GROUNDED IN MISSION, ENGAGING IN CULTURE

Greetings, Northwestern!

What a privilege it is to serve as the ninth president of the University of Northwestern – St. Paul and Northwestern Media. We serve a great God, and I am humbled to be called into this leadership role at such a pivotal time in the life of Christian higher education and media. My wife, Heather, and I have been so blessed in our first months as members of the Northwestern community.

As I interviewed for this role and have spent my first months on campus as president, I can say with utmost certainty that Northwestern is a beautiful place! The historic, neo-Romanesque style and symbols that adorn our campus buildings are iconic; I know that they are nostalgic to many of you. These buildings, such as Nazareth Hall, Riley Hall, the Billy Graham Community Life Commons, and the Robertson Student Center, have served as spaces for learning, community development, performance, and personal faith formation. For some, Nazareth even served as a venue for you to exchange marriage vows with your spouse! And yet, as we celebrated both Northwestern’s 50 years on the current St. Paul campus and 100 years of Nazareth Hall in 2022, what binds us together are not man-made structures, but rather Christ’s free gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit living in us, and our shared experiences.

To that end, Northwestern’s mission remains anchored in place—to equip students to grow intellectually and spiritually, to serve effectively in their professions, and to give God-honoring leadership in the home, church, community, and world. This past August, we welcomed our newest undergraduate class to campus—the class of 2026! I am confident that each of these individuals—just like each of you did at one point—will receive grounded, Biblical teaching in their classroom and co-curricular activities and will find great Christian community among their peers, faculty members, and staff. In the same way that Northwestern’s history is rich, so too is our future bright!

As Christians in the higher education arena, our calling is to remain grounded in our mission while relevantly engaging in culture to equip our students and reach the lost. For 121 years, Northwestern has had a heart for the world and the global reach of the Gospel, and I’m proud to shield, serve, and steward that heartbeat for this generation and the next. As president, I am committed to the inherent, infallible, and authoritative Word of God. At UNW, everything we do will flow from that source as our foundation.

I look forward to meeting you!

Blessings in Christ,

Corbin Hoornbeek, Ph.D. President

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Institutional Administration

Corbin Hoornbeek, Ph.D. President

Dale Engskov Interim Vice President, Institutional Advancement

About The Pilot

Greg Johnson, Ph.D. ’05, M’09 Editor-in-Chief Vice President for Strategy and Chief of Staff

Jennifer Clemens Senior Director of Marketing

Kelly Larson Editor

Lynnea Harrison Creative Director

Contributors

Brooke (Gillquist) Dalzell ’19, Charles Hallman, Josiah Hurney ’23, Angel (Amundson) Moin ’92, Cassie (McGee) Plantage ’07, John Paul Sonnen

Alecia Korpi, Ken Jones, Josh Stokes

Photography

Zach Knighton ’17

Proofreading

Because the Pilot magazine is an expression of the University of Northwestern – St. Paul’s commitment to what it holds to be Biblical faith and practice, we do not communicate events that, to our knowledge, fall outside of convictions expressed in our Doctrinal Statement and Declaration of Christian Community.

© 2023 University of Northwestern

Just over 100 years ago, a handful of Northwestern students launched a new school publication and called for name suggestions, promising a two-pound box of candy for the contest winner. Two months later, the newsletter bore its new moniker: Northwestern Pilot . First published on Nov. 17, 1920, the Northwestern Pilot began as an outgrowth of the then Northwestern Bible College’s English department with the goal of promoting interest in school activities. It was a four-page school newspaper with articles on class updates, missionaries, poetry, and devotional literature. Fast-forward to 2023: the Pilot , now 437 issues strong, has progressed to a full-length magazine that showcases God’s faithfulness, telling the stories of current students, alumni, faculty, and the state of the institution.

If These Walls Could Talk

From the immense expanse of the tower to the arched inner vault of its foyer, there is rich symbolism and didactic meaning in the building that has been a recognizable pillar to Northwestern since 1972.