Corban University to merge with Washington seminary

Corban University to merge with Washington seminary

School will offer its first accredited doctoral program

Written by
Dee Moore
Special to the Statesman Journal

Corban University will soon expand by merging with North Baptist Seminary in Tacoma, which will become Corban University School of Ministry.

The merger becomes official in October and will allow the university to tap into already established graduate ministry curriculum at the seminary.
The seminary benefits from having access to more traditional graduate offerings such as an education program, MBA and online degree completion programs. A seminary typically only offers graduate ministerial degrees.
"One key desire was to extend our mission by providing graduate education to ministers not being reached by current seminaries," said Steve Hunt, Corban's Vice President for Marketing.
Most seminaries only provide religious curriculum. Not only will the merger allow for the graduate students in ministerial programs to take graduate-level liberal arts classes, it also allows Corban to reach potential students in the Seattle/Tacoma area.
Even before merger talks began, Corban was looking to develop and provide graduate-level ministry programs, which it does not currently do.
The job of running a church or its various programs can be challenging today than it was 20 years ago.
Congregations expect more from their churches, such as singles outreach, child care, early education, in some cases primary and secondary school educations and addiction and other counseling programs.
Students today not only need religious training but also a business education, teaching certificates and broader liberal arts education.
"Our purpose was to design a school of ministry that will address the 21st century ministry challenges," Hunt said.
Although current seminary students may be concerned about these changes, Hunt said students will continue their classes with no interruption and will receive degrees. The only difference will be the name of the institution issuing the degree: Corban University School of Ministry.
Greg Trull, formerly Corban's chairman of the ministries department has been named dean of ministry for the seminary.
Trull thinks the merger will allow the university to offer short-term modules and online graduate classes in addition to semester classes.
Few religious schools offer classes that allow students to count work time as class time. When students are freed from actual classroom time, they can avoid giving up their jobs, which is common for seminary students because the course work is extremely time intensive.
"This is a desirable asset for those already in the ministry who want to get an advanced degree," Hunt said. "It gives them the ability to continue in their work and finish their schooling.
Corban's current president, Reno Hoff, will now become acting president of the seminary.
Hoff expects the school of ministry to have as many as 100 students enrolled in their programs by the 2011 school year.
With this merger, the university will now be offering its first accredited doctoral program.


Copyright Statesman-Journal 2010
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100811/COMMUNITIES/108160021

Two-year mission expands resident's world

 Two-year mission expands resident's world

Jacob Kunzler embraces Brazil's culture during his service for church

Written by
Dee Moore
Special to the Statesman Journal

South Salem resident Jacob Kunzler (third from left) stands at the mission training center in Brazil where he spent two years during his religious mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. / Special to the Statesman Journal

Jacob Kunzler 

For most Salem residents, Brazil is a spot on the map, an exotic South American country they probably will never visit.

But for Jacob Kunzler, a 2007 graduate of South Salem High School, Brazil was home for two years.

After spending his freshman year studying English at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, Kunzler left for South America.

He had no idea what to expect; young men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints do not get to choose the destination of their two-year missions.

Arriving in Brazil with no more knowledge than a book or the Internet could provide, Kunzler was the proverbial fish out of water. That soon changed after he attended mission training in Sao Paulo. There he began learning Portuguese, the national language.

The Federal Republic of Brazil is a union of 26 states and one federal district. Of these states, Sao Paulo is the most prosperous and has the largest population. The state's capital also is named Sao Paulo.

During his two years, Kunzler had a companion "elder" to aid and assist him in his work. One such companion was a Brazilian named Gabriel Tomazini, who helped ease Kunzler's transition into Brazilian culture.

According to Kunzler the population of Brazil is "as diverse as you can get," he said.

"There is such a big gap between the upper and middle classes. The older generation aren't as literate." The younger residents are much more educated, he said.

Kunzler quickly became enamored with Brazil.

He said what endeared the country and its people to him was the warm reception he received.

"I didn't think there were people who could show such love. They were very welcoming," Kunzler said.

Poverty did not keep Brazilians from being caring and considerate hosts. Kunzler was surprised to see how everyone was treated the same.

"I will never forget the people who changed their lives, not because of what I did but because of learning (the teachings of the church)," he said.

Kunzler said he was especially touched by his experience with a single father of four to whom he was ministering.

"He embraced the gospel and changed his life because of the gospel. It changes your life … to be worthy of witnessing that … I miss it a lot."

Kunzler's Brazil mission trip introduced him to many other members of the LDS church — men and women — who were also missionaries there, making the experience even more memorable.

Female LDS members are encouraged to go on a mission if they feel that they have received a calling to do so, he said.

"The sister missionaries do the same work we do. They are allowed, it's just less common."

The young men of the church are not required to serve two-year missions, but it is encouraged.

"It is a gift we give back to the Lord," he said.

