In the News

Yost Center construction to reroute access for basketball fans

Progress on Hesston College’s campus construction projects recently extended to Yost Center. With basketball season still underway, the latest developments affect how Lark fans and guests enter the building for basketball games.

On Feb. 1, crews began work at the spot of the new west entrance of Yost Center. Construction fences went up, making the entrances on the northwest and southwest sides of the building – those nearest the parking lot – inaccessible for the remainder of the school year. The front rows of the parking lot will also be inaccessible during construction. Guests who park in the Yost Center parking lot off of South College Drive, will enter the building at the east campus-side entrance.

For home basketball games, a golf cart will be available to transport guests needing the service from the parking lot to the east entrance. The service will be available for about 30 minutes prior to the start of both women’s and men’s games, and at the conclusion of the final game. Sidewalk access on both the north and south sides of the building will be open for guests to walk or be transported to the east entrance.

The $3 million construction project on Yost Center will result in the addition of a west campus entrance and a weight room, a refurbishing of the gymnasium, new office space for coaches and administrative staff, a team room and more.

Physics faculty and students collaborate on published articles

Hesston College physics professor Joel Krehbiel and physics professor emeritus, Nelson Kilmer, aren’t satisfied to just look past answers that don’t quite hit the mark. With a shared curiosity for accuracy, and a relationship built on respect of the work each does and has done with students, the educators collaborated on two articles, with student collaboration on one, that were published in the January 2019 issue of The Physics Teacher journal.

It started during Krehbiel’s first year of teaching in fall 2015.

“Nelson was really helpful during my first year of teaching and willing to assist, so he often attended labs to help out,” said Krehbiel.

Students were conducting a lab to help them understand the relationship between pressure and temperature in a fixed-volume container. The relationship, known as Guy-Lussac’s Law, says that pressure and temperature increase proportionally. After measuring the pressure in flasks placed in water baths of different temperatures, students plot their data and extrapolate back to zero pressure to estimate absolute zero.

Kilmer had helped students conduct the same experiment countless times before retiring in 2014 after 46 years at Hesston College. He noticed that the estimates for absolute zero were off by almost 15 percent and he was curious to what might be going on.

“Nelson pointed to the fact that we were using different sized flasks than he had used when he conducted the experiment, so he decided to look into it further,” said Krehbiel. “When he observed the setup, Nelson suggested that we might be ignoring part of the tubing connected to the flask in the measurements. The flask was placed in the different water baths, but the tubing was not in the water and basically remained at room temperature during the whole experiment.”

“I see the purpose of doing an experiment not only to gather data and summarize the results, but also for students to develop critical thinking skills,” said Kilmer. “The error in this experiment was 10 times larger than the expected error based on the equipment used. It was disappointing to students that their results did not come out as they theory predicted.”

After about a month of work, Kilmer presented a theory describe the pressure, volume and temperature relationship in a system of two connected volumes. Using Kilmer’s theory, the two men worked out a new equation which was used to modify the extrapolation to find absolute zero. The following fall semester of 2016, students tested the new equation during the lab, resulting in errors of less than 2.5 percent and leading to the article entitled “Improved Guy-Lussac Experiment Considering Added Volumes.”

“Thinking through and analyzing errors in an experiment can often provide a learning opportunity to gain deeper understanding of the experiment,” said Kilmer. “Joel and I were curious as to the source of these large errors and if there was a problem with the underlying assumptions and theory used to explain the experiment.”

For the second article, students Kenton Schroeder (Harper, Kan.) and Harune Suzuki (Osaka, Japan) in last spring’s STEM Projects class tested an idea put forth by Kilmer as a new way to find the density of salts using simple lab equipment.

As freshmen, Schroeder and Suzuki developed the procedure for the experiment, took the data, completed the analysis, and helped to write the article, “Using a modified Boyle’s law experiment to estimate the density of salts.”

The article offers a new way to find the density of complex crystalized material which also dissolves in water, such as salt, using simple lab equipment.

“A common method for determining the volume of objects is to measure fluid displacement, but unfortunately salt crystals dissolve in water, so that method cannot be used for salts,” explained Krehbiel. “In contrast, our method provides a straightforward way to find the density of salt crystals using typical laboratory equipment.”

Learning experiences that go beyond lectures and note taking and dive into practical application and experimentation are critical to the foundational, experiential learning environment Hesston College strives to give students early in their collegiate career and across all academic disciplines.

“I learned a lot from working on this article,” said Schroeder. “As the first piece of physics literature I have contributed to, it really taught me a lot of about the process of producing not only valid results for experimentation, but also how to show those results in a literary format to make the communication of the sciences simpler. Many people take the writing to be a given, however, it’s a skill that is not always delved into but is necessary for those starting in the field.”

“I plan to major in aerospace engineering, and research and testing will be required,” said Suzuki. “I want to pursue my academic and career with curiosity. This experience taught me the important elements to build a successful experiment, which will be helpful as I continue learning.”

