Pacific Union College

Pacific Union College (PUC) is based in Napa Valley in California and notably, it is the only four-year college in Napa County. In the past, the campus has been named America's Most Beautiful College by Newsweek and The Daily Beast.

The college serves as almost exclusively an undergraduate facility – with just one masters programme – and the majority live on campus. The campus is welcoming, and in fact, many professors open up their homes for department dinners, offering students a home-cooked meal. 

PUC is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is affiliated with the Adventist Church. Students study a variety of courses offered by the school's 20 academic departments.

As well as the usual degrees you would expect to see, PUC offers a number of unique classes such as, in 2014, the college offered a "Psychology of Star Trek" course, which explored psychological topics through Star Trek series. Others include "Sex Trafficking in Kolkata, India" which is in fact taught in India, and a class on tropical biology taught, uniquely, from a boat on the Amazon River.

Moreover, PUC requires students to study a variety of fitness classes as part of its general education curriculum, which include: fencing, trikke, pickleball, swimming, water aerobics, polo, canoeing, ski, snowboarding, soccer, dance, yoga, and more.

On campus, there is the popular Rasmussen Art Gallery, which exhibits both contemporary and historically significant artwork. Each year, the gallery hosts six shows, and showcases work from artists from the region as well as from faculty and students. This is a great way for students to show off their talents. 

There are more than 50 clubs on campus which include: the Secular Student Alliance, Biology Club, Pre-Med Club, Dramatic Arts Society, Musical Arts Symposium, Homeless Ministry, College Democrats and many others.

Notable alumni include Arnaud "Arna" Wendell Bontemps, an American poet, novelist and librarian, and a noted member of the Harlem Renaissance, Jerry Lyle Pettis, an American politician and a Congressman from California, and Lisa Breckenridge, an American television personality and news anchor on KTTV Fox 11 News.