Andrews University

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Institute of Archaeology, Andrews University

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Andrews University Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Denisse Santos, presents its Winter Concert Of Legends and Lore in Collaboration with Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band, Mark Hollandsworth, director.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/posters-2024-2025/1012/thumbnail.jp

Andrews University Wind Symphony - Winter Concert

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Milestones

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Paul Bergsma opening New probe in Area B

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Drs. Horn and Greaty Discuss Problem in D

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Mike Blaine and crew at work

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Square group studying photo

Bosman, Anthony

Andrews University 
Digital Commons @ Andrews University 
Lake Union Herald Lake Union Herald 
1-2025 
Andrews University Celebrates Enrollment Increases and Strong 
National Rankings 
Andrews University 
Anthony Bosman 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/luh-pubs 
Visit LakeUnionHerald.org |  JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025|  29
NEWS  |   EDUCATION
Andrews University 
Celebrates Enrollment 
Increases and Strong 
National Rankings
During the current 2024–2025 school year, Andrews University is celebrating its 150th 
anniversary, honoring the school’s start as Battle Creek College in 1874 — the first 
institution of higher education to be established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The young institution grew and moved 
from Battle Creek to Berrien Springs, 
Michigan, in 1901, where it took the name 
Emmanuel Missionary College. 
In 1960, with the integration of the 
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary 
on the Berrien Springs campus, the college 
became a university and chose a new name 
honoring one of the church’s first schol-
ar-missionaries, J.N. Andrews. Since then, 
Andrews University has developed into a 
leading global university, significantly ad-
vancing the mission of the Adventist Church 
and impacting communities across the world.
During this sesquicentennial year of cel-
ebrations, Andrews University again cele-
brates a strong round of national university 
rankings and growth in enrollment.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
U.S. News Best Colleges
Andrews University was again named 
among the best national universities by U.S. 
News & World Report. Andrews climbed 47 
spots from last year’s ranking of national uni-
versities, which represents the fourth largest 
increase of any university nationwide.
The selective 2025 U.S. News Best 
Colleges rankings are based on several met-
rics of academic strength, including a univer-
sity’s graduation rate, class size and faculty 
to student ratio, all areas where Andrews 
outperforms the national average. This year, 
the ranking also gave additional weight to 
metrics that measure a university’s support 
for students from all social backgrounds, 
with Andrews being included in the list of 
“Top Performers on Social Mobility,” reflect-
ing the University’s success at graduating 
students with family incomes under $50,000.
U.S. News also awarded Andrews the top 
position for ethnic diversity among nation-
al universities, tying for #1 with Stanford, 
Johns Hopkins and San Francisco University. 
Additionally, among national universities, 
Andrews placed No. 7 for most international 
students, with 20% of students coming from 
outside of the United States.
Of the more than 1,800 colleges and 
universities that U.S. News assesses, less 
than a quarter are recognized as national 
universities, as Andrews University is. This 
designation signals that a university offers 
a full range of undergraduate offerings as 
well as doctoral programs, where students 
at all levels are taught and mentored by 
research-active faculty. Andrews is the only 
national university run by the Seventh-day 
Adventist Church, offering students the 
full rigor of a premier higher education in a 
faith-affirming atmosphere.
Niche Best Colleges in America
Andrews University is No. 19 among Best 
Christian Colleges in America, according to 
Niche’s 2025 rankings, which included more 
than 500 Christian colleges and universities. 
Niche also recognized Andrews as the Best 
Christian College (#1 of 12), Top Private 
1. Who will be the beneficiaries 
of this program? 
“Nurturing Children Through Worship and 
Prayer” is a pilot program designed to en-
