Anna Maria Ponzi has been named director of Linfield University’s Center for Wine Education, effective April 8.
It’s not a huge change for Ponzi, who has been leading undergraduate, graduate and certification programs as interim director since January. Jennifer Madden, dean of the Linfield University School of Business, said she was delighted to see Ponzi’s leadership continue. Continue reading
Linfield University’s Center for Wine Education will host “Apertura: Opening Doors to Oregon Wine,” an afternoon of panel discussions and workshops designed to foster connection and lower barriers in the Oregon wine industry, on Thursday, April 11.
The half-day event focuses on creating spaces, both physical and professional, for those who have historically been excluded from the wine industry. Apertura’s panels and workshops examine overlapping categories of exclusion, including socioeconomic, identity and physical ability. Continue reading
Anna Maria Ponzi, former owner, chief executive and president of Ponzi Vineyards, will serve as interim director of Linfield University’s Center for Wine Education after Tim Matz announced plans to step down at the end of the year.
Ponzi is a second-generation wine producer who was instrumental in establishing Oregon’s Willamette Valley as a world-renowned winegrowing region. She grew up on one of the first vineyards in Oregon, which her family established in 1970, and has served as a champion for and ambassador of Oregon wine her entire life. Continue reading
After more than two years of innovative leadership, Tim Matz has announced he will retire as head of Linfield University’s wine studies programs at the end of the year.
Under Matz’s leadership, Linfield introduced new courses of study, including the Master of Science in business specializing in wine business leadership and new events such as the BIPOC Wine Symposium, which attracted national speakers in its inaugural year. The Acorn to Oak Wine Experience, a student-run tasting room on McMinnville’s Third Street, opened in September.
Continue reading
Jazz pianist and winemaker Marcus Johnson will perform “Live in Wine Country” at the Stoller Experience Center on Dayton’s Stoller Family Estate on Thursday, Dec. 7. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Linfield University’s Department of Music to provide scholarships and instruments to students requiring financial assistance. Continue reading
Homecoming Weekend 2023 drew Linfield University alumni by the hundreds from around the country to McMinnville for three days of celebrations, sports, wine, science and memories.
“It was a phenomenal Homecoming Weekend — the largest we’ve had since the pandemic,” said Debbie Harmon Ferry ’90, director of alumni and parent engagement. “We were thrilled to be able to share so many exciting new aspects of Linfield, like the Acorn to Oak Wine Experience and the new W.M. Keck Science Center, but also take time to just be together, eat, drink, celebrate and enjoy what makes Linfield so special.” Continue reading
For the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report magazine has named Linfield University the No. 1 liberal arts college in Oregon and one of the best in the nation when it comes to social mobility. In the publication’s 2024 rankings, Linfield was named No. 52 in the nation on the “Top Performers in Social Mobility” list, up five spots from 2023’s No. 57. Continue reading
Linfield University students will run the Acorn to Oak Wine Experience at 546 N.E. Third St. in McMinnville starting later this summer.
Linfield University students will learn about running a business and serving customers, and community members will have another location for sipping wine, when the new Acorn to Oak Wine Experience opens later this summer in downtown McMinnville.
The educational project will fill the space long occupied by RJ Studios, RJ Yuranek’s photographer business and art gallery, at 546 N.E. Third St. RJ will continue to run his photo studio from an entrance on Ford Street, behind Acorn to Oak. Continue reading
Crews had precisely aligned 4,602 chairs across the vast lawn Sunday morning, and yet Linfield University’s 2023 Commencement was standing-room-only. Family members and loved ones came from throughout Oregon, New York, Hawaii and even Bolivia to celebrate the lives 570 graduates had led as they stood on the precipice of a new one.
“This marks the transition between what was and what will be — thresholds are the site where past and present mingle, weave and take hold of each other,” said Linfield Chaplain Jeremy Richards during the invocation. “It is in the present moment that the future takes hold of the past and offers it gratitude, and where the past lets go, trusting in all the future holds.”
Linfield University will graduate 397 students during its official Commencement 10 a.m. Sunday, May 28 on the Commencement Green; there are multiple celebrations and ceremonies held in the run-up. Unless otherwise noted, all events are held on the McMinnville campus and open to the community; see the full list of 2023 Commencement events. Continue reading