Bryan Kehr named athletic director
General
Hesston College has appointed Bryan Kehr as the Larks’ new athletic director. Prior to the appointment, Kehr served as interim athletic director during the Fall 2020 semester, as well as coach for the women’s soccer team.
Prior to his hiring as Hesston’s women’s soccer coach in 2010, Kehr served as athletics director and instructor at Bethany Christian Schools in Goshen, Ind. Kehr launched the varsity girls’ soccer program at Bethany and subsequently led the team to four sectional titles and one regional title.
“It has been my honor to work closely with Bryan in this interim role as he navigated COVID realities for our Athletics department,” said Dr. Joseph Manickam, president of Hesston College. “Bryan’s willingness to keep the program engaged with all parts of campus and his ability to clarify complex issues allows the Hesston College Athletics department to move forward despite COVID uncertainties.
“He has developed crucial new strategies to bring greater alignment between our Athletics program and the college’s mission,” Manickam said.
“I look forward to building bridges between the Athletics department and the rest of the college,” said Kehr. “Hesston athletes participate in their education both on and off the playing field. The Hesston experience develops the whole person, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I look forward to fielding competitive teams and educating the next generation of leaders.”
Kehr accepted the interim athletic director role last summer and will continue to serve as women’s soccer coach through the spring of 2021.
Follow the Larks at hclarks.com.
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College announces fall 2020 Dean’s List, Honor Roll
General
Hesston College Registrar Sandra Hiebert announced the names of full-time students whose fall 2020 semester grades earned them a place on the Dean’s List (3.90 to 4.00 GPA) and Honor Roll (3.50 to 3.89 GPA).
Dean’s List – first-year students
Katie Alaniz, Longmont, Colo.
Shelby Bontrager, McPherson, Kan
Jack Brinkley, Mckinney, Texas
Alyssa Burkholder, Hillsboro, Kan.
AnDena Collins, Hutchinson, Kan.
Emily DeMartino, Virginia Beach, Va.
Bella Dietrich, Wichita, Kan.
Alisha Dorsing, Othello, Wash.
Mariah Gilmartin, Wichita, Kan.
Ethan Hildebrand, Stafford, Kan.
Fortesa Hysenaj, Istog, Kosovo
McKayla Long, Highland, Calif.
Kelly Miller, Archbold, Ohio
Alyssa Nolt, Dalton, Ohio
Carson Orpin, Canton, Kan.
Shunsuke Otonashi, Tenri, Japan
Samuel Otto, Orrville, Ohio
James Peters, Hesston, Kan.
Hauw Raharjo, Semarang, Indonesia
Justin Smith, Beaumont, Texas
Aidan Swartzendruber, Henderson, Neb.
Marshall Woolf, Stafford, Kan.
Dean’s List – sophomores Aidan Boettcher, Benton, Kan.
Jacob Boller, Kalona, Iowa
Sydney Bontrager, Milford, Neb.
Jessica Buckwalter, Yona, Guam
Devin Catlin, Dexter, Kan.
Olivia Galbraith, Millersburg, Ohio
Myley George, Woodland Hills, Utah
Kauy Kuhn, Cheney, Kan.
Kara Longenecker, Rockingham, Va.
Sidorela Mjeshtri, Lac, Albania
Kanade Morita, Chigasaki, Japan
Claire Moyer, Thompsontown, Pa.
Yuya Muranaka, Hiroshima, Japan
Daniel Ochs IV, Hutchinson, Kan.
Caleb Oesch, Caldwell, Idaho
Mikayla Ognissanti, Rocklin, Calif.
Mason Richer, New Paris, Ind.
Tannah Tilley, Derby, Kan.
Tanner Unruh, Washington, Ill.
Hannah Williams, Corning, Calif.
Dean’s List – juniors
Alexis Avalos, Yucaipa, Calif.
Dara Ness, Goddard, Kan.
Andrea Pickering, Wichita, Kan.
Dean’s List – seniors
Tess Anderson, Williamsburg, Va.
Annalys Hanna, Fraser, Colo.
Emerald Packard, Hutchinson, Kan.
Daisy Pham, Wichita, Kan.
Laura Riehl, Hutchinson, Kan.
Morgan Walter, Wichita, Kan.
Honor Roll – first-year students
Shinju Baxter, Sedgwick, Kan.
