Summer 2007 - Vanguard University

Transcription

vanguard
VANGUARD UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
summer 2007
Empowering
the Needy
Nicole Suydam ’95, one of the nation’s
leading non-profit fundraisers
Chinese student fulfills dream at VU
7
Famous singer, voice actor directs VU stage shows 5
Tending the soul of Vanguard 16
www.vanguard.edu
truth ~ virtue ~ service
2
5
7
16
18
mission statement
As a Christian comprehensive university, “the purpose of Vanguard University is to pursue knowledge,
cultivate character, deepen faith, and equip each student for a life of leadership and service.”
2 vanguard magazine summer 2007
In This Issue
Contents
Volume 8 number 1 • summer 2007
features
Empowering the Needy....................................................2
Nicole Suydam ’95 discovered her passion at VU and has devoted her life to
helping the disadvantaged. Today she is one of the leading non-profit fundraisers in the U.S.
Voice of Experience .........................................................5
Amick Byram has contributed his voice to dozens of hit films and television
shows. Now, as a part-time faculty at VU, he’s teaching students how to be salt
and light in the entertainment industry.
A Dream Fulfilled ..............................................................7
Xiuling Li ’07, a successful teacher in China, was offered a once-in-a-lifetime
chance to study in the U.S. She soon became one of VU’s best business students, and now she is heading to Yale’s MBA program.
Tending the Soul of Vanguard........................................16
Out-going provost Russ Spittler has helped guide Vanguard through an
unprecedented expansion and through a re-affirmation of VU’s mission and
identity as a liberal arts college firmly rooted in Pentecostal beliefs and tradition.
Commencement 2007....................................................18
departments
From the President...........................................................1
Class Notes ......................................................................9
Advancing Vision 2010...................................................14
Windows.........................................................................17
A Vine of His Own Planting ............................................21
On Campus ....................................................................23
Sports.............................................................................26
Calendar .........................................................................28
Postcards .......................................................................29
University Governance
Chair, Board of Trustees
T. Ray Rachels
University Administration
President
Murray Dempster
Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs
Russell Spittler
Vice President for University
Advancement
Rick Hardy
Vice President for Enrollment
Management
Jessica Mireles
Acting Vice President of Business
Administration
Ed Westbrook
Vice President for Student Affairs
Ann Hamilton
Editor
Joel Kilpatrick
Art Director
Chauncey D. Bayes
Director of Marketing and
Communications
Patti Ammerman
O
ne of the wonderful benefits of working at Vanguard
University is helping people discover and develop their
gifts, and then watching them excel in their various fields
of endeavor. This issue of vanguard magazine is full of VU alums,
students and faculty who are using their gifts and talents to serve
others in exciting and innovative ways.
Our cover story is about Nicole Suydam ’95, who discovered her
passion for non-profit work at VU and decided to dedicate her life
to serving needy people. Today she has helped revolutionize the
fundraising efforts of Goodwill Industries of Orange County, the
largest non-profit in the county. Suydam is not just gifted, she is
nationally recognized as one of the best young fundraisers in the
country. You’ll enjoy getting to know her and learning about what
drives her passion to help the poor.
Amick Byram is one of the most talented singers and stage performers in Hollywood, and for the past four years he has been on
our part-time faculty, directing plays and teaching students in our
award-winning theater program. Byram’s accomplishments and
Christian commitment are impressive and you’ll be inspired by this
outstanding performer.
Xiuling Li ’07 came to VU from China with a dream to study in
the U.S. She thrived in our School of Business & Management,
earning one of our top business awards. She has been accepted into
the highly-ranked Yale business school. Her story shows what can
be accomplished in “impossible” circumstances when you don’t give
up on your dream.
We also take a look in this issue at the “soul of Vanguard,” and how
our recently retired provost Russ Spittler guided a discussion of the
University’s identity and mission over the past four years. Our other
popular departments are inside as well, from Class Notes to On
Campus news to an update on our new DNA lab which puts
Vanguard well ahead of most private colleges in California in the
undergraduate study of genetics.
As you read about what many members of the VU community are
doing with their gifts and abilities, I trust you’ll be inspired to follow your own dreams. Read and enjoy!
Director of Alumni Relations
Heather Clements
Vanguard University of Southern California, in compliance with laws and
regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, age,
disability, national origin, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures.
vanguard magazine is a free publication published quarterly by Vanguard
University of Southern California. All contents copyrighted, 2007,
Vanguard University of Southern California.
Bulk rate postage paid at Santa Ana, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to: VUSC Alumni Relations Office, 55 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa,
CA 92626.
vanguard magazine summer 2007 1
Alumni Feature
Empowering
the Needy
F
rom the time she was young, Nicole (Thompson ’95)
Suydam knew she wanted to spend her life helping the disadvantaged. Today she is one of the outstanding non-profit
fundraisers in the nation. As vice president of development
for Goodwill of Orange County, the county’s largest non-profit
group, Suydam has doubled annual giving revenue. She is also leading a first-of-its-kind capital campaign for Goodwill which has
already raised over $3.1 million — more than 50 percent of the goal
— in just a few months.
“My passion is to help others,” Suydam says. “That’s what I wanted
out of my life and career. ... I’m doing what I love to do.”
Suydam’s empathy for the poor stems in part from her humble
upbringing in a single-parent household. Her father was killed when
she was seven, and she had to raise her own money for activities like
missions trips or cheerleading camp.
“I never knew we were poor, but I knew we struggled and it wasn’t
always easy,” she says. “My mom and grandmother were so giving. I
learned at a young age the importance of giving to others.”
Church participation kept her steady during her teen years, and at
her youth pastor’s recommendation, Suydam visited Vanguard for a
preview. During a chapel service “I knew immediately that this was
where I was supposed to be,” she says. “I could sense the Holy Spirit.
It was a place where I could grow spiritually, and that was important
for me.”
At VU, she dived into politics and spent a semester interning for a
U.S. Senator in Washington, D.C. She considered going into law or
politics, but felt drawn in another direction.
“I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I had this passion for helping
others,” she says.
That purpose became clear during a Vanguard class project that
involved creating a public relations and fundraising plan for an actual
non-profit organization.
“It was fascinating to me,” she says. “I thought, ‘Now I know what I
want to do.’ God had been stirring that in my heart, that my calling
was to help others. I just didn’t know what form it would take until
that class project.”
After working on the 1996 Republican presidential campaign and
gaining fundraising skills, including organizing a gala dinner featuring Elizabeth Dole, Suydam then joined Second Harvest Food Bank
of Orange County and began her non-profit career. She excelled and
was soon named one of “The Hottest 25 People in Orange County”
by OC Metro magazine because of her success as a 23-year-old
fundraiser. Dan Rogers was chairman of Second Harvest and
Suydam’s boss.
“She did a phenomenal job with us,” Rogers says. “When we started
we were raising $900,000 a year. When I left three or four years later
we were raising $2 million.”
Rogers later became president and CEO of Goodwill of Orange
County and brought Suydam along with him.
Nicole Suydam, continued on page 4
Alumni Feature
“My education and spiritual
growth at Vanguard gave me the
courage to follow my dreams ...
to touch the lives of people with
critical needs in my community.”
Alumni Feature
Nicole Suydam, continued from page 2
“She’s done the same thing here,” he says.
“She has us in position to raise a lot more
money and do bigger and better things in
fundraising. She is a very clear thinker and a
great planner.”
Suydam’s first task at Goodwill was to conduct a top-to-bottom assessment of its
fundraising. She then re-directed their
efforts toward higher producing activities.
The result: giving to Goodwill has doubled
since she took the post. Recently, the NonProfit Times, the leading industry publication for non-profits, named Suydam among
the Top Ten Fundraisers Under 40 in the
nation.
Goodwill’s mission is to help people with
disabilities and other barriers enter the
workforce and become personally and economically independent. Most people associ-
ate Goodwill with thrift stores, but as
Suydam is quick to point out, its activities
go far beyond that. During a recent tour of
the Goodwill campus in Santa Ana with
Suydam, she explains that it is a businessminded non-profit which uses entrepreneurship to help people with disabilities. It has
even started an on-line auction site to sell its
donated wares. The www.shopgoodwill.com
web site now takes in $10 million a year.
In the main factory area of Goodwill of
Orange County, huge boxes of donated
items are sorted into piles by workers. Stacks
of microwave ovens, lamps, computers, toys
and more clothing than the average person
would wear in a lifetime fill the massive
warehouse.
At a sister facility a few miles away, a relatively unknown side of Goodwill’s work is
on display as more than a hundred workers,
most of them with developmental disabilities, work in a packaging and assembly
plant. Today they are assembling small packets of Tide laundry detergent samples. This
is a legitimate business, and the workers are
paid according to their productivity. In
another corner of the warehouse, more
workers sort paper for Goodwill’s document
shredding business, which counts UC Irvine
Medical Center, First American Corporation
and Eastwood Insurance as clients. As
Suydam passes by, the workers run over to
hug her and brag about their productivity
that day.
“We’re providing a lot of people with a
chance,” says Suydam. “Some can’t get a job
anywhere else. Maybe this is the last stop on
their road and we provide job training and
placement to help them find their way.
Nicole Suydam, continued on page 25
Faculty Profile
Voice of
Experience
“From early on I knew I was to be a man in show
business who is also a Christian. I want to be a
person who is full of excellence and is using his
gifts successfully and being salt and light in
whatever situation I’m in.”
I
f you have watched television or movies within the past 20 years,
you’ve probably heard Amick Byram’s voice.
As one of the premiere singers, stage actors and voice actors in
Hollywood, Byram’s resume sparkles: he opened in Les Miserable’s
first run in Los Angeles, starred opposite Glenn Close in Sunset
Boulevard, was in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and has lent his
voice to everything from the Lion King to Shrek to The Simpsons.
position,” he says. “The only thing I could see myself doing was
something in the arts, on stage, singing or acting. ... I knew if I was
ever going to have a chance at doing what I really wanted in show
business, it had to be now.”
And for the past four years, Byram has been a part-time faculty
member at Vanguard and directed plays and musicals for the
University’s acclaimed theater program.
He also met his future wife, Cassie, there. They were cast as Tony
and Maria in West Side Story “and we’ve been in love ever since,”
he says.
“Amick matches Vanguard’s vision as well as anyone,” says Sue
Berkompas, VU’s theater director. “He’s an authentic believer with
amazing talent. He’s great for our theater department, and for the
university itself.”
