List of presidents of Pacific Union College

Picture of sign near the entrance to Pacific Union College in the Town of Angwin.

Twenty-one individuals have served as the president of Pacific Union College since its founding in 1882 as Healdsburg Academy.

Pacific Union College is a private liberal arts college in California's Napa Valley. The school's focus is on undergraduate education. There are approximately 1,500 undergraduate students. The school is affiliated with the Adventist Church. Its primary campus is located in Angwin. It also operates the Albion Field Station and a branch program of its nursing department at Travis Air Force Base. It was founded in 1882, becoming the second college founded by the Adventist Church. It was the first Adventist College to become accredited.

The first eight presidents led the school while it was on its Healdsburg campus. The last of these was Lucas Reed whose tenure ended in 1908 at the same time the school moved to Angwin. Charles Walter Irwin became the first person to be selected as president of Pacific Union College on its Angwin Campus in 1908 and led the school at its new location for thirteen years. The president who has served the longest tenure to date is Malcolm Maxwell, who served eighteen years. He was also the first alumnus of Pacific Union College to be selected as its president, and the fourth president to have come to PUC from Walla Walla University. The current president is Heather Knight who took office in 2009. She is the first woman and the first African-American to be chosen to lead PUC.

List of presidents

Term	President	Biographical and background information
I 1882–1886		Main article: Sidney Brownsberger Sidney Brownsberger was the first president of Pacific Union College, then on its former campus in Healdsburg, California and known as Healdsburg Academy.[1] A graduate of the University of Michigan, he was known for his emphasis on practical education and Christian service.[1]
II 1886–1894		William C. Grainger, the second president of Pacific Union College, still known then as Healdsburg College, was a transplant from Missouri to California.[2] When he took over Healdsburg in 1886, the school had 223 students and thirteen teachers.[2] His twelve-year presidency was noted for the close relationship he cultivated with the school's constituency and between students and teachers.[2] He resigned the presidency of Healdsburg College in 1884 in order to move to Japan.[2]
III 1894–1897		Frank Howe was the third president of Pacific Union College, still Healdsburg College.[3] A graduate of the University of Michigan, he was sent to the school by Adventist leadership along with two associates in order to bring Healdsburg closer to denominational ideals.[3] During his presidency, enrollment at Heraldsburg dropped from the earlier high of 223 to 130.[3] Howe limited access to the President while implementing arcane rules, bringing opposition from both within the school and community.[3] At the end of the 1897 school year, the faculty scattered and a bitter Howe resigned.[3]
IV 1897–1899		Rodrick Sterling Owen was the fourth president of Healdsburg College, as Pacific Union College was known at the time.[4] A lawyer, before assuming the presidency he served as a "highly respected" faculty member in the school's theology department.[4] During his short tenure, he built up faculty morale that had been lowered during Howe's presidency.[4] In 1899, Owen left Healdsburg College to assume new responsibilities at the College of Medical Evangelists, now known as Loma Linda University.[4]
V 1899–1903		Marion E. Cady arrived to become the school's fifth president in 1899, leading to what the school refers to as its "second 'great' period."[5] During his Presidency, the school's enrollment increased to a record 298 students and there were 29 faculty members.[5] Cady implemented a quarter based calendar for the school, organized the school by departments and started a school, Timberland Academy, off the main campus, leading to his reputation as an likable, aggressive and eloquent leader.[5]
VI 1903–1904		Elton D. Sharpe was asked to assume president of Healdsburg College for one year after Elton Sharpe's move.[6] He had previously served as vice president of the school.[6] His short administration is remembered for its attention to the school's most pressing needs, many financial.[6] After a year he left to take a position with another institution.[6] In 1906, he returned to Healdsburg College, then renamed Pacific Union College, as a faculty member in the theology department.[6]
VII 1904–1906		Warren E. Howell came to Healdsburg from Emmanuel Missionary College, now Andrews University, in Michigan.[7] At the time of his appointment, his foremost task was to restore the school to sound financial footing.[7] While president, he also simultaneously worked as the business manager and dean of men at the school.[7] His efforts notwithstanding, he was unable to stabilize the school's financial situation while enrollment declined.[7] After being dismissed from the presidency in 1906, he was named the first president of the Loma Linda College of Evangelists, now Loma Linda University.[7]
VIII 1906–1908		Lucas A. Reed was the eighth and last president of Healdsburg College.[8] During his first year leading the school, 1906, the name was changed to Pacific Union College.[8] Before assuming the presidency, Reed had served as the dean of men while teaching.[8] He was able to bring a brief period of financial correction during the 1906–07 school year, however, that did not continue the next year. In 1907, the school sold a part of its campus to raise funds.[8] The next year, Pacific Union College announced plans to move making that the last year of Pacific Union College in Healdsburg, as well as the last year of Reed's presidency.[8]
IX 1908–1921		Charles Walter Irwin became the first president of Pacific Union College after its move to Angwin, California in 1909 and continued in that position for twelve years until 1921.[9] Before taking the position at Pacific College as it was known his first year, he had served as principal of the school that is now known as Avondale College on Lake Macquarie in Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia.[9] His stated goal was that PUC would "educate the whole man," which he set out to accomplish by bringing in a group of highly qualified faculty.[9] He is now honored by a plaque on the campus of Pacific Union College which declares that “With faith in his heart and a pickax in his hand, he carved a college out of a hillside."[9] His presidency is credited with setting in place standards that have continued throughout the history of the school.[9]
