In a program celebrating the achievements of a scholastically dedicated faculty, Pacific Union College announced the inauguration of the Herber Family Faculty Development Awards and presented $10,000 in grants to professors.

Established by local physician Steve Herber, his sisters Sandra and Susan Herber, and his father Ray Herber, this endowment will annually provide faculty with professional development grants to facilitate teachers in their quest to achieve and sustain innovative, quality instruction.

Steve Herber, medical director of the St. Helena Institute for Plastic Surgery and a 1982 graduate of PUC, explains that he and his sisters, who also attended PUC, wanted to establish a special endowment to express their appreciation for the commitment and dedication of the faculty. “It’s our way of saying thank you,” he said.

Herber’s commitment to service and the support of worthy causes has been demonstrated not only by this endowment, but also by his volunteer medical work in Hong Kong, Guatemala, Romania and Nepal. Herber received an international leadership award from the American Medical Association for his volunteer work on behalf of indigent children around the world.

The Herber Family Awards were presented at PUC’s annual Faculty Awards colloquy, a program dedicated to recognizing professors’ scholarly activities with awards for original works disseminating ideas off-campus. Faculty members were recognized for contributions that ranged from a public art commission in Alaska and dramatic art performances to articles published in scholarly publications.

With all the emphasis on the work these faculty members do in addition to their roles as professors and mentors, the Herber Family Awards provided an encouraging show of support, promising to help keep such achievements within the reach of PUC’s teachers.

The grants were presented to seven faculty members. They will finance such development opportunities as religion professor Ross Winkle presenting a research paper at the Society of Biblical Literature in Edinburgh, Scotland, and visual arts instructor Cheryl Daley attending the ceramics workshop at Anderson Ranch in Colorado this summer.