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Vox Pro Musica & Mosaic Strings Tour Phoenix
Posted by Ally Romanes on March 13, 2025
During winter break, Pacific Union College’s music department toured Phoenix, Arizona. From February 6-9, their ensembles performed at Thunderbird SDA Academy and Elementary, Glenview SDA Academy, Paradise Valley SDA Church, Adventist Worship Center SDA Church, and Camelback SDA Church. “We had wonderful performances,” said Ronnie Zanella, PUC’s associate music professor. “Both our groups performed at a very high level of musicianship.” The two groups, comprised of 15 students, showcased different performances at each academy and church, while some students also led out in praise at academies. Seven pieces were performed by the Mosaic String Ensemble, while the Vox Pro Musica sang five songs. They held shorter performances at academies while performing a complete concert program over the weekend, with some pieces combining the groups.Zanella shared that the men from Vox Pro Musica learned a quartet piece by the Heritage Singers hours before their concert at Camelback Church and performed it well. “It was interesting to discover all of them have the same interest in this more traditional type of acapella male quartet music,” he said. “It’s also amazing to see how trips like these really bond our students, and us faculty to them as well, creating a safe and fun...

PUC’s Nursing Department Strengthens Program by Purchasing an Anatomage Table
Posted by Ally Romanes on March 4, 2025
The nursing department at Pacific Union College is thrilled to have new equipment that will help shape and strengthen its students’ education experience. Using Song-Brown funds—grant money funded by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, supporting nursing schools and workforce expansion in California—PUC's nursing department was able to purchase an anatomy table that students can start using in the new year. This state-of-the-art technology is the most advanced human-based medical education system, offering digitized human cadavers and medical tools. Currently, 80 colleges, universities, and medical programs across California utilize the table. For PUC, the anatomage table will better prepare pre-nursing students to take required prerequisite courses like biology, chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, and physiology. “We felt this table and the resource of having five human cadavers would be beneficial not just in pre-nursing but also as the students progress into nursing,” said PUC Dean of Nursing & Health Science Kimberly Dunker. “For the visual learners, this is an opportunity to utilize case study learning and understand and critically think about a medical problem but also visualize this problem in the body. It is a great way to incorporate teaching and learning for all types of learners.”In addition to...

Academies Across the Country Compete at PUC’s Annual Basketball Tournament
Posted by Ally Romanes on March 4, 2025
Pacific Union College welcomed 16 academies nationwide for their annual basketball tournament from January 22-25. Pine Tree Academy in Maine, College View Academy in Nebraska, and Hawaiian Mission Academy accepted PUC’s invitation to visit the college and partake in the tournament. Among the California schools that competed were:- Escondido Adventist Academy- Newbury Park Academy- Rio Lindo Adventist Academy- Monterey Bay Academy- Mountain View Academy- Central Valley Christian Academy- Lodi Academy- Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy- Pine Hills Adventist Academy- Paradise Adventist Academy- Trinity Prep- PUC Prep- Calistoga High SchoolCollege View Academy placed first for the girls' teams, with Calistoga High School coming in second, and Hawaiian Mission Academy in third place. For the boy's teams, Paradise Adventist Academy placed first, with College View Academy coming in second place, and Rio Lindo Adventist Academy following in third. PUC Prep Physical Education Teacher Matthew Lee, PUC Athletic Director Hernan Granados, and PUC Campus Visit Coordinator Andrianna Massena organized the event, ensured students had an unforgettable time, and live-streamed the games for families who could not travel to the tournament in-person. “I believe the tournament went really well!” said Massena. “Since this is my third year being able to work side-by-side with Matt Lee,...

A Dream Come to Life: PUC Flight Center Builds Custom Simulator
Posted by Ally Romanes on February 19, 2025
Pacific Union College Flight Center Director Nathan Tasker had the idea to build a type-specific aircraft simulator for his students. Since flight training devices in general aviation tend to be generic, limiting their usefulness, Tasker questioned how he and the program could obtain a simulator to teach basic skills, such as visual ground reference maneuvers and landing techniques. This would allow students to progress efficiently, as these skills cannot be effectively taught in traditional simulators. He shared his dream with Russell Laird, the former chair of PUC’s technology department, who would help bring this idea to life. Building the simulator started last summer, with dimensions mirroring PUC’s Piper Cherokee cockpit. Aviation major Micah Dymer drew an instrument panel that Laird would build and design. Taylor Webster consistently assisted Laird, with several other aviation students who volunteered to assemble parts and help calibrate the controls. From Hong Kong to Indonesia to Germany and Sacramento, different parts arrived in Angwin to build the simulator. According to Tasker, building a type-specific flight simulator for a small aircraft had not been done before. This process took countless hours of experimenting, ongoing improvements, and adjustments. With no manual and starting from scratch, it is rewarding...

To PUC Alumni: Your 2025 Homecoming Info & Registration
Posted by Staff Writer on February 17, 2025
In celebrating over 140 years, Pacific Union College is looking forward to welcoming alumni back on campus for Homecoming from April 18-19. This memorable weekend will be filled for friends to reconnect and reminisce about their times together.Homecoming registration can be found on puc.edu/homecoming, with the options of general attendance, lunch, and class parties. The classes being honored this year are 1955, 1965, 1975, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2015. Also, classes before and after the honored classes will be recognized.For those who want to stay on-campus, limited guest housing is available for $110 per night and can be reserved through Suzie Ermshar by calling 707-965-1116.Special events for the weekend include a concert from Grammy winner and alum Justin Wilson, alongside his family, Pioneer games for alumni to play volleyball and basketball with student-athletes, and a club food fest where students will serve various food and drinks.The weekend will be filled with events and celebrations. PUC hopes to see you at Homecoming!...