Byram began doing studio session work, taking advantage of his outstanding vocal and sight-reading skills. His big theater break came
when he was cast in the Los Angeles premiere of Les Miserables.
Byram came to Los Angeles from a military family in Oklahoma,
where he’d swept statewide singing competitions and flourished in
regional theater. After graduating from Oral Roberts University with
a degree in business, he moved to Los Angeles with hope and ambition, but not much knowledge about show business.
“I could never picture myself in a coat and tie, in a sales or executive
He rented an attic in Pasadena and spent his scant money on headshots, acting class and gas. Then he got involved in a workshop at a
local theater and “got some spectacular training right away,” he says.
“That was a lightning strike, to be in Les Mis,” he says. “In one fell
swoop I was in another level of theater. I was doing the very latest hit
show, which is exciting, and performing to packed houses and making triple the money.”
He did the show for more than a year, then helped found a jazz
quartet whose two albums were nominated for Grammys for best
vocal jazz group.
Amick Byram, continued on page 6
Faculty Profile
Amick Byram performing at the opening of a museum at Masada in
Israel. “It was nothing short of thrilling,” he says.
Amick Byram, continued from page 5
His television career took off, too, and he
was cast in a show called Superior Court for
three years. But his most well-known role
was as Ian Troi, father of Counselor Troi, on
Star Trek: The Next Generation. For that,
Byram was included in the Star Trek
encyclopedia and has his own Star Trek
trading cards.
Through all the success, Byram and his wife
have remained committed to their faith.
“From early on I knew I was to be a man in
show business who is also a Christian,” says
Amick. “I want to be a person who is full of
excellence and is using his gifts successfully
and being salt and light in whatever situation I’m in.”
He’s had plenty of opportunity. In the
1990s Byram cast, directed and recorded all
the vocals for the movie Shrek. He was the
singing voice of one of the hyenas in the
Lion King. He sang the role of Moses in
Dreamworks’ animated feature film, The
Prince of Egypt. He has done vocal work on
about 100 episodes of The Simpsons. He
tours with Dennis de Young, lead songwriter
and singer for the group Styx, and performs
live with a 40-piece orchestra during parts of
de Young’s show. On stage, Byram has
directed five world premieres of new musicals including an $8 million production of
Ben Hur.
In 2003, Byram directed his first show for
VU, Brigadoon, and went on to direct Into
the Woods, Schoolhouse Rock, The Secret
Garden and How to Succeed in Business
Without Really Trying.
“I knew about Vanguard but didn’t know it
had such a wonderful theater department,”
he says. “It’s one of the best theater departments in the country and getting better and
better all the time. I’m very honored to be
associated with Vanguard. I like all it stands
for: high quality education in a Christian
context. You will be hard pressed to find as
good a theater program like this anywhere.”
His professional work continues to gain
attention as well. This spring Byram was
invited to perform with a full orchestra for
the opening of a museum at Masada in
Israel. The event was televised nationally
and made Byram an instant celebrity there.
A DVD and CD of the concert are being
produced. Byram also wrote a song called
“You’ll Never Be the Same” which was a
huge hit with Israeli audiences.
“It was nothing short of thrilling,” he says.
“The music was quite spectacular, and the
story [of Masada] is so compelling. To be
there and do a concert where all this took
place was a very emotional experience for
the audience and myself.”
Recently, Byram released a new CD,
Encounter, with each song representing a
dramatic moment in the life of a person
from the Bible. Most of the songs are fully
orchestrated and Byram is backed by members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Byram also recently sang on a new Disney
movie, Enchanted. He is continuing to produce theater and entertainment, mostly on
live stage.
Directing at Vanguard gives him the opportunity to give back to the younger generation, he says.
“I look at [the students] and see me twenty
years ago,” he says. “There was no person to
help me when I was that age, to guide and
direct from a Christian point of view, how
to operate in the business. I feel like it’s a
part of my life and what God’s having me
do to give back and train the next generation of people, especially Christians. I’m
concerned they be of the highest caliber and
competing in the world. I feel I’m doing my
part to see that happen.”
Student Profile
A Dream
Fulfilled
iuling Li ’07 spent her first 24 years in China as a highly
successful schoolteacher trapped in a career she didn’t
want. But an encounter with a team of American business people opened a door of opportunity, and in May,
Xiuling graduated from Vanguard University with high honors and
is now headed to Yale for her MBA.
X
she was given the rare chance to attend a vocational school for teachers, guaranteeing her a job and a secure career. The achievement
proved to be a golden handcuff, because she didn’t want to be a
teacher. But she heeded her parents’ advice and took the offer.
“Xiuling has been one of Vanguard’s most outstanding business students and one of the most outstanding individuals I have encountered as a university professor,” says Ed Westbrook, acting vice president of business administration.
She excelled as a teacher, earning awards and moving into one of the
best teaching jobs in the nearby city of 680,000. On the side she
pursued her college degree by correspondence courses. But she was
jealous of the students she taught who were going to college.
She was named VU’s 2007 business administration student of the
year, a prestigious award given that business administration is VU’s
largest undergraduate major.
“It was hard preparing them for something I couldn’t do,” she says.
“But I just accepted reality. That’s the way it was. I couldn’t change it.”
“I feel I’m living in my dream,” she says. “Sometimes it seems unreal. ... I treasure everything because everything was not easy. But so
many people’s hands were helping me.”
Xiuling grew up in a village of 2,000 with no running water and no
car. Her father was a teacher. From books and television Xiuling saw
that opportunities awaited in the outside world. Her dream was to
attend college and “realize my personal value,” she says, but at 16,
“Deep in my heart was regret because I wanted to go to university
and it wasn’t possible anymore,” she says.
Then one day, an unexpected opportunity came when Xiuling was
chosen to translate for a team of business leaders and U.S. Congress
members coming to China to participate in a Habitat for
Humanity-style building project. The project was organized and led
by United Parcel Service as a community outreach as it sought to
expand into China.
“I had never spoken to a foreigner before. I only saw them on TV,”
Xiuling Li, continued on page 8
Student Profile
Xiuling Li, continued from page 7
Xiuling says. “But what I saw in these people — not just the professional knowledge
but how they interact with people, their
heart — impacted me so much. I was so
touched by what they did for local people.
When they left I felt so empty and sad.”
But several people from the UPS team had
seen Xiuling’s potential and were seeking to
help her achieve her dream. UPS brought
her to the U.S. as part of a ten-day tour and
cultural bridge-building effort. On that trip
Xiuling so impressed some of UPS’s corporate leaders that they offered to help her to
get a university education in the U.S.
“I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve never
thought of this before,’” says Xiuling. “It was
only a dream.”
After consulting her parents, she applied and
was accepted to Vanguard University in
2004. At first she found cultural transition
to be a huge challenge.
“Everything is opposite” in America from
China, she says. “For example, in China we
were told to be modest all the time. You
“I feel I’m living in my dream.
Sometimes it seems unreal. ... I
treasure everything because everything
was not easy. But so many people’s
hands were helping me.”
never said, ‘I could do that really well.’ You
think about other people’s feelings. But here
people value confidence so much. They say,
‘I can do really well.’ I had to learn that
mentality.”
She also made the mistake of telling a fellow
student she was fat — a common compliment in China where extra weight signifies
wealth and good living.
“It takes a long time to feel comfortable,”
Xiuling says. “I’m still adjusting even now.
The more I live here the more I feel like a
newborn baby.”
At VU she had the added challenge of
becoming completely fluent in English while
taking courses. But in the end, she overcame
the social and language hurdles.
“I just enjoy Vanguard so much,” she says. “I
enjoy the professors. I think they care about
students, want to get to know you, are eager
to help you through difficulties. I really
enjoy my classmates and roommates, too.”
Westbrook calls her “an extraordinarily capable person with incredible drive and work
capacity.”
“She has such a graciousness about her, personal integrity, and emotional maturity and
strength,” he says. “It has been one of my
greatest joys as an educator for over thirty
years to see Xiuling make the most of each
opportunity.”
Xiuling stays in touch with her parents via
computer and web cam she bought them so
they can see each other. She is looking forward to continuing her studies in Yale’s
MBA program. Her long-term goal is to
work in the U.S. for a few years, then return
to China, work in international business and
play a “bridging role” between the two
countries.
“I am so grateful to UPS’s public affairs
office and to my ‘American parents,’ Joe and
Karen Moderow of UPS, for their strong
and unconditional love and the opportunity
they provided me with to come study at
Vanguard,” she says. “Vanguard gave me an
opportunity to realize my college dream. It
has been a warm, nurturing home for three
years. I am a blessed person, God has plans
for me. And I know that God’s calling for
me is to pass on what I have received and
make a difference in the world around me.”
Xiuling Li (center) with VU friends Lori Huerta
(left) and Tokunbo Abuka
Class Notes
Let us know what’s going on with you! Email Heather Clements, director of alumni relations, at
[email protected], visit the Vanguard Connection at www.vanguard.edu/alumni or call 714-966-5494.
’40s
Robert Turnbull ’43 pastored in southern
California before becoming an A/G missionary to the Dominican Republic and Haiti,
serving as the director of the churches’ Bible
Institute and president of the Caribbean
Fellowship. He produced the first weekly
TV series in Haiti, Songs of Inspiration.
Upon returning to the U.S., Bob was a professor at Vanguard before becoming the
director of international ministries for the
Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia
Beach, Va. Robert and wife Arleta, of sixtythree years, are now retired and minister in
the U.S. and overseas.
’50s
Edythe (Voshell ’52) and Ted Adams ’53
have been married sixty-six years. They were
missionaries in Brazil for thirty years and are
publishing a book to document their experiences there. They live in Grants Pass, Ore.
Don Jenkins ’54 and wife Betty were missionaries to Guatemala for nineteen years
and Paraguay for four years. They are now
substitute teachers, attend Glad Tidings
Church, and are developing a Spanish Bible
study. They have three grown children and
live in Hanford.
Paul Klahr ’52 and wife Lillie Gene live in
Riverside where Paul is a professor at
Southwest Bible College.
Dale Lawrence ’56 walked a half-marathon
after surviving a stroke. He enjoys retirement and services police cars part-time.
Dale and wife Donna live in Las Vegas.
Dan and Dorene (Hauff)
Myers ’57 live in La Quinta.
