FOCUSFALL 2021 Vol 57 No 4 PG 16 — Alumni Homecoming 2021 PG 20 —A Time to Celebrate PG 23 — First Class PG 26 —Honored Alumni & Classes the andrews university magazineEditor Gillian Panigot (BA ’06, MA ’08) focus@andrews.edu | 269-471-3348 Associate Editor Patricia Spangler (BS ’04) Contributing Editors Andriy Kharkovyy (BBA ’06, MBA ’09) Laura Malcolm (BBA ’11) Designer Justin Jeffery (BMus ’04) Photographers Jeff Boyd (MBA ’04) Darren Heslop (BFA ’10) Jackson John (current student) Anna Lonto (current student) Scott Moncrieff (MA ’84) Josiah Morrow (current student) Dawson Par (current student) Christina Rogers (current student) David Sherwin (BFA ’82) Peter Tumangday (current student) Rayno Victor (current student) Julia Viniczay (BFA ’21) Alina Weber (current student) Writers Isabella Koh (current student) Moriah McDonald (current student) Scott Moncrieff (MA ’84) FOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The magazine’s address is FOCUS, Office of University Communication, Andrews Universi- ty, 8903 US Hwy 31, Berrien Springs MI 49104-1000. Copyright © 2021 by Andrews University. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. Printed by Holland Litho Printing Service, Zeeland MI. Periodicals postage paid at Berrien Springs MI, and at additional mailing offices. Please send address changes to FOCUS Magazine, Office of Alumni Services, Andrews University, 8714 E Campus Circle Dr, Berrien Springs MI 49104-0950, email alumni@andrews.edu or call 269-471-3591. President Andrea Luxton (MA ’78) Provost Christon Arthur (BA ’90, MA ’95, EdS ’99, PhD ’00) Vice President for Financial Administration Glenn “Chip” Meekma (att.) Special Assistant to the President for University & Public Affairs Stephen Payne Vice President for Campus & Student Life Frances Faehner (BSW ’76, PhD ’07) Vice President for University Culture & Inclusion Michael T. Nixon (BS ’09) Vice President for Strategy, Marketing & Enrollment/ Chief Communication Officer Tony Yang Vice President for University Advancement David A. Faehner (MA ’72) FOCUS the andrews university magazine Valuing the Familiar order to value? I want to talk here about Adventist education, as an example. I firmly believe that Seventh-day Ad- ventist education is a unique gift God gave to this church. I also believe that the strength and depth of the church is directly proportional to the strength of its education program. Yet sometimes it seems that this gift has somehow become so familiar, so much part of what is “there” that we focus on what is “wrong” (or at least what may not be perfect) far more than we value the gift. We hear something we don’t like and decide to metaphorically hide the gift in the attic. I know what sacrifices my parents made to give me an Adventist education. And, no, it wasn’t always perfect. But I have absolutely no doubt that without that sacrifice I would not be where I am now. So yes, I find it very disappointing to see the contempt that familiarity might bring, impacting our acceptance of this great gift. And not just that but impacting the opportunity of the next generation to experience the gift themselves. I do hope that one thing we learn from this pandemic is the importance of valuing and taking advantage of all the gifts God has given us, even if they have become only too familiar. To me, Seventh-day Adventist education is one of those gifts. Andrea Luxton, president HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW WHAT IS NEW and “amazing” soon becomes custom- ary and taken for granted? I know this ages me, but I still remember the days when I could sign a cell phone out of my office when I went on a trip “for safety.” And then came the first time I owned my own. Or what about those of us who grew up not just without the in- ternet but without computers. Can you remember back to that first computer, probably with challenging coding to get anything done? Or the first time you accessed the world wide web and had knowledge (and misinformation) at your fingertips? Now of course if we leave our cell phone at home and don’t have it for a few hours, or the internet crashes, we complain and are at a loss. Then there is that sense of happiness and relief when the cell phone is back in our hands or the internet is reset and starts working again. I have become acutely aware of this pattern of taking for granted, loss and then experiencing joy at the return to “normal” over the last few months. Have you found yourself loitering a bit longer than you used to in a store that you enjoy, valuing the smell and color in the display of fresh fruit and vegetables? Maybe you have re-found a friendship that you took for granted as you meet again in person. Perhaps it is the joy of breathing in the fresh air and walking alongside others again. Certainly when we were able to have Homecoming on our campus in September 2021 there was a general agreement that this was one of the best ever! There appeared to just be more gratitude, more smiles, more warmth. I know that our team came out of the event tired, yes, but also rejuvenated because of that apparent rediscovery of joy. This brings me to a point of reflec- tion. How can we remind ourselves of what is good and truly value it, even if it is customary and always there? Do we always have to rediscover in 2 FOCUS WINTER 2020 The FSC® trademark indicates that the paper contains fiber from responsibly managed forest in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council®. From the President’s Desk World Changers Made Here.Fall 2021—Volume 57, Number 4 16 Homecoming 2021 Alumni were happy to once again gather in person for a weekend of events and celebration. 