“Lost Boys” of Sudan graduate from PLNU
More than 20 years ago, graduating from college in the United States was the furthest thing on the minds of Mamer Ajak, Isaac Amol, Nicodumus Lim and, Jacob Puka. What was paramount for each of the four at that time was survival. Survival from the dehydration and disease. Survival from a lack of food and water. Survival from wild animals. Survival from the ongoing threat of guerilla death squads, rampaging across the Sudan.
As four of the thousands of “Lost Boys” of Sudan – who had to flee for their lives following the Islamic military takeover of Sudan in 1983 – Ajak, Amol, Lim, and Puka have lived through experiences that most people can’t imagine. But on May 12, they were able to see tangible results of their courage, their faith, and their perseverance as they received undergraduate degrees from Point Loma Nazarene University.
The young men have known each other for a long time, as they were in the same group of refugees that traversed the continent, from their war-torn homeland of Sudan, to Ethiopia, and eventually finding solace in a Kenyan refugee camp. They came to the United States in 2001 (along with nearly 4,000 other “Lost Boys”) and settled in San Diego. They are friends as close as brothers, and roommates, living in Coronado.
Even today, as Darfur is fresh in the social consciousness, it’s important to remember these brave young men and the radical change they hope to stir up in their native land. Ajak, a business major and international development minor, was a one-time intern for Senator Sam Brownback (R – Kan.), and was key in helping the senator pass legislation declaring a state of genocide in Darfur in 2005. In addition, he also raised $60,000 with help of friends, churches and corporate sponsors, to help build five new schools in the Sudan. He wants a career that will allow him to continue to go back to Africa and help its people.
Amol returned to the Sudan in the summer of 2005. Upon seeing the many children living as orphans, his heart was touched, saying, “I look at them and I see myself.” He too raised money, to start an orphanage. Amol is a criminal justice major and hopes to help his community by training people in social justice.
Lim became an American citizen in 2006, which will now give him the freedom to travel back to Sudan for the first time, which he plans to do after graduation. He is an information systems major and business administration minor and wants to work in the computer industry.
Puka spent the last year in Maryland, serving as a physician’s assistant.
A heartfelt congratulations goes out to each of these engaging, warm, humble, and ambitious men of God.
Summer ministry teams bring worship across the West
Each summer, 16-18 students are selected to travel across the Southwest region and minister in local Nazarene churches, youth camps, conventions, and retreats throughout Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii, and California. The bands are selected in the fall and utilize spring for training and rehearsal.
Summer Ministry Team members aim to serve their peers and the greater church community. They endeavor to provide engaging worship services that lead others into the presence of God. They are representatives of PLNU, of the Church of the Nazarene, and ultimately, of God. This year’s groups were Provision and Called Out. Provision was made up the talents of Jon Ares, Mike Cendejas, Tim Kennedy, Bryan Pridmore, Jason Wei, Kelsey Bray, Megan Copp, and Elyse Reed.
Called Out included Andrew Henck, Kendall Johnson, Will Shine, Justin Wright, Megan Meyer, Angela Plumb, Rachel Pomeroy, and Crystal Richardson.
(Itineraries pending)
Alumni return to PLNU to serve abroad
Since LoveWorks first began in 1991 with the mission of preparing students for opportunities to explore and live out what it means to be global Christians, Point Loma has gone to more than 75 world areas, according to Jeff Bolster, director of International Ministries. Each year teams travel to about 15 countries. This year LoveWorks had 207 participants.
One of the most interesting things about these trips, however, is the lasting impact these trips have on the participants. Many alumni are coming back each year to help lead the programs, explained Bolster, and it is because their participation as students sparked an interest in global ministry and outreach. Two alumni who feel compelled to get involved with LoveWorks as team leaders this year were Cortney Weiss and Jeremy Watkin.
Weiss, who graduated with a Math degree in 2003 and then received a teaching credential the following year, has participated in two LoveWorks trips since 2001. Weiss loves traveling, has a heart for youth, and feels called to ministry. Her first trip to Madagascar was aimed at starting a youth program to give local teenagers an alternative to prostitution. Then, in 2006, she led a LoveWorks trip to Venezuela, where they helped rebuild a pastor’s home that had been destroyed in a landslide.
“I loved leading the trip to Venezuela because I was able to walk the students through their experience and see their eyes being opened up to the world and their valuable place in it,” said Weiss. “Building that house was hard, but I absolutely loved sweating for Jesus and using my body to serve Him.”
This year, Weiss co-led the team to Bangladesh with Watkin.
“LoveWorks is a journey that you start the day you decide to go and continues
for the rest of your life,” she said. “[It] is an amazing opportunity to be poured out by
God, worship Him in another language, serve and love His people, and grow
spiritually. It breaks you forever.”
