< Previous“IT WAS A FRIDAY AFTERNOON and I was getting off from work.” Melissa Blemur, a freshman pre-nursing student, recalls the moment she received word of her financial situation from Andrews. Her academic advisor had called with the promise of good news and proceeded to let her know that she was a recipient of the President’s Student Schol- arship Fund. Melissa recounts, “I thank God that I was in my car because I started screaming on the phone. I was very happy and also shocked because out of all the kids coming to Andrews, I was accepted. I felt really blessed hearing the news.” Melissa believes God brought her to Andrews. She remembers that at the end of her senior year of high school, she paused to pray about her next steps. Andrews immediately came to mind, but she prayed again to be sure. That next Sabbath she discovered that the visiting pastor at her church was an Andrews alumnus. Melissa states, “I took that as my sign from God and here I am now.” This past year, hundreds of students ben- efited from two key financial aids offered by Andrews: the Student Life COVID-19 Emer- gency Fund and the President’s Student Scholarship Fund. Together, the two forms of support provided immediate crisis assis- tance and addressed the long-term financial difficulties stemming from the pandemic. The Student Life COVID-19 Emergency Fund was created in direct response to the financial impact the pandemic had on An- drews students in March. Some students, unable to return home, lost their jobs on campus and in the community. The fund helps cover costs of rent and groceries, providing much-needed support at the necessary times. Originating in 1972, the President’s Student Scholarship Fund assists students who have utilized all other financial aid resources—student loans, government aid, parent contributions, merit scholarships and employment—and still need a final push to complete registration. Awarded once per semester in the form of a specific sum, from $500 to $2,000, the scholarship allows students to complete their financial process and enroll at Andrews. Communication about both funds was sent out this spring via emails, phone calls and social media to alumni and other willing individuals. In response, since April 2020, 532 donors have given gifts totaling nearly $1 million. Thanks to this generosi- ty, 460 students received essential financial assistance from one of the two funds. Another student recipient of the Pres- ident’s Student Scholarship Fund, Jose Antonio Alegria II, joined the Andrews community this past fall as a freshman in pre-nursing. Jose has a passion for his cho- A REASON to CELEBRATE by Isabella Koh 20 —FOCUS 20 —FOCUS“I took that as my sign from God and here I am now.” —MELISSA “I love the campus, and the people here are great!” —JOSE “ The scholarship came at a time when I really needed a miracle … ” —ZUZAI Jose Antonio Alegria IIZuzai HizokeMelissa Blemur sen career, community service and cars, and he recalls that he “wanted to come here [Andrews] since I was young.” As he researched, it became clear that Andrews was the place that would foster the career he wanted to pursue. He received the news of the scholarship at 2:30 a.m. the morning of his journey from Chicago- land to Berrien Springs, remembering how he had to wait until the rest of his family awoke to share the good news. Jose admits, “I was feeling kind of scared and excited for this new college experience. This scholarship really reassured me and motivated me to put in more hard work.” One of his favorite things about campus so far has been the experience of meeting new people. He enthuses, “I love the campus, and the people here are great! I love the diversity.” Jose is excit- ed about the future and is grateful for the part his scholarship has paid in helping him pursue his academic journey and future career. Graduate student Zuzai Hizoke journeyed to Andrews with his family from Papua New Guinea in 2017, believing that the school has been blessed with two especially great things: the best professors and the best library. After completing prerequisites, he is now a first year student pursuing a PhD in missions with a cognate in religious education and disciple- ship—and he has experienced firsthand the financial difficulty in being an international student from a country with such a small economy. He affirms, “The scholarship came at a time when I really needed a miracle … It was relieving especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its serious effects. I can say, this timely scholarship has helped me to stay more focused on my studies and not to worry about my fees. That is how powerful such timely assistance can be.” Zuzai participates as an active member of the campus community through preaching, Sabbath schools and Bible studies and plans to teach and minister back at home once he has obtained his degree. He and his family have a motto for when they leave Andrews: “Wherever the Lord call?” They remain open to God’s