20 A Time to Celebrate As BSCF, New Life Fellowship and DMC mark significant anniversaries, several current and former leaders share how they have been personally impacted through each ministry. 23 First Class: An Andrews alumnus remembers the beginnings by Scott Moncrieff Marshall Chase, a member of the first graduating class of Andrews University, recalls his student experience. Features Departments 2 President’s Desk 4 Campus Update 12 Howard Happenings 13 Faculty & Staff 26 Alumni News 31 Alumni Calendar & Class Notes 32 Life Stories 20 Life on Campus 5 Cover: The 34th Annual Homecoming Parade Photo credit: Peter Tumangday, University Communication student photographer A Time to Celebrate First Class 23 Fall 2021— 3 In FOCUSLetter to the Editor Campus Update FOCUS | Summer 2021 Don’t forget to write Letters are always welcome. To ensure a range of viewpoints, we encourage letters of fewer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for content, style and space. By mail: FOCUS Editor Andrews University Office of University Communication 8903 US 31 Berrien Springs MI 49104-1000 By email: focus@andrews.edu Visit Andrews University’s YouTube channel to view the United Way Campaign Celebration, Chapels, concerts and more. andrews.edu/go/youtube andrews_university andrewsuniversity AndrewsUniv Follow Andrews on your favorite social media platform Dear FOCUS: Around this time 40 years ago, I found out that Dr. Paul Hamel was willing to help students out by purchasing musical instruments for a deep discount. I pur- chased a 12-string Ovation guitar with a hard case. That November day is etched forever in my memory when I visited his home to take possession of my now 40-year-old musical companion. Togeth- er we have served in countless church services, office worships, hospital and assisted living/nursing home visits. I also took a class from him called En- joyment of Music. I still have the records that I purchased for that class!! It was my first exposure to classical music as I had just moved from India to Andrews University. To this day, my favorite piece is Beethoven’s 5th Symphony—the second movement! I remember how he would call our attention to the various instruments and their exquisite parts in the piece. As my 40-year anniversary with my guitar has been approaching, I have been thinking about Dr. Hamel often. I will forever be grateful to him for his service to Andrews University and espe- cially to me. Then I saw the sad news in the FOCUS issue that I just received. Thank you, Dr. Hamel. God will restore your soul on the resurrection morn! Allan Willmott (BA ’82) THE ANNUAL ANDREWS AUTUMN CONFER- ence on Religion & Science took place from Nov. 12–13, with a theme of “The Andrews Way of Doing Archaeology.” Excavations in Hisban, Jordan, were started in 1968 by Siegfried H. Horn, who later founded the Horn Archaeo- logical Museum. The guidelines under which he worked have been established as the “Andrews Way” of doing archaeol- ogy—guidelines still followed by workers in biblical archaeology: 1. Be forthright with findings. Do not minimize problems or stretch interpretations of data to explain things away. 2. Do not make claims beyond what the data can support. 3. Be quick and complete in publish- ing results. 4. Engage and work within main- stream scholarship. 5. Include a diversity of people and specialists. 6. Take the history of the Bible seriously, but do not place upon archaeology the burden of “prov- ing” the Bible. “Although these guidelines were established for biblical archaeology, they are applicable to other disciplines and their relation to biblical faith,” explains Gary Burdick, dean of research. Øystein LaBianca, senior research professor and a plenary speaker for the conference, notes, “This conference has over the past several years provided a space where students, staff and faculty can tackle complex issues that arise from their efforts to navigate between the world of secular scholarship, the community of fellow believers and their own faith journeys.” Additional 2021 speakers included Andrews professor Randall W. Younker, Darrell J. Rohl (assistant professor, Calvin University), Christopher Jenkins (PhD student, Yale University), Carina Prestes (PhD student, Andrews Univer- sity) and Kevin Burton (director, Center for Adventist Research). The conference was sponsored by the Seventh-day Ad- ventist Theological Seminary, Institute of Archaeology and Siegfried H. Horn Museum, Theological Center for Inter- disciplinary Dialogue, and the Office of Research & Creative Scholarship. Autumn Conference on Religion & Science Highlights guidelines for biblical archaeology 4 —FOCUSStudents took advantage of the sunshine and set up study spots