David Beachy, San Nicolas, FIN, Philippines
Sara Bianchi Muschio, Trento, Italy
Benjamin De La Rosa, Dallas, Texas
Maria Gerber, Dallas, Texas
Kimberlin Hopson, Sanger, Texas
Madison Huber, Wichita, Kan.
Bethany Masters, Dundee, Ohio
Jacob McKenzie, Andover, Kan.
Madison Michalek-Rosales, Lakeside, Calif.
Jewel Norris, Bel Aire, Kan.
Julia Seifert, Columbia City, Ind.
Samantha Stiles, Bentley, Kan.
Chyandra Teague, Claremore, Okla.
Porclein Unruh, Newton, Kan.
Paige Weber, Freeport, Ill.
Coby Winters, Wichita, Kan.
Alexis Zehr, Burrton, Kan.
Honor Roll – sophomores
Caroline Barger, Newton, Kan.
Courtney Crane, Wichita, Kan.
Cayden Diccion, Piedmont, Okla.
Morgan Graybill, Freeport, Ill.
Cristal Guzman, Dominican Republic
Destiny Kessay, McNary, Ariz.
Brayden Ketley, El Dorado, Kan.
Ethan Klassen, Mountain Lake, Minn.
Natalie Ladd, Hesston, Kan.
Jaden Lais, Grantsville, Md.
Grace Litwiller, Hopedale, Ill.
Alexander Miller, Arlington, Kan.
Natalie Paramo, Plumas Lake, Calif.
Erin Peters, Hesston, Kan.
Jennifer Rodriguez, Corpus Christi, Texas
Lesly Tello, Kansas City, Kan.
Benny Thawng, Yangon, Myanmar
Romina Xhari, Lezhe, Albania
Quinton Yoder, South Euclid, Ohio
Benisa Zogu, Lezhe, Albania
General
The Center for Anabaptist Leadership and Learning at Hesston College, also known as CALL, will host David Fitch, Betty R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary, Chicago, Ill., for a special online Weekend College event for pastors, congregational leaders and conference leaders on February 20, 2021. The event is titled “What If They Don’t Come Back? Pastoring through COVID.” Event attendance is open to all. Those interested in attending can register online at www.hesston.edu/weekendcollege.
Dr. Fitch, who is also an author at Missio Alliance and founding pastor of Life on the Vine Christian Community in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, will open the event by leading a discussion on the topic, “What Does It Mean to be the Church?” In light of the ongoing pandemic, pastors may be struggling to balance the pressures of keeping their congregations safe while simultaneously keeping their congregations going. The Church needs strategies for managing the growing anxiety of pastors and church leaders that some people may not come back when it is safe to be together. Fitch will help attendees understand how they might find ways to be the Church even if it may look different than it did before COVID.
Hesston College Bible and Ministry prof Michele Hershberger will then lead attendees in an interactive hour of spiritual guidance, self-care and surrender, exploring the principles of the 12 Steps as they apply to John the Baptist and all of us. Can something as disruptive as COVID be an opportunity for new life? Can believers grieve well, let go and look forward?
In the afternoon, Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg, director of the CALL program at Hesston College, will lead pastors and congregational leadership teams through a coaching session to help them work through their challenges and identify the unique opportunities COVID has presented the Church within each particular congregational context.
“I have heard from so many pastors about the burden and anxiety of ministry in the midst of a pandemic,” said Schrock-Ringenberg. “We have a unique opportunity to learn from each other how we can be the Church in such a historical time. If ever the Church was handed a gold ticket for renewal and reformation, it’s now. I just hope we take it, join each other, learn from each other and help carry each other forward.”
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College’s School of Aviation invited to join prestigious intercollegiate organization
Aviation
Hesston College’s School of Aviation has been invited to join the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA). Membership in NIFA offers Hesston College aviation students invaluable opportunities to compete and network with students from some of the largest and most prestigious collegiate flight programs in the United States.
According to the NIFA website, the organization was formed “…for the purposes of developing and advancing aviation education; to promote, encourage and foster safety in aviation; to promote and foster communications and cooperation between aviation students, educators, educational institutions and the aviation industry; and to provide an arena for collegiate aviation competition.”
In November, Hesston College received a formal invitation to join NIFA as a member of Region VI, which spans much of the northern Great Plains and upper Midwest. Other member schools in Region VI include K-State Polytechnic, Iowa State University, University of North Dakota and University of Wisconsin.
