Washington Adventist University Kicks Off 120th Academic Year

TAKOMA PARK, Md. – Washington Adventist University opened its 120th academic year on Wednesday August 28th, 2024, welcoming students, faculty and staff to the Christian institution’s campus in the nation’s capital.

The opening convocation ceremony featured remarks from university leadership, including President Weymouth Spence, Provost Cheryl Kisunzu, Student Association President Junior Aguilar and Dr. Marcellus Robinson. The event celebrated the school’s history of “engaging minds and transforming lives” since its founding in 1904.

“This is our city. This is our 120th year of offering Christian education here in the nation’s capital,” said President Spence. “Since 1904, we have been intentionally engaging minds and transforming lives.”

Spence highlighted the university’s focus on “distinctive excellence in student success,” with goals for all students to graduate on time with little to no debt, ready for the workplace and eternity.

Welcoming the new faculty and staff, as well as the diverse student body, including the incoming class of 2028. Junior, the student association president, welcomed back all students and encouraged them to make the most of their time at WAU.

“This is going to be a great year because you were chosen and appointed for such a time as this,” Junior told the attendees, referencing biblical passages from Esther and the Gospel of John shared during the ceremony as part of the theme of this academic year.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Marcellus Robinson, the chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees and the president of the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. His message centered on the themes of being chosen and appointed by God for a specific purpose.

“You’ve already been chosen and appointed,” Robinson said. “So what now? What’s left is you must accept his call to service.”

The opening convocation set the stage for the new academic year at Washington Adventist University, as the institution continues its mission of providing a transformative Christian education.