guid- ance in future journeys. For the time being, Zuzai voices his gratitude for Andrews. “Remember, it may be one of those normal things you do to give out scholarships like this to the so many that come your way, but please, be reminded, to some of us, it is a big thing—something that the family and our folks back home celebrate for. It speaks highly of this country and its citizens and, more importantly, the University.” He adds, “May I say, thank you to the masterminds behind this scholarship and prayer that our good Lord will continue to guide, lead and bless you all.” Individuals who are interested in giving to the President’s Student Scholarship Fund can visit andrews.edu/go/give/pres. To contribute to the Student Life COVID-19 Emergency Fund, visit andrews.edu/go/give/studentlifeCOVID19 . Fall 2020— 2122 —FOCUS In Praise of Small Ponds by Ivan & Olivia Ruiz-Knott F or almost a year now, Livvy and I have been producing a podcast about Ellen White’s “Conflict of the Ages” series called “The Conflict Audible.” With the help of Alex Prouty, Kevin Burton, Mark Cook and a few other consultants, we’ve been re- searching topics, interviewing experts, writing scripts, recording voice overs, scoring, editing and publishing episodes about these five books. We’ve been making overviews for each volume, and exploring other issues like inspiration, literary borrowing, and the physical manifes- tations of visionary experiences. It’s been hard work at times—trying to understand and explain some of these really complex topics. But it’s also been very rewarding; a chance to explore our own questions while also learning a lot, both about Ellen White and how to make a podcast. The idea for the show came about because Types & Symbols—the design studio I’m a part Fall 2020— 23 of—Kickstarted a new, redesigned, NKJV edition of the “Conflict of the Ages” series called “The Conflict Beautiful.” In the process of running the funding campaign, designing the books, and working on edito- rial changes, we realized that we ourselves had some questions about how exactly people are supposed to relate to some of the things that Ellen White wrote. Growing up, I knew that Ellen White was really important to my family, and to Adventism, but I didn’t personally read very much of her. I never had a negative experience with her writings, but I heard a lot that she always pointed to Jesus, and told people to read their Bibles. I figured that if I was looking at Jesus and reading the Bible I didn’t really need to worry too much about getting into her voluminous works. I know many people—and it sounds like older generations especially—have had pretty negative experiences around Ellen White, but to me she seemed more irrelevant than negative. Why read someone who’s telling you to read the Bible instead of just read- ing your Bible? But when I picked up her books, and when we started to get into the redesign, I realized that I could really use a refresher about what Adventists believe about her gift. It’s true that there are already a lot of really good resources about Ellen White, but as a studio we thought it would be great to have one that was more accessible. What if there could be a high-quality resource that could give us the overview we wanted, share some helpful context, and explore some of the difficult questions? And what if you could listen to it on the go? A few people have asked us who the intended audience is for the show. We don’t necessarily come across as diehard fans of Ellen and these books, and we’ve been exploring some topics that those who are might choose to avoid. And the answer, for Livvy and I, and for the studio, is that we’re really making this podcast for ourselves. We wanted something like this to exist. So we decided to make it. For Livvy and I, one thing that keeps coming up as we think about different proj- ects of ours, but especially this one, is that in many ways our experience at Andrews prepared us for this. Andrews was the place that stoked our interests and gave us the courage to try new things. We moved to Boston after Livvy gradu- ated, but we grew up in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Both of us went to Andrews Academy and then the University. And while I graduated with a degree in graphic design, I dabbled in the writing and documentary film programs. Livvy—who’s not a part of Types & Symbols and is currently working as a software engineer—studied religion and communication. So in some obvious ways, our academic interests at Andrews pre- pared us for this exact project. But Andrews was so much more to us than the degree programs: it was the community. A commu- nity with a certain size and spirit. Andrews was a small pond, and we were for the most part normal-sized fish, who knew a lot of other normal-sized fish. Mov- ing to a city we lost that. But even more than losing friends and familiar faces, we lost a certain amount of potential. There was a very tangible sense at Andrews that if you wanted