There are leaders—and then there are leaders.

That was the message Fresno County Superior Court Judge Robert H. Oliver gave to the newest FPU graduates at fall commencement on Saturday, December 17.

To keep Valley students and families investing in higher education, FPU continues to keep tuition below national averages and increase services students need to succeed. 

“A high-quality private education can be affordable,” said Stephen Varvis, FPU vice president for enrollment management. “Fresno Pacific has the faculty, academic programs, facilities and financial aid to make this happen.”

We all have family Christmas-time traditions. Two of the most beloved celebrations at Fresno Pacific are the Carol Sing and ‘Twas the Night Before Finals.

Carol Sing is a longstanding tradition of song and celebration. Friday, December 9, staff, faculty and students joined for a morning of Christmas caroling. Student musicians sharing their talents included Pacific Brass, led by Wayne Huber; Pacific Bronze bell choir, led by Elizabeth Gonzales; and Crosswind Choir, led by Milt Friesen.

FPU and Spirit 88.9 FM are again giving a free pair of shoes and socks to every child at two area elementary schools.

Students at Washington Elementary in Visalia got their shoes December 12, and students at Muir Elementary, Fresno, get theirs December 19. Staff members from the main campus, North Fresno Center and Visalia Center are helping, along with community members.

More than 350 graduates will receive degrees during the fall commencement Saturday, December 17. 

The graduate and traditional undergraduate ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m. Bachelor’s degree completion students receive their diplomas at 2:00 p.m. Both commencements will be in the Special Events Center on the main FPU campus, 1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno, south of the Chestnut-Butler intersection. In all, 273 bachelor’s degree completion graduates will receive diplomas, along with 44 master’s students and 35 traditional undergraduates.

Many new faces visited the main campus this year for The Encounter. Your next chance comes in February.

 FPU was well represented at Fresno’s National Philanthropy Day celebration November 15.

Nadene and Marvin and Steinert, Linda Calandra and Wells Fargo were among those honored at a luncheon sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals California Valley Chapter at University Square Hotel, Fresno. All were nominated by Charity Brown, director of alumni and church relations.

“Management is a technology from the 1850s,” author Daniel Pink said at the FPU Business Forum. About 930 people gathered for breakfast October 26 in the Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center New Exhibit Hall. “How many technologies from the 1850s are in use today?”

Don’t manage employees, engage them.

A former student rejoined his teacher in the latest Pacific Artist Series concert. Upcoming performances are new music by the Del Sol Quartet; the songs, stories and history of Yosemite by Tom Bopp and a cantata composed by FPU emeritus Larry Warkentin. 

Soprano Deborah Sauer-Ferrand and pianist Douglas Sumi (BA ’05) performed October 17 in the McDonald Hall Atrium on the main campus.

FPU Art Gallery is located in Sattler Hall 104 and open from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday and Friday, or by appointment.

Pictured are works by Brandon Jacobs, who has spent the last 10 years perfecting an organic style that draws the viewer into his multimedia art pieces. His three-dimensional, large-format art feature found objects, paint and varnish. "My hope is to create an object that not only acts as a record of a cathartic act, but one that has the ability to touch an audience," he says.