Andrews University Spring Graduation 2026

From May 1–3, 2026

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Andrews University’s spring graduation will take place May 1–3, 2026. The weekend’s events will include a Friday Commencement service and vespers service, Baccalaureate services on Sabbath morning and two additional Commencement services on Sunday morning.

All commencement services will take place at the Andreasen Center for Wellness, and the Friday vespers and Baccalaureate services will be held at Pioneer Memorial Church. Please note that in order to provide adequate seating for the families of graduates, there are three commencement services with reserved seating only.

Additional academic and cultural programs are planned throughout graduation weekend. Consult the online schedule for a complete listing at andrews.edu/graduation/schedule.

On Friday, May 1, at 3 p.m., Mark Finley, assistant to the president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and president of Hope Lives Evangelistic Ministries, will deliver the address “The Essence of True Greatness” at the Commencement service for the College of Education & International Services and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. He will also be recognized as an honorary degree candidate at this service. Finley has served the Adventist church as a pastor, evangelist, teacher and administrator for nearly six decades. His passion for leading people to Jesus, communicating the gospel and teaching the next generation of ministers has touched countless lives.

Honorary degree candidate Ernestine Finley will also be recognized at this service. Finley holds degrees in communications and personal outreach, with a major concentration on community health outreach. As an author, broadcast evangelist and teacher, she is known worldwide for her cooking classes and wellness ministry. Inspired by her passion for holistic living and plant-based dishes, Finley has published several books, including “Natural Lifestyle Cooking” and “A Lifetime of Hospitality.” Currently, she continues her ministry alongside her husband, Mark, at the Living Hope Evangelism Training Center.

Alayne Thorpe, dean of the College of Education & International Services and School of Graduate Studies at Andrews and president of Griggs International, will be honored with the President’s Medallion. Thorpe holds a BA and MA in English, as well as a PhD in modern British literature, from the University of Maryland. She has dedicated her career to improving the educational experience of students around the world and has played an instrumental role in the development and management of distance education and graduate studies at Andrews University.

On Saturday, May 2, Elden Ramirez, president of the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, will offer the address “What Hath God Wrought Through You” for both the 9 a.m. (graduate) and 11:45 a.m. (undergraduate) Baccalaureate services. Ramirez has previously served as the executive secretary of the Lake Union Conference, undersecretary of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists and president of the Montana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He has ministered across five states in a variety of roles, including academy chaplain, pastor and departmental director, and led the Office of Volunteer Ministries at the North American Division.

Two Commencement services will take place on Sunday, May 3. At the 8:30 a.m. service, Zeno L. Charles-Marcel, director of Health Ministries for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, will give the Commencement address “Required or Desired” for graduates of the College of Health & Human Services and College of Professions. Charles-Marcel additionally serves as an adjunct associate professor of medicine at Loma Linda University and executive director of the International Commission for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency. He is known for his work in lifestyle medicine, and he has served in various fields relating to health care, technology and business.

Honorary degree candidate Patricia Gustin will be honored at this service. Gustin received her BS in elementary education from Union College, MA in religion from Andrews University and MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Azusa Pacific University. As former director of the Institute of World Mission and current volunteer at Gospel Outreach, she has dedicated her life to mission work, training and expansion. Over her career, she has helped establish “Re-entry to Homeland” programs, overseen the publication of the “Passport to Mission” textbook and supported student mission initiatives at several Adventist colleges.

Bettina Krause, editor of Liberty magazine and associate director of the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, will deliver the address “Who Do You Think You Are?” at the 11:30 a.m. Commencement service for graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences. She will also be recognized as an honorary degree candidate at this service. Krause holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queensland University and Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University. Throughout her several years of service to the church, Krause has worked to strengthen public awareness of the Adventist Church’s distinctive religious freedom message, serving as a “translator” of biblical and prophetic principles into the language of contemporary public policy debates.

Select graduation services will be livestreamed. For details, visit andrews.edu/graduation.