something to exist—whether a club or an event or something social—you could make it happen. Andrews was far enough away from anything exceedingly fun that you could create and make up fun things to do, and people would come to them. You could just start things. Inspired by The Moth Radio Hour, some friends and I started a semi-regular live storytelling event called “Glint,” which we hosted in the yearbook offices. Livvy started an after-vespers spoken word event called “Poetry & Prose,” which involved readings around different topics every month. We would sit in a moodily lit auditorium, feel feelings, and snap at poets turning phrases. Friends of ours started open-mic events and dramatic productions and conversa- tion projects, and it seemed like anything you could come up with, people were down to support it. “There was no one right answer to most problems. She [Ellen White] always took the context into consideration and even said, believe it or not, use common sense. Adventists of my generation, that's the last thing they used. They had a quotation, well, somewhat like a blazing gun, and you didn't stand up against the quotation.” George Knight, emeritus professor of church history at the Seventh- day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University, in episode 1, “A Panoramic View” “Various times serendipity experiences have happened to me where I would be studying some passage in the Bible and I would find this amazing insight there that I hadn't seen … and then I would go and read Ellen White's comments about that passage and I would find that she saw that all along even though it wasn't in the English translations and she didn't know any Hebrew.” Richard M. Davidson, professor of Old Testament interpretation at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University, in episode 2, “Volume 1: ‘Patriarchs and Prophets’” “The Conflict Beautiful” edition from Types & Symbols24 —FOCUS 24 —FOCUS “Walter Rea came to Chattanooga to speak, and I went to hear him, and it was quite a spirited presentation. Very negative, very critical of the church and of Ellen White. And I also remember in class a professor came to visit one of the classes and he was a psychology professor, and he was talking about all the charges against Ellen White, the challenges the church was facing, and he said, I feel sorry for you guys going into theology.” Jud S. Lake, professor of preaching and Adventist studies at Southern Adventist University, in Episode 4, “Giving Credit” “Of course, you've got groups on the more conservative side of Protestantism that would say Adventists aren't biblical enough and that the very presence of a figure like Ellen White is proof of a disrespect of the sufficiency of the Bible. So depending on where you stand on that spectrum, Adventism either looks more biblically traditional or less. But I think in terms of defining itself against other 19th century new religious movements in the United States, I think the church is being completely accurate in saying that it's the most biblically bound of those movements.” David F. Holland, professor of American religious history at the Harvard Divinity School, in episode 3, “Prophets and Prophets” “I often say that she has some of the loftiest statements on race that you can imagine. And at other times she has very practical statements.” Benjamin Baker, Adventist historian, in episode 8, “White and Blacks, Part 1” "And sometimes, creativity is mostly about having the bravery (or foolishness) to just try something new." One year we even got involved in start- ing a group called The Refinery, where over a dozen of us would get together once a week and sit around thinking up even more ideas for events and projects. Many of the ideas didn’t go anywhere, but we did end up organizing a campus-wide game of something like tag but much more stressful and involving marshmal- lows and socks. There were of course all the more offi- cially-sponsored things as well: working on Student Movement, the Cast, the Car- dinal. Livvy worked as an RA at Lamson Hall, served in the AUSA Senate, then as AUSA president her senior year. We both have Honors theses that we’re still proud of. All these things involved challenges and responsibilities, but they were oppor- tunities for us in the first place because the pond was the perfect size for us. And I want to acknowledge that any- one can make a podcast. You, reading this—you too can make a podcast! And you probably already have one—almost everyone does. And there are so many great resources out there that even if we hadn’t attended Andrews University we could still become very capable of producing great audio content. But we might not be the kind of people who would have tried if it weren’t for the supportive spirit of Andrews. An image that keeps coming to mind for me is all the smiling grownups that would come to cantatas at the Berrien Springs Spanish church. There were people, and there still are people, in Adventist church- es