Family,
friends, faculty, and staff joined together today for Northland International
University’s thirty-first Commencement to honor the graduates’ years of hard
work. Many people contributed to make this a memorable day, celebrating the culmination
of the students’ accomplishments and the goodness of God in bringing each one
to this point.
Northland was blessed with ninety-seven candidates for undergraduate degrees
this year (including ten candidates for associate’s degrees and eighty-seven
candidates for bachelor’s degrees) and twenty-three candidates for graduate
degrees (including twenty candidates for master’s degrees and three candidates
for Doctor of Ministry degrees). Three honorary degrees were also conferred.
Dr. Gary Anderson, president of Baptist Mid-Missions in Cleveland, Ohio,
addressed the attendees of this thirty-first Commencement ceremony. Dr. Gary Anderson has served as the President of
Baptist Mid-Missions since 1989. Prior to this, he served as pastor of
Springville (Pennsylvania) Baptist Church from 1975 to 1987. Dr. Anderson holds
a BA in Bible from Bob Jones University, an M.Div from Biblical Theological
Seminary, and an honorary DD Degree from Baptist Bible College and
Seminary. Dr. Anderson and his wife, Barbara, have three children and make
their home in Grafton, Ohio.
Dr Matt Olson, president of Northland International
University, acknowledged, “One of the challenges we face in ‘higher education’
is keeping the perspective of our existence and any ‘new knowledge’ we might
have gained. It has been said that ‘humility is the soil in which all the other
graces grow.’ We believe that brokenness, humility, and God-dependence are
absolutely essential to true education. It’s not just about learning facts. Our
prayer is that God will continue to give these young people this right
perspective.”
The next chapter for Northland students involves Great Commission living—most often in a ministry setting—wherever
God leads, near or far. The excitement today was contagious as Northland’s graduates
embarked on a life extraordinary by
God’s grace and for His glory, putting into practice what they have learned and
enjoying the grand privilege of serving Him with their lives.