outside Andrews students were invited to join a Career Fair especially for students in the College of Professions on Oct. 19 in the Andreasen Center for Wellness At the Sept. 29 Clubs & Organizations Ice Cream Fair, students explored a variety of ways to get involved on campus The Andrews Cardinals women’s soccer team played Oakwood University on Oct. 17 Proximity Latino Vespers took place at Pioneer Memorial Church for Hispanic Heritage Month As part of Filipino American History Month, the Andrews Filipino International Association (AFIA) and the Korean American Student Association (KASA) hosted a White Rabbit Night Market highlighting their street market cultures LIFE ON CAMPUS Fall 2021— 5As the 2021 fall semester concludes on the Berrien Springs campus, Andrews University is again taking the measure of its current enrollment trends. ENROLLMENT Fall census numbers offer one lens to best assess Andrews University’s suc- cesses and challenges. This semester, our main campus census showed that there were 3,091 stu- dents enrolled at (or through) our main Berrien Springs campus—80 less than last year’s fall enrollment of 3,171. That represents an overall decrease of 2.5 percent, which reflects overall enrollment trends throughout the North American Adventist higher education system, which experienced an overall 3.8 percent decrease in enrollment. “Those decreases reflect a rare combi- nation of environmental factors to create a ‘perfect storm’ which directly affects our enrollment. That includes the impact of COVID-19 on higher education as a whole which has, in turn, also impacted our international students, who face travel and immigration restrictions,” says Tony Yang, vice president for Strat- egy, Marketing & Enrollment and Chief Communication Officer. However, student enrollment also showed signs of stability and growth. New freshman enrollment was down only one student (256 this year from 257 last year), undergraduate and graduate transfer enrollment grew by five (103 vs. 98) and new graduate enrollment increased by 28 (345 vs. 317). “Even as we face challenges in our enrollment, it’s been impressive to see this stability and growth and to discover how our faculty, staff and students have nimbly and creatively responded to those challenges. That’s made us flexible and responsive to the changing realities and demands of this ongoing pandemic,” says Andrea Luxton, president. Enrollment is also measured through an annual unduplicated headcount report, which tracks the number of stu- dents at Andrews over a 12-month period. In the 2020–2021 report, Andrews’ annual unduplicated headcount showed 4,117 students registered (including online courses) through the Berrien Springs campus. An additional 3,989 students regis- tered through international off-campus programs and the professional develop- ment programs offered by our College of Education & International Services. Altogether, these two sets of numbers represent a combined annual undupli- cated headcount enrollment of 8,106 students for 2020–2021. “Over these last two years our students continue to bring new and urgent mean- ing to ‘World Changers Made Here’ as the core message and purpose of Andrews University,” says Yang. “Our mission is needed now more than ever—locally here in Michigan, across North America and globally. Our enrollment strategies and plans must adapt to shifting attitudes toward Adventist higher education, challenges for Adventist families who struggle with affordability, and the dynamic and rapidly changing expecta- tions on how we best communicate with and reach students and families.” “Ultimately, as Andrews works to- gether to effectively meet and respond to the challenges of the last two years,” says President Luxton, “we continue to remain fully committed to our mission as the flagship General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists institution, an institution with a world-changing reach and a God-centered purpose that is at the heart of all we do.” RANKINGS Each fall, a wide array of school rankings are released. In the 2022 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, Andrews continues to be the only Adventist university included in the rankings of nearly 400 national universities (overall, there are nearly 4,000 degree-granting universities and colleges in America). The “national university” category is used for universities with a full range of undergraduate majors as well as offering master’s and doctoral degrees, which draw students from across the U.S. and benefit from a strong focus on research and low teacher-student ratios. In the Niche 2022 Best Colleges rankings of more than 1,600 colleges and universities, Andrews ranked #4 on diversity and was listed in the top 25 percent of Best Christian Colleges in America. In College Factual, Andrews ranked in the top third of more than 2,500 colleges and universities included. College Factu- al again listed Andrews as a “Great Price Value for Your Money” university. Fall 2021 enrollment and rankings Reflect the significant ongoing impact and realities of the global COVID-19 pandemic 6 —FOCUS Campus UpdateTHIS YEAR’S ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SCIFEST