Commencement—Summer 2023: CAS & CP

thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] right [Music] now [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] please stand for invocation and gentlemen would you please remove your caps as we come before the Lord dear heavenly father We Gather here today A Ralph from all around the world we're here to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of our students who are graduating today throughout their experience here at Andrews Lord they have studied hard worked diligently and experienced your presence in their lives so today we invite you to be here with us Lord right now as we celebrate their accomplishments with their families as our graduates leave Andrews University and go into the field to work we ask you to be with them as they represent you we pray for wisdom and vision for each one May the things that they learned here the experiences that they've had and their relationship with you deepen each day amen you may be seated good morning on behalf of the faculty and the staff and the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of professions I want to welcome you today to the summer 2023 commencement ceremony graduates As We Gather here today to celebrate your academic accomplishments I am reminded what a privilege it is to be able to share in this moment with you the culmination of one journey and the beginning of another and to our parents family and friends thank you for the support that you have shown to these graduates physically emotionally and spiritually and for all of us I want to encourage us to reflect on today graduates reflect on your educational Journey share the trials experienced and the victories achieved and as you take on new responsibilities face new challenges and experience New Joys we want you to know that we are so proud of you and that you will always remain an important part of Anders University family welcome the scripture reading for today it's from Genesis chapter 1 verse 26. and I read from the new international version then God said let us make Mankind in our image in our likeness so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the best in the sky over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground amen [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] forever [Music] foreign [Music] thank you [Music] all right [Music] laughs [Music] foreign foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign foreign [Music] [Applause] distinguished members of The Faculty esteemed parents grandparents family and friends and of course are honored graduates it's a special privilege for me today to welcome you to this summer commencement service today we will celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates they have worked hard and completed their respective curricula of studies today we will confer upon them their degrees and convey to them our very best wishes our Commencement Address today will be presented by Jose Bianca Dr La Bianca is currently a senior research professor of anthropology and associate director of The Institute of archeology here at Andrews University in 1980 he joined the faculty of our Behavioral Sciences department now the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and served as chair of that school from 1982 until 1990. he stepped down from that role to focus more fully on the school's graduate programs in community and International Development he retired from teaching in 2020 but continues to serve Andrews University through creative scholarship and research Pursuits including his current role at our Institute of archeology significantly Dr lebianka has also served as co-director of the maraba Plains project and senior director of the Jordan field school at tell ishpond Jordan where he conducted several research projects Dr levyanka received a PhD in anthropology from Brandeis University along with the master's degree in anthropology from Loma Linda University and a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Sciences and religion from Andrews University we are blessed by your scholarship and service Dr La Bianca including your involvement in truly world changing leadership in archeology and International Development which helped Inspire Our World Changers who graduate today and hundreds more who have passed through your classrooms and archaeological digs over the decades we look forward to more of that inspiration today welcome [Applause] President Taylor esteemed faculty honored graduates friends and Families I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to stand before you today on this momentous occasion as we celebrate the culmination of years of hard work discipline and resilience we also Mark the beginning of a new and exhilarating chapter in the lives of each of you graduates if I were to venture a guess it would be that the next chapter in your lives graduates will not be spent living as they say in the boonies you may not have realized it but a bonus of having earned a degree from Anderson University is that you will have a deep understanding of what it means to live in the boonies but which is typically meant a remote rural area far from away from Urban centers with no easy access to public transportation and to the conveniences and amenities commonly found in more populated areas and you will not soon forget this either for every time someone asks you where you received your education you will have to explain where on planet Earth is the town of Berrien Springs Michigan for the next few minutes during this your last this is going to be your last lecture I want to explain to you why your alma mater to be was located by its Founders in the boonies and why this matters especially at this moment on planet Earth it was because not only did these founders understand something about the importance of contact with nature for our physical mental and spiritual health they also had a deep understanding of the Sabbath as a memorial of creation and