Alumni E-Newsletter
Fall 2011
Homecoming 2011: Let's Talk Story ~ 110th Anniversary
Join us this November 14-20th for Homecoming 2011! The week will celebrate the university's 110th anniversary and will feature over 50 events. Come back to campus to enjoy time with friends, students, and faculty. It is a time to remember the experiences and friendships you had during your college years. Your story is a part of our story. Come celebrate the legacy, share in the story, and show your pride for your alma mater!
Just a few event highlights:
- PC/PLNU Stories during Musoffee (Tues, Nov 15)
- Women's basketball vs Wayland Baptist University (TX)
- Men's basketball vs Trevecca Nazarene University (TN)
- Homecoming Extravaganza
- Tailgate BBQ (www.pointloma.edu/Tailgate)
- The Main Event
- Homecoming Chapel
- Variety Show & Coronation
- Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament
- Theatre Production, Eurydice
- And more!
For a full Homecoming schedule, visit www.pointloma.edu/Homecoming
Looking for a great place to stay during Homecoming? Check out our partnership with Bartell Hotels at www.plnupartnership.com.
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Go International with the Alumni Association: Spain & Portugal Trip
We are hosting a fabulous trip to Spain and Portugal May 20-30, 2012!
Seize this opportunity to eat delicious tapas, discover breathtaking sites, visit the world-famous Prado museum, and travel with President Brower and fellow PLNU alumni.
Cities we will visit include Madrid, Lisbon, Fatima, Seville, Granada, and others!
For full itinerary, pricing, & reservation information, visit the trip website.
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PLNU Hosts Fall Festival for Local Community
PLNU's 8th annual Fall Festival will be held on October 22, 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Are you living in the San Diego area?
If so, join us for fun kids activities, local exhibitors, a pumpkin patch, Taste of Point Loma (featuring samples from local restaurants), and so much more!
For more information about this year's Fall Festival, please visit www.pointloma.edu/FallFestival.
Want to help out? We are always looking for volunteers!
To volunteer, contact CommunityOutreach@pointloma.edu or visit the "Want to Get Involved" section of the Fall Festival website!
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Show Your Friends You Like Us!
The PLNU Alumni Association is now officially on Facebook. The page logged over 425 "likes" in its first month! Join our growing Facebook community and "like" our page to stay updated on the latest info, find classmates, and connect with the larger PLNU alumni family! Feel free to share also our page with your Facebook "friends" and fellow alums!
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Don't Miss Your Reunion!
Did you graduate between 2001 and 2011? If so, join other young alums in Cunningham Dining Room during the Tailgate BBQ for Café 10! Grab your dinner at the BBQ and head over to Cunningham to mingle and catch up with friends.
The Melody Men singing group will be reuniting for on Friday, November 19th, for dinner and to perform in the Homecoming Variety Show! Contact Max Durbin (maxdurbin@aol.com) for more details.
Eleven classes will reunite over Homecoming: 2006, '01, '96, '91, '86, '81, '76, '71, '66, '61, and '51. Don't miss an opportunity to reconnect with classmates and relive great memories. RSVP Deadline is November 10! Reservations can be made online at www.pointloma.edu/Reunions.
View full Homecoming schedule.
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Congratulate Our Alumni Award Recipients
During Homecoming Weekend, the Alumni Association recognizes alumni with the Distinguished Achievement awards and Alumnus of Point Loma awards.
Our 2011 Alumnus of Point Loma Award recipients Steve Hawthorne ('75), Dr. Keith Kortman ('77), Suzanne Mulcahy ('82), and Julie Weaver ('91) will be recognized during Homecoming Chapel on Friday, November 18, at 9:45 am in Brown Chapel.
Join us in honoring our two 2011 Distinguished Achievement Award recipients -- Admiral Greg Horn ('76) and Dr. Tom Andrews ('62) -- during The Main Event on Saturday November 19 at 4:00 pm in the Cooper Music Center. This will be a free event with fabulous music by PLNU alumni. Doors open at 3:30 pm.
Admiral Horn Dr. Andrews
For profiles of our DA awardees, check out the latest Viewpoint!
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Ranked Among Best Colleges
PLNU was ranked 15th in the category Regional Universities - West in U.S. News & World Report's 2012 Best Colleges guide. This is our highest-ever ranking in Best Colleges, and it is representative of the university's academic quality, strong graduation and retention rates, selectivity, and alumni giving rate*, among other factors. We were also ranked 15th in the Best Value category for Regional Universities - West. The Best Value category takes into consideration an institution's academic quality, cost, and available financial aid. We've got a lot of reasons to take pride in our alma mater. This is just one of them!
