This year’s Alumni Phonathon was an exercise in outreach as well as fundraising.

As of December 4, $40,449 was either pledged or already given, according to Linda Calandra, director of annual giving and donor relations. Calandra and Paul Micu, director of alumni and church relations, sponsored the event. All gifts go to scholarships.

Holiday classics from “Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly” to selections from The Messiah will be featured at the Classic Christmas Concert sponsored by Fresno Pacific University.

Pacific Brass, the Handbell Choir, the Women’s Chorale, Flautas Pacifica and Pacific Chamber Singers will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, December 2, in Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, Fresno and O streets, Fresno. Tickets are $5 general admission and $3 for students and those over 65. No reservations are necessary.

Success for Fresno Pacific University has translated into success for a member of its staff.

Bud Dickerson, director of major gifts and capital campaigns, was named “Outstanding Fund Raising Executive of the Year” by the California Valley Chapter of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals. The award came November 14 during a lunch celebrating National Philanthropy Day.

FresnoPacific University is among the sponsors of a video aimed at educating Central Valley students about the U. S. Constitution.

Each edition of “We The People…The U.S. Constitution and You,” is geared to a U.S. Congressional district. FPU President Harold Haak appears in videos distributed within the 19thand 20thdistricts. Every public and private high school, junior college and cable television station received a copy of the 24-minute program.

A trio of Fresno Pacific University musical ensembles will be featured in a pair of November concerts.

The Concert Choir will perform at 6 p.m. Sunday, November 18, in Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Fresno. The 35-voice choir sings a variety of classical choral work.

The Women’s Chorale and Handbell Choir will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 20, in the McDonald Hall Atrium on the university campus. Each group has about 15 members and the program will include carols and secular pieces.

More information and better organization are among the features of the newly redesigned Fresno Pacific University Internet site.

Alumni, donors and the Center for Degree Completion are among the areas new to the site. Other departments and programs, such as the bookshop, and information linking students and prospective employers are updated and easier to find.

A requiem, madrigals and contemporary settings of traditional texts are on the program for the next San Joaquin Chorale concert, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, November 17, at Sierra Lutheran Church, Auberry.

Formerly known as Fresno Pacific Chorale, the San Joaquin Chorale is a community group of about 30 voices conducted by Roy Klassen, Fresno Pacific University faculty. Membership is by audition.

Spades filled with earth fulfilled decades of promise as ground was broken October 26 for Steinert Campus Center at Fresno Pacific University.

Business and pleasure were both on the Fresno Pacific University Board of Trustees agenda during regular meetings October 26-27. In addition to approving a new benefit for employees and a new method to evaluate the president, members participated in special events ranging from a groundbreaking to a prayer breakfast.

Looking beyond September 11 was the theme of Fresno Pacific University Foundation Board meetings October 26.