Dan received an MDiv from
Carson. She plans all travel
details for the team, from flights
and hotels to making sure meals
are on time and practice times
observed.
“I make sure everything goes
according to plan,” she says. If
somebody forgets toothpaste, she
fetches it. During finals week she
sometimes proctors exams for
players who are in college.
A career a-field
Brittany Braun ’02 was an All-Conference
starter on VU’s women’s soccer team. Now
she is a national team coordinator for the
U.S. Soccer Federation and oversees all
domestic and international travel for the
under-20 women’s team.
“I’m blessed to have a job like this,” Braun
says. “The girls I work with are absolutely
phenomenal as athletes and as individuals.”
Braun works at the USSF national training
center at the Home Depot Center in
She travels monthly with the
team and is now planning her
team’s trip to the Pan American Games, a
U.S. Olympic Committee competition held
this year in Rio de Janeiro. Her favorite
places to visit so far: Norway and Sweden.
Braun says Vanguard was “the best four
years of my life. The relationships I built
with my roommates, and the one on one
with the professors was amazing,” she says.
Bob Wilson, VU’s athletics director, was a
mentor to her.
“He prepared me for this job,” she says.
American Baptist Seminary of the West and
a PhD in Philosophy from California
Graduate School of Theology. He is also the
owner and CEO of Master Plan Ministries
that assists churches with stewardship development and fundraising. They have three
grown children.
Donald Silvius ’53 lives in Bakersfield and
welcomes any SCBC friends to visit when
passing through.
’60s
Aurora (Casinas ’68) and Cris Bartolome
’65 founded and pastor Bethel Chapel
Assembly of God and help build churches
and seminaries in California, the Philippines
and China. Aurora is also an elementary
school teacher in the public school system.
They are proud of their three grown sons
that include Alan ’95, a youth camp speaker
who recently married. The Bartolomes live
in Waipahu, Hawaii, and travel to the
Philippines twice a year.
Jim Lunsford ’66 is a retired school teacher
and lives in Oakley.
Ruth (Tuzon ’65) Morales and husband
Josue celebrate forty years of marriage and
ministry together. They began teaching and
administrating at a Bible school founded by
Ruth’s father in Laoag City, Philippines,
before their current ministry to street children in Brazil (www.equipinternational.com).
Marian (Gladys ’62) Rose of North
Egremont, Mass., works at the Option
Institute in Sheffield (www.option.org).
’70s
Ron Brett 1970-1972 is a proud father to
Jonathan, 23, Sarah, 21, and Julia, 18. He
lives in Tualatin, Ore.
Dale and Elizabeth (Rosas) Busse ’79 taught
at Southern Arizona Bible College before
pastoring a church in Minnesota. Dale is a
chaplain and is pursuing a doctorate of ministry; Elizabeth is a K-12 substitute teacher.
They live in East Grand Forks, Minn., and
have three grown children who carry on the
Vanguard tradition: DJ ’04, Jenni ’06,
Class Notes, continued on page 10
Class Notes
Thru-hikers
Joel Clark ’01 and Matt Nipper ’02 took
to the hills in 2006, spending five months
hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from the U.S.Mexico border all the way into Canada.
“It changes your life,” says Clark. “It’s
probably the most rewarding thing I’ve
ever done.”
The pair hiked 25 miles a day on average,
carried 5-7 days of food and re-supplied
along the way. Clark went through five
pairs of shoes. The trek took them through
High Sierras, old growth forests of Oregon
and the Cascades mountain range in
Washington. They endured bruised feet, a
week-long storm in Washington and
racked up 13 bear sightings.
“This whole experience made me relax
more and appreciate day-to-day life,” says
Nipper, who had grown up backpacking in
Class Notes, continued from page 9
currently in the graduate psychology program, and Kristina, a freshman student.
James Davis ’75 and wife Shonda have been
married thirty-five years and have four children and eight grandchildren. Jim is a mission director of pastoral training for an
organization that has missionaries in five
countries. Jim and Shonda live in San
Clemente and spend a few months every
year in Asia.
Frank Hankins ’77 received master’s degrees
in theology and cross-cultural studies and a
doctorate of ministry from Fuller Seminary.
He served as an assistant pastor at two
churches before his family became missionaries in Ecuador. Frank and wife Ruthie
have been married twenty years and have a
daughter, Camille.
the Sierras, but had never tackled something this ambitious.
Both men were surprised by the camaraderie they built with other hikers on the
trail. Both say the long hike changed their
perspectives on life.
“It made me a happy person,” says Clark.
“When you have nothing with you except
what’s on your back and are deprived of
people for days, then you love to talk to
everyone. You appreciate good food.
Everything in life takes on such poignancy.
My friends will tell you I’m a different person since I’ve been back.”
Clark hopes to hike the Appalachian Trail
next, then return to the Pacific Crest Trail.
“I miss it already,” he says.
Nipper and his father are hiking the John
Muir Trail in California’s Sierra Nevada
range this summer.
Clarice (Ogle) Kerns ’79 is the program
manager for Shasta County department of
child support services while her husband of
twenty-two years is a mail carrier with the
U.S. Postal Service. They live in Redding
and have two children, Nathan, 19, and
Kristen, 8.
Karen McQaude ’77 received a master’s
degree in educational psychology from
California State University. She is a clinical
care manger and licensed marriage and family therapist and lives in Fountain Valley.
Russ Peavy ’70 received a master’s degree in
biblical studies from Fuller Seminary and
now works with the Northern
California/Nevada district of the Assemblies
of God to help hundreds of foreign-born
people receive their A/G credentials. He has
also served as a missionary to the South
Pacific and as a musician. Russ lives in Elk
Grove and is the father of Nathan, 21, and
Melissa, 19, a current Vanguard student.
Sharon (Sapp ’75) Seaward and husband
Rick, married thirty-two years, live in Aiea,
Hawaii, where Rick is a minister at Victory
Family Centre. The Seaward family includes
sons Jonathan Douglas, 29, and Jeremy
Mark, 27.
Valerie (Kennedy ’79) Smallwood is a
graphic designer for Western Printing and
Design. She started Aletheia, a non-profit
organization that produces Christian animation teaching videos, in 1988. Valerie and
husband Mark have been married sixteen
years and live in Rancho Santa Margarita.
They attend Crown Valley Vineyard
Church.
Carolyn (Haugan 1968-1970) and James
Tracy ’70 have been married thirty-one
years. James received an MA in biblical
studies from California Graduate School of
Theology in 1985. He was the senior pastor
at Calvary Chapel of Los Alamos for twenty-four years before recently retiring. He is
now their pastor emeritus. The Tracys live in
Los Alamos, N.M., and have three grown
children, Tonya Hyde, Keith, and James
1987-1988.
’80s
Karen (Gentile 1981-1982) and John Arana
’82 live in Mansfield, Texas, where they
founded and pastor Center Point Church.
John is a conference speaker and professor at
Christ for the Nations Bible College in
Dallas. They are proud parents of daughters
Sheila, Karina and Tiffany.
Tana (Aivaz ’83) Colburn of Sacramento
received an MA in communications in
1986. She is the dean of women at Trinity
Life Bible College and a general education
professor and academic advisor. Tana has
been married to Tom, a television producer
for KUVS-TV 19, for seventeen years. Their
children are Nathan, 12, and Taryn, 8.
Ernest Deporto ’82 of Santa Ana is pursuing
his MA in biblical studies at Vanguard. He
works in construction and also teaches at the
Victory Education and Training Institute, a
ministry of Victory Outreach International.
Lorie (Griffith ’86) Dewey received an MA
in counseling psychology from GordonConwell Theological Seminary. She is the
pastoral staff representative for women’s
ministries at a local church. Lorie has been
married to Tom for fifteen years. They live
in Grand Rapids, Mich., and have three
sons, Robby, Nathan, and Aaron.
Chuck Franco ’81 of Fontana received an
additional degree from Azusa Pacific
University in marriage, child and family
counseling in 1983. He is the senior pastor
at Fontana First Assembly of God. Chuck is
married to Sheryl, a certified shorthand
reporter with Hahn and Bowersock. They
are parents to Joshua ’06, 24, and Matthew
’06, 22.
Kerri-Ann (Berg ’89) Jeffries is a
teacher in the Paradise Valley
School District. She is married
to Darrin, an attorney with
Plattner, Schneidman and
Schneider P.C. They live in Scottsdale, Ariz.,
and are proud parents to Charles, 6, and
Alyse, 2.
Steve Pinson ’87 is an account executive and
commercial insurance underwriter with
Travelers Insurance. He and wife Christine
have been married seventeen years and are
parents to Danielle, Jenilee, and Jack. They
live in Yorba Linda.
John Snider ’83 is a junior high youth pastor at New Hope Family Worship Center
(www.newhopefwc.com). He and wife
Rosemarie of seventeen years live in Corona
with their five children, Joshua, Rebecca,
Grace, Sam and Joel.
Melissa (Wright ’87) Stinemetze
is the owner of Internet streaming media business RS Energy
Consulting, Inc. (www.vmdirect.com/rs-energy-consulting).
She and husband Ron have two children
and live in Farmington, N.M.
Paul Turelli ’81 received an MA in history
in 1991 and a master’s degree in education
administration in 1993. He is an assistant
principal at Euclid Middle School. His wife
Rachel of twenty-four years works at the
First Bank of Colorado. They are proud parents to Julia, 21, and Jacob, 19. The Turellis
live in Parker, Colo.
Sarah (Crawford ’87) Williams is the operations supervisor at Walt Disney Animation
Studios, where she has worked for fifteen
years. She is also the CEO for a non-profit
organization, Dusty’s Riders, that provides
horse-riding outings for at-risk kids from
Boys & Girls Clubs in southern California.
Sarah and husband Ray attend Hollywood
Presbyterian church and live in Los Angeles.
’90s
Chinyere “Abbey” Abuka ’98 is a proud
mother to Royce Patrick, 1, and the
marketing manager for Ingram Micro, a
technology distribution company. They live
in Santa Ana.
Judi (Vickers ’99) Bartram is a student at
Fuller Seminary. She is married and lives in
Lancaster.
Kelly Bell ’93 lives in Denver,
Colo., where she is the manager
of client services for Active
Marketing Group (www.activemarketinggroup.com), a promotions agency
for brands that target active lifestyle consumers.
Lorelei (Anderman ’96) and Courtland
Bickmore ’94 live in Gilbert, Ariz., with
sons Seamus Peterson, 5, Braiden Jeffery, 4,
and Lucas McFeely, 2.
