Homecoming Weekend
Affinity Group Reunions
Parent Reception
During Homecoming Weekend 2009 parents had the chance the gather and hear from respected teacher, speaker, author, and student favorite, Dr. Tim Muehlhoff. Dr. Muehlhoff is an Associate Professor of Communication at Biola and has written about marriage, faith, and communication in diverse journals and magazines. During the parent reception, Muehlhoff shared about communication strategies for parents and their college aged children. In regards to communication, Dr. Muehlhoff urged parents to really try and evaluate several questions. The first being, what does my child believe in this particular situation? Why do these beliefs seem right to them? Where can we find common ground? And finally, based on that information, how should I proceed? Muehlhoff described how really taking the time to ask these questions in a difficult situation can foster mutual respect and understanding.
English Graduates Reception
February 21 marked the first gathering of a few English Alumni for quite a long time. As recent graduates walked through the door of the Metzger Board Conference Room and conversed with their fellow alumna, they started to compare stories and reminisce on past English Department events. Professors Dr. Kleist and Dr. Malandra engaged in conversation while inquiring to know more from the graduates about what they would like to see happen in the future with the English department. Graduates from ’83 and ’84 also attended and were eager to know any updates from the Biola English Department. We are excited for future events with English alumni and hope that Homecoming Weekend 2009 is just the beginning of many reunions to come.
Education Dinner
The School of Education Alumni Reunion on Sunday, February 22, 2009 was attended by alumni from the 1950s to 2008. In addition to the scrumptious meal, the evening was filled with wonderful music. Gabriel Martinez played soft music on the piano during dinner and the King’s Men sang a variety of songs as the program began. In following the evening’s theme, “Serve the World,” the panel, composed of four alumni, Manuel Mendoza, Alejandro Jauregui, Trinika Barnett and Kathi Lundstrom, spoke about how in public schools, they have found ways of sharing the love of God to the students God brings into their lives. Dr. Robin Hom, the recipient of the School of Education “Alumni Educator of the Year” award and the evening’s featured speaker, emphasized the importance of making Christian school education not only “Christian” but also “excellent.” Dr. Hom is serving the world by bringing excellent Christian education to the students in the Chinese Christian Schools in San Leandro, California.
The evening ended with door prizes and a time of fellowship. We look forward to next year's reunion, which will be planned by our School of Education alumni.
