Dr. Walter Augustine is Vice President for Intercultural Engagement, Retention, and Community Success Initiatives at PLNU. He provides vision and leadership for building a vibrant, Christ-centered campus culture that reflects the richness of God’s Kingdom and supports the holistic success of students, faculty, and staff. Grounded in the biblical teaching of Shalom—right relationships—he works across the university to strengthen engagement, improve retention, and foster a deep sense of connection for all members of the PLNU community.

Dr. Michael Crawford joined Point Loma Nazarene University as a professor in 2018. Dr. Crawford attended the University of San Diego for his undergraduate years. As a former collegiate athlete, he began to develop his interest in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, through Sports Psychology.

Dr. Samuel Stoneburner is a computational chemist specializing in electronic structure theory, which means calculating the properties of atoms or molecules based on the quantum mechanical behavior of their electrons. Dr. Stoneburner selected this specialty in part because it is underrepresented in undergraduate settings, and teaching undergraduate chemistry has been his career goal since his coursework at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. After completing an associate's degree there, he got a B.S.

Where are you from?

Carlsbad, California.

What did you study in college?

Christian Studies - Theology

What surprised you most about being a student at PLNU?

The interpersonal relationships with staff and faculty.

What's a word or phrase that describes you?

Spontaneous!

What piece of advice would you give to someone who's choosing a college?

Always say yes to any campus activities and events! You'll never regret making those memories. 

Dr. Yoojin Choi is new to PLNU in 2022, bringing 15 years of teaching experience in various settings. She grew up in Southern California and feels blessed to be back in SoCal now with her family. From 2014 to 2022, Choi taught in the biology department at North Park University, a Christian liberal arts college in Chicago, and served as department chair in the last two years. She taught introductory human anatomy, advanced human physiology, neuroscience, cancer biology, and peer instruction in biology.

Dr. Andrew Nosal joined PLNU in 2022 and has been teaching undergraduate lecture and laboratory classes since 2011, including organismal biology, ecology, conservation, evolution, marine biology, and geographic information systems (GIS). He has also team-taught interdisciplinary courses on science communication and the intersection of science and religion. Nosal believes students learn science by doing science and that students must internalize the notion that they are scientists.

Dr. Alexandra Bitter is an experimental psychologist who began at PLNU in 2022. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Wyoming. Her research program comprises of three main topics: motivation, bias and stereotyping, and well-being. In her research, these topics often intersect. She has applied motivational concepts to various contexts such as technology, jury decision-making, and self-compassion, often focusing on minority groups. Dr. Bitter is originally from Fresno, California.

Lorena was born and raised in Mexico. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and a Master of Arts in Spanish from San Diego State University. Her training as a Spanish instructor at San Diego State University includes practice in the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) methodology, course work in Applied Spanish Linguistics for teachers, Spanish Bilingualism, Fundamentals & Research Methodology in Spanish linguistics, and Spanish as a Heritage Language Acquisition and Pedagogy.