Julie (Moore ’92) Blevins and husband
Ernie of Ventura have been married sixteen
years. She is a part-time first grade teacher
and is involved in a ministry for moms. The
Blevin family includes sons Jacob, 5, and
Bryson, 3.
Jodi Book ’99 lives in Costa Mesa where she
is the event manager and associate race
director for the OC Marathon
(www.ocmarathon.com).
Ron Coleman ’98 and wife Maya have been
married for four years. Ron assists with an
entertainment, apparel and gifts website
called Monkeys R Us
(www.monkeysrus.org).
Christy Demetriades ’99, ’05 MA received
her doctorate of philosophy in clinical psychology this year. She is a therapist for a
drug and alcohol treatment service
(www.newdirectionsforwomen.com).
Christy is a member of the American
Psychological Association and Christian
Association of Psychological Students. She
lives in Costa Mesa.
Ken Ewing ’91 is the district manager for
Arbonne International (www.arbonne.com),
a health and wellness company that specializes in skin care products. He lives in
Colorado Springs with his wife Jan, of eighteen years, and their five children: Tiffany,
16, Cody, 15, Wyatt, 13, Gillian, 12, and
Shannon, 9.
Julie (Crandall ’90) and Richard Hartenberg
’94 live in Porterville where Richard is the
lead associate pastor at Porterville First
Assembly of God. Julie is a stay-at-home
mother to Tori, 11, Katelyn, 9, and Natalie, 4.
Stacy (Hembree ’97, ’05 MA)
and Ryan Helbling ’96 recently
entered a triathlon together and
practiced with their three children, Rylee, 5, Lily, 4, and
Benjamin, 1, in tow. They have been
employed at VU for eight of the last ten
years and have led VU missions teams
around the world. After Ryan finishes the
MTS program at VU, the Helblings plan to
move to Tanzania, Africa, where they will
open a training center for pastors and assist
with Treasures of Africa Children’s home, a
ministry started by their church in Irvine.
Class Notes
Livening up learning
Marty Robertson ’82, a teacher at a charter school in Santa Barbara, spent six
months on a curriculum-writing sabbatical
to Egypt, Greece, Italy, France and
England. The sabbatical was made possible
by grants from individuals, the Wharton
Foundation and the National Endowment
for the Arts.
“It has been an exciting and exhausting
trip,” he says. “Living on the road with a
family of five (including kids ages 4-10)
has been a lot of work. But we appreciate
the perspective we get on faith and life
from other cultures, and we want our kids
to get that as well.”
Robertson and wife Megan “dreamed up
this idea” two years ago and presented it to
his principal as a way to bring classroom
learning to life. On the sabbatical,
Robertson has gathered photos, audio and
video for students to use to tell the stories
of ancient cultures via
iMovie and
PowerPoint.
Robertson is
also researching the ancient civilizations of
Egypt, Greece and Rome, and Cro
Magnon cave dwellers. His family traveled
to Cairo and Luxor, Crete, Athens, Rome,
Tuscany, and points in France.
Robertson says his time at VU “proved to
be a tremendous time of growth for me. I
made great friends that challenged my way
of thinking and my faith. Several professors encouraged me in my studies and
spiritual development as well, among
them Fred Grieve, Morris Pike, Jerry
Camery-Hoggat and Vince Gil.”
Robertson went on to earn his MA in
counseling at Regent University in
Virginia, then worked for a time at
Westmont College in Santa Barbara. He
has taught sixth grade for fourteen years.
Mark Howard ’90 received an MD from the
Medical College of Wisconsin in 1995 and
worked at the Harbor-UCLA Medical
Center before his current job as a health care
physician. He is a member of the American
Medical Association and the American
Academy of Family Physicians, and lives in
Lake Saint Louis, Mo.
Amanda (Meyers ’95) and Gregory Hulsey
’94 live in Tulare. Amanda is an elementary
school teacher-turned stay-at-home mother
to Caitlin, 6, and Jaidin, 3.
Marcella (Brown ’93) Kubalsky and husband Kevin have been married eight years.
Kevin is a software engineer with Microsoft
while Marcella is a part-time pastor and
public school teacher in the Mikilteo School
District. They live in Kirkland, Wash., with
their children, Payton, 6, and Harriet, 4.
Tamra (Piszczek ’96) and Jason
Lamoreaux ’95, ’99 MA live in
Fort Worth, Texas, and have
been married thirteen years.
Jason received an MA in Greek
before teaching high school and then
becoming an instructor at Brite Divinity
School (www.brite.tcu.edu). He is a member
of the Society of Biblical Literature,
American Academy of Religion, American
Anthropological Association, North
American Patrists Society, and the Catholic
Biblical Association. Tamra is a
Kindergarten teacher while Jason completes
his doctorate work. They have have one son,
Dakota, 9.
Cherie Mills-Bowling ’94
received an MS in marriage,
family and child therapy from
Fuller Graduate School of
Psychology and a specialized
certification in play therapy from UC San
Diego. She has worked with several hospitals, psychiatric services and counseling centers prior to her current work as a therapist
supervisor at a private practice in Tustin.
She has been president and state board
member of the Orange County Chapter of
the California Association for Play Therapy
(CALAPT) and was nominated for the
Mental Health Care Professional of the Year
in 1998. She is a contributing staff writer
and advisory board director to the Orange
County Parenting Magazine (www.ocparenting.org). Cherie lives in Anaheim with husband William and their ten-year-old son.
Ann-Marie (Dente ’90) Olver and husband
Mark of fourteen years are proud parents to
Ashley, 12, Jakob, 10, and Luke, 10. They
make their home in O’Fallon, Mo.
Alicia (Ruiz ’99) and Ruben
Saucedo ’96 live in Dallas,
Texas. Alicia is a teacher; Ruben
is an agent with State Farm
Insurance. They are proud parents to Ruben Isaiah, 4, Jacob Misael, 2,
and are expecting their third child in
August.
Douglas Swift ’93, ’98 MA is pursuing a
PhD in theology and is a U.S. Army brigade
chaplain. He lives in Newllano, La., and has
two sons, Michael, 15, and Adam, 12.
Kymm Swoger ’91 has been married to husband Dave for sixteen years. She is a youth
pastor at Living Waters Christian Fellowship
and lives in Burbank.
Michael Whitford ’99 ministers to junior
high, high school and college students as the
associate pastor of Young Life at Northeast
Assembly of God. His wife Robin is a
teacher with the Selma Unified School
District. They live in Clovis.
Class Notes
’00s
Leslie (Schaefer ’00) Ballard
received an MA in sociology
from the University of Florida.
She is an e-learning instructional
designer for Naylor, LLC.
Husband Mike is an IT engineer for
SumTotal Systems. Mike’s contemporary jazz
album, released in 2006, is receiving considerable airplay (www.michaelvince.com). They
have been married four years and live in
Gainesville, Fla.
Kelly Boeke ’02, ’03 MA is a middle school
teacher and lives in Fountain Valley.
Lupe (Carvajal ’02, ’03 MS) and Armando
Campos ’04 live in Orange where Armando
is a technical electrician for Jazz Semiconductor. They are parents to Olivia Luz, 3,
and Sofia Carmen, 1.
Erick Coughlin ’03 attends The Edge
church and lives in Costa Mesa. He recently
spent eight weeks traveling to Canada and
Europe.
Abigail Croan ’04, ’07 MA will be an elementary school teacher at an international
school in the Philippines next year. She currently lives in Costa Mesa and enjoys reading and outdoor sports.
Justin Dingwall ’03 just returned from
Australia where he studied medical marine
biology and volunteered in hospitals. He
lives in Ontario and surfs as much as he can.
Andrew Englebrecht ’04 manages a store
called Hollister. He is pursuing a career in
clothing design and merchandise and lives
in Newport Beach.
Heidi Giacomantonio ’06
works at Wellington Hospital
and is involved with church
ministries at her new residence
in New Zealand. She will return to the U.S.
in the fall.
Bret Griffin ’03 is a placement specialist and
staffing company interviewer for HB
Staffing (www.hbstaffing.com). He is a
member of the Huntington Beach Chamber
of Commerce and lives in that city with his
wife Amanda.
Robin Gleeson ’00 was a missionary in
Indonesia before becoming a fourth grade
teacher in the U.S. She attends Bayside
Church, runs 5K marathons for charity and
visits her family in Nevada whenever she’s
able. Robin lives in Sacramento with her cat.
Marcus and Bryanna (Gonzales) Harris ’04
have been married three years. Bryanna was
a Kindergarten teacher in Newport Beach
and Marcus a loan officer for Option One
Mortgage (www.oomc.com) before Marcus
received a promotion. They moved to the
Portland, Ore., area and are expecting their
first child this summer.
Renee (Simpson ’01) Holden
works from home and married
Matt, a probation officer, on
March 11, 2007 at Needham
Chapel. They live in Murrieta.
Amy (Hamilton ’01)
Hohenstein received an MS in
sport management from Cal
Baptist University and works for
ARAMARK Sports and
Entertainment at Angels stadium and the
Honda Center in Anaheim. Husband Andy
of four years is employed with the Garden
Grove School District. They live in Corona
and are proud parents to Addysen Alicia, 1.
Amber (Roupoli) and Donald Jenkins ’00
live in Costa Mesa with son Coen
Christopher, 1.
Christi Kambs ’02, ’03 MA is a third grade
teacher in San Juan Capistrano where all of
her students are recent immigrants from
Mexico. She continues to play the violin,
travel and make monthly trips to Mexico
with Rock Harbor Church. She lives in
Newport Beach.
Kyle Lindo ’03 is the chief lifeguard at
Huntington Beach. He and wife Summer
are parents to son Noah.
Erica (Greer ‘00) Monge is
CEO, writer and speaker for
Encore Communications, LLC,
an editorial consultation and
publishing service. She lives in
Scottsdale, Ariz., with husband Joshua and
son Caleb Jeremiah, 3.
Lydia (Murray ‘05) Neeley and
husband Lance live in northern
California where they are continuing their education and are
involved in ministry with children, youth,
missions and music.
Rick Nichols ’07 is in the credential program at Cal State Fullerton for special education and is the varsity swim coach for
Pacifica High School. He lives in Garden
Grove.
Brittney Phariss ’06 is stationed in Moldova
for a two-year term in the Peace Corps. She
will be teaching life skills to youth and contributing to local programs.