Three juniors – Jessica Buckwalter, Ellie Yoder and Austin Kunert – participated in two NIFA competitions, both conducted virtually. Though it was the college’s first intercollegiate flight competition, Buckwalter, Yoder and Kunert competed well with students from other Region VI institutions. Hesston College aviation students will be preparing for additional competitions to be held nationwide in February and March 2021. Due to COVID-19, all flight skill competitions have been cancelled for the remainder of the academic year.
“We are extremely pleased to join Region VI of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association,” said Mike Baker, director of aviation at Hesston College. “Membership in NIFA affirms Hesston’s fifty-year tradition of rigorous aviation education. We look forward to a time when Hesston aviation students can fellowship with other aviation students from across the nation.”
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Board of directors appoints Dr. Joseph Manickam to second four-year presidential term
General
Hesston College’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to appoint Joseph Manickam to a second four-year term as president during the college’s fall board meetings, held virtually in late October 2020.
Manickam was named as the ninth president of Hesston College in fall of 2016 and assumed office on July 1, 2017. Previous to his appointment, Manickam served as director of the Institute of Religion, Culture and Peace and faculty member for peace studies at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Manickam and his family moved to Hesston from Thailand in 2017.
During his first four-year term, Manickam has overseen the completion of a major capital campaign, the construction of new and refurbished buildings on campus, and the creation of new four-year programs in nursing and aviation. Under Manickam’s leadership the college will further explore offering four-year degrees in business and engineering, as outlined in the college’s “Vision 2025” growth plan.
Manickam’s reappointment signals a continued commitment on the part of the college’s leadership to Manickam’s vision of an expansive, inclusive, globally engaged Hesston College. Primary among his tasks has been evolving Hesston from a “college for Mennonites” to a “Mennonite college for all.”
“The board’s unanimous vote to reappoint Dr. Manickam to his second term is not just an affirmation of the work he has done for Hesston College in the past four years, but a vote of confidence and endorsement of the strategic direction for the next four years,” said Ken G Kabira, Bartlett, Ill., chairperson of the Hesston College Board of Directors. “Under President Joe’s leadership, we are confident Hesston will not just survive the current pandemic but emerge stronger and more capable of living its mission to educate and nurture every student in a Christ-centered community.”
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General
In response to rising COVID-19 community spread across Harvey County and the rest of Kansas, as well as an uptick in on-campus cases, Hesston College will proactively raise its CARES Level of Concern on Saturday, November 21, from “R – Restricted” to “E – Elevated.” An “Elevated” level is initiated when “community spread of a COVID-19 outbreak affects students across campus.”
Hesston College’s Administrative Council initiated the rise in CARES level out of an abundance of caution and in an effort to ease the potential burden of care on local healthcare systems. Harvey and surrounding counties have increasingly raised alert levels and tightened restrictions on gathering sizes, and the college has recently experienced a slight increase in active COVID cases. Current active COVID-19 cases at the college include eight students and two employees. Students and employees with COVID-19 are isolating at off-campus locations.
According to the Hesston College website, an “Elevated” CARES level further restricts on-campus gatherings. Classes and campus activities may go fully online, all athletic practices are suspended and access to campus is closed to the community. Students may return home over the pre-Thanksgiving weekend if they wish and complete the semester online. The college’s revised plans were finalized in consultation with the Harvey County Health Department.
“Hesston students were already scheduled to return home over Thanksgiving break and complete fall semester classes online,” said Deb Roth, vice president of Student Life. “Given the timing, it makes sense for us to offer students the opportunity to head home early without penalty, if they so choose.”
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2021 memorial run goes virtual and adds challenge
General
2020 has been a different year. The 2021 Neuf Memorial Run will be a different race in response to the global pandemic as it moves to a virtual 9K or 2-mile run on Jan. 9, 2021. The fourth annual event honors the memory of Russ Neufeld, a long-time Kansas resident who passed away on Jan. 21, 2017 after an 18-month fight with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The event raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Russ Neufeld Memorial Scholarship at Hesston College. Over the first three years of the Neuf Memorial Run, the race has raised over $35,000 from race proceeds and donations.
For an entry fee of $35, all registered participants for the virtual 9K or 2-mile run will receive a personalized digital bib through RunSignUp, a commemorative lightweight running hat, and a digital finisher’s certificate.