TOOK PLACE under the theme of “Space.” Six STEM departments par- ticipated—biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, physics and sustainable agriculture. To accommodate 208 high school students, many in boarding school and home- school, activities were conducted remotely. From Oct. 25–Nov. 7, students logged on to LearningHub to view videos from professors explaining lab activities. After working together to complete each activity, students uploaded pictures or videos of their final creations. “Each STEM department took the word ‘space’ and used it according to what their department focuses on. Stu- dents could be creative in their interpretation of how to use space in their activity,” explains Monica Nudd, STEM marketing and enrollment coordinator. “For instance, the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry pretended to be on a deserted planet and used vegetables to figure out how to generate electricity.” In addition, SciFEST featured four evening Zoom meet- ings. These virtual events gave students a chance to meet professors from different departments, as well as chat with alumni and current students. “Our aim was twofold: to engage in STEM and encourage students’ interest in attending Andrews,” says Nudd. SciFEST concluded with an awards celebration on Sun- day, Nov. 7. Through a live Zoom, students’ projects were showcased, and Andrews hoodies were awarded as prizes. Scholarships funded by the College of Arts & Sciences were awarded to students who completed the majority of their LearningHub activities. SciFEST EXPLORES “SPACE” Andrews hosts virtual STEM experience Fifth annual Change Day Continues to seek new ways to serve the surrounding community THURSDAY, SEPT. 16, 2021, MARKED THE FIFTH ANNIVERSA- ry of Change Day, Andrews University’s annual service day. It involved 36 different locations and well over 700 students, faculty and staff volunteering for organizations ranging from Habitat for Humanity to the Berrien County Humane Society, Neighbor 2 Neighbor, Operation Christmas Child, Pine Ridge Assisted Living, Paris’ Purse and many more. In one of the year’s biggest projects, Christmas Behind Bars, sponsored by the Black Student Christian Forum, American Institute of Architecture Students Freedom by Design, and Center for Faith Engagement, over 10,000 pack- ages were assembled for local prisoners (pictured above). Zoe Shiu, senior psychology major, volunteered with a group at the Niles YMCA, helping spread mulch in the plant dividers inside the parking lot. “I thought it was refreshing to do something outside of class that put us out there,” Zoe says. “We were doing something actually practical and needed for the community.” At Pioneer Memorial Church, the Red Cross hosted a blood drive with volunteers who either helped draw blood or donated blood. Participant Andrew Remmers, senior fi- nance and accounting major, deeply appreciated Andrews’ commitment to Change Day, professing, “It shows Andrews University can go out into the community and make an im- pact and really put our faith into practice, which I think is super important—to have a faith-centered community but also spread that love through actions.” Reflecting on this year’s Change Day, Teela Ruehle, di- rector of student missions & service and event coordinator, says, “It’s inspiring to see our students taking initiatives to make their communities a better place.” She also conveys her appreciation and thanks to the local nonprofits and community organizations who work tire- lessly to keep the Andrews and Berrien communities safe and strong, explaining, “It was a privilege to connect with them and ask if we could assist or partner in any way.” Fall 2021— 7 Campus UpdateTHE ANNUAL JOHN O. WALLER LEC- tureship for the Arts on Oct. 19 featured Carissa Harris, PhD, asso- ciate professor of English at Temple University. Harris presented on the topic “Maternal Fury: Women’s Col- lective Rage at State Violence, from the Middle Ages to the Movements for Black Lives.” The event took place in Buller Hall and was also livestreamed. Harris earned her doctoral de- gree from Northwestern University. Currently, her research and teaching focus on gender and sexuality in medieval England and Scotland. Her work has been published in several academic journals, and she has writ- ten for outlets like Slate, Vox and The Washington Post. In her presentation, Harris cov- ered medieval dramatic renditions of King Herod’s slaughter of the inno- cents in conversation with mothers’ roles in the Black Lives Matter and #SayHerName movements. Harris noted that plays about the slaughter of the innocents painted women as quick to anger, thus invalidating the women’s frustration, but she further explained that the women’s anger was righteous and had the potential to activate social change. Harris compared the plays and the reac- tions of Black women to Breonna Taylor’s murder and explained that this current social and political mo- ment gives new significance to old fictional plays. “Cross-historical connections challenge our perceptions of both history and the present,” explains Vanessa Corredera, associate pro- fessor of English and chair of the Department