Rachel (Boldwyn ’01) and Jonathan Shinn
’02 live in Long Beach where Jonathan is an
international commodities trader for Alpert
and Alpert. Rachel is a teacher at Back Bay
High School in Costa Mesa. They are expecting their first child, a daughter, in June.
Nolan Steputis ’06 is completing his teaching credential and
lives in Fountain Valley. He is
the director of basketball operations for the VU men’s team
and continues to be involved in the
Vanguard athletic program.
Nick ’01 and Laura ’03 Trautman host the
college group for Beach Cities Community
Church where they lead worship and
preach. They have two daughters, Kayla, 7,
and Amelia, 2. After working in the IT server and storage industry, Nick started a surf,
skate and sports apparel company called
Kalikiano (www.k4usa.com). The Trautmans
lives in Huntington Beach.
Peter Van de Riet ’01 of Aliso Viejo is an
associate pastor at Celebration Church. He is
recording a worship album, and likes to ski.
Future Alumni
Jennifer (Bolger ’01, ’04 MS)
Anderson and husband
Aaron welcomed their son
Joshua Matthew on February 5,
2007. They live in Rancho
Santa Margarita.
Jack Arnold ’93 and wife Jocelyn welcomed
their first child, Madilyn Elizabeth, on
February 20, 2007. Jack is the CIO for
Adams Steel while Jocelyn is a vice president
of finance. They have been married ten
years and live in Orange.
Advancing Vision 2010
DNA
V
anguard University has received a
major science grant to create an
automated DNA sequencing lab
for undergraduate research, catapulting Vanguard ahead of nearly every
other Christian university in California in
the study of genetics.
lab gives Vanguard
a genetic advantage
machine, a plate reader and a floor centrifuge. The new lab allows students to analyze and discover the sequence of DNA for
The $366,460 grant from the Fletcher Jones
any living thing. DNA sequencing can lead
Foundation allowed
to improvements in everyVU to set up one of
thing from agriculture to
“The genomics lab sets us apart from other programs ...
the best-equipped
It’s a dream come true to have the level of equipment and human cancer treatment to
automated genomics
crime scene analysis.
labs for undergradufaculty expertise to allow students to do genomics work. I
The results in the classates in the state. The
envision
this
as
the
beginning
of
many
more
similar
types
room have been immedigrant also was used to
ate. VU professors are
purchase patient sim- of donations and grants to strengthen science at VU.”
incorporating the handsulator mannequins for
on study of genomics into
the nursing program,
because biotech companies look for students
the
undergraduate
curriculum and have
and to give a significant upgrade to the scitrained in automated labs. They learn so
started a molecular biology class.
ence program’s introductory equipment,
much better if they can practice what they
such as microscopes.
“The response has been amazing,” says Tara
learn in the classroom.”
(Theisen) Sirvent ’96, associate professor of
“The genomics lab sets us apart from other
Specifically, the grant was used to purchase a
biochemistry.
“Students can’t believe they
programs,” says Cecil Miller, dean of the
DNA sequencer, a robotic handling
School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics.
“It’s extremely important for students to get
that experience, especially if they want to go
to graduate school or into the biotech field,
Advancing Vision 2010
have access to all this
equipment. They are so
excited. Before they only
got to read about it. Now
they can use it.”
Many large universities
have genomics labs, but
undergraduate students
rarely get to use them.
Because of Vanguard’s
small class size and
emphasis on undergraduate learning, all undergraduate students will be
able to use the genomics
lab. Miller says one of the
goals of having the lab is
for students to actually
publish their results in
scientific papers or journals. Students this spring
already presented data they’d gathered at a
regional science conference. VU has also
started its first summer undergraduate
research program for the study of genetics.
“The field of genomics is wide open for
study, meaning even undergraduate institutions like Vanguard can potentially make
major discoveries,” says Sirvent. “Having an
automated DNA sequencer on campus is an
incredibly powerful tool.”
The equipment takes undergraduate learning
to another level, she says, and “forces students to think more creatively. They have to
ask, ‘How can I analyze this solution? What
instrument should I use?’ They have to start
creating methodology, which is one of the
hardest things in research. ... The whole idea
of science is that it should be hands-on, not
just theoretical. If you put it into their
hands, they can delve further into the scientific training process and better understand
what is happening at the cellular level.”
Upon her hiring, Sirvent was able to bring
$300,000 worth of scientific equipment
with her to VU that she had received from a
federal grant, further augmenting the science
program.
The Fletcher Jones grant application was
written by faculty and staff in the School of
Natural Sciences & Mathmatics and the
Vision 2010 Capital & Endowment campaign team. Upon receiving the grant last fall,
VU professors leveraged the gift to seek and
receive a separate grant-in-kind from biotech
company Beckman Coulter Corporation
located in Fullerton, effectively doubling the
size of the original genomics grant. This
allowed VU to purchase not just a single
sequencer but the equipment for an entire
genomics lab. Sirvent says John Brownlee at
Beckman Coulter was instrumental in guiding them through the grant-in-kind process.
The Fletcher Jones grant also was used to
purchase patient simulators for the new
nursing program at VU’s School for
Professional Studies. The simulators are lifelike mannequins which simulate ninety different medical emergencies, can receive
injections and respond to treatment. The
other part of the grant was used to purchase
new microscopes for freshman science classes. The intention, says Miller, was to spread
the benefits of the grant to all areas of the
science program.
“It’s a dream come true that I’ve been hoping for and trying to figure out for fifteen
years, to have the level of equipment and
faculty expertise to allow students to do
genomics work,” says Miller. “I envision this
as the beginning of many more similar types
of donations and grants to strengthen science at VU. I expect to be able to build on
this success.”
In related news, the Donald Lorance and
Larry McHargue Endowed Science Research
Fellowship was created this year to provide
research assistance and a stipend for student
or faculty fellows to engage in leading edge
research projects. The fellowship is named in
honor of professor of chemistry, Donald
Lorance, and professor of biology and ecology, Lawrence McHargue, to recognize their
decades of contributions to the School of
Natural Sciences & Mathematics. The
endowment was established with a gift of
$20,000 from Dr. Miller and his wife,
Liesel, long-time friends and colleagues of
Lorance and McHargue.
early 100 scholarship donors and
recipients attended the second
annual Endowed Scholarship Awards
Chapel and Luncheon at Vanguard
this spring where more than $108,000
in scholarships was awarded.
N
“We bring the donors and students
together to thank our donors, to let
them get to know the students they
are funding, and to let the students
learn about the origin of the
scholarship they are receiving,” says
Rick Hardy, vice president for
university advancement.
Many of VU’s endowed scholarships
are in honor of a loved one. Some
specifically benefit students studying
for ministry, music, education or other
fields. The number of endowed
scholarships rose ten percent last year.
“A great joy for me every year is
attending the annual VU endowed
awards chapel,” says Craig Forrest,
who set up the Barbara Forrest Turner
Memorial Scholarship with brother
Paul in 2005. “This year I was moved
almost to tears sitting around the
luncheon table while meeting the three
dedicated students whose lives and
ministries have been impacted by my
late mom’s legacy. An endowed
scholarship is a lasting seed sown into
each student’s future. What a great
investment!”
Out-going provost Russ Spittler and
associate provost Dennis McNutt
presented the awards to more than
sixty students at the chapel service.
VU president Murray Dempster hosted
the awards luncheon.
VU Profile
Tending the
Soul of Vanguard
R
uss Spittler, one of the Pentecostal
church’s premier scholars, has had
the unique opportunity to serve at
VU during two distinct time periods thirty years apart: as professor and academic dean at Southern California College
from 1967 to 1976, and as provost for the
past four years. During those times he has put
special emphasis on tending to “the soul of
Vanguard” as the University has grown in
size, scope and its pursuit of excellence.
“The reason I first came to Vanguard was
because of the way in which it conceives of
how to do education,” Spittler says. “That
extends to today. Religion was alongside sociology, biology and so on. At Vanguard we say,
‘You want to be an athletic trainer? Come
here. Musician? Come here. Physician? Major
here in pre-med or chemistry. Clergy? Come
here, get your college education and go to
seminary.’ Religion is one among others. It’s
the right way to do education.”
Spittler holds degrees from Wheaton College,
Gordon Divinity School and a PhD from
Harvard. He was provost at Fuller Seminary
prior to returning to VU and was one of
three experts chosen by Christianity Today for
a roundtable discussion of Pentecostalism in a
recent issue of that magazine.
As chief academic officer, he has been in a
particularly influential position to help
Vanguard stay focused on its mission during
the University’s on-going expansion. When
he came in 2003, Vanguard was in a period
of potentially destabilizing growth and
change. From 1998 to 2007, the undergraduate college student body grew nearly 56 percent, and the student body and faculty quickly became more denominationally diverse.
There was the added challenge of bringing
stability to the provost position which had
seen three occupants in four years.
President Murray Dempster had declared in
his inaugural address that “the light would
not die” under his leadership. Working under
that mandate, Spittler and the rest of VU’s
administration and faculty have taken care to
intentionally guard against the drift toward
secularism which has affected many
Christian private universities through history,
not least Harvard and Princeton. This drift
was documented in an influential book, The
Dying of the Light: The Disengagement of
Colleges and Universities from Their Christian
Churches, by James Burtchaell.
“Vanguard is in the marvelous position of
being able to blend Pentecostal spirituality
with cultural openness and intellectual freedom — open to culture but not captured or
overwhelmed by it,” says Spittler. “Vanguard
has an opportunity to become, on a much
smaller scale, a university in the pattern of
Notre Dame and Baylor, where academic freedom is encouraged, but the school’s denominational beliefs and mission are emphasized
and remain central to their mission.”
Spittler believes that times of change are
opportunities to reaffirm an institution’s core
mission, so he promoted an updated and
detailed approach to faculty hiring to reinforce VU’s essential mission. He also initiated
a campus-wide discussion about the
University’s mission and identity.
Out of the discussion about mission and
identity, Vanguard produced a new statement
Russ Spittler, continued on page 22
Windows
Editor’s note: This column gives a view into
student and university life from the perspective
of a different staff or faculty member each issue.
John Wilson
Professor of History
Noon Hoops
I
’m a certified sports nut. I attend dozens
of Vanguard sports events every year. I’ve
taught college and played intra-mural
sports for forty years. I’m only half-joking
when I say that sports is the main reason I
stay in academics at all. When people ask
what my position is at Vanguard I often
reply, “Coach of the faculty-staff slow-pitch
softball team. And I teach on the side.”
