APU Articles
APU Opens Revamped Duke Student Commons
October 06, 2022
Azusa Pacific University recently celebrated the opening of the new John and Marilyn Duke Student Commons on West Campus. The completely redesigned 27,000-square-foot-space, which was formerly known as Heritage Court, enhances the campus experience for all students. “The Duke Commons is intentionally designed to facilitate student connection, engagement, and belonging,” said Keith Hall, EdD, vice president of student belonging and chief diversity officer. “The Commons is a perfect environment for graduate and undergraduate students to organically cultivate new relationships or deepen existing ones with peers, faculty, and staff."
Mary Wong Teaches Translanguaging in Vietnam
September 29, 2022
After two years of waiting due to COVID restrictions, Mary Shepard Wong, PhD, professor in the Department of Sociology, TESOL, and Modern Languages, traveled to five cities across Vietnam over three weeks to co-lead four workshops sponsored by the U.S. Department of State on translanguaging. Wong, along with another language specialist, Dongping Zheng, PhD, from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, joined three Vietnamese professors on this project. The team worked together virtually from 2020-2021 to develop a guidebook for all K-12 English teachers in Vietnam on translanguaging in the classroom. “After leading the workshops, I have a much deeper and broader understanding of education in the region,” Wong said.
APU Chapel: Come and Be Transformed
September 27, 2022
As a Christian university centered around a God First mission, Azusa Pacific University is committed to educating and supporting students not just in academics, but also in their spiritual development. A fundamental aspect of this is achieved through chapel programs, in which students have the opportunity to gather together to experience community worship and Biblically-rooted messages. Jason Le Shana, MDiv, director, Office of Chapel and Pastoral Care, highlighted how chapel serves as an integral part of the identity of APU. “Since the school's origin as the Training School for Christian Workers, the desire has been for students to participate in rhythms of worshiping and learning together. In chapel, students are invited to come and be open to being transformed by the Spirit.”
APU Celebrates the Inauguration of Adam J. Morris
September 26, 2022
Azusa Pacific University celebrated the inauguration of its 18th president, Adam J. Morris, PhD, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. More than 2,000 faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the university filled the Felix Event Center to watch as Morris was officially sworn in to take the helm of APU. “During my interview process with the Board of Trustees, I told the leadership of this great university that I wanted to be part of something so big, that only God could do it,” Morris said. “It’s that hopeful expectation of what God will do in our midst that motivates and encourages me to join each one of you on this epic adventure called Azusa Pacific University.”
Marla Foster Morgan: APU Enabled Me to Make a Difference in the Foster Community
September 19, 2022
Marla Foster Morgan ’22 is making a difference in the lives of foster youth. While she pursued a Masters in Public Administration at Azusa Pacific University, Morgan earned a Richter Scholars Research Fellowship which enabled her to research issues affecting transitional aged foster youth. “I loved my experience as a Richter Fellow,” she said. “Doing research in the field was something new to me, but my professors, especially Kimberly Garth-James, supported me the entire way, which prepared me to have a greater impact in my current work as a public administrator.” Morgan’s research was recently published in the World Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Eimee Ponciano: Trusting God in the Uncertainty
September 13, 2022
Baseball Coach Kirk Nieuwenhuis Comes Full Circle
September 05, 2022
Kirk Nieuwenhuis ’12 returned to his old stomping grounds in 2020 with a plethora of professional baseball experience, eager to help the Cougars program excel to new heights. At first, he served as an assistant coach, but after 18-year head coach Paul Svagdis left APU to return to his alma mater, Tufts University, in 2021, Nieuwenhuis was chosen to be his successor, serving at the helm of Cougar baseball.
Melissa Moore: Finding My Voice through “Faith Hope Love”
August 31, 2022
Pathways to Leadership: Equipping California’s Superintendents for Success
August 29, 2022
When Katie Russell became superintendent of the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District in the greater Bakersfield area in 2020, she was the first woman and first African American to be senior leader of the district. Though skilled and seasoned, she recognized she would need more to succeed and serve her district well. She immediately began looking at doctoral programs and soon selected Azusa Pacific University, committing time and miles to make the commute to Azusa for Saturday classes, while completing other work online.
Undergraduate Research: Training the Next Generation of Scientists
August 22, 2022
Just two years after graduating from Azusa Pacific, Hannah Valencia ’20 is already applying the knowledge and hands-on training acquired through her biology major and excelling as a research associate in the laboratory of Yuman Fong, MD, at City of Hope. Her work involves developing novel immunotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer, and she is already a featured author of a journal article published in Molecular Therapy Methods and Clinical Development for her contributions to a research study on treating breast cancer. The accomplished young scientist credits her success to the skills she cultivated as an undergraduate researcher at APU under the mentorship of Sarah Richart, PhD, professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry.
Thriving During Freshman Year: Advice from Current APU Students
August 19, 2022
Whether you’re coming to Azusa Pacific University from high school, a gap year, or the workforce, the transition to college can be simultaneously thrilling and stressful. Meeting new friends, moving onto campus, and building routines are exciting adventures in this transitory time. However you may be feeling, you are not alone in the journey. Many other students have been in the same place you are, and have wisdom to offer for how to approach your freshman year in the right way. Here are a few tips, featuring insights from current APU students, to help you thrive as you begin your collegiate journey at APU.
Breaking Barriers: Randall Trice '19, '20 Provides Foster Youth with Shoes for Grades
August 18, 2022
Randall Trice '19, '20 got lost on his first day of school at Azusa Pacific University. As he tried to find the way to his theology class, his nerves began to grow. When he finally stumbled into the classroom, his professor, Paul Shrier, looked at him with compassion and asked if he was looking for theology. Trice nodded and Shrier replied, “Well then, you’re in the right spot. Have a seat.”
Sacred Encounters throughout APU’s History
August 15, 2022
The still waters of the baptismal pond, the worship-filled walls of Upper Turner Campus Center, a buzzing classroom moments before a lecture—APU holds a special place of encounter for all. Wherever you find yourself on campus, the Holy Spirit has been, and is still, at work. Several of APU’s leaders, past and present, reflect upon significant moments throughout our history when God has moved in miraculous and powerful ways.
Out of this World: A Snapshot of APU’s Engineering and Computer Science CubeSat Program
August 10, 2022
Azusa Pacific University’s Department of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) is dedicated to preparing difference makers in the fields of computer science, computer information systems, and engineering. In 2020, the department launched a CubeSat program, providing students the opportunity to work in teams with peers and faculty mentors to design satellite technology.