Similarly, Jeremy Watkin, a 2000 alumnus with a degree in Management and Organizational Communication, has maintained close contact with the Office of Spiritual Development, which has enabled him to participate as a leader. Watkin has been on LoveWorks teams to Hawaii, Australia, and Nigeria.
“I tend to be a laid back person, which I think is necessary on these trips,” said Watkin. “I have always found that willingness to approach everything with a positive attitude and willingness to try new things and new food are essential. Fortunately, we've been blessed with a great group of students every time which makes it easier.”
Watkin saw these trips as an opportunity to invest in the lives of Point Loma students, while ministering abroad.
“My favorite thing about these trips is to worship God with churches around the world,” he said. “It is so powerful when you realize that they worship the same God thousands of miles away that we worship here in San Diego. That is an amazing thought to me.”
PLNU sponsors Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit
On Friday, June 29, the San Diego Natural History Museum opened the longest, largest, most comprehensive collection of the Dead Sea Scrolls ever assembled in any country. More than 25 different scrolls, including some that have never been seen by the public, will be showcased throughout the duration of the exhibit, which runs until Dec. 31.
Point Loma Nazarene University is one of the Distinguished Benefactor sponsors of the exhibit, and was very influential in the scrolls arrival in San Diego. In addition, PLNU will sponsor four lectures as part of a six-month exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Museum.
On July 23, Dr. Russell Fuller, professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of San Diego, delivered the lecture “Who Wrote The Dead Sea Scrolls?” in which he will discussed theories about who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls and when they were collected. PLNU provost Dr. John Hawthorne will give the introduction to the lecture.
On July 30, Dr. Gene Ulrich, professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, lectured on the “Impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls On Our Bible,” which discussed the composition of biblical books and what impact the scrolls has on modern interpretation of the Bible. PLNU theology professor Dr. John Wright gave the introduction to the lecture.
On Oct. 15, Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, Edelman professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and chair of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University, will lecture on "Israel At the Time Of the Dead Sea Scrolls." On Dec. 3, Dr. William Schniedewind, chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and Professor of Biblical Studies and Northwest Semitic Languages at UCLA, will lecture on "Interpreting the ‘Word of God’ in the Dead Sea Scrolls," which will explore the authority, limits, and expansion of the Bible at Qumran.
The lectures run at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and will take place at the Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Theater, San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101. However, some of the lectures have already sold out.
Cost for each lecture is: Member $20; Nonmembers $25.You can purchase tickets by calling the Education Department at the museum, (619) 255-0203 or online by visiting the ticket office. For more information, visit the San Diego Natural History Museum Web site at http://www.sdnhm.org/scrolls/lectures/index.html
PLNU Forensics team wins National Championship
In sports, a team that wins titles consistently is often referred to as a dynasty. There is a team at Point Loma Nazarene University that is the midst of its own dynasty. However, its challenges are fought, not with balls and bats and agility, but with intellect and words. Its battlegrounds are not fields or courts, but stages and podiums.
Recently, PLNU’s forensics program enjoyed its most celebrated showing ever at the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) National Championships. The annual tournament, which is considered to be the most important tournament of the year by most in the activity, was hosted by The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, March 22-25.
The PLNU team won second place in the highly competitive Tournament Sweepstakes race, which compares the collective team performances of each of the college and university programs competing at the tournament. Additionally, the PLNU team earned enough points throughout the entire year of competition to be declared the NPDA yearlong season sweepstakes National Champions for the 2006-07 season. They edged out perennial powerhouse Western Kentucky University and hundreds of other programs like UCLA, Cal-Berkeley, the Air Force Academy, Notre Dame, and the University of Florida.
Recent Point Loma graduates Tim Kamermayer and Griffith Vertican won first place in the NPDA National Championship Tournament team title against approximately 240 of the best teams in the nation. They won each of their seven elimination rounds, including the final round where they debated against Creighton University and won a split decision (5-4). It was a shining moment for these two young men, for the PLNU debate team, and the university as a whole.
“I am extremely proud of all the debaters on our team and they deserve these incredible honors. They have been working extremely hard throughout the entire year, when few if any would have given us much of a chance at achieving such an honor,” said Dr. Skip Rutledge, director of the forensics program at PLNU.
Winning four NPDA national titles in the last five years speaks volumes about the success of the PLNU debate program and its establishment as one of the best in the country. In fact, of the 11 local, regional, and national debate tournaments that were entered this year, PLNU won first place sweepstakes in seven of them. Rutledge, his staff, and his debaters deserve credit for the many hours of hard work they have put in, in an effort to give the students this forum, and to help establish the program on a national level.