all across the world that beam with joy and gratitude at young, pitchy singers who are just trying something out that they’re not very good at. I think being at Andrews felt like a slightly less condescending but equally supportive version of that. And for us, that has had an enduring effect. After moving away from institutional Adventism to a major city, it took us a while to find our footing. To realize that watching strangers put on performanc- es and hearing live stories from people you don’t really know has a different feel to it. That part of the joy of creating and enjoying content has to do with how well you know the audience or the author. And once we figured that out, it took us some time to assemble a community of people who would be interested in small events in small apartments. But throughout it all we’ve begun to understand that the community of Andrews helped us feel like we could do anything well, even if we couldn’t. And sometimes, creativity is mostly about having the bravery (or fool- ishness) to just try something new. So thank you, Andrews—you professors and staff and alumni and former class- mates and donors—for supporting us. And wherever you are, and whatever you do, if you are in a position where you can beam at some young person trying out some- thing new, please do it. And if they’re bad, you can laugh, kindly, and tell them they’re bad. And also tell them this: it’s normal to be bad before you’re good. Tell them you can’t wait to see what they’ll do next. Ivan Ruiz-Knott (’14) is a principal and designer at Types & Symbols. Olivia Ruiz-Knott (’15) is a software engineer at edX. They reside in Somerville, Massachusetts, and miss college a lot. You can learn more about “The Conflict Audible” as well as “The Conflict Beautiful” by visiting theconflictbeautiful.com .The loaded Andrews Univer- sity truck leaving the campus of Atlantic Union College. Fall 2020— 25 Unloading a tractor-trailer full of boxes on a hot and steamy August day is not ideal, but there was anticipation in the air as several staff members and student workers from the Center for Adventist Research and James White Library unloaded the vast yellow Andrews University trailer filled with roughly 30,000 pounds of materials. This included books, artifacts, tracts, periodicals and other resources from Atlantic Union College’s (AUC) Heritage Room and other locations on its campus that were once a part of their historical materials collection. Atlantic Union College Legacy Lives on at Andrews by Center for Adventist Research Also included were selected admin- istrative and organizational records, documenting the most recent 20 years of the College. AUC was the oldest Seventh-day Adventist educational institution operating on the same site where it was founded in 1882. Judymae Richards, administrative assistant at the Center for Adventist Research, said, “I was excited to be able to help. It turned out to be a wonderful time of teamwork and fellowship—one of the first times we were able to work together in person in months. We ladies carried items and stacked boxes all day. It was truly a team effort. We are very grateful that the AUC items are finding a home here at Andrews University. They represent a great faith heritage.” The historical materials made the lengthy 18-hour trip from the AUC campus in South Lancaster, Massa- chusetts, to Andrews University over two days, stopping at the Historic Adventist Village in Battle Creek, Michigan, to drop off items from AUC going to Adventist Heritage Minis- tries. Securing the Atlantic Union College materials was an extended process that encompassed several years. Since 2011, when Atlantic Union College was forced to close its doors for a variety of reasons, the College and the Atlantic Union Confer- ence leadership made several efforts to find a way to reopen the College and keep it functioning. After that was no longer possible, the leaders of the At- lantic Union Conference were looking into the possibility of establishing a museum that would feature Adventist artifacts and other historical resourc- es held by the College. Seventh-day Adventism began in New England and it seemed appropriate to continue to maintain the historical resources in that part of the country. However, it soon became clear that the cost and logistics to accomplish that plan would be too high. Merlin Burt, then director of the Center for Adventist Research, together with James Nix, the now-retired director of the Ellen G. White Estate, and its vice-director Tim Poirier, along with Markus Kutzschbach, executive direc- tor of Adventist Heritage Ministries, “AUC’s closing was very sad and moving items that represented its history made the closing final.” LEFT: CAR staff Jim Ford and Tamara Karr, along with student workers Daniele Fantoni and Fabio Siniscarchio, pause for a brief thumbs-up after unpacking. BELOW LEFT: The bulk of boxed materials in the AUC Library. BELOW RIGHT: CAR staff unload boxes onto a pallet. 