct raised garden beds around the outside of the house.

The garden includes lavender and sunflowers, along with tomatoes, different types of lettuces and a citrus grove. The space is now maintained by Facilities staff and the environmental science faculty as well as CBU students.

The various plants and foods in Lancer Farms and Gardens are grown organically, without chemicals or synthetic fertilizers. A permaculture system allows the garden to utilize sustainable farming and gardening methods, along with creating a natural ecosystem, Lanphere said.

“We added tons of biodiversity, so if you go out to the farm and look around, you’ll see so many different types of flowers and plants, and what we are trying to do is mimic God’s creation,” Lanphere said.

Jaz Livingstone, an environmental science junior, said the garden became his favorite place on campus after attending a volunteer event held by the Botany Club.

“My favorite thing about the garden is all the organic vegetables, many of which I have never seen or heard of,” Livingstone said. “It’s fun to go there using my plant identifier app and learn more about new plants that I might not have known about otherwise.”

Throughout the course of the school year, Lanphere takes every opportunity to teach his students out in nature. Learning in the garden takes the material they are learning in their textbooks and brings it to life.

“Whether it’s a soil and water class or having my students identify certain plants and flowers, I always find an excuse to get my students out there,” Lanphere said.

Livingstone said he enjoys when class took place in the garden.

“Dr. Lanphere took us to the garden for a scavenger hunt, which was a lot of fun,” Livingstone said. “I am taking an urban agriculture course in the fall, and I can’t wait to be out at Lancer Farms and Gardens.”

All are welcome to visit the garden throughout the year, especially when life gets busy and stressful. Students, faculty and staff can even pick the produce. Upon the entrance of the garden, the sweet scent of French and Spanish lavender fills the air.

“God provided these things for us because he knew we had to live in a stressful world, and these little systems are made to benefit us,” Lanphere said.

 

CAVAD academies give hands-on experience to high schoolers

High school students from around Southern California participated in Summer Academies hosted by the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design (CAVAD) during July 11-15 at California Baptist University.

Students from 11 high schools attended the academies that focused on photography and architecture programs. Students received hands-on learning experience to help them grow their knowledge of the field, learn additional skills and travel to The Getty Museum in Los Angeles to see how art and design comes to life.

Christopher Kern, program lead of photography, said the academy provides students access to the tools and facilities needed to experiment and be creative.

“We build off of the students’ coursework at the high school level and we meet the students where they are technically, and introduce them to more complex ways of thinking,” Kern said. “We challenge their taste and expand their capabilities creatively and critically.”

True and Brave Bratcher are sisters from Riverside Springs Charter School and traveled from Walnut, Calif., to attend the academy. The pair said they were excited to learn more about photography.

“I think this academy will help me think more creatively and learn new techniques to take better photos,” Brave Bratcher said.

The week also allowed participants to see life as a CBU student, said Krysten Burton, assistant professor of architecture.

“The academy gives students an opportunity to experience architecture school in a concentrated week to help them determine if this is a path of study they would like to pursue,” Burton said. “It also gives them an introduction to instruction, faculty, students and campus life at CBU. I hope the academy sparks a flame of curiosity to continue to learn, grow and design.”

Prior to attending CBU, Miguel Esparza, a photography junior, participated in a Summer Academy. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to enroll at CBU. He now works as a student studio manager, and he provides help during the Summer Academies.

“I was yearning for a collaborative spirit and that’s what I saw here. Kern did a really good job at bringing everyone together,” Esparza said. “It’s really interesting to see that I was in the academy just a few years ago and now I have the opportunity to help them.”

 

Family Updates

Dr. Alex Chediak, professor of engineering and physics, co-authored a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Bio Materials (July 11, 2022). It was titled High-Throughput Biofilm Assay to Investigate Bacterial Interactions with Surface Topographies.

 

 

 

Dr. Charles Sands, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, was appointed as a commissioner on the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities’ Chief Academic Officers Commission beginning July 1. The appointment is for a three-year term.

