948 Students Receive IWU Degrees
8/16/04

A total of 948 Indiana Wesleyan University students received degrees in three graduation ceremonies Saturday, Aug. 14, in Luckey Arena on IWU's Marion campus. It was the first time that increased enrollment had required IWU to have three August graduations.

Dr. C. Kendall Smitherman, who spoke at the three graduations, received an honorary Doctor of Business Management degree. He is the president of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), which is based in Colorado Springs, Colo.

ACSI, through its 18 national and international offices, provides services and programs to more than 5,300 Christian schools in 106 countries. Dr. Jim Barnes, IWU president, recently was elected to the board of trustees of ACSI.

In addition to Saturday's ceremonies, IWU also has three graduations in April and three in December. In 1988, when Marion College changed its name to IWU, the university had just one graduation each year.

Most of Saturday's graduates earned their degrees through IWU's College of Adult and Professional Studies, which was established in 1985 to offer programs for working professionals. Adult classes are offered at regional campuses in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky as well as online.

More than 8,000 students currently are enrolled in IWU's adult classes.

A record 2,600 traditional students are expected to enroll for fall semester classes on IWU's main campus in Marion. The fall semester begins Sept. 7.