NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Fellow Lancers, While this issue of The Roundtable was being prepared, the California Baptist University campus was abuzz with excitement as students completed final exams, commencement candidates collected their caps and gowns and CBU’s spring sports teams finished their seasons. Spring is a time when we can reflect on the success of the academic year but also look forward to the summer months, when volunteers depart for service opportunities at home and abroad and the campus moves forward with summer courses and other activities. The core of all of this is the mission of California Baptist University as “a university committed to the Great Commission.” We prepare students to live their purpose. Educationally and spiritually, that simple statement is at the center of everything we do. In this issue you will read about ways alumni have found their purpose and are living lives that make a difference. You’ll read about students who are preparing to enter the job market as Christians committed to living their faith and about faculty who mentor them in that process. You will notice the theme of excellence that runs through each of the stories about those who seek His purpose. CBU finds itself in an unprecedented time, when university involvements have implications beyond the academic world and far beyond our campus. The responsibility of those who are educators as well as followers of Christ is significant, but they also share the great privilege of being involved in the work of the kingdom. As the faculty and staff at CBU identify new opportunities in many different directions, they are more aware than ever that this university’s influence must be far-reaching, in keeping with its mission. Sixty years ago this summer, California Baptist College acquired its Riverside campus. The property, consisting of 75.6 acres and five buildings, was purchased for $800,000. It was nearly four years after the Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association established CBC and enrolled its inaugural class at First Southern Baptist Church in El Monte. In 1955 the college moved its operations to Riverside and has since more than doubled the size of its land holdings. Floyd Looney, who was editor of The California Southern Baptist at that time, said that “there was a spirit in the Convention when this property was purchased which I had never seen for any project. There was a spirit of victory that never died.” That spirit is still present on this campus in the support the university receives from alumni, from donors and from partners who share in the ministry of California Baptist University. We are thankful for each of you. Please pray with us that the Lord will guide California Baptist University as we seek to impact the world for Christ. May the Lord continue to bless. Ronald L. Ellis, Ph.D. President