Watch the fall commencement

The graduates, many fresh from balancing work, family and higher education, were familiar with the speaker's subject: adversity. What they may not have expected was his contention that it's to be rejoiced in rather than feared.

Acceptance to Fresno Pacific University can be as close as the click of a mouse.

Applications for the undergraduate, graduate, professional development and language and culture studies are now on the university Web site. “All prospective students can apply and inquire on-line,” said Efrain Tovar, electronic admission counselor for the college and manager of the new system.