The adventure and journey of transcultural study

When Mackenzie Miller first encountered Mandarin Chinese during high school, she was quickly drawn into and captivated by a language so different from her own. During her college search, Miller knew study of the language was not something she was ready to leave behind, and even though Hesston College doesn’t offer classes in Mandarin, she chose to start at Hesston because of the freedom, flexibility and support the college could offer her as she continued pursuing her passion.

Now Miller, who graduated from Hesston in May 2018, finds herself halfway through a year-long stay in Nanjing, China, having an immersive cultural and linguistic experience with Hesston’s bridge year pilot program.

“Mandarin is a passion for me, but it is still only one part of me,” said Miller. “I knew Hesston College would continue to nurture those other parts of me while allowing me to reimagine how language could fit into my dreams and future goals. And I wasn’t wrong.”

Early in her final semester at Hesston, Miller was considering options for the following fall – transfer somewhere to study communication or take a gap year.

“I was struggling to find a way to go to China for an extended period of time with the level of Mandarin I already had,” she said. “Large schools offered lots of options, but I wanted to stay small.”

Then President Joseph Manickam requested a meeting with her.

In a blog where Miller chronicles her journey and growth during her year abroad, she describes how the conversation played out:

In the early months of my final semester at Hesston College, I sat down to lunch with President Joseph Manickam, or Joe as we call him. And in a noisy cafeteria, over loaded baked potatoes, he said this: “God loves you, Mackenzie, and Joe has a plan for your life.” I had an inkling from the minute he had asked to meet with me. It was China. He wanted me to go to China, or at least that’s what I hoped he would ask me. And he did.

Part of Manickam’s vision for Hesston College is, as he puts it, “for every student to have a passport.” Hesston has long maintained a strong international student program on campus – averaging an annual international student population of about 13 percent. International students live outside of their norm and comfort zone every day, and Manickam wants all students to have the same opportunities for experiences and growth in new cultures.

During 2017-18, Manickam’s first year as president, the college began exploring a bridge year program that would provide global and career-based experiences in new contexts. Miller is the inaugural participant.

“Hearing about the potentials of this program while I was a student at Hesston College was an answer to my longing for travel, for learning more about myself and for spending time in another culture – opening myself up to a world that I wouldn’t often see if I just stayed in one place,” said Miller. “It was also an affirmation to my thoughts of taking a gap year.”

To organize and facilitate Miller’s experience in Nanjing, Hesston College worked with Mennonite Partners in China, a China-based organization that provides opportunities for North Americans to experience and build relationships with the Chinese people and culture.

The program for Miller includes language study at Nanjing Normal University and serving in an internship with Zhi-Mian Institute, a psychology center.

Every weekday morning, Miller studies Mandarin with other international students. They work on character writing and having conversations with one another. In the afternoon, she works at her internship. She lives in international student housing with two Malaysian roommates. On weekends and during free time, she explores the city of eight million and the surrounding region, taking in the culture and history.

“Transcultural study has been and always will be something I am passionate about,” said Miller. “Through experiences like this, we not only learn more about the world around us, but also more of what we value and how we are called to live with a mindfulness for a world beyond our own country. The world and the people in it have so much to teach each other, but we have to be present, to be open and listening.”

As organizers at the college hear about Miller’s experiences, they are continuing to format the program to be of the most benefit to students, and are finding that a combination of language and cultural experiences hold a lot of value.

“Certainly we are learning a lot through Mackenzie’s experiences this year,” said John Murray, dean of Global Engagement, who leads the team developing the program. “One of the things we’ve learned is that partnerships with other organizations, like Mennonite Partners in China, is essential. They provide the insight and connections with the country, so we’re continuing to build additional partnerships to expand our opportunities with the program.”

Individual experiences like Miller’s are only one way transcultural study is offered at Hesston. The college also offers shorter group experiences as well. This summer, three-week or month-long group trips are being planned to Japan, Thailand and Philadelphia, which are open to students and others with interest.

Miller still has about six months left in her program, and is looking forward to the continued growth and learning she will glean from her experience before returning to the U.S. and preparing to attend sister institution Goshen (Ind.) College in the fall. Understanding the challenges and rewards that come with transcultural rewards, she’s excited about the global impact Hesston students will have on their communities and professional lives as a result of the opportunities they have before them.

“The fact that Hesston has the potential to offer this program makes me excited and hopeful for the direction a small, liberal arts college in the middle of Kansas can move towards and the impact it can have on students.”

New scholarship has potential to provide largest institutional aid award ever

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of longtime Hesston College supporters, students at Hesston College with high financial need now have the opportunity to be awarded an institutional scholarship up to full tuition.

The Adrian and Myrtle Miller Scholarship could provide the largest amount of institutional aid ever awarded at Hesston College while honoring a legacy centered on a passion for learning and support of Mennonite higher education.

