Campus News

Solar Panel Project Complete

In May, Wheaton College began constructing a solar panel system on portions of the roofs of Chrouser Sports Complex and Armerding Center for Music and the Arts, and on new carports in the east Billy Graham Hall parking lot. The solar panels were completed late fall. Together with a battery energy storage unit completed in the west parking lot of BGH, the solar energy system is capable of generating up to seven percent of the campus’s annual electrical needs. Led by Chief Facilities Officer Jay Bieszke, the solar project will improve energy conservation on campus, contribute to Wheaton’s commitment to sustainability, and help campus leaders continue responsible stewardship of the College’s financial resources.

100 Years of WCSO

This fall, the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 100th anniversary. The first concert of the year was on November 1. Events celebrating the anniversary during the fall and spring semesters include concerts, anniversary parties, an international tour, and a community-wide orchestra play-along at Homecoming 2025.

Amplify Conference 2025

This year’s Amplify Conference took place from October 21–22 in the Armerding Center for Music and the Arts and Billy Graham Hall. With a focus on church growth and leadership, the conference provided leaders with training and guidance on how they can equip believers to spread their faith wherever they go. Conference speakers included Wheaton’s Rev. Dr. John Dickson, Rev. Dr. Rick Richardson, and Rev. Dr. Angulus Wilson. These were joined by other Wheaton faculty and alumni who served as breakout group leaders and speakers throughout the conference.

2025–26 Core Book

When Breath Becomes Air (Random House, 2016) is this year’s Core Book. When Breath Becomes Air is the memoir of Paul Kalanithi, a 36-year-old neurosurgeon and neuroscientist who receives a grave diagnosis and writes to the end of his life. Selected for the ways it explores how to live with wisdom and face death with courage, Kalanithi’s book integrates faith and learning in literature, science, and philosophy, while prompting readers to consider what one’s life and death mean.

New Graduate School Certificates

In the fall, the Wheaton College Graduate School began offering four new certificates: Sports Leadership and Coaching, Christian Camp Leadership, Humanitarian Leadership, and Foundations for Higher Education Leadership. The Pastoral Leadership concentration for the D.Min. was also renamed (without any major programmatic changes) to Ministry Leadership.

Vingwengwe: The Rhythm of the Fipa. Uncovering a Living Musical Tradition

In September, the documentary Vingwengwe: The Rhythm of the Fipa. Uncovering a Living Musical Tradition premiered on campus. The film was narrated and created by Dr. Johann Buis, Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music History. The film, which is the result of 11 years of research, highlights Dr. Buis’s exploration of three celebration dance styles among the Fipa people in western Tanzania.

Lecture by Tish Harrison Warren

In October, author and priest Tish Harrison Warren presented a lecture titled “Waiting on the Slow Work of God: How the Habit of Hope Transforms Us” in the Armerding Center for Music and the Arts. Sponsored by the Marion E. Wade Center’s Stephen and Marjorie Mead Endowment for Spiritual Formation, the lecture addressed the benefit of believers strengthening their capacity for hope and included references to Wade authors. A book signing followed Harrison Warren’s talk.

New Student Senate

The Student Government Association has implemented a new Student Senate, which comprises five senators per class. Senators have a once-a-month meeting commitment and possess the ability to effect change on campus by voting on new policies.

Missionary Book Mailing

This Christmas, alumni missionary families serving in 59 countries outside the United States will receive the following gifts, thanks to publishers who donate books and the College’s Board of Trustees, which provides funds for shipping costs.

• Radical Like Jesus: 21 Challenges to Live a Revolutionary Life by Greg Stier (Tyndale, 2024)
• You Will Be My Witnesses: Theology for God’s Church Serving in God’s Mission by Brian A. DeVries (Crossway, 2024)
• 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin (Crossway, 2021)
• The Death of the Deadly Sins: Embracing the Virtues That Transform Lives by Daniel M. Doriani and featuring chapters from Dr. Philip Ryken ’88 and Jen Pollock Michel ’96 (P&R, 2025)
• Beautiful, Disappointing, Hopeful: How Gratitude, Grief, and Grace Reflect the Christian Story by Drew Hyun (Zondervan, 2025)
• Wheaton magazine, Winter and Summer 2025 issues