Pacific Union College
While a few masters degrees are offered, PUC is primarily dedicated to undergraduate education. It offers a variety of bachelor's degrees from biology to religion, English to business administration, and a master's degree in education.
History
Pacific Union College was founded as Healdsburg Academy (changed within a year to Healdsburg College) in the northern Sonoma county town of Healdsburg in 1881 with Sidney Brownsberger as its first President.
PUC is the second oldest college in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination's educational system (after Battle Creek College, now Andrews University, founded in 1874), and was California’s twelfth college. In 1906 the name was changed to Pacific Union College, and in 1909 it moved to its current location in Angwin, on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. One reason the college was moved to Angwin was because of its beautiful rural setting, which continues to be a defining characteristic.
Pacific Union College is 70 miles (110 km) northeast of San Francisco, 52 miles (85 km) from the Pacific Ocean, and 180 miles (290 km) southwest of the skiing resorts in Truckee and Lake Tahoe.
It is located in the hills above the Napa Valley, one of the world’s top wine producing regions, and the second most popular tourist destination in California, after Disneyland.
Academics
Pacific Union College has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of their "Top Tier Schools" in the Comprehensive College category (Western Region) for at least the last fifteen years. PUC has a particular strength in pre-medical and health related programs, and the percentage of its students accepted into medical school each year is typically among the top ten nation-wide. Pacific Union College operates on the Quarter based academic calendar.
In 2006 the faculty, administration and Board of Trustees made a formal decision that PUC remain a college and not change its name to university, as many other small private colleges did in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The decision to remain a college was based on the institution's commitment to quality liberal arts undergraduate teaching.
Accreditation
Pacific Union College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The following programs and departments also have been recognized by their national accrediting bodies: Business Administration, Education, Music, Nursing, and Social Work.
General
Students number approximately 1,500 with a student/teacher ratio of 13:1. The most popular departments are Business, Nursing, Biology, and Psychology & Social Work. There are more than 50 clubs, Honor's Associations and Student Ministries active on campus (e.g.
Asian Student Association, Pre-Med Club, Dramatic Arts Society, Homeless Ministry, Psi chi). There are several student publications including the Campus Chronicle (newspaper), the Funnybook (facebook), and Quicksilver (literary).
A residential college, the majority of students reside in campus dorms, all single-sex. The dining commons only serves vegetarian and vegan fare.
Pacific Union College has a small select choir called "I Cantori" (the singers) that focuses on religiously themed music and high quality performance.
The current director of "I Cantori" is Bruce Rasmussen.
Pacific Union College participates as the “Pioneers” in the California Pacific Conference, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, in women’s volleyball, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s basketball. PUC has been awarded the “California Pacific Conference Team Sportsmanship Award” twice since 2003 (2002-03 and 2005-06).
PUC also maintains an active intramural athletic program.
Pacific Union College owns and operates the Albion Field Station, in Mendocino County on the Pacific coast and the Albion River. The Station is designed for educational purposes, its tide pools, estuaries and diverse fauna offering ideal learning opportunities.
Elmshaven, the last home of Ellen G.
The Victorian home has been registered as a National Historic Landmark since 1993, and is currently owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It serves as a regional center for cardiac services, outpatient surgery, obstetrics, occupational medicine, pain rehabilitation, plastic & reconstructive surgery, pulmonary rehabilitation, sleep disorders, home care services and women’s services.
SHH is a member of Adventist Health, a group of 20 hospitals in the western United States. SHH holds a teaching affiliation with Pacific Union College.
Dramatic Arts Society
The Dramatic Arts Society is a campus club that was formed in 1990 by students Kimberly Howard and Joel Kindrick.
The club's constitution states that it must be student run, with a faculty adviser overseeing activities, and that its mission is to give students opportunities in the performing arts field. Hundreds of students are now alumni of this club with many going on to professions in the entertainment field.
Among the many DAS productions over the years have been: "Grandma, Women's Lib and Politics", Hamlet, The Crucible, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Fiddler on the Roof and Red Books (see http:www.puc.edu/Clubs/DAS/plays.htm for a more complete list of DAS productions).
Rasmussen Art Gallery
The Rasmussen Art Gallery, located in the heart of the Pacific Union College campus mall, offers students and community a stimulating and enriching cultural dimension in the visual arts. Previous exhibitions have included artists such as Vernon Nye, Pirkle Jones, John Maxon, Nathan Greene, Arminee Chahbazian, Earl Thollander, and hosts of others.