News Briefs for January 2, 2020
News reports from Loma Linda University Health, Kettering Adventist Health Network; Isny, Germany; Dr. Richard Osborn; Andrews University and the Adventist Peace Fellowship:
This week, Loma Linda University Health posted a short and very timely health tip on its Facebook page. It was labeled #NewYearsResolutions:
The key to keeping resolutions is to keep them realistic and attainable.
Kettering Adventist Health Network recently received the Healthy Business Council of Ohio’s 2019 Healthy Worksite Gold Award. The award recognizes Ohio employers who demonstrate a commitment to employee wellness through comprehensive worksite health promotion and wellness programs. The network operates 8 hospitals and 26 community clinics in the Dayton metropolitan area. The management believes that the health promotion mission of the organization is best supported by keeping its employees healthy.
By APD – On Christmas Day a fire of unknown causes broke out at the Josiah Holznebenbau Center operated by the Adventist Church in Isny, Germany. The fire department quickly controlled the fire and prevented damaged to parts of the building beyond the garage. Arson has not been ruled out. The center includes a school, a training program for missionaries, a community service center and a development association. The complex is intact but cannot currently be used because of the damage.
Dr. Richard Osborn retired at the end of 2019 as vice president of the accrediting body for colleges and universities in California, Hawaii and the United States territories in the Pacific. He has spent more than ten years with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission. Prior to that he was president of Pacific Union College, the Adventist college in northern California, vice president for education at the denomination’s North American Division and principal of Takoma Academy, the Adventist secondary school in Takoma Park, Maryland, the suburb of Washington, D.C., where the General Conference offices were located from 1907 to 1989. He is the only Adventist educator to have achieved such a significant position in one of the accrediting bodies.
The Andrews University School of Social Work has been reaccredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The CSWE is the national accrediting organization for all social work programs in the United States. Andrews was reaccredited for its Bachelor and Master of Social Work programs (BSW and MSW). “We are delighted to have achieved full accreditation for the maximum eight years,” said Curtis VanderWaal, dean of the School of Social Work. “Our BSW degree has been accredited since 1976 and our MSW has been accredited since 1995, and we are pleased to continue offering high quality social work degrees.” The School of Social Work is adding a newly developed minor in trauma and disaster response that will be offered in 2020 in collaboration with the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences. In addition, they recently established the International Center for Trauma Education & Care and will also be launching a new dual degree with the Master of Public Health program in 2020.
The Adventist Peace Fellowship has two new leaders sharing the role of executive director; Jeff Boyd has resigned after a number of years in this job. The new co-directors are Dr. Lisa Clark Diller and Karah Thompson. Diller is chair of the history department at Southern Adventist University. Thompson is manager of the downtown Business Association for Murphy, North Carolina. Boyd is a staff member at Andrews University and continues as a contributing editor for Adventist Today. APF provided resources for the third quarter 2019 Sabbath School Quarterly on “The Least of These” (from Matthew 25) and these resources continue to be available at this website: http://www.adventistpeace.org/quarterly