X 1921–1934		William Edward Nelson completed his graduate work at the University of Nebraska, had been a department head at Walla Walla College, now Walla Walla University, in College Place, Washington and had served for six years successfully as president of Southwestern Junior College, now Southwestern Adventist University, in Keene, Texas.[10] Nelson lead the school as it successfully sought accreditation, becoming the first Adventist college to achieve such standing.[10] Nelson served simultaneously as president and business manager of PUC and is best remembered for his abilities in institutional finance.[10] His successful thirteen-year tenure at the helm of PUC came to a close in 1934 when he was elected Director of Education for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.[10]
XI 1934–1943		Walter I. Smith who received his doctorate in educational administration was selected President of Pacific Union College following a tenure as the Director of Education for the World Seventh-day Adventist Church.[11] During his nine-year tenure, PUC started the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, now at Andrews University, a graduate education program and began construction of multiple buildings.[11] The first president to take over following PUC's gaining accreditation, Smith led PUC as it moved from a fledgling but innovative campus to an accredited educational institute with a solid foundation.[11]
XII 1943–1945		Henry J. Klooster came to Pacific Union College after serving as President of Emmanuel Missionary College, now Andrews University.[12] During his two years leading the school, Klooser focused on encouraging teachers to achieve terminal degrees.[12] He also implemented an affiliation with a school in Hawaii and began planning for constructing a new Library and other structures on campus.[12] In 1945, to the campus' dismay he abruptly resigned the presidency.[12]
XIII 1945–1950		Percy W. Christian was the fifth president of PUC to serve in the new Angwin campus.[13] Christian continued the loosening up of standards in social practices at the school.[13] During his presidency, the school had record enrollment up to that point.[13] In 1950, he took a new position as President of Andrews University.[13]
XIV 1950–1954		John E. Weaver previously president of Walla Walla College, worldwide director of Adventist Education and a medical doctor became the 14th president of Pacific Union College.[14] His presidency was charged dealing with changes in student demographics due to World War II and untenable demands from faculty.[14] In 1954, Weaver left PUC to take the lead of Washington Missionary College, now Washington Adventist University.[14]
XV 1954–1955		Henry L. Sonnerbert, also from Walla Walla College began his presidency in July 1954.[15] During the few months he led PUC, he emphasized PUC's graduate programs and was able to increase enrollment during his administration.[15] He died of a heart attack in the beginning of September 1955.[15]
XVI 1955–1963		Ray W. Fowler was elected president following President Sonnerbert's tragic death in 1955.[16] He was known for his approachable demeanor and hearing a wide variety of viewpoints.[16] During his presidency, enrollment reached 1000 students for the first time and continued to rise.[16] By the time his presidency ended, there were students from 22 countries at PUC.[16] A new library opened, named after the tenth president, William E. Nelson.[16] PUC also opened new research facilities including a Nuclear Science Lab.[16] In 1963, Fowler resigned and left to lead his alma mater, Union College.[16]
XVII 1963–1972		Floyd O. Rittenhouse came to PUC after serving as leadership at Andrews University in Michigan.[17] His presidency is marked by raising the College's profile through relationships in the community.[17] During his administration, seven major buildings were built on campus.[17]
XVIII 1972–1983		John W. Cassell was the academic dean until he became president in 1972.[18] Casell led the school during the 1975–76 school year as it reached its highest enrollment ever of 2,300.[18] Casell was responsible for hiring Desmond Ford during his presidency.[18] During the controversy that followed some of Ford's statements, enrollment declined as the school faced a crises of constituency confidence.[18] Casell resigned as a result of these concerns in 1983.
IXX 1983–2001		Malcolm Maxwell, the first alumnus to become lead PUC, also held the longest presidential tenure to date.[19] Before taking over at PUC, he had been a vice president at Walla Walla University, then known as Walla Walla College.[19] Within his first four years, he had completely removed the school's crisis of confidence from within its constituency.[19] During his presidency, the College also built buildings to house the chemistry, biology and other science departments.[19] Work was also done to bring the school's theology department closer in line to views within the school's denomination.[19] After serving for eighteen years, Maxwell became the only president of PUC to date to be honored as President Emeritus by the College's Board of Trustees.[19]
XX 2001–2009		Main article: Richard Osborn Richard Osborn was selected as the 20th presidenf of Pacific Union College, and the 13th on the Angwin campus in 2001.[20] Before taking over at PUC, Osborn was the Vice President for Education of the Adventist Church in North America.[20] During his presidency, PUC hired its second female Vice President and first two Asian Vice-Presidents.[20] Also during his tenure, PUC created a Teaching and Learning Center to focus on student retention.[20]
XXI 2009–Incumbent		Main article: Heather Knight (educator) Heather Joy Knight's selection as President of Pacific Union College in 2009 represented a number of milestones. She was the first African American and woman to ever serve as President of PUC. She was also the first African American woman to lead an Adventist college in North America.

Pacific Union College
Information	History of Pacific Union College Academics at Pacific Union College Rankings
Facilities	Angwin-Parrett Field Albion Field Station Pacific Union College Church Paulin Center for the Creative Arts Rasmussen Art Gallery
Student life	PUC Pioneers Dramatic Arts Society
People	Current President List of Presidents Alumni
Related	Angwin St. Helena Napa Valley St. Helena Hospital California Pacific Conference