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Newsweek Declares Pacific Union College Most Beautiful College Campus in America
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Submitted: Aug 9, 2012
By AT News Team


Last weekend, Newsweek and its online edition, the Daily Beast, published a list of the most beautiful college campuses in America and named Pacific Union College (PUC), a Seventh-day Adventist school, at the top of the list. The list was created from information about the actual physical attractiveness of the campus, the friendliness of the students and the local climate.
 
Located on the top of Howell Mountain, looking down on the picturesque Napa Valley, in northern California, the PUC campus is well known among lifelong Adventists for its rural setting and natural beauty. Ellen White spent the last years of her life from the turn of the 20th century to her death in 1915 living nearby and her home, Elmshaven, is preserved as a historical site.
 
The listing "is recognition of our collective goal to make the campus sparkle—and our landscape and facilities management teams in particular,” said the college president, Dr. Heather J. Knight. “This inspires all of us in every area of our campus community to keep working even harder to make PUC a state-of-the-art learning environment characterized by a God-given gorgeous and pristine setting.”
 
The campus has long had many faculty and students interested in environmental issues, outdoor activities and wilderness areas. Some of the first books published by Adventists on nature study, camping and hiking were written by faculty members at PUC. “This is not surprising,” one alum told Adventist Today. “It has long been part of the character of this institution.”
 

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Jack Hoehn
2012-08-10 1:49 PM

They are so right!  It was heaven on earth for a freshman from Southern California.

Jean Corbeau
2012-08-10 2:02 PM

As a graduate of PUC, and long time resident of Napa County (1950-1973, and then off and on until 1979), I would be expected to whole-heartedly agree with that assesment.  I'm not sure what their criteria were.  Its rural location is its number one asset, in my opinion.  But I would think that University of New England, in Biddeford, ME, would be right up there, along with Hombolt State University in California.  The University of Maine at Fort Kent isn't bad, either.  It's even more rural than PUC.  I'm also surprised that one of the Universities in Vermont or New Hampshire didn't get it.

Cindy Tutsch
2012-08-10 2:19 PM

Delighted to hear of this recognition!

Can't help but wonder, though, how PUC's  interest in the environment, outdoor activities, and wilderness fits in with their push to sell their property.

Joe Erwin
2012-08-10 2:53 PM

Yes, PUC has a lovely campus--I just visited there in June of this year. Jean is correct, though, that the campus of Humboldt State University in Arcata, is also exceptionally nice. I taught there from 1978-82, and especially enjoyed the area and the campus. I am biased, though, having grown up in Humboldt County. The vineyards around the PUC campus certainly do not detract from its beauty, but it is a sad waste to not have a great department of enology and vitaculture there. Anyway, it is pretty cool for PUC to receive this recognition.

David Langworthy
2012-08-10 4:05 PM

:-)
Regarding the wished for future thriving Dept of Enology, I would highly recommend maintaining aerobic metabolism via adequate pulmonic ventilation while you wait.*

*don't hold your breath :)

Doctorf
2012-08-10 4:39 PM

My wife and I stopped off at PUC last December when we were up visiting the wine country for a week. The last time I was at PUC was in 1977. Indeed it is one beautiful campus. 

angwinresident
2012-08-11 12:21 PM

I have been a resident of Angwin since 1988 and have always loved the PUC campus. The problem in the last five years has been to convince PUC administrators and Board of the beauty and value of what they have. They have been working at destroying the beauty of the campus and the community with a development  of 200 or more homes and a shopping mall as the "grand entrance" to the college! Not only that, they plan to sell off the most unspoiled areas of the campus as vineyard estates. This is extremely short-sighted. These lands are what make the campus beautiful and what draw students -  and Newsweek magazine's attention!

Jean Corbeau
2012-08-11 2:45 PM

As a former resident of Angwin, I aree with you.  This is very short-sighted.  But it is typical of Adventist institutions which have departed from inspired counsel (can we all say A U C?).  It can be the beginning of a downward spiral, and I assume that PUC wants to avoid the fate of its sister on the right coast.

Joe Erwin
2012-08-11 12:30 PM

A problem is presented, of course, by the attractiveness of the area for development as vinyards and the contrast in financial value between developing in that way and not developing. This is similar to the problem in other areas, maybe especially in California, that led to commercial/residential development of what had been agricultural land. One could do much worse, in terms of scenic beauty, than conversion of some land to vineyards--but conversion of wildlife habitat to agricultural use is a global conservation problem. 

Philip Law
2012-08-18 12:34 PM

Joe,

Department of Enology at PUC will be established when the UC system establishes departments of Creation Sciences. Meanwhile enjoy the scenery.

 


Joe Erwin
2012-08-18 3:05 PM

Philip, yours is probably a fair and accurate observation.

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