Dr. Philip Ryken
The big news to hit Wheaton this semester was the selection of Dr. Philip Ryken to succeed Dr. Duane Litfin as president of Wheaton College. The announcement came as somewhat as a surprise, though I heard he made the ‘list’ some time ago and have always pictured him as a good candidate for the position.
I really believe he is a fantastic choice. He has a longstanding history with the college and grew up playing with Wheaton College students. He has administrative and pastoral skills from being the senior pastor at 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. He is a current trustee of the college. He has scholarship and an academic mind from his own work as well as just being the son of Leland Ryken. One couldn’t live with Leland for too long without effect. I have heard him speak several times now and am having great difficulty thinking of any strong critique to his appointment. Overall I am very excited to see where he takes Wheaton College and how the institution will grow under his administration.
Sesquicentennial Gala
Last quad was Wheaton’s Sesquicentennial Gala (for those of you who don’t live through a lot of sesquicentennials, that’s 150 years). Amid the downed economy the school scraped together some funds and pulled off a wonderful evening of celebration of God’s faithfulness to Wheaton over the past 1.5 centuries. There was a good turnout with close to 2000 tickets sold or nearly the size of the undergraduate student body.
The evening started off with dinner, socializing, and displays of Wheaton’s history. There was an even more elaborate dessert table with fondue and live music; the main part of the evening however was a program in the chapel by the symphony orchestra, Keith and Kristyn Getty, and speeches by the Dean of the Conservatory on college anecdotes and stories. There was a ball afterwards with a blend of swing and foxtrot dancing.
Overall I thought it was well done and I felt very blessed to be there at this special time at Wheaton’s history. I was reflecting recently that many colleges have lost their mission and seem to have little direction and purpose besides just becoming more and more famous, well regarded, or training future leaders. Wheaton’s purpose has held firm for all this time of training whole and effective leaders that will represent Christ wherever they go. For this I am a glad to have a part in the institution and the gala is a good reminder to students today of the responsibility they inherit and the opportunity to leave a legacy for the next generation.
It is very appropriate that the theme verse this year is:
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts. (Psalm 145:4)
The Treehouse
The Treehouse is the nickname of my apartment. One of the best parts about Wheaton this year has been living with these great guys. Ted and Cole (and Nathan, but he never got in the pictures!) are so great: they’re so much fun and have been the source of much encouragement. So here’s a shout-out to you three.
