January 22, 2008

by Darla Martin Tucker

Six people tied to La Sierra University so valued the work of long time professor James Beach, they decided to chip in a $25,000 donation and name an office after him.

The contribution from three couples benefits La Sierra’s $35 million capital campaign called “A Time to Build.” The campaign’s projects include the 48,000-square-foot, $23 million Thaine B. Price Science Complex which opened in November 2006.

During a reception on Thurs., Jan. 10, at the La Sierra University Alumni Center, university President Randal Wisbey announced the contribution made in honor of Beach, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The university will install a plaque in the science complex’s Mathematics and Computer Science department with the names of the donors and Beach’s name emblazoned over top a photograph of the new building.

The office-naming donation came from former university Trustee Verla Michel-Kwiram and her husband, Alvin Kwiram; Trustee Leonard Darnell and his wife, Denise Darnell; Vice President for Advancement Jeffry Kaatz and his wife, Karen Kaatz.

Beach has worked at La Sierra University since 1979. He served as department chair and associate dean before taking the department’s reins.
In remarks during the reception, Wisbey cited Beach’s “gentle wisdom, his institutional memory and his focus on thinking strategically. … He is a gentleman of principle who stands for the right though the heavens fall,” Wisbey said.

“Jim’s been a good friend and a mentor to me since I started working here 20 years ago,” Jeffry Kaatz said. “I’ve always valued the importance he places on quality academics in an Adventist institution.”

"In my opinion, Jim’s biggest influence on the university has been his leadership in strategic planning,” Kaatz said. “He was a proponent of institutionalizing our athletic programs … and our move toward being accepted into the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] Division 3.”
The James W. Beach office is among 16 office, instructional or research spaces in the science complex recognizing faculty and friends of the university. More than 30 spaces remain to be named in the complex, including several that are in the donation and naming process.

Most universities pursue space-naming donations to cover costs for new facilities. La Sierra University sets donation amounts for different spaces in each new building. Space donation amounts in the two-story science complex range from $25,000 for naming offices to $600,000 in exchange for naming the downstairs lobby. Donations of $300,000 to $500,000 allow instructional labs to be named in someone’s honor, while research lab naming opportunities cost $100,000.

When designating space-naming prices, the university considers costs, availability, size, scope and visibility of the space. Naming opportunity dollar ranges do not necessarily reflect actual costs for the space.

La Sierra announced the “Time to Build” campaign in January 2006. The campaign’s projects include renovations to the dining commons, a health, exercise, science and athletics facility and an on-campus residence for the university president.

A group of 2005-06 mathematics and computer science faculty contributed a total $75,000 to name the departmental office suite for mathematics and computer science after professor emeritus and program founder Hilmer Besel. Contributing faculty were Beach, department Chair Jon Vanderwerff, Vernon Howe, Cheng Ng, Denny Lin, Barbara Kreaseck, Enoch Hwang, Sharilyn Horner, Wilton Clarke and John Ng Wong Hing.

Besel started the mathematics and computer science programs at La Sierra University in 1960. In 2006, at the age of 90, he gave lectures for the mathematics/computer science seminar course.

“When looking for a meaningful manner in which to support the Price Science Complex, departmental members thought it would be very fitting to name the chair's suite after its founding member. By pooling our donations, and with the help of matching funds, we were able to meet the amount required for this naming. We are pleased that we were able to honor Professor Besel in this fashion because it gave us a tangible way to express our appreciation for his contributions to La Sierra University,” Vanderwerff said.

In early 2006, 1978 La Sierra graduate Dr. Keith Cheng recognized the influence of his former mathematics and computer science professor, Vernon Howe, by making a $25,000 donation and designating an office in Howe’s name.

Cheng is a psychiatrist and an associate professor at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. He is also medical director at Portland-based Trillium Family Services.

“He was a great teacher. He had a way of getting people to think about things … and solve problems for themselves,” Cheng said of Howe. “He made learning a lot of fun. He had a great sense of humor.”

During Cheng’s first year of study in 1975, he approached Howe with a concept for a biomathematics major. Howe encouraged Cheng to create the program. In 1978 Cheng became the first graduate of the major he invented, earning a bachelor’s of science in biomathematics. Cheng went on to earn a medical degree from Loma Linda University in 1982 and a fellowship in child psychiatry at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

During a visit to La Sierra, Cheng observed the evolution of his original program. “These guys are doing stuff now I couldn’t ever have conceived,” he said.

“It’s really cool to have a professor believe in you and allow you to develop something” that ultimately benefits society, Cheng said.

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)