our duty to care for all that God has created these understandings are in my view important for us to remember as the inheritors of the movement they launched indeed for me personally they are crucial for adventism re-envisioned as both the message of Hope for the future and a message of Hope for today in nineteen in 1876 one of the founders of our denomination Ellen White extol the benefits of living in the country in testimonies for the church he wrote that an active out-of-door life would develop health of both mind and body she went on to say that the training of plants and flowers tends to the Improvement of taste and judgment while an acquaintance with God's useful and beautiful creation has a refining and enobling influence upon the Mind referring it to the maker and master of all elsewhere she makes a point of emphasizing the importance of kindness to animals she specifically warns against venting one's anger on animals indeed the treatment of animals became a part of the Adventist argument in favor of vegetarianism our own Dr Rahel Shafer of the Department of religion Echo this sentiment in one of her recent Publications she writes that all living creatures are co-inhabitants of the Earth and as they also depend on its ecosystem for survival the Bible holds humankind responsible for the preservation of the earth and the care of all living creatures by their adoption of the Sabbath as a weekly Memorial of creation and their Embrace of vegetarianism our Founders launched themselves and us on a path to an environmental ethic centered on our Creator's First Command namely for Adam and Eve and their children us to multiply and be caretakers of all that he had created another bonus then graduates of having spent time at Anders a flagship institution of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church is that whether you realize it or not creation care is part of your DNA that you take away from here passed on to you by the founders of this denomination so what is meant by creation care stated simply and as our scripture for today reminded us it is about being good stewards of what God created and declared to be good in more scientific terms it is about becoming aware of how our actions as human beings are impacting the finely balanced interactions of the geosphere the biosphere and the atmosphere when we often forget how interconnected we are with our environment and with each other but covid-19 the mounting frequency of severity of extreme weather events and the increasingly visible impacts of environmental degradation have underscored the fact that we live in an interdependent world think about it forest fires in Canada are degrading the quality of air that we breathe here in Michigan pollution in one country affects air quality continents away carbon emissions from the world's richest Nations disproportionately affect the poor the extinction of one single species can disrupt an entire ecosystem but by now surely many of you may be wondering how the notion of creation care will be received by your friends and family back home creation care is not what is on most people's minds back home other more important immediate concerns Dominate and as far as preaching and Outreach goes very little is ever said about creation care for some here today and back home it may even be an unwelcome notion as a remedy to this situation we need to study up on all the ways that our history beliefs and practices as Seventh-Day Adventists already align with creation care and build forward from this in social science language we need to do an appreciative inquiry of ourselves of adventism personally I find the new start philosophy to be a great example of practical adventism no doubt most of you know what this acronym stands for n for nutrition e for exercise W for water s for sunlight t for temperance a for air and rest and T for trust in God however if our food is Laden with harmful chemicals and are water unsafe to drink the air too polluted to safely exercise in and the sun bombarding us and our bodies with harmful radiation the positive benefits of these new start principles are negated just as a rising tide lifts all boats so creation care lifts the conditions for well-being everywhere if we work together to heal our planet to elevate the quality of the air we breathe the water we drink the land we inhabit we all benefit humans plants animals and future Generations creation care thus improves well-being opportunities and privileges for everyone no longer can we relegate creation care to the back burner as President Taylor said so well yesterday at the dinner he hosted for this Summer's commencement speakers the first commission the command to be good stewards of all that God had made was never rescinded foreign to go and make disciples of all Nations the Great Commission we have both commissions my charge to you today graduates is that you go forth as ambassadors and evangelist for an adventism equally committed to both of these two great commands to care for the environment and Make Disciples of all Nations here are a few suggestions on how to proceed let's start with a weekly Sabbath observance let's make our Sabbath times that to restore vital balance between work relationships and nature yes let's bring back the nature walks and time spent with family and friends appreciating the out of doors let's hear more sermons that equip us to carry out both of these two commissions the call to Creation care and or call to make disciples of all Nations let us use your Sabbath School study sessions to learn more about the biblical principles of creation care study up on how God instructed the ancient Israel Israelites to be stewards of the land and to care for their animals study up on how the Parables of Jesus can help us do a better job of not only spreading the good news but also caring for the environment let's reinvent our humanitarian Outreach and community service programs as creation care cooperatives where our mission is to facilitate