*The alumni giving rate is the percentage of alumni who give a gift of any size to their alma mater during a given fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).
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Fall Sports Update
Fall sports are in full swing at Point Loma Nazarene University. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise is the women's soccer team. Coach Tim Hall's squad is 9-0-1 overall and No. 10 in the NAIA rankings. Some of the team's highlights so far include nine shutouts and a win over top-ranked Azusa Pacific. Krista Gregory was selected as the GSAC Player of the Week with both Tiffany Kracy and Erica Wessels earning conference Defender of the Week nods. On October 4, Wessels, a senior defender, was named NAIA National Defender of the Week.
Another team that has exceeded expectations is women's golf. The program competed in its first-ever event in September and placed sixth overall. Coach Jacqui McSorley's team had the second-best finish among NAIA squads at the two-day tournament. A standout for the Sea Lions was Kathleen Crossley who tied for fourth.
Men's soccer is off to a much-improved start. The Sea Lions, also under coach Hall, are 6-2-1 and looking to make some noise in the conference for the first time in awhile. Leading PLNU's resurgence is forward Austin Fares and his team-best five goals. Fellow forward Griffin Fuller is close behind him with four goals.
Volleyball is also doing well. The team is under the guidance of first-year head coach Sarah Gustin. Currently ranked No. 10 in the NAIA, the Sea Lions are 11-3 overall, 3-3 in GSAC play. All-American Tabitha Henken is performing well – as usual – leading the team with 200 kills. With 120 and 112 winners respectively, Alyssa Dwyer and Delaney McCraney are slamming down winners at impressive clips.
Coach Jerry Arvin's cross country squads are three events into the 2011 season. There is some concern with the women's team as the injuries have hit the team hard. That has prevented the Sea Lions from fielding their best roster at any event so far. Still, junior Breelan Matranga has been impressive, leading the PLNU pack in each event. With some luck PLNU will be back to full strength by the conference meet later in the season. On the men's side it has been Will MacNeil who has paced the team. The senior placed second and third in the first two races and is showing that his final year at Loma is going to be a good one.
Last, but not least, men's golf is back on the course. Coach Ben Foster's team competed in one September event, placing third overall. The sports' championship isn't until May of 2012, but it isn't too early to see that All-American Ryan Ellerbrock is better than ever after he placed fourth.
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Bakersfield Comes in First
Do you live in the Bakersfield area? If so, join us on Saturday, February 25th, for our first 2012 PLNU Alumni & Friends area event! We will gather together for dinner and then off to cheer on the Condors ice hockey team. Stay tuned to our Alumni Area Events page on our website for further details on this event and other area events planned for 2012!
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Soulcraft
Dr. Ron Kirkemo ('65) has written a daily devotional titled Soulcraft: daily devotionals for spiritual growth. Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Kirkemo uses the concept of statecraft to suggest processes for soulcraft to enrich and shape and direct our spiritual lives. Rather than just a book of daily happy thoughts, this book has weekly themes and deals with issues from the great questions, parables and beatitudes of Jesus, to issues like growth and dreams, failure and recovery, and fate and freedom, to Valentine's week and the moon landing week. The book will be published in November, and information can be found at www.soulcraftbook.com.
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Area Events Get Flickr-ed
Want to keep up with all the events and trips we've got going through the Alumni Association? Check out our Flickr page!
Our 2011 alumni & friends area events were a smashing success! Events were held in 6 locations across the United States -- Fresno, San Diego, New York City, Oroville (California), Santa Barbara, and Kailua (Hawaii) -- to gather alums together who live in these areas.
Never been to an alumni event?
Maybe you attended one and want to see if you made it into some photos from the event?
Either way, check out our Flickr page for updated photos of what's going on in the Alumni Association!
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"Fresh" Beginnings at NSO
The beginning of this academic year celebrates our university's 110-year anniversary. A little over a month ago when our new academic year began, we welcomed another group of new students. This year, our PLNU community welcomed 532 freshmen and 151 transfer students during New Student Orientation. Check out this great video to share a bit of the experience that parents and students had and to reminisce about your first days on campus!
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*Links to past newsletters can be found in "Archives"