In addition, prize categories for the virtual event include the following nine categories: best costume, most creative place to run, most creative time to run, best beard (real or otherwise), best kilt, best display of Neuf branding, bravest running outfit, best “spread the love” message, best family/group themed costume.
The Neuf has added the 2021 Virtual Neuf Challenge to encourage increased physical activity during the holiday season. The challenge is to run/walk 90K (or more) between December 9, 2020, and January 9, 2021. The Virtual Challenge includes entry in the Virtual Neuf Run along with a commemorative quarter-zip long-sleeve pullover for an entry fee of $90.
For local participants, packet pickup for the 2021 Virtual Neuf Run and the 2021 Virtual Neuf Challenge will be at the shelter at Cottonwood Park located on the corner of 24th Street and Minnesota Avenue in North Newton, Kan., just south of Mojo’s Coffee Bar (2500 N. Main Street, North Newton, Kan.) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Friday, January 8, 2021. For everyone participating from afar, race items will be mailed after race day.
The race celebrates community as Neufeld described in his final Facebook post: “Take all this love you have and share it,” he wrote. “It only multiplies and there are so many who could use it…just spread the love folks – it’s the only thing in this world that endures.”
The January run and the 9K distance are as unique as Neufeld. A transplanted Canadian, he relished the cold weather, and Neuf — “nine” in French — was a nickname for Neufeld. His car’s stick shift handle was a 9-ball.
Visit runtheneuf.neuf.ca for more information and to register for the run. Run the Neuf!
Contribute to the Russ Neufeld Memorial Scholarship
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College announces reopening plan for spring 2021 semester
General
The Hesston College reopening workgroup has announced its plan for the return of students to campus for the spring 2021 semester.
The reopening plan includes a recommitment to safe and responsible behavior during the six weeks between the end of fall semester and the start of spring semester. Each student will be screened for COVID-19 seven days prior to their return to campus. In the event of a positive test result, the student will be asked to isolate in place until a local medical professional or public health official releases them.
On-campus students will participate in a two-week modified quarantine upon arrival at Hesston College in January. Student-athletes and those involved in performance areas such as choir can leave their rooms to practice, students will pick up food from the college’s dining service and will be able to participate in nursing labs, clinicals, and off-campus training where appropriate. During the modified quarantine period students may meet outside assuming they remain socially distanced and masked.
The plan builds on successful initiatives put in place by the college to minimize the occurrence and spread of COVID-19 on campus, including housing on-campus students in single rooms, hybrid online/in-person coursework, and the modification of classroom layouts to better accommodate social distancing and disinfection.
Hesston College employees will also be asked to commit to healthy measures and practices over the winter holidays, and those who work closely with students during the modified quarantine period will be asked to participate in COVID-19 testing prior to returning to work.
“We’re confident the reopening plan sets us up for a safe and successful spring semester,” said Deb Roth, vice president of Student Life and head of the Reopening Workgroup at Hesston College. “The national, state and local landscape necessitates a more aggressive approach than we used in August. We must redouble our commitment to caring for ourselves and each other to ensure Hesston students can live and learn together in a healthy and supportive environment.”
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Bel Canto Singers to present socially distanced block concert on October 18
Music
Bel Canto Singers, the top vocal group at Hesston College, will present a socially distanced block concert in the Mullet Drive parking lot on October 18 at 4 p.m. The public is invited.
The concert will feature solos, small group performances, and choral works featuring a variety of musical genres. Attendees are invited to bring their own lawn chairs and will be asked to wear masks for the duration of the concert.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hesston College Performing Arts has reimagined much of its traditional schedule in the interest of public safety. The Bel Canto Block Concert is the first public performance given by the group this school year. In September, Hesston College Theatre gave performances of “Charlotte’s Web” for audiences outdoors at Dyck Arboretum.
“The realities of the pandemic required us to rethink how we were going to practice and present music at Hesston College,” said professor of music Dr. Russell Adrian. “We are performers, and we can’t wait to do what we love: sing for others.”
Many of the songs chosen for the performance speak to resilience, community and love for others. These themes are particularly important, given current world events.
“Music draws people together,” Dr. Adrian said. “It gives them hope. By now we know how to take care of one another at public events like this. Not only will the event be safe; we hope it brings comfort and healing to those who listen.”
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