26 —FOCUS 26 —FOCUS assisted the Atlantic Union Conference officers, and through them the execu- tive committee, in assessing how best to proceed with preserving the valuable Adventist historical artifacts, books and other materials. The decision was made to first find places within the Atlan- tic Union Conference for some of the artifacts and materials. Next, many of the more significant artifacts went to the Ellen G. White Estate in Silver Spring, Maryland, and to the sites of Adventist Heritage Ministries. The bulk of the historical and research materials came to the Center for Adventist Research at Andrews University. The Atlantic Union Conference officers, executive committee and constituency deserve a multitude of rec- ognition and gratitude for their careful attention to preserving these priceless and important materials for posterity. This will permit telling stories about the mighty acts of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of early Sev- enth-day Adventists and the educational ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It further allows the opportunity to actually show objects associated with those stories. As the saying goes, “a pic- ture [or an object in this case] is worth a thousand words.” Particular appreci- ation is due to Elias Zabala, treasurer of the Union, and Barbara Fuller, manager of the Atlantic Union College campus. They have shown great responsibility in preserving the materials during the uncertain years since the closing of the school. It should be noted that the his- torical materials entrusted to the Center for Adventist Research and other enti- ties are for the purpose of continuing the memory, legacy and story of Atlantic Union College. Thousands of students attended AUC over the years, and many of the students went on to make signifi- cant contributions to the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and bless the world in so many ways. There are multiple diverse objects that will be preserved by the Center for Ad- ventist Research—original communion glasses from the church at Washington, New Hampshire, where the Sabbath was first embraced in the spring of 1844, and materials from Adventist pioneers like James White, Stephen N. Haskell, Uriah Smith and F.C. Gilbert. Other materials include the Ottilie Stafford poetry/litera- ture collection, records from the former New England Sanitarium, paintings, class banners, chairs from the AUC Board Room, and administrative records documenting the last years of the col- lege. Also, the periodical collection from the Heritage Room of the AUC library is particularly rich and will expand the resources available through both the Center for Adventist Research and the Adventist Digital Library. “Moving the AUC collection to An- drews University was bittersweet for me,” said Tamara Karr, collections associate at the Center for Adventist Research. “I grew up in New England and most of my family attended Atlantic Union College. AUC’s closing was very sad and moving items that represented its history made the closing final. How- ever, knowing that the collection is here at Andrews made me happy. I know it will be preserved and shared.” When the Atlantic Union College resources are added to the Center’s collection, they will be identified in the James White Library catalog as coming from AUC. Exhibited items will also be shown as coming from AUC. Addition- ally, when material that came from AUC is digitized and placed in the Adventist Digital Library, AUC will be identified as the source of the material. In that way, these items and materials will continue the legacy of the College. After the in- ventory work is complete, the Center for Adventist Research will share unneeded materials with other Adventist institu- tions to further preserve the legacy of Atlantic Union College. A Global Celebration of Andrews This year’s Alumni Homecoming Weekend was postponed until 2021. Instead, Alumni Services planned a full weekend of virtual events including vespers, Sabbath School, church, a live walk-through campus tour and a concert featuring Department of Music ensembles. Online attendees were also able to view a healthy cooking demonstration and participate in a Q&A “Tea with the President.” Thank you to all who participated. For those who would like to view the weekend’s programs, visit alumni.andrews.edu/celebrateau . Weavers are multiple-generation Andrewsites! Now our fourth generation is celebrating quality education in the best Christian tradition! Much of our family mission commitment comes from the Gospel commission reinforced while at Andrews. Sharon Weaver-Pittman (former faculty) Livestreamed walk-through tour of campus with Kelsey Curnutt and Andriy Kharkovvy, director of Alumni Services Fall 2020— 27 Fall 2020— 27Greetings from Portland, Oregon. I came to Andrews University in 1997 and graduated in 2000 with a BS in dietetics and 2003 with a Master of Divinity. Andrews is very dear and It’s so strange not to be