With Election Day around the corner, Fresno Pacific rose to the top of the leaderboard as the institution with the highest percentage of the student body registered to vote among Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) members in the California University and College Ballot Bowl.
Showing posts tagged fpu
news.fresno.edu
U.S. News & World Report placed FPU at number three in the social mobility category and at 27 in best values among Regional Universities—West in its 2021 Best Colleges rankings released today. Washington Monthly affirmed the best value message, ranking FPU at 35 on that list, released August 31. All three rankings were up from last year, when U.S. News rated FPU number four in social mobility and 35 in best value, and Washington Monthly listed FPU at 50 among best values.
“We are most proud of our number three rating as a top performer in social mobility because we love seeing economically disadvantaged students being successful and receiving their bachelor’s degree. The Central Valley has significantly fewer people with B.A. degrees compared to California as a whole. This ranking shows FPU is very affordable and students graduate quickly coming from either high school or community college,” said Jon Endicott, vice president for enrollment management.
Last year, students Seth Garcia and Calvin Abbott created a nearly to-scale replica of the FPU campus on Minecraft. They spent many hours working on this for Professor Chris Janzen’s Fall 2019 Art Appreciation course, as part of the “Creativity Assignment”. The purpose of the assignment was to investigate the root purpose of studying art: the cultivation of creative thought. Students were invited to create their own artwork in whatever media they chose; the more innovative and unprecedented the better.
“The world was my idea, but I totally meant it as a joke,” says Seth. “When Chris Jansen talked about our ‘Creativity Project’, I jokingly told Calvin that we should make the school in Minecraft. But Calvin loved the idea so we asked Chris and he said that it was an idea he had never heard of in his teaching career. We built the school on Calvin’s Xbox and we would each take a building on campus and build it. We would take Calvin’s scooter and scoot around campus taking pictures so we can get accurate images. Even when Calvin would go home for the weekend, I borrowed his Xbox so I could build alone. It was honestly so much fun building it.”
Calvin adds, “I
recall having no clue what I should do for the creativity project. Having sat
by my buddy Seth, one day he said that a good idea would be building FPU in
Minecraft. He didn’t seem serious about it, but from the moment Seth shared his
idea my mind sparked with visions of what FPU would look like in the virtual
world of Minecraft. With 157 hours of collaborative efforts, Seth and I slowly
brought to reality a life size version of FPU in the virtual world of
Minecraft. For me, this project has embodied the outcome of what can be
accomplished when even a few decide to work as a team.”
Art program director, Rebecca McMillen, Ph.D. wants her students to succeed in the classroom and in the workforce. Read our Q&A with Dr. McMillen to learn more about why she’s passionate about the arts!
Q: What is the best part about teaching at FPU?
A: “Being able to really get to know my students. They are not just a number to me. I feel I can invest in their lives and help guide them in the Art and Design field. By the time they graduate, we know each other pretty well.”
Q: What is your favorite class to teach?
A: “My passion is helping students use their creativity in a career they love so I teach a course called Art Careers. In this class I help students really figure out what they want to do with art and how to do it. It’s a practical course which helps equip students for work life after college.”
Q: If you could give students one piece of advice what would it be?
A: “Find your ‘why’, your passion, and pursue it.”
