Wheaton College to celebrate Class of 2008

Thousands of parents, students and alumni are expected to gather this weekend for graduation activities at Wheaton College.

Events kick off tonight with a "Festival of Faith" concert at Edman Memorial Chapel. Five conservatory groups, including the concert choir and men's glee club, will perform at the free concert.

"It's as much a send-off for the graduating seniors as anything," college spokeswoman Sarah Clark said.

About 850 students are expected to participate in commencement services on Saturday and Sunday. In addition to the graduating students, about 1,000 past alumni and their families will host reunions at the Wheaton campus.

A special commissioning service also will be held at noon Sunday for 12 students in the school's ROTC program.

"It's been a very emotional event the last few years," Clark said. "Quite a few of them end up serving in Iraq every year."

Akiko Minato, professor emerita of early church history and women's studies at Tokyo Christian University, will be honored by the school with its Alumna of the Year award. Minato, who graduated from Wheaton College in 1960 on a Fulbright Scholarship, will be giving the commencement addresses at both the undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies.

On Saturday, three prominent alumni from the class of 1968 will gather at Barrows Auditorium at the Billy Graham Center to discuss the changes in the evangelical church over the past 40 years.

Among the speakers will be Nathan Hatch, president of Wake Forest College; Mark Noll, professor of history at the University of Notre Dame; and John Piper, a pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist College in Minneapolis.

If you go

What: Festival of Faith concert

When: 8 tonight

Where: Edman Memorial Chapel, northeast corner of Washington and Franklin streets, Wheaton

Cost: $5 (suggested donation)

Information: Visit www.wheaton.edu/alumni/reunions/awgenschedule.html