making the nine hours trek to AU this September for Homecoming Weekend. Fred Burghardt (BS Biology 1982) and I (BS Chemistry 1983) have been back to Andrews so many times in the last six years as our three daughters (Katharina BMus [her degree is BMus in secondary music education], 2020, Annelise BMus/BA Psych 2021 and Alaina BA Spanish/International Studies 2023) are all alums or students, and we have attended so many music, theatre and basketball events over the years. We love Andrews, have so many friends in the area, love Michiana and the fruit farms and beautiful Lake Michigan. We wish we could be there to greet all our friends and classmates in person, it is always a joy to have a serendipitous encounter with someone we haven’t seen in decades. Andrews students, staff, faculty, administration and alumni are all in our prayers as we navigate this new COVID-19 world. Fred is involved in education here in the New York Conference as educational superintendent and principal of Union Springs Academy and has overseen the rapid deployment of online learning last spring and this fall, and I continue to practice otolaryngology as a solo surgeon. COVID-19 has created so many changes in our lives, but we trust God to see us through. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected to the Lord as the only source of peace in an ever-changing world. And go Lady Cardinals! Beth Cady Burghardt (BS ’83) precious to my heart because of the lifelong friendships, great education, positive experiences and rich bonds I established there. My journey has taken me into a rich chaplaincy ministry with special interest in bereavement and complicated grief. Recently I completed my DMin in leadership and spiritual formation. I currently work at Portland Adventist Medical Center and will be transitioning to Tillamook Adventist to be the lead chaplain. I praise God for leading me to Andrews University to be trained to go into the world and make a difference in humanity and also to build up his kingdom. May God continue to bless this place of training, especially during these strange times with the COVID-19 pandemic. Pam Strachan (BSD ’00, MDiv ’03) A GLOBAL CELEBRATION OF ANDREWS “Courage + Resilience” concert with the University Wind Symphony (pictured), Singers and Symphony Orchestra Scriptural Pursuit Sabbath School with Glenn Russell and Donald Bedney 28 —FOCUS 28 —FOCUS 28 —FOCUSPHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Alumni were invited to display their Andrews spirit by posting a photo or video in Andrews gear. Mission accomplished! 8.71 miles walked with my family at Newport, Rhode Island. Craving serenity? Newport’s enchanting 3.5-mile Cliff Walk is the perfect place for your moment of peace. Panoramic ocean views, crashing waves and the perfect amount of sea breeze on one side and stunning, centuries-old Gilded Age mansions on the other; heaven is a place on earth. Robert Garcia (MAPM ’16) Hi! I finished my MA in religion in 2017 and now I am pursuing my PhD in mission and leadership, focusing on urban mission, and the elite of society. I’ve been serving with my family in New York City since January 2020. Bogdan Platon (MA ’17) Looking back on 52 years of my life, I cannot but be amazed at how God has carried me through the years and brought me to where I am today. I made the decision to leave Mauritius in August 1994 for the United States to start my tertiary education at Andrews University. My first year was an amazing blessing to me and my family. I met my best friends in the ABIDE ministry group, and others during the GO94 Conference and they had a great impact on my journey with the Lord. I was baptized by Pastor David Rand on May 27, 1995, at PMC and I earned my BBA in management in 1997. I chose to leave Andrews to do my graduate studies in Louisiana but I struggled to fit in at a non-Adventist university and in the real world away from God. He closed the door on my stay in the U.S. and I had to go back to Mauritius at the end of 2003. But then He opened another door for me, this time to Melbourne, Australia, where I started going back to an Adventist church and met my future wife. Henriette and I got married in December 2006, and the Creator of the universe has allowed us to be used by Him to serve others in our local church in Mernda through children’s Sabbath School, prayer groups, singing and helping those in need. During this lockdown period of the COVID-19 once-in- a-lifetime pandemic, I’ve come to realize that every day of my life is a blessing. I can’t remain insensitive to what He’s done for me. Nigel Sew Kwan Kan (BBA ’ 97) Pastor Eugene Kitney Jennifer & Ken Garcia Chaplain Cheryl Simmons A virtual healthy cooking demonstration was sponsored by the School of Population Health, Nutrition & Wellness Larry Penney completed his virtual 5k trail run in Cape Spear, Newfoundland, the most easterly point in North America Francophone Group Sabbath School and Divine Service Fall 2020— 29 Fall 2020— 29Next >