hance the spiritual lives of children through 
intergenerational worship and prayer in our 
multicultural immigrant/refugee churches 
and their communities within our Lake 
Union territory.
2. Who can participate in the 
program?
This initiative will be designed as a 
partnership with Lake Union, the children’s 
ministry leaders, and the multicultural 
ministry leaders of the five conferences. 
We will work with the local conferences to 
create an application process for church-
es interested in participating and provide 
information associated with the applica-
tion as soon as possible.
3. How long will this initiative 
last? 
The program is designed to be imple-
mented over five years, with the (intention 
of extending) to many other churches 
beyond the pilot phase.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
30 |  JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025  |  Visit LakeUnionHerald.org
NEWS  |   EDUCATION
University (#1 of 24) and Best Small College 
(#1 of 25) in the state of Michigan.
The Niche rankings are based on a de-
tailed analysis of the academic quality and 
financial value of the University as well as 
a comprehensive student review system. 
Based on these factors, Niche assigned 
Andrews “A” grades in key areas such as ac-
ademics, value, diversity, professors, cam-
pus food and safety.
More than 500 students and alumni have 
shared their experiences at Andrews with 
Niche. One review from a current sophomore 
expressed, “I love the fact that Andrews 
boasts of a rich diversity … Each student 
is given an equal opportunity to explore 
other areas alongside academics. These 
areas include leadership opportunities, 
service-learning opportunities, career men-
torship, support with small business start-
ups, and community involvement.”
Wall Street Journal 2024 Best Colleges in 
the U.S.
Andrews University was also named 
in the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 
“2024 Best Colleges in the U.S.” rankings. 
Andrews is one of four Christian universities 
in Michigan and the only Adventist university 
in the United States included in this ranking 
of the nation’s top 500 universities. 
Andrews placed second among Michigan 
private universities in the student expe-
rience category, which considers student 
satisfaction with campus facilities, sense of 
community, mental health support and the 
quality of positive interactions within the 
ethnically and socioeconomically diverse 
student body.
“At Andrews University, we’re proud to 
be providing an academically excellent and 
distinctively faith-based, world changing 
Adventist education,” says Wagner Kuhn, 
interim chief academic officer at Andrews 
University.
“Taken together, these remarkable rank-
ings all speak to the strength of Andrews as 
a recognized and acclaimed Seventh-day 
Adventist global university with outstand-
ing academic offerings,” says John Wesley 
Taylor V, president of Andrews University.
Fall Semester 2024 Enrollment Updates
Andrews University’s headcount enrollment 
for fall 2024 showed 3,021 students — a 2% 
increase from last year and a 3% increase 
from the previous year.
Graduate headcount enrollment was 
1,598 — an increase of 3% over last year. 
Undergraduate headcount enrollment was 
stable at 1,423. Additionally, undergraduate 
transfer enrollment was up 13%.
An additional 321 students are also reg-
istered and studying at international cam-
pus partners and programs this fall semes-
ter, which makes for an overall worldwide 
Andrews University 2024 fall semester en-
rollment of 3,342 students. An annual undu-
plicated headcount analysis showed 4,003 
different students overall who enrolled at 
Andrews at some point between summer 
semester 2023 and spring semester 2024.
“Andrews University is deepening its com-
mitment to being a truly Global Campus, 
which means that we are able to also offer 
that same quality and commitment to the ad-
ditional Andrews students who study around 
the globe on partner campuses and through 
distance education options each year,“ 
says Alayne Thorpe, dean of the College of 
Education & International Services and dean 
of Graduate Studies.
“It’s a particular privilege to take a mea-
sure of our remarkable University family 
in this 150th anniversary year,” President 
Taylor notes. “As this year of celebration 
continues, I want to assure you that Andrews 
University remains fully committed to God 
and His calling for our lives — students, grad-
uates, faculty, staff and administrators — and 
His ongoing mission for our University.” P
 Office of University Communication and Anthony 
Bosman, chair, Andrews University Department of 
Mathematics
E Andrews University’s main campus is in Berrien Springs, Michigan. 