 

 

 

Dr. S. Jeannette Guignard, professor of organizational leadership, presented at the Online Teaching Conference in Long Beach on June 29. The presentation was titled Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Fostering Inclusion in Online Classrooms.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Keith Hekman, professor of aerospace, industrial and mechanical engineering, presented a paper at the 2022 American Society of Engineering Education conference in Minneapolis on June 26-29. The paper, Using Blackboard Quiz Pools and Other Automated Grading in Mechanical Engineering Courses, was co-authored by Dr. Ziliang Zhou, professor of aerospace, industrial and mechanical engineering. Hekman had an additional paper presented, Improving Student Learning Experience with MATLAB Grader and Live Scripts.

 

 

CBU’s Student Success leadership team participated in a seminar hosted by the Growing Inland Achievement regional collaborative at University of California, Riverside’s Student Success Center on July 21-22.  The seminar focused on planning, implementation and measurement of initiatives to increase student persistence through college graduation from a four-year institution. CBU participants were Rich Simpson, university registrar; Jeff Tennis, director of student success coaching; Dr. Steve Neilsen, dean of academic persistence and support; Dr. Tae Sung, dean of Student Success; Dr. Wayne Fletcher, associate provost for academic services; Grace Brown, director of student success coaching.

 

 

 

Dr. Victoria Brodie, assistant professor of public relations, presented at the 6th Annual Women and Leadership Conference in Portsmouth, United Kingdom, on June 15. The presentation, titled Women Leaders: Redefining Leadership Characteristics to Lead Toward an Ambiguous Future, was on behalf of the Dr. Paul and Annie Kienel Leadership Institute.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Riste Simnjanovski, professor of public administration, published an article on Bitcoin Magazine titled July 4th, Bitcoin And Sovereignty — Declaring Your Own Financial Independence Day (July 2).

 

 

 

 

Dr. Kendra Flores-Carter, assistant professor of social work, was recently recognized by both the Belize Consulate in Florida and by the First Lady of Belize, Her Excellency Rossana Briceno, for her service in Belize. The work includes Flores-Carter helping to establish a partnership between CBU and the University of Belize, establishing a memorandum of understanding to help students with tuition assistance toward obtaining their Bachelor of Social Work degrees in Belize.

 

 

 

Dr. Karen Bradley, dean of the College of Nursing, was elected to the California Association of Colleges of Nursing board of directors. She will serve three years in the positions of president-elect, president and immediate past president.

 

 

 

Dr. Dennis K. Bideshi, professor of biology, co-authored a paper that was published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology (July 2022). It was titled Evaluation of inhibitory compounds produced by bacteria isolated from a hydrogen-producing bioreactor during self-fermentation of wheat straw.

 

 

 

Dr. Bonjun Koo, professor of environmental science, presented a paper at the 2022 International Symposium on Soil Organic Matter in Seoul, South Korea on June 30. It was titled Silicon Fractionation of Soluble Silicon in Volcanic Ash Soils That May Affect Groundwater Silicon Content on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea.

 

 

 

Dr. Mark Blincoe, professor of history, and Dr. John Shoup, executive director of the Leadership Institute, published a book. It was titled History and Leadership: The Nature and Role of the Past in Navigating the Future (Routledge, June 2022).

 

 

 

Dr. Rick Van Haveren, adjunct professor of psychology, recently earned the status of Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Thomas Schnieder, associate professor of English, presented a paper at the Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies in St. Louis on June 21. His paper was titled Malory’s “Fyne Force”: Motion in Le Morte Darthur.

 

 

 

 

Dr. James Lu, professor of English, has been elected as a member on the board of the Pacific Ancient and Modern Literature Association. He will serve a three-year term. Additionally, he is serving a two-year term as editor-in-chief for the journal Academic Perspectives.