Collaborative Learning and action on behalf of the environment and personal health and well-being why not include some awareness training about the negative effects of fast fashion and the benefits of recycling let's engage our young people in learning about creation care starting with our children's Sabbath school programs or Pathfinder programs or summer camps and or church schools let's make a higher education institutions here at home and around the world go to centers for learning about creation care best practices of doing so in architecture agriculture business education engineering and all working on behalf of creation care and here a shout out to your own Anderson programs in agriculture architecture and chemistry for their initiatives in this regard President Taylor and fellow faculty in our interconnected world the actions we take here at Anders University can reverberate across continents let us embrace the vision of creation care at our own Center of Higher Learning and make it an integral part of our campus infrastructure Student Life programming curriculum planning and or campus culture let us use or platform as a flagship University of our church to connect with like-minded individuals and organizations all around the world amplifying our efforts and achieving great impact dear graduates as warnings of extreme weather-related events continue to sound and reports of Devastation caused by such events continue to mount do not be overwhelmed by feelings of despair or resort to inaction instead be the World Changers that your education at Anders prepared you to be what you have been given to share is not only hope for the future but hope for today hope for a planet in crisis creation care is adventism re-envisioned for our time class of 23 go forth and be part of it warm congratulations thank you [Applause] thank you Dr lobbyanka for this important reminder your inspiring words and most of all for the inspiration of your life thank you and now I will ask Provost Kristen Arthur to indicate to us the candidates who will be receiving degrees today President Taylor it is my pleasure to present to you now the class of Summer 2023 [Applause] at the appropriate time Dr Danny 410 will present the candidates to you individually by name there are 45 candidates for undergraduate degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences on the College of professions three participants of an off-campus locations and 12 graduates are graduating In Absentia and now I invite the undergraduate candidates to please stand hmm [Applause] [Music] on behalf of the faculties of the undergraduate schools it is my pleasure to present to you now this candidates for degrees there are 51 candidates for graduate degrees some questions and a quarter of professions 20 participants of off-campus locations and 19 candidates are graduating In Absentia on behalf of the school of Graduate Studies I confirmed that all candidates to whom degrees will be conferred to their have made the standards prescribed by The Graduate Council the College of Arts and census the culture professions and the respective graduate degree programs Mr President with your consent and now invite The Graduate candidates of please land [Applause] you should all be standing on behalf of the graduate Council the Deans and faculties of the court of our sentences and the culture professions it is my pleasure to present to you now these candidates for graduate degrees [Applause] and now by virtue of the authority vested in Me by The Board of Trustees as president of Andrews University and by virtue of the charter of the University Incorporated under the laws of the state of Michigan authorizing this institution to Grant degrees and upon the recommendation of the faculties I confer on the candidates who have met all requirements of the respective courses of studies the degrees to which they are recommended [Applause] you may be seated a couple of comments as we proceed to the presentation of diplomas first of all a an official photograph will be taken of each candidate as he or she crosses the platform please remember that any other flash photography will interfere with the official photographs also that at the end of each presentation of candidates for their degrees the dean of the respective College will lead us together in a special Round of Applause for all graduates thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] and now it is my pleasure to introduce to you to present to you the candidates from the College of Arts and Sciences first candidates for undergraduate degrees Ashley Alexander [Applause] moisa amjad [Music] [Applause] Jessica Bowen [Applause] Elena Beth Burkhart laude and Jan Andrews honors scholar [Applause] Jessica Nicole Dibble Evelyn elisara [Applause] Jasmine Alexis Fraser [Applause] [Music] Jonathan Arthur Garcia [Applause] Lance rayon Gordon [Applause] Moriah Hernandez summa laude [Applause] Corel Darlene Jackson [Applause] Sean Kelly [Applause] Han woh Lee [Applause] Christopher Gabriel Mata [Applause] Genevieve e Prouty [Applause] Jay deconte Reeves [Applause] Natasha Ann Richards [Applause] [Music] Ruth sent Martin [Applause] [Music] foreign [Applause] Vanessa Valentin Vega [Applause] Jonathan Crosby Wilford hunt [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and now candidates for graduate degrees Samoa [Applause] Macy Chen [Applause] [Music] [Music] Terence e Cole [Applause] nadara Zuri cousins [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Della Amame [Applause] Dahlia Dean Jackson [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Lara Adele hope malabrigo [Applause] [Music] Jeffrey McCoy Jr [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Robert William Ranny IV [Applause] sitraka Malala Tiana Raza fimandimbi [Applause] Heather S reason [Applause] lisandra Smith [Applause] nataline Carolyn Walters [Applause] Maya Denise Wilson [Applause] and so this concludes the presentation of our candidates for degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences and now we will present the candidates from the College of professions first undergraduate degrees Kingsley knobly akka foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Timothy Keough [Applause] Stephen Mann Rojas [Music] [Applause] foreign [Applause] [Applause] and now candidates for graduate degrees Victoria amoa afo aqua [Applause] [Music] Constantino Ananda amadja [Applause] Gita Raj chopla [Applause] Hawk Von dung [Applause] Diego Antonio Gordillo Castro [Applause] yelele [Applause] Vanessa Mejia [Applause] Priscilla Mills [Applause] Daniel Morant [Applause] [Music] [Applause] tea DUI pum [Applause] Jordan Alexandra sayavonza [Applause] Abel siamubi [Applause] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Christina Wells [Music] [Applause] Tai Hong Quinn [Applause] mon Lin [Applause] and this concludes the presentation of all of our candidates for degrees from the College of professions [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] graduates of Andrews University this moment marks a remarkable milestone in your lives a life Journey that represents your determination and deep commitment to God and his plans for your life today we are gathered with each one of you at the crossroads of the past and the future much like the biblical stories of Faith you have embarked on a transforming experience during your time at Andrews University through the corridors of this institution and sometimes in study and service opportunities Beyond this campus you have pursued god-inspired paths that have equipped you with knowledge skills and values within this Sacred Space you have encountered a community that has challenged you to place God at the center of your life and learning and we pray that you now emerge with a deeper understanding of the world around you and of God's special plan and calling for your lives nonetheless as important as today is this Milestone is not the destination as you prepare to move Beyond these Halls I invite you to embrace the opportunities and challenges ahead with unwavering enthusiasm as you step into positions of influence remember the responsibility you bear to Champion Justice to advocate for the marginalized and to help create a society that reflects and always seeks to uphold the values of God's Kingdom as you embark on this new stage of your journey remember that you are not alone draw strength from the support you have found in your Andrews University family and above all be sure to place your trust firmly in The Guiding presence of God your faith has been forged and fortified Within These Walls carry that Faith with you as a Beacon of Hope Illuminating the path of a purposeful and meaningful life so today I charge you graduating class of Andrews University to go forth and be powerful channels of God's love wisdom and Grace be the leaders innovators and World Changers that this world so desperately needs committed to transforming lives and impacting the world in ways that surpass all expectations as you go forth I have full faith in your ability to overcome obstacles to surmount challenges and leave an indelible mark for God on this world may your Journeys ahead always be filled with purpose fulfillment and unparalleled success accompanied by divine blessing abundant joy and unwavering faith ultimately may God continue to bless you and your distinct calling in the journeys that now come from here congratulations [Applause] graduates as the president of the alumni board it is my pleasure to congratulate you on your newest title Andrews University alumni today I'm here to remind you that you will always be part of the Andrews family you have been a student for a few years now now though you will be an alum for life Andrews University is proud to support a strong Alumni network in fact alumni are represented in every state and territory here in the U.S and more than 175 countries worldwide Andrews alumni share a common Bond the Andrews experience your lasting friendships and opportunities to seek knowledge affirm your faith and become a world changer are now the foundations of your lifelong connection with Andrews today marks the end of one relationship and the beginning of another this transition from student to graduate makes you a distinctive partner in the future of Andrews most importantly as an Andrews Alum your continued involvement can help shape this University for the generations of students who will follow in your footsteps perhaps even your own children one day today as you graduate I encourage you to look back on your memories of Andrews and to look forward to your new connection as in Andrews alum finally in honor of your graduation the Alumni Association has a special gift for you you will receive a leather folio to use as you start the next step in your journey be sure to pick one up from our alumni team as you pass through the lobby on your way out and now it gives me great pleasure to congratulate you on your graduation and welcome you into the Andrews University Alumni Association congratulations you did it now I would invite all of you to stand with me as we sing the school song which you will find in the back of your program [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Applause] as I read the JN Andrews benediction is my joy to ask all who are celebrating today to read along with me the words will be projected on the screen but you can also find it in the program on page 11 and I would also invite all gentlemen to take off their hats and now as we set forth we commit ourselves to the merciful protection of God and we especially ask the prayers of the people of God that his blessing may attend Us in this sacred work amen please [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] all right [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Andrews University

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Id: LM7LH-DZDPM

Length: 98min 35sec (5915 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 07 2023