English

Andrews University Celebrates Enrollment Increases and Strong National Rankings

Pluviose, David

Andrews University 
Digital Commons @ Andrews University 
Lake Union Herald Lake Union Herald 
1-2025 
Growing Need for Pastoral Care Among Refugee Congregations 
David Pluviose 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/luh-pubs 
26 |  JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025  |  Visit LakeUnionHerald.org
NEWS  |  LOCAL CHURCH
Growing Need for 
Pastoral Care Among 
Refugee Congregations
As the number of refugee and immigrant congregations in North America rises dramatically, 
church administrators are increasingly turning to part-time pastors to meet the growing 
demand for spiritual leadership.
One such pastor, Jean Hakiza, is making 
significant sacrifices to effectively minis-
ter to two congregations in the Lake Region 
Conference, serving primarily Congolese and 
Rwandan refugees.
Since the establishment of the North 
American Division’s Adventist Refugee and 
Immigrant Ministries in 2009, the number of 
refugee language groups has doubled, and 
congregations have tripled. Membership in 
these congregations has grown from 2,087 
to over 9,960, alongside a remarkable eight-
fold increase in both annual baptisms and 
tithe collections. Terri Saelee, coordinator of 
the ministry for the North American Division, 
emphasizes that these refugee language 
groups have become the driving force behind 
growth in the church over the last 15 years. 
“These groups are responsible for most of 
the growth in the North American Division,” 
Saelee notes.
Despite this explosive growth, conferences 
face challenges in hiring qualified pastors flu-
ent in English, leading to the increased reli-
ance on part-time pastors like Hakiza, who 
is employed full-time elsewhere. Hakiza, 
originally from Rwanda and a Tutsi genocide 
survivor, credits God for his resilience and 
current position. “The Lord saved me,” he ex-
plains. “I promised to work for Him wherever 
I am called to go.”
Since graduating from the Seventh-day 
Theological Seminary at Andrews University 
in 2008, Hakiza has worked as a supervisor 
in Custodial Services at Andrews University. 
With a heart for pastoral ministry, he start-
ed volunteering at the Bethel Community 
Church in Lansing, Michigan.
In June 2022, he began balancing his cus-
todial duties at Andrews while serving as 
part-time pastor of the Goshen Kinyarwanda 
Church in Indianapolis and the Berean 
Kinyarwanda Church in Lansing, Michigan. He 
manages to serve approximately 200 wor-
shippers at Goshen and 130–150 at Berean 
on alternating Sabbaths, commuting four to 
six hours round trip every weekend. His typ-
ical Sabbath begins very early in the morn-
ing, around 5:30 a.m., and he often returns 
home around midnight after providing pasto-
ral care, including visits to the sick. “That is 
a personal challenge,” Hakiza admits, high-
lighting the demands of his dual roles. But his 
pastoral role is the one he most relishes.
To support his ministry, the Lake Union and 
North American Division have collaborated 
with the Lake Region Conference to provide 
Hakiza with a stipend, although he remains 
part-time. Saelee notes, “Pioneer workers 
like Hakiza work with much sacrifice, but it 
means the world to the churches.” Such part-
nerships typically last for three years and aim 
to sustain the vital connection between pas-
tors and their communities.
While the part-time scenario is only de-
signed to assist churches for a relatively 
short time, Carmelo Mercado, Lake Union 
vice president for multiethnic ministries, said 
that one of the goals of the recently estab-
lished multicultural committee at the union is 
to “help the refugee and immigrant churches 
through a strategy that includes applying for 
additional funding and providing the church 
members with stewardship training contex-
tualized in their culture.”
Hakiza expressed hope for a soon transi-
tion to full-time pastoral status, citing con-
cerns about the wear and tear on his vehicle 
from extensive travel. “I have reported this 
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E A few years ago, Jean Hakiza began balancing his custodial duties at Andrews University while serving as 
part-time pastor of the Goshen Kinyarwanda Church in Indianapolis and the Berean Kinyarwanda Church in 
Lansing, Michigan.
Visit LakeUnionHerald.org |  JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025|  27
NEWS  |   LOCAL CHURCH
to the conference officers, and they told me 
they’re trying to see how they can give me 
full-time status,” he shares.
Lake Region Conference’s Multilingual 
Ministries Coordinator Eddie Allen acknowl-
edged Hazika’s sacrifice, as well as the 
growth in both churches he pastors. “It’s 
amazing,” said Allen. “We are praying and 
intentionally looking for the opportunity as 
budget allows to bring him on as a paid full-
time pastor.”
In the meantime, Hakiza’s resilience and 
commitment reflect the dedication of many 
pastors serving refugee populations despite 
numerous challenges. “I know that God has 
a plan for us,” Hakiza concludes, underlining 
the hope and faith that drive his ministry and 
inspire those in his care.  P
David Pluviose has worked as a journalist and served as 
a volunteer lay pastor. He is now enrolled in the Master of 
Divinity program at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological 
Seminary at Andrews University.
Chicago Central Hispanic 
Church Marks 90 Years of 
Service to the Community
The Chicago Central Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church commemorated a significant 
milestone in Oct. 2024, celebrating 90 years of its mission to preach the gospel to the 
Hispanic community in Chicago.
This year’s celebrations highlight nearly a 
century of dedication and spiritual service, 
beginning with the formation of the first 
Hispanic Adventist group in the Lake Union 
in 1934.
Pastor Juan Daniel Villegas, who has been 
serving the congregation for just over a year, 
expressed his heartfelt gratitude during the 
Sabbath, Oct. 19, 2024, observance. “It was 
deeply moving to see brothers and sisters 
who, due to health reasons and advanced 
age, have not been able to attend church reg-
ularly. Some of them hadn’t seen each other 
in over 10 years.” He noted that this showed 
their connections within the community.
A memorable moment of the day included 
an interview with a couple who have been in-
tegral to the church since 1955, serving faith-
fully for more than 60 years. Additionally, an-
other couple sang a special hymn they had 
performed in the church six decades ago, 
emphasizing the legacy left by previous gen-
erations to the new members now joining the 
congregation.
Pastor Villegas shared his encouragement 
from witnessing such unity and history within 
the church, stating, “It is indeed worth serv-
ing God in our local churches.” The congrega-
tion continues to feel blessed and grateful for 
its longstanding commitment to the service 
of the community in Chicago.
In addition, members of the Central 
Hispanic Church’s latest church plant, known 
as Second Generation Church, also attend-
ed and expressed their appreciation for the 
church’s support in planting this English-
speaking multicultural church. P
Debbie Michel is editor of the Lake Union Herald. 
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Andrews University Wind Symphony - Winter Concert

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Milestones

Paul Bergsma opening New probe in Area B

Drs. Horn and Greaty Discuss Problem in D

Mike Blaine and crew at work

Square group studying photo

Andrews University Celebrates Enrollment Increases and Strong National Rankings

Growing Need for Pastoral Care Among Refugee Congregations

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