Biola's 2008 centennial commencement, held on Friday May 23 and Saturday, May 24, featured the largest graduating class in Biola's history with nearly 1000 graduates total from the University.

To commemorate Biola's centennial year, graduates were given Bibles as a final departure gift from Biola, with a personal message from Biola's president, Barry H. Corey. The Bibles signify Biola's 100-year commitment to biblical truth, and graduates symbolically carried that truth with them as they walked out of Biola for the last time.

Commencement speakers included Al Mijares, College Board vice president and Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the book, "The Purpose Driven Life".

Commencement Speakers

Al Mijares – Graduate and BOLD Commencement Speaker

Al Mijares is vice president of the western region of the College Board, the publisher of the SAT. Prior to joining the College Board in 2006, Mijares spent 12 years as superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District in Santa Ana, Calif. As superintendent, he oversaw California's fifth-largest school district, made up of more than 60,000 students. He holds a doctorate from the University of Southern California.

Rick Warren – Undergraduate Commencement Speaker

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. He and his wife, Kay, started a church from their home in 1980 with one other family. What began as a small group soon became a church of 22,000 members attending each weekend, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing churches in America.

Aside from his church, Warren is well known for his book "The Purpose Driven Life," which has sold 25 million copies and is the best-selling hardback book in American history, according to Publisher's Weekly. His influential book on church health, "The Purpose Driven Church," was a winner of the Gold Medallion Ministry Book of the Year and was selected as one of the 100 Christian Books That Changed the 20th Century. In addition, Rick is the author of "God's Power to Change Your Life," "God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions" and "Personal Bible Study Methods."

Warren was born in San Jose, California. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist College, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. Other honors include the Biblical Preaching Award, several honorary doctorates, and Metro Magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people in Orange County, California.