Each year Point Loma faculty members are given the opportunity to submit a proposal for a Faculty Grant. Each recipient is given $2000 to conduct research in their field of study or to purchase materials to better enhance a course. Many of the Professor’s and faculty members also include students in their research, giving them the opportunity to mentor the students while teaching them the importance of research.
This year’s recipients included Dr. Rebecca Fliestra, Dr. Skip Rutledge, Dr. John Wright, and Drs. Hadley Wood and Alan Hueth.
Dr. Rebecca Fliestra, professor of Biology, received a faculty grant to be used to purchase bone models for the biology department. These bones play a significant role in the learning process for the Human Anatomy and Physiology courses taken by pre-nursing, kinesiology, dietics majors, and many biology majors. These new bone models will replace older bone models that were showing signs of wear.
Dr. Skip Rutledge of the Communication and Theatre department used his faculty grant to study the burgeoning arena of international debate in China. This forum provided additional knowledge about international debate and its role in countries that might not normally have embraced free exchange of information in previous years. Dr. Rutledge is using his experience in China to aid in the design and composition of a textbook to help beginning and established speech and debate coaches learn to apply helpful principles to coaching and directing interscholastic speech and debate programs.
Dr. John Wright of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry received a faculty grant to provide bibliographic resources for teaching classes on the Material Formation of the Christian Book and Second Temple Judaism as Revealed in the Discoveries at Khirbet Qumran. The books he purchased will provide key primary and secondary resources for class preparation and for the student’s collateral reading in the class. The books will be housed in the Ryan Library for both student and community access.
Dr. Hadley Wood and Dr. Alan Hueth used their faculty grant to help create a documentary and interactive DVD for the Teachers Noticing Teachers (TNT) program. First formed in January 2001, TNT helps faculty members develop their teaching craft and connects faculty to models of excellent teaching. This video will serve as a template for a series of videotapes of TNT professors called Teaching Legacies.
Sea Lion Athletics report
Sea Lions Finish as Runner-up in NAIA National Softball Championships
Point Loma Nazarene could not overcome an early 6-0 deficit, falling to Oklahoma City 7-2 in the NAIA National Championship Game, May 23, in Decatur, Ala. OCU, ranked second in the NAIA, claimed its eighth national title, the first since topping PLNU in 2002. The No. 3 Sea Lions finish the season with a 44-11 overall mark and are runners up for the second time in the history of the program.
PLNU was just minutes removed from an incredible 12-inning 4-2 victory over California Baptist in the loser's bracket game before meeting Oklahoma City. The rested Stars (53-6) took advantage of the Sea Lions, scoring twice in the top of the second inning and held the lead for the entire game. OCU added four in the third inning and one additional run in the sixth inning.
PLNU's season ends with a loss, but that doesn't take away from an excellent 2007 campaign. The Sea Lions finished ranked No. 3 in the nation and national champion runner ups despite losing five seniors from last year's team and having eight new members.
In addition, the NAIA All-American team was announced after the tournament with three Sea Lions earning selections: Allie Boeckelman (Second team), Amanda Addie (honorable mention) and Paige Powell (honorable mention).
PLNU track wraps up season
Point Loma Nazarene has wrapped up their participation in the 2007 Track and Field NAIA National Championships. Over the three-day tournament held on the campus of Fresno Pacific University, the Sea Lion ladies gathered in 30 total points to finish in eighth place out of 59 squads after placing in the top-eight in five events.
Junior Heike Siener finished second overall in both the triple jump and high jump, earning 16 of the team’s 30 total points. Senior Kate Alderson took in six points for PLNU and set a new school record in the heptathlon that was completed Friday. Alderson gathered in 4933 points, finishing in third place overall and earning All-American status. Another Sea Lion that placed in the top-six slots needed to become an All-American was Rebecca Gustafson who totaled 4651 points in the two-day event, good for fifth-place.
For complete event results, visit http://www.pointloma.edu/Athletics/AthleticsEvents/Track_at_NAIA_National_Championships.htm
Sea Lions finish ninth at golf Nationals, Cyr finishes second
Point Loma Nazarene finished in ninth place at the 56th annual NAIA Men's Golf National Championships completed on Friday. The Sea Lions, ranked No. 7 in the NAIA, overcame a shaky start and gusty conditions that swept across Indiana National Golf Club (Plymouth, Indiana), throughout most of the event.
Sea Lion Sam Cyr became an All-American for the second time after a steady performance in the 72-hole championships, finishing second out of 144 participants. The Point Loma sophomore shot 285 (71-73-67-74) in the tournament, three strokes behind medalist Daniel Mitchell of OCU (283). Mitchell (-6) and Cyr (-3) were the only two golfers to shoot under par in the tournament.
Commencement 2007 Photo Gallery
http://www.pointloma.edu/News/Headlines/commencement07.htm