of English. “If we can identify through lines, in this case regarding women’s anger, it prompts us to identify persistent inequities. Put differently, it disallows us from locating certain gendered injustices as merely applicable to ‘then.’” The Waller Lectureship was established in 2008 in honor of late English professor John O. Waller, who taught at Andrews University for 29 years, serving 16 of those as chair of the Department of English. Waller Lectureship features Carissa Harris Explores connections between historical and present inequities THE 11TH ANNUAL HONORS CHURCH service took place on Sabbath, Nov. 6. Honors scholars worked collaboratively to present testimonies, spoken word and music featuring the Honors Choir, a string quartet and other musical selections. The first section of the service focused on the question “What is worship?” Alexander Navarro, senior, shared his thoughts on the uniqueness of the human ability to worship in a vast universe, affirming that worship is both a personal and universal act. In “How and why do we worship?” Shania Watts, senior, described a person- al experience that taught her about the many forms worship can take for differ- ent people, emphasizing the importance of a sincere heart above all. The third component of the service asked “How can worship be alienating?” Nora Martin, sophomore, told stories of people excluded and ignored within the church and called for a reflection, in or- der to promote healing, on where worship has pushed people away. In the final section, Rekha Isaac, junior, addressed the theme “How can worship be healing and transformative?” She sug- gested that outreach through kindness can be a vital way to repair past wrongs and connect with others. L. Monique Pittman, English professor and director of Honors, accentuated the importance of a diversely voiced commu- nity in the act of worship: “In our effort to return to the presence and proximity of worship in a COVID-19 world, may we be ready to conceive of the church pew as an ever-expanding space, living as worship- pers with the mindset that there is always room for one more person in our row.” “The Many Voices of Worship” J.N. Andrews Honors Program Church 8 —FOCUS Campus UpdateANDREWS UNIVERSITY DEMON- strated its commitment to academic excellence throughout Research Week, Oct. 19–22. Four programs were highlighted: John O. Waller Lectureship for the Arts (see page 8), Robert and Lillis Kingman Speaker Series on Science & Society (see page 11), Celebration of Commu- nity Engagement, and Celebration of Research & Creative Scholarship. The Celebration of Community Engagement took place on Thurs- day, Oct. 21. Paulette Johnson, dean of libraries and chair of the Community Engagement Council, emphasizes that the event was a “demonstration of how the Uni- versity lives its mission to change lives at home, at the national and global levels.” The program in- cluded musical performances and video presentations highlighting various community service efforts. Presenter Derrick Lea, executive director of Adventist Communi- ty Services (NAD), underscored the importance of partnership in service. Presenter Rachel Wade, vice president of strategy for United Way of Southwest Michigan, encouraged her listeners to answer God’s call to engagement within their communities. Friday, Oct. 22, marked the annual Celebration of Research & Creative Scholarship. The initial session honored the 2020 and 2021 recipients of the Siegfried H. Horn Excellence in Research & Creative Scholarship Award: Chi Yong Yun, professor of music; Anneris Coria-Navia, professor of curricu- lum and instruction and director of the Center for Teaching & Learn- ing; S. Joseph Kidder, professor of pastoral theology & discipleship; and Gustavo Gregorutti, professor of leadership & higher educa- tion. After the session, a period of poster presentations and oral presentations took place. Gary Burdick, dean of research, affirms, “Research provides the means to measure changes in the variables of life. The Andrews University Research Week 2021 demonstrated the value of research in English (Carissa Harris) and mathematics (Eugenia Chen). Both speakers effectively demonstrat- ed that research can and should impact the way we engage with our world. In spite of having to cope with limitations on how we connect physically, I was pleased to see the number of departments/schools to the many varied community chal- lenges. I continue to be pleased with the levels of faculty and student participation in the Celebration of Research, which continues to be a forum to showcase the breadth of our research across our campus.” Research Week 2021 Showcases the Andrews commitment to academic excellence “I continue to be pleased with the levels of faculty and student participation in the Celebration of Research, which continues to be a forum to showcase the breadth of our research across our campus.” Above: Poster presentations at the annual Celebration of Research & Creative Scholarship Middle: Derrick Lea, a speaker at the Celebration of Community Engagement Bottom: Anneris Coria- Navia, Siegfried H. Horn Award recipient, presents her research Campus Update Fall 2021— 9Next >