One of the great sports institutions at
Vanguard is not even official — it’s called
noon hoops. It’s a
Monday-WednesdayFriday pick-up game
that people have been
playing at lunch hour
for four decades or
more. It’s open to
everybody — faculty, students, alums and
even people whose connection to the campus
nobody knows. For a while, some guys who
installed fiber optic cable on campus were
showing up for games. They still come by
when they’re in the neighborhood.
as a much younger man. His greatest skill
was bench warming, but hey, he lettered.
That’s more than I ever did. And he’s a lot
better now than he was then.
What draws people, or at least what draws
me, is the spirited yet good-natured competition. Fights don’t break out at noon hoops.
We leave that to the NBA. Even people who
come in hot-headed tend to get civilized.
That’s because you’re playing with (we hope)
good examples of Christian behavior, and
short of graduating, but he lives in the area
and likes to play ball. After the game I took
him aside and told him he was so good that
he should talk to the basketball coach about
joining the team. I also encouraged him to
finish up his degree. If I see him at noon
hoops again, I intend to follow up with him.
Noon hoops even helped me find a son-inlaw. One day a freshman kid showed up to
my class. He was a good student and a terrific soccer player who became an AllAmerican. Then he started
showing up for noon
hoops, and he was awfully
quick. Having won my
respect in the classroom
and on the court, I introduced him to my daughter,
they hit it off, and voila, I now have two
grandchildren by them. He and I even
teamed up to win a church softball league
championship. For a wannabe sport-ster like
me, it doesn’t get any better.
What draws people is the spirited yet goodnatured competition. Fights don’t break out at
noon hoops. We leave that to the NBA.
For those of us who play, noon hoops is an
important part of our lives. When I first
applied for a job at VU and my would-be
boss Dennis McNutt ’59 interviewed me, he
said playing noon hoops was one of the
requirements. Little did I know that he wasn’t kidding, and that I’d still be knocking
heads with Dennis on the court these numberless years later.
A few noon hoops players are like me:
they’ve got more heart than game. But some
guys can handle a ball. McNutt played point
guard for VU in the 1950s. Mike Wilson
’83, dean of the School of Humanities &
Social Sciences, was on the VU varsity team
that tends to rub off on people.
Noon hoops has benefits beyond the cardiovascular, too. You get to develop relationships
on-court that are different from the ones you
form in the classroom or as academic colleagues. On the court you know people by
first names. Students call me John. I call
them Carl, or Jim or “Hey, dude” depending
on how close we are. I’m always surprised
when they graduate and I learn they have last
names. Noon hoops gives us all another
point of connection, a deeper sense of each
other. This year I have a student who plays
noon hoops and is a partner with me in a
community service project. That makes him
my pupil, my teammate and my co-volunteer, depending on the time of day.
Here’s another good example of how noon
hoops can work. Just today a former student
showed up to play and was shooting the lights
out. This kid had dropped out and was a year
For many of us at Vanguard, noon hoops is a
way of building relationships, and an indispensable part of our lives. Knowing that
other noon hoops players are probably reading this column, I have just one more thing
to say: Game on.
John Wilson is professor of history at Vanguard.
He also teaches a class on baseball history, wrote
a history of the National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics and has contributed
nearly 40 biographies to the American National
Biography about baseball players. This summer
he is writing a biography of Jackie Robinson to
be published by Longman in 2009.
Commencement 2007
commencement
“For some of us, the idea of life as
service to others has sparked a
radically new vision of the direction
our lives will take after graduation.
No matter what our calling or our
place in life, all of our lives will be
indescribably enriched by living in
this manner, focused on pleasing
the Lord and blessing those
around us.”
Matthew Jones, student speaker
“As a result of our time at
Vanguard, we are more
than prepared to meet
the challenges that await
us after graduation.”
John Aguilar, SPS student speech
Class Notes
Marianne (Nichols ’03) and
Paul Bagai ’02, ’04 MTS are
parents to Jadyn Trinity, 2, and
Ashlyn Grace, born October 4,
2006. Marianna is a stay-at-home mom
while Paul is a youth pastor and is pursuing
his MDiv.
Rina (Taniguchi ’00) and John
Campbell ’96 have been married eight years. They are parents to Faith, 3, and Noelle
Yuriko, born April 6, 2007.
After working at the Evangelical Christian
Credit Union, John is now a minister at
West McKinley Assemblies of God. Rina is
the director of admission for graduate and
degree completion at Fresno Pacific
University. The Campbells live in Fresno.
Michelle (Clavijo ’01) Diaz lives in
Firestone, Colo., with husband Paul and
their three children, Benjamin, 2, Sierra, 1,
and Eva Gabriella due in June 2007.
Brandie (Rodney ’95) Ellis and husband
Cameron are parents to Cheyenne Bethany,
8, and Ian Alexander, born in March 2006.
Brandie is a homemaker; Cameron is a
human resources manger for the Orange
County Goodwill Corporation and a recording artist for TV and film. They have been
married five years and live in Mission Viejo.
Raphael Garcia ’90 lives in Newport Beach
with wife Lisa and their three children, Alex,
3, Francesca, 2, and Quinton, born in
February 2007.
Mary (Lehman ’01) Ginty and
husband Michael welcomed
Emma Jean to the world on
April 22, 2007. Mary works at
VU as the administrative assistant to the dean of students where she also
started Safe Place, a support group for
abused women. The Ginty family lives in
Anaheim Hills.
Joel Kuipers ’96 lives in Issaquah, Wash.,
with wife Heidi and son Aiden Josef, born
March 20, 2007. Joel is a consultant for
Two Degrees Consulting (www.2dc.com).
Yohari (Kalume ’94, ’02 MTS) Nzolameso
and husband Jean-Blaise have been married
five years. Yohari works for Cox Enterprises;
Jean-Blaise is pursuing his MA in Christian
leadership. They live in Atlanta with daughters Zoe, 3, and Rhema, born September 8,
2006.
Michelle (Clark ’97) Quezada and husband
Louis are proud parents to Natalie Joy, 4,
Anthony Louis, 2, and Amanda Noel, born
March 27, 2007. Michelle works in customer service and leads a home Bible study.
They live in Moreno Valley.
Teresa (Aue ’98, ’02 MS) Renteria and husband Jose are parents to Isaiah, 4, and
Hannah Raquel, born December 19, 2006.
They live in Lake Elsinore.
Kahanah (Rapport ’01) and Matt Swift ’02
welcomed Elliott David on March 27, 2007
to join big brother Cohen, 2. Matt works at
Restore Physical Therapy and will teach a
class on pharmacology at Vanguard in the
fall. Kahanah is a part-time Kindergarten
teacher. They live in Huntington Beach.
Desiree (Turnbow ’01)
Hamilton and husband James
have been married five years.
They are parents to Eleos
Kaileiana Joscelyn, 2, and
Isabelle Charis Joy, born on January 31,
2007. Desiree is a homemaker and works
part time as a Pampered Chef consultant
and at Gymboree Play and Music. They
attend Daybreak Church and live in
Carlsbad.
Jonathan and Rebecca (Ower)
Hartshorn ’01 are proud parents to Caleb Morgan, 5, and
Benjamin Daniel, born June 3,
2006.
Andy ’06 MA and Amberley ’05 MA Wolf
are parents to Abigail Joy, born December
22, 2006. Amberley is the director for
undergraduate admissions at Vanguard. The
Wolf family lives in Lake Forest.
Just Married
Jeremy Winters Kirk Green ’05 received an
MS in youth development from Michigan
State University in 2007. He married
Daleena in October 2006. The Greens live
in Wyoming where Jeremy was a 4-H educator and youth development agent of
Laramie County.
Jennifer (Means ’03) married Justin Bridges
in April 2006. She teaches at a charter
school in Santa Ana and helped plant a
church with her husband in Whittier. They
live in Tustin.
Rachel (Manville ’03) received a master’s
degree in college student affairs from Azusa
Pacific University in 2006. She married Leo
Shead, a doctorate student at Durham
University, on October 7, 2006. The Sheads
live in Sheffield, England.
Olga (Hlushchanka ’05) and
Andreas Reckziegel ’06 were
married in Vilshofen, Germany,
on September 16, 2006. Olga is
a mortgage advisor for Legacy
Financial Services (www.legacymoney.com).
They live in Costa Mesa.
Tricia Wilson ’04 is a first grade teacher
in Temecula and will move to Newport
Beach after marrying Andrew Kovely on
July 6, 2007.
In Memory
Edna (Cummins ’57) Clawson passed away
March 10, 2007.
Liane (Bixler ’53) Hall passed away
March 29, 2007.
Raymond Jackman ’36 passed away
May 1, 2007.
Leonard Lund ’98 passed away
April 26, 2007.
John Stanton ’46 passed away
March 11, 2007.
A Vine of His Own Planting
Editor’s note: This column looks at major
episodes in Vanguard University’s history.
Four Generations at Vanguard
Lewis Wilson
Academic Dean Emeritus
M
ulti-generational Vanguard alumni
are not unusual, but the four generations that began with Laura
May Sigafoose ’25 in 1922 may be unique.
Its members have spanned most of the
school’s eighty-seven years, studied on all
three of its campuses, and graduated, or plan
to graduate, under all four of its names.
Laura May was an unlikely student when
she enrolled at the recently opened Southern
California Bible School in the Highland
Park district of Los Angeles. She had graduated from Hollywood High, but was only
sixteen, and, though her parents were pastors, she had evidenced little interest in spiritual matters. But she quickly became a serious student as well as the accompanist for a
male quartet whose members included a
future general superintendent of the
Assemblies of God.
tion, and become Southern California Bible
College. In 1949 she graduated with a major
in education and married a fellow student,
Ben Graner ’47, who was beginning a fourteen-year teaching career. Cancer took his
life in 1964 and Evangeline entered the
classroom to support their four children.
