Monday morning’s Spring Convocation marked the welcoming of 178 new undergraduate students and 313 graduate students into Biola University’s fold.

“I’m glad this place is full again,” President Barry Corey said to a gymnasium packed with faculty, students and administrators.

Convocation also marked provost David Nystrom’s first convocation speech since being hired last summer. Corey explained that it is traditionally the role of the provost to give the spring address. AS president Lizzie Neely introduced the incoming class.

Where they’re coming from

The fresh batch of students includes individuals from places like Malaysia, Korea, Florida, Illinois, Texas and Alaksa. But, the overwhelming number of new undergraduate students — 161 to be exact — hail from California. Corey exhorted the new students to “trust more deeply in God’s love and power to accomplish his purpose.” Two new faculty members were also welcomed Monday morning.

What they face

To the new students, as well as the entire gym, Nystrom urged the audience to look to those who followed in the tradition of faith throughout history, rather than just focus on the present. Memory, he emphasized, is important. Nystrom described Christianity not as a 100-yard dash, but as a relay race in which the baton is passed from generation to generation. The thematic Scripture of the morning was 2 Cor. 3:3.

Corey assured the Biola community that chapels will be “very rich” this semester.