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Northwestern College’s North Suites has been renamed the Jacob and Hannah Heemstra Suites in recognition of the college’s first president and his wife. The name change was announced at a ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 2, as part of the board of trustees meeting.

As part of Raider Nation Celebration, the Northwestern College music department will present a fall music showcase on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The showcase will feature music from the A cappella Choir, Heritage Singers, Women’s Choir, Jazz Band, Orchestra and Symphonic Band, and is free and open to the public.

Northwestern College’s theatre department will present the children’s play, “Dragons Love Tacos,” Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, Oct. 3 and 4. Both performances—at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday—will take place in the DeWitt Theatre Arts Center’s Allen Black Box Theatre.

Northwestern College will present five of its alumni with awards recognizing their accomplishments and service during Raider Nation Celebration, the college’s Homecoming and Family Weekend. The recipients will be honored during a banquet Saturday evening, Oct. 4.

Members of the public are invited to join Northwestern College students, faculty, staff and trustees for the groundbreaking of Colenbrander Plaza, an outdoor gathering space that will also serve as a walkway toward De Valois Stadium. The event will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2.

A new book, “Pursuing the Light: A History of Northwestern, 1882–2024,” tells the story of the institution’s growth from a classical academy and junior college into a college that enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate and graduate students and has more than 16,300 alumni around the world.

For the second year in a row, Northwestern College has exceeded its goals for new student recruitment by more than 10%. Fall 2025 figures list a total of 354 new students, including 37 transfers, the highest number of transfers in nine years.

Northwestern College will hold Raider Nation Celebration, the college’s annual Homecoming and Family Weekend, Oct. 3–4. The weekend’s events include class reunions, banquets, athletic events, a music showcase, and traditions such as the Morning on the Green carnival.

The Rev. Rich Villodas, pastor and award-winning author, will present at Northwestern College Sept. 23–24.

The Northwestern College board of trustees has appointed Dr. Cambria Kaltwasser to the Marvin and Jerene DeWitt Endowed Biblical and Theological Studies Professorship.The endowed position provides annual funds to support the recipient’s scholarly work, which can be used for research, the purchase of equipment or materials, travel to pursue research, or assistance to student researchers.