In 1968, Darlene ’71, the eldest, became
the first of three to attend what had become
Southern California College, a regionally
accredited liberal arts college which had
moved to its Costa Mesa campus. She married a fellow student, Mark Malmin ’71,
Laura May (Sigafoose ’25) Leonard
Evangeline ’49
Darlene ’71
Beverly ’73
But it was another member, Fred Leonard,
with whom she fell in love and married. He
had become the pastor of a church in the
San Joaquin Valley town of Tulare (that
church’s board chairman was Lewis Wilson,
a rancher whose family would produce three
generations of Vanguard students). There,
Evangeline ’49, the first of the two Leonard
daughters, was born. Over the next seventeen years the Leonards served as pastors of
numerous Southern California churches
before moving to Argentina in 1943 to
establish a Bible school.
who went into law enforcement, and in
1986 they had a son, Daniel. Darlene’s sister, Beverly ’73, entered SCC in 1969 and
majored in sociology. She would spend thirty-two years in social welfare chiefly in
Orange County but with a stint in
Thailand. Brother Steve ’75 majored in
Bible and psychology when he arrived in
1971. In 1985 he married an alumnae, Judy
Bartel ’67, and they have served in
Columbia ever since.
Evangeline graduated from the American
Grammar and High School in Buenos Aires,
and in 1946 boarded a ship to California so
she could attend her mother’s alma mater. It
had relocated to Pasadena’s Ave. 64, gained
state approval as a degree-granting institu-
As Daniel Malmin was completing high
school in northern California, he understood that three generations of his family
had attended what had become Vanguard
University of Southern California, but carefully considered other schools before eventu-
Steve ’75
Daniel
ally deciding to follow their example. In
2005 he enrolled at Vanguard as a biblical
studies major, and after two years says he is
confident that he made the right choice. He
intends to follow the example of his great
grandmother and enter the ministry.
Laura May would live to see her daughter
and grandchildren graduate from SCBC and
SCC, but Daniel was only three when she
died at 82. The eight decades since the first
of the Sigafoose-Leonard-Graner-Malmin
family enrolled at what is now Vanguard
have witnessed unparalleled change in society, the church and remarkable development
in their school. But, as the four generations
of one family have demonstrated, its purpose and values have remained unchanged.
VU Profile
“Vanguard is in the marvelous position of being
able to blend Pentecostal spirituality with cultural
openness and intellectual freedom — open to
culture but not captured or overwhelmed by it.”
our denomination to be regionally
accredited, first to become a fouryear college, first to become a liberal
arts college, the first four-year college in Orange County.”
Today, Vanguard welcomes its first
Russ Spittler at VU as a new faculty member in the ’60s.
woman provost, Carol Taylor, the
eminently qualified administrator
most recently from Biola University
Russ Spittler, continued from page 16
(see On Campus announcement) who will
succeed Spittler as VU’s provost this summer.
that re-affirms its strong Pentecostal tradition
“Carol is spectacular,” he says. “It’s an unbewhile recognizing that the University’s mislievable gift of God to get this woman. She is
sion and identity have broadened and deepnot only experienced as an administrator but
ened (see www.vanguard.edu/aboutvu).
is a deeply thoughtful, mature Christian
“Vanguard has lived up to its name — it’s
formed in the Pentecostal tradition. It’s
been the vanguard,” says Spittler. “First in
exactly what we need here from a professional and spiritual standpoint. She embodies
those values and I’m confident she will guide
the faculty well.”
As Spittler finishes his second tour of duty at
Vanguard, he is confident the University will
continue to lead in education and keep the
flame of passionate, Pentecostal Christian
commitment alive for decades to come.
“Vanguard is staged for serious promise in
the future,” says Spittler. “It is a place where
Pentecostal theology is developed and
becomes precise. The stuff is here. ... The
promise is to become the leading Pentecostal
teaching university in the country. That’s
within reach.”
Ensuring Excellence
“Being a part of the Vanguard (formerly SCC) community, especially
living on-campus, was such an important part of my educational
experience. That’s why for over 10 years, my wife Bonnie and I have
been members of the President’s Medallion Club. We are so excited that
our granddaughter Heather has also chosen Vanguard. To see the impact
this quality of education is making on her life is thrilling. Now more than
ever, we are dedicated to ensuring that a Vanguard education is available
to every student who wants to attend, not just those who can afford it.”
Milo Bibelheimer, SCC class of 1955
The President’s Medallion Club is a distinguished group of donors that support
the University Excellence Fund and provide opportunities for today’s students to
become tomorrow’s community leaders and world changers.
To join this group of
leadership donors, call
Ç£{°xxÈ°ÎÈ£äÊÝÓäÓÈ or visit
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>ÃÃÊvÊÓää®
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On Campus
Theater company to
call VU home
VU’s highly-respected theater arts department
will soon share its stage with professional
thespians. The newly formed American Coast
Theater Company will serve as the resident
professional theater company for VU and will
stage professional theatrical productions each
summer beginning in 2007.
“We are committed to producing professional theater with artistic excellence and high
production value,” says Susan Berkompas,
VU’s theater program director who will
serve as producing artistic director for the
new company. “Our goal is to produce
works primarily from the dramatic canon of
American classics and to nurture the development of new American playwrights.”
The company will stage two shows each
summer, a play and a musical. It will use
professional actors and stage veterans, along
with theater department alumni who are
pursuing careers in professional theater. The
new company will also allow VU student
interns to work side-by-side with a company
of professional actors.
New student business
club wins regional
awards
VU’s new Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE)
program took home two awards from the Los
Angeles SIFE USA Regional Competition
this spring, an unexpectedly strong showing
for the first-year campus chapter.
SIFE is an international non-profit organization active on more than 1,400 university
campuses. SIFE chapters create economic
opportunities in their communities by
organizing outreach projects that focus on
market economics, entrepreneurship, personal financial success skills and business
ethics.
VU’s SIFE team presented a report of its
year-long community outreach projects to a
panel of business leaders at the competition.
The VU team was named first runner up in
the overall competition and a SIFE USA
rookie of the year.
“We were competing with schools much
larger than Vanguard, so this was really
exciting for the students,” says faculty advisor Bonni Stachowiak, assistant professor in
the School of Business & Management. “We
walked home with all kinds of plaques. They
had a great first year.”
More than 50 VU students joined SIFE this
year and completed projects in each of
SIFE’s five areas of emphasis, including an
event on how to build a career wardrobe on
a budget, and a business networking and etiquette dinner.
“SIFE offers a wonderful opportunity for
experiential learning and a way to connect
with the business community,” says
Stachowiak.
Choir and band complete ambitious Europe
concert tour
The Vanguard Singers & Band embarked on
an eight-country tour of Europe with concerts and performances at cathedrals,
churches and a military base.
On Campus, continued on page 24
“It’s their bridge from the academic department to the real
world,” says Berkompas.
VU’s undergraduate program will
continue to stage six shows per
season. ACTC will operate as an
independent non-profit corporation and sit as the professional,
summer theater company owned
by Vanguard University.
Learn more at
www.AmericanCoastTheater.org
The Vanguard Singers & Band
performed at the St. Martin Basilica in
Weingarten, Germany, the Saturday
after Ascension Day.
On Campus
On Campus, continued from page 23
demanded several encores at nearly every
concert, and the group’s CDs sold out in the
first week.
“It was the widest variety of music on any
tour because of the different venues and
what they demanded,” says James Melton,
dean of the School of Communication and
the Arts. “It was so well received by everyone. The kids represent Vanguard well and
sang a good repertoire. Everybody loved
them.”
The group performed in a baroque cathedral
in Weingarten, Germany, the largest basilica
north of the Alps in Europe, for a special
Ascension Day mass. There, the Catholic
cardinal thanked the choir “for leading us to
the heights of heaven,” says Melton.
In southern Germany the students performed at the resort area of Lake Constance
and stayed with local families, a highlight
for many on the trip.
They then sang by special invitation at the
second largest U.S. military installation in
Europe, in Stuttgart. There, the
Beauty Shop Quartet gave an
impromptu concert for a highranking military official to celebrate
his retirement.
“They said the music was so professional,”
says Melton. “They are used to high standards. They were blown out of the water
that American young people could perform
so well. We did lots of great ministry, made
great memories and opened many future
doors for ministry.”
VU announces new
provost
Carol Taylor, formerly vice provost for
undergraduate education at Biola University,
has become VU’s provost and vice president
for academic affairs, further strengthening a
team that is leading Vanguard to achieve its
Vision 2010 goals.
“With Carol at
the helm of the
academic
house, I believe
that we are
positioned to
continue our
march toward
excellence
through her
deeply embedded sense of Christian spirituality, her visionary leadership and collegial management
style, and her commitment to the mission
and core values of the University,” said VU
president Murray Dempster in a statement.
Taylor served seven years as vice provost for
at Biola, and was given Biola’s Award of
Excellence in 2006. She served twelve years
at Educational Testing Service in Princeton,
N.J. Her teaching and administrative experi-
The group also ministered in music
at churches in France, Belgium,
Austria and Portugal.
“The best part of the trip for me
was Portugal, where we stayed at a
church and the congregation was so
accepting toward us,” says Ashley
Estrada ’08, a soprano. “We were
able to really minister. You could
see it in their faces.”
The choir and band used every part
of their repertoire, including classical pieces, spirituals, contemporary
Christian songs and popular songs.
Melton also had the students go
through the concert audiences and
introduce themselves. Audiences
stay connected.
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Alumn Feature
ence ranges from elementary education to
graduate university levels. She has consulted
for state departments of education, taught at
three state universities and managed budgets
in the millions. Taylor holds a PhD in multilingual/multicultural education from
Florida State University, an MA in cross cultural communication from the Assembles of
God Theological Seminary and a BS in elementary education from Evangel University.
“I am ready to commit myself to serving the
Vanguard community,” Taylor said. “There
is much to do, and I have a growing, joyful
expectancy about partnering with everyone
at Vanguard.”
Golf tournament raises
money for scholarships
In April, VU’s sold-out golf tournament netted more than $25,000 in sponsorships to
benefit the University Excellence Fund and
support student scholarships.
“This was the most successful golf tournament we’ve had,” says Justin McIntee, associate director of donor relations. “We have
continued to gain support from alumni, the
community and the Foundation board for
the event.”
The tournament was held at Mesa Verde
Country Club, where 144 golfers in teams
of four competed in best-ball format. The
day included an awards reception, auction
and dinner. Forty sponsors participated in
the event.
“There was a lot of energy due to the fact
that it was sold out,” says McIntee. “It was
great to see business men and women come
out for the day to support VU and donate
money for student scholarships through the
University Excellence Fund. Everybody felt
really good about what they were involved
with.”
On Campus, continued on page 28
Nicole Suydam, continued from page 4
They’re excited because they get to work
rather than being shut in the home or not
looked at as a valuable member of society.”