 

 

 

Dr. Shawn Wilhite, associate professor of Christian Studies, gave two talks at the IT Project, a ministry training organization equipping students for ministry and international service, in Costa Mesa on July 18. The talks were titled The Trinity: Contemplating the Happy Life and QnA Discussion: Gender and Ministry Pursuits, A Vision of Mutualism and Ministry for the Church.

 

 

 

Dr. Melissa Croteau, professor of film studies, gave an invited lecture for the Seshadripuram Evening Degree College and Bangalore University English Teachers’ Association on July 19. The virtual presentation was titled Cinematic Adaptations of Shakespeare’s Plays: Japanese Samurai and Salarymen.

 

 

 

Dr. Monica O’Rourke, professor of kinesiology, Dr. Mary Ann Pearson, professor of communication, and Dr. Gaynell Vanderslice, assistant professor of business management, presented a national webinar for the Public Relations Society of America on July 28. The title was Increase Leadership Capacity: Improve Communication With Mentoring Communities and the Honeycomb Leadership Development Model.

 

 

Dr. Marina Girju, associate professor of marketing, co-authored a paper in the Journal of Consumer Affairs (July 20). It was titled The paradoxes of smartphone use: Understanding the user experience in today’s connected world. Additionally, she co-authored a paper published in the Proceedings of the Second Workshop on Bridging Human–Computer Interaction and Natural Language Processing (July 2022). It was titled Design Considerations for an NLP-Driven Empathy and Emotion Interface for Clinician Training via Telemedicine. She also presented a paper and poster at the Conference of the International Society for Research on Emotion in Los Angeles on July 14-18. They were both titled Adaptive Multimodal Empathic NLP-driven Interface for Enhanced Human Communication. 

 

Stacy Meyer, assistant professor of education, went to Malawi on July 15-25 and met with the U.S. ambassador to Malawi, vice chancellor of Malawi’s University of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education’s deputy director to discuss the implementation of a biblical life skills program into Malawi’s public school system. Meyer shared her research that showed how the program, called “Why Wait,” is increasing school retention among vulnerable populations.

 

 

 

Dr. Ed Garrett, professor of sport and performance psychology, co-presented a poster at the 2022 American Psychology Association annual conference in August. It was titled The Novel Application of Sport and Performance Psychology in Medicine.

 

 

 

Dr. Tom Ferko, professor of chemistry, Dr. Ted Grant, assistant professor of physics, Dr. Erin Smith, professor of psychology, and Dr. Effat Zeidan, associate professor of science and mathematics, presented at the American Scientific Affiliation’s Annual Meeting in San Diego on July 29-Aug. 1. Ferko presented a paper, Meeting Human Needs through Chemistry: The Distributed Pharmaceutical Analysis Laboratory. Grant and Matthew Williams, a CBU student, presented a poster, Composition Analysis of Metal Coins by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy. Smith presented a paper, The Brain’s Default, Selves, and Telos. Zeidan presented a paper, Interdisciplinary Studies: A Unique Opportunity to Teach Integration within a Coherent Biblical Framework. Also, Tenicka Missouri, a student in the Doctor of Psychology program, presented a paper What is a Person? Implications of Personhood on Theology and Research.

 

Dr. Joshua Knabb, professor of psychology, and Josue Esperante, a student in the Doctor of Psychology program, presented a poster at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention in Minneapolis on Aug. 4. It was titled Mindfulness, Christian Contentment, and General Contentment Among Christian Adults: A Mediation Study.

 

 

 

Cathy Chang-Letherer, associate professor of physician assistant studies, and Mary Ann Stahovich, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, facilitated an ultrasound workshop at the UCR School of Medicine on Aug. 1. CBU students in the physician assistant studies program also participated in the workshop.

 

 

Dr. Jeff Cate, professor of New Testament, welcomed his first grandson on July 23. Michael Noah “Isaiah” Stephen weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces. His parents are Abigail Cate Stephen (’20) and Jared Stephen (‘20). Additionally, Cate’s other daughter, Amanda (’18), married Aaron Siemens (‘19) in Riverside on July 24.

 

 

 

 

Personnel Updates