Copyright Statesman-Journal 2010

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100811/COMMUNITIES/108160022

South County to Miss Retiring Sheriff Todd Anderson

Copyright The Pacific City Sun 2012

'Cats Find Their Game, Win Home Opener

Copyright The Pacific City Sun 2012

Blowsion Surfslam Flies High

Copyright The Pacific City Sun 2012

European Banks Sue Countrywide and Merrill Lynch Over Toxic Mortgage-Backed Securities

European Banks Sue Countrywide and Merrill Lynch Over Toxic Mortgage-Backed Securities

By DEE MOORE 

     (CN) - In seperate complaints, two European banks claim in New York Supreme Court that Merrill Lynch and Countrywide duped them into investing hundreds of millions of dollars in mortgage-backed securities.
     Dexia SA/NV of Belgium sued Merrill Lynch and Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg of Germany named Countrywide as a defendant.
     Dexia alleges that Merrill Lynch misled the institution about $527 million worth of residential mortgage-backed securities, while Landesbank claims Countrywide misled it about $455 million worth of RMBS.
     Merrill Lynch claimed it investigated both the mortgage lenders and the loan applicants before packaging the loans into the now infamously toxic financial products.
     "In truth, and as Dexia and the world would only later discover, the originators whose loans collateralized the Merrill Lynch RMBS at issue were among the worst of the worst culprits in the subprime lending industry. These originators have since folded up their operations, filed for bankruptcy or been shut down by regulators, and are the subject of numerous governmental investigations and private lawsuits alleging misconduct arising out of pervasive illegal and improper mortgage lending practices and other violations of law," the lawsuit states."Merrill Lynch learned that the originators routinely and flagrantly disregarded their own underwriting guidelines, originated loans based on wildly inflated appraisal values, and manipulated the underwriting process in order to issue to borrowers loans who had no plausible means to repay them,"
     Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg's lawsuit involves $455 million worth of bad RMBS sold by Countrywide, touted by the company as sound investments with AAA ratings.
     "As (Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg) would only later discover, the originators of those loans . . . were among the worst culprits in the subprime industry," the complaint reads. "Countrywide also knowingly provided false information to the credit rating agencies to secure an investment grade rating for its RMBS."
     Both plaintiffs claim in their complaints that because of the astounding loan default rates and massive downgrades of the certificates, which are all now considered "junk," the companies investments are no longer marketable. The lawsuits name Merill Lynch, Countrywide and a host of subsidiaries and corporate officers.
     The lawsuits were filed by Gerald H. Silk, Avi Josefson and Ross Shikowitz of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP of New York.

Copyright Courthouse News Service 2012

http://www.cnssecuritieslaw.com/2012/04/04/286.htm

Chevron Forum Shopping Bylaw Invalid, Shareholder Says

Chevron Forum Shopping Bylaw Invalid, Shareholder Says

By DEE MOORE 

     (CN) - Chevron got slapped with a shareholder derivative action for adopting a "forum shopping" bylaw requiring shareholder actions to be filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery to the exclusion of all other courts.
     Stephen Bushansky claims the bylaw is invalid because it conflicts with federal constitutional and statutory provisions and infringe upon federal jurisdiction of the California courts as well as other state courts.
     Plaintiff asserts that the bylaw is not enforceable because its provisions attempt to subject stockholders to Delaware's legal processes in conflict with other state, federal and due process laws.
     "Moreover, the Exclusive Forum Bylaw provides that any stockholder who sues in any forum other than the Delaware Court of Chancery may be sued by the company for breach of the Exclusive Forum Bylaw and held liable for the company's expenses in the other forum," the complaint states.
     In addition, the bylaw "requires that actions arising under provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law that are actions at law, rather than actions at equity, must be brought in the Delaware Court of Chancery even though the court's statutorily and historically defined jurisdiction excludes such claims," the complaint states.
     Bushansky named board chairman and CEO John Watson as well as board members and company directors Samuel Armacost, Linnet Deily, Robert Denham, Robert Eaton, Chuck Hagel, Enrique Hernandez Jr., Franklyn Jenifer, George Kirkland, Sam Nunn, Donald Rice, Kevin Sharer, Charles Shoemate, John Stumpf, Ronald Sugar and Carl Ware as defendnats.
     He is seeking an order preventing the company from enforcing the bylaw, to have it declared invalid, requiring the company repay any damages or losses that it has caused as well as any court costs and attorney's fees generated by shareholder action.
     Bushansky, of New York, filed the complaint in the San Francisco Division of the U.S. District Court of Northern California. He is represented by Joseph H. Weiss, James E. Tullman and Joshua M. Rubin of Weiss & Lurie of New York and by Leigh A. Parker in Los Angeles.

Copyright Courthouse News Service 2012 

http://www.cnssecuritieslaw.com/2012/04/04/287.htm