VU alums (l to r) Ashley Panian ’06, Suydam
and Tiffany (Wlecial) Cohen ’94 at Goodwill of
Orange County, where all three are employed.
Some of the workers here will “graduate”
to outside jobs as janitors in federal buildings in Orange County, or will work for
local businesses, like California Pizza
Kitchen, where Goodwill-trained workers
wrap silverware each morning.
we want the community to know we rely
on them for support. We want to build
relationships with people who are going to
be with us for many years.”
Goodwill serves more than 2,300 people a
year in Orange County, and with $70 million in revenue, is one of the largest
Goodwill operations in the U.S.
“My experience at Vanguard certainly prepared me well professionally, personally
and spiritually to pursue my passion and
serve as a light in the world,” Suydam says.
“My education and spiritual growth during my years at Vanguard gave me the
courage to follow my dreams, and because
of that I have an incredible opportunity to
touch the lives of people with critical
needs in my community. Vanguard challenged me to grow in my faith and apply
my Christian principles to my career. ... I
love using my fundraising skills to help
those in need.”
Suydam is now aiming to broaden the
charity’s giving base by relying less on its
thrift stores and more on community support. She is leading its first capital campaign to raise $6 million to build a physical fitness center with special equipment
for people with disabilities.
“We’re changing the culture [at
Goodwill],” she says. “We’ve always been
so self-sufficient as an organization. Now
Goodwill recently hired two other
Vanguard alums to join Suydam’s team.
Sports
V
U’s softball team posted its best
season in eight years, finishing #3
in the Golden State Athletic
Conference (GSAC) and earning
a spot in the national tournament.
Softball
‘re-born’ with
stellar season
“This year was kind of a re-birth, which was
exciting and rewarding,” says coach Beth
Renkoski. “It was a total team year. We
focused, as we always do, on the team attitude. That resulted in real success.”
The Lions started off strong, sweeping teams
like Concordia and Biola. VU was tied for
#1 in the conference for part of the season.
They went on a 15-game winning streak and
were able to sustain their success to the end,
splitting a double-header with Cal Baptist,
ranked #1 in the nation, in the last week of
regular season play. The Lions ended at 4116 and ranked #8 in the nation in the
NAIA, the team’s best finish since 1999.
The team also enjoyed a “huge contribution
Sports
“This team had something
different in the heart of the team.
Chemistry is huge. When a team
is on the same page, it’s
amazing what they can do.”
from the younger players,” Renkoski says.
The team had no juniors, two sophomores,
four seniors and a large crop of freshman. At
any given time the team had four or five
first-year players in the starting line-up.
At the NAIA national tournament the Lions
went 2-2 in pool play and held their own
against much stronger teams. Getting to the
national tournament was a feat in itself,
given the strength of GSAC teams. The second and third place teams in this year’s
national tournament were Cal Baptist and
Pt. Loma, both GSAC teams. Last year
three GSAC teams made it to top five in
nationals.
“That makes for a tough regular schedule,”
says Renkoski. “We were extremely happy to
get into the national tournament. We appreciated it because it had been a long time
coming and a lot of hard work.”
Stand-out shortstop Rachel Bomgren ’07
eclipsed her league-leading junior season
and was named GSAC player of the year
and VU co-athlete of the year. She broke
VU’s program record for career hits. Over
her sports career at VU she was named AllConference and All-Region three times and
was an NAIA scholar-athlete.
“It was a great year,” Bomgren says. “Our
team came together and achieved our two
goals of going to nationals and winning the
Champions of Character gold level [decided
by a vote of VU’s athletes]. We were so
stoked to achieve that goal. We’d come so
far in the past four years. We wanted to turn
the program around, and I think we did
that pretty well. There was success on and
off the field.”
Jen Olviera ’07 was one of the top pitchers
in the conference and was named national
pitcher of the week for the NAIA, a rare
honor for a VU pitcher. She was also named
All-Conference, All-Region and ended with
a record of 19-6.
Renkoski says the special emphasis of the
Champions of Character program this year
was on servant-leadership. The softball team
focused on unselfish play and on putting
others first.
“They put that into action,” she says. “Our
leaders did a good job of displaying that and
being an example of that. Our younger kids
did a great job of being good teammates.”
She and the players are confident they can
build on their success and put themselves in
the same winning position next year.
“This team had something different in the
heart of the team,” says Renkoski. “They
knew there was a chemistry that was special.
We didn’t know how that would turn out in
wins and losses, but in the end we think it
had an effect. Chemistry is huge. When a
team is on the same page, it’s amazing what
they can do.”
Calendar
On Campus, continued from page 25
VU announces new
VP for student affairs
Athletics
Alumni Games
Women’s & Men’s Soccer August 19
Alumni Games
Women’s Volleyball
August 19
Soccer
Season begins August 22
Women’s Volleyball
Season begins August 29
Cross Country
Season begins September 2
For a complete listing of schedules please visit
www.vanguard.edu/athletics
Theater
American Broadway
September 21 – October 5
Twelfth Night
October 26 – November 4
It’s a Wonderful Life
November 30 – December 9
For box office information and show synopses please visit
www.vanguard.edu/theatrearts.
University Events
August 29
Academic Convocation
August 29
VU classes begin
November 7 – 10
Homecoming 2007
December 3 and 7
Christmas Fantasia
For updated information on events at
www.vanguard.edu
Ann Hamilton, formerly the associate
dean of student affairs and student development at Biola University, has become
VU’s vice
president
for student
affairs.
“Ann’s academic
preparation and
practical
experience
as a student life professional meshes so well with
the recent changes that we have experienced at the University in the reorganization of the student life area and in the
professional development of the student
life leaders,” says Dempster. “The unanimous consensus was that Ann’s collegial
management style and team-building orientation will provide the leadership to
move our student affairs and student
development areas forward to the next
level of excellence.”
Hamilton holds a doctorate of educational leadership and management from
Azusa Pacific University, a MS in nursing
from CSU Los Angeles and a BS in nursing from Biola University.
“I have been committed to the development of college students for over twenty
years through education, mentoring and
leadership development,” she said in a
statement. “The intent of my life is to
provide vision and leadership to a team of
dedicated and energetic Christian lifeeducators who will engage students, faculty and the community in vibrant relationships and learning experiences that
foster the character of Christ in order to
impact the world for His kingdom.”
Women’s basketball
team competes, ministers in Philippines
VU’s women’s basketball team toured the
Philippines this summer to minister and
compete with local basketball teams from
the University of the Philippines and
other schools.
“We ended up winning the games by a
fairly good margin, but we were also able
to establish some amazing relationships,”
says VU’s women’s basketball assistant
coach Lisa Faulkner ’05. “After each
game we would spend time fellowshipping with the other team in what we call
‘victory beyond competition.’”
Before and during the games, VU players
would pass out New Testaments and
share a short testimony.
The team held basketball clinics in
Manila for elementary age children and
for middle school and high school students. The team also helped local ministers distribute food to needy children.
“The trip far exceeded my expectations,”
says Faulkner. “The Filipino people love
basketball, so we were able to open doors
for Bible studies to start on some of the
campuses where we were.”
Postcards
Advancing Vision
2010
Editor’s note: This column features an essay
by a different alum in each issue.
Unexpected treasures
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Life has been full of unexpected
treasures for us, and many of those treasures were discovered
through Vanguard University. Today, as missionaries and pastors in
St. Petersburg, Russia, it seems we are always discovering more
benefits from the time we spent and the friendships we forged at
our alma mater.
The first lesson I (Renee) learned at Vanguard was that the world
was a lot bigger than I had thought. I had a pretty sheltered
upbringing, living in the same house for twenty years in Long
Beach with little exposure to other cultures. But Vanguard soon
cured me of that. For example, in Byron Klaus’s independent study
class I conducted a wide-ranging study of multi-ethnic churches
and children who spoke English at school and their parents’ native
language at home. I found the research fascinating, though I didn’t
dream I would use it later in life.
How wrong I was. Those lessons became an unexpected treasure
for me throughout my career with John in ministry, as I have been
called on to teach Sunday school to children who often come from
vastly different cultures and don’t even speak a common language.
Today, for example, I teach Sunday school at the international
church we founded in St. Petersburg with children who speak
three or four languages. How do I structure activities they all can
enjoy? How do I get across the point of the lesson? The answers,
more often than not, run back to my class at Vanguard which
taught me how.
Vanguard also gave my husband John an unexpected treasure — a
direction and calling in his career. John came to Vanguard wanting
to be a psychologist or social worker. He thoroughly enjoyed classes with Dr. Grieve, who displayed such sensitivity, gentleness and
wisdom. Others like Dan Montgomery, Cope Budge, Vince Gil
’69 and Murray Dempster ’68 shaped our lives.
But John felt God was calling him to tell people about Jesus. He
gained clarity about his calling at Vanguard because of the people
around him, and the strong relationships and guidance he received
from men of God. Vanguard also gave him the confidence to go to
Fuller Seminary and eventually become an Army chaplain for 19
years. Together we have stayed with that calling as pastors and now
missionaries for 26 years.
Vanguard gave us other priceless treasures — friends. As an undergraduate I don’t think I realized that the people I met at Vanguard
would remain my friends for the rest of my life. We still share
times of joy with them, and they have supported us in our missions work. At times we’ve even held Vanguard mini-reunions such
as the one we had in Germany while John was stationed there.
Vanguard alums encompass the globe, and the heart of Vanguard
goes with them.
Vanguard gave us the skills and character development we needed
to carry out the mission God had given us. Even though it wasn’t
clear to us then, we keep finding that with each new assignment
we find use for another skill or nugget of wisdom we picked up at
Vanguard.
Finally, of course, John and I found each other at Vanguard, and
our marriage has been a true treasure from God. As we continue
down the path we set forth on with Vanguard’s help, we couldn’t
be more grateful to God for the unexpected treasures he continues
to give us.
John ’79 & Renee (Stearns ’81) Michno
Catch up with the Michnos at www.icapetersburg.com
Send us your photos!
e would love to showcase pictures of your new baby,
wedding or anniversary in Class Notes. Email your photos (at
least 1 megabyte in file size ) to [email protected] or mail your
prints (at least 3” by 4”) to Alumni Relations, 55 Fair Dr.,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Prints will not be returned.
W
29
Vanguard University
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Summer 2007 - Vanguard University

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