Myrtle Miller grew up in the Mennonite church, which provided the foundation for her faith journey. She attended Hesston College in 1935 and 1940, receiving a teaching certificate for elementary education and teaching school – often grades one through eight – in several small communities.

After several years of teaching, Myrtle moved to La Junta, Colo., to pursue a nursing degree at La Junta Nursing School, receiving her RN certification in 1947. Throughout her career, Myrtle worked as a staff nurse in clinics and hospitals, as well as in nursing education.

Myrtle met and married Adrian Miller during her time in La Junta. They considered themselves life-long learners and had a passion for discovering and learning new things.

The Miller’s never-wavering commitment to discovery was epitomized both by Myrtle’s variety of occupations, as well as Adrian’s, including jobs at hospitals, accountant, electrician, office manager and operator of a chinchilla ranch. Health issues and his passion for education led him to get his teaching degree in his 50’s. He taught in elementary schools for 19 years, and ended his working years as a social worker. Throughout his lifetime, Adrian earned six degrees from five colleges.

With his love for learning and known for his generosity, Adrian took interest in assisting young people earn a Christian education. After a loan fund at East Holbrook Mennonite Church in Cheraw, Colo., was depleted, Adrian helped students himself and through his tithing. He set up a small loan fund upon his retirement, which he gifted to Hesston College, continuing the relationship the Millers had with the college.

Adrian passed away in 2006, and Myrtle died in 2017 at the age of 101. The Adrian and Myrtle Miller Scholarship was established with estate funds designated for Hesston College.

Additional contributions to The Adrian and Myrtle Miller Scholarship may be made by contacting the Hesston College Advancement Office at 866-437-7866 or online. When doing so, please note the gift’s intention in the memo field.

To discuss ways to support Hesston College with a legacy gift, contact Vice President of Advancement Byron Rupp, J.D., at byron.rupp@hesston.edu.

Celebrating 50 years, The King’s Singers present HBPA concert at Bethel

A group well-known and -loved by local audiences, The King’s Singers, will be at Bethel College as part of a tour celebrating 50 years of performing.

The concert is Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall on the Bethel campus, part of the 2018-19 Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series.

The King’s Singers will be presenting their “Gold50” program as part of the tour and three-disc recording that mark 50 years of the group’s existence.

The King’s Singers was born May 1, 1968, formed by six recent graduates of King’s College, Cambridge. By chance, the original vocal lineup was two countertenors, a tenor, two baritones and a bass, and the formation has never changed since.

The current members of The King’s Singers are countertenors Edward Button and Patrick Dunachie, tenor Julian Gregory, baritones Nick Ashby and Christopher Bruerton, and bass Jonathan Howard.

The group has appeared on the world’s great stages, from London’s Royal Albert Hall to the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall and been ambassadors for musical excellence across the globe.

Among many accolades are two Grammy® Awards (2008 for Best Classical Crossover Album, Simple Gifts; 2011 for Best Choral Performance on Eric Whitacre’s Light & Gold), an Emmy® Award, and a place in Gramophone magazine’s inaugural Hall of Fame.

The King’s Singers have also been nominated for four additional Grammy® Awards, including for their 50th-anniversary recording, Gold, in the Best Classical Compendium category. (The awards ceremony is Sunday, Feb. 10, two days before the HBPA concert.)

Their consistent love of musical diversity has fueled The King’s Singers’ commitment to creating new music.

Over 50 years, they have commissioned more than 200 works, by composers who include Luciano Berio, Gabriela Lena Frank, György Ligeti, Nico Muhly, John Rutter, Toru Takemitsu, Sir John Tavener and Eric Whitacre, as well as countless arrangements of everything from jazz standards to pop charts.

The King’s Singers’ “Gold50” program reflects the group’s half-century of musical diversity, whether ancient motets, brand new commissions or much-loved arrangements of close-harmony music from the last 50 years.

In addition to releasing the compilation album in honor of 50 years, The King’s Singers also has established a U.S.-based charity, The King’s Singers Global Foundation. The group hopes to extend its impact by way of education and commissioning new works even further.

In the spirit of The King’s Singers’ commitment to teaching and coaching young singers, they will hold a masterclass with the Bethel College Concert Choir and Hesston College Bel Canto Singers ahead of their Feb. 12 evening performance, at noon in Memorial Hall.

Two events remain in the HBPA season. On March 5, the Berlin-based Armida Quartet performs “Mozart Exploded” at Hesston Mennonite Church, juxtaposing Mozart with contemporary composers as well as letters written by Mozart.

Wrapping up is singer/songwriter Ruth Moody and her band, April 9 in Memorial Hall. Many audiences know Moody as part of the all-female folk group The Wailin’ Jennys.

Single tickets can be purchased at either Hesston or Bethel College weekdays during regular business hours. Bethel and Hesston students receive free admission. See hesstonbethel.org for more information.

The series started in 1982 as Hesston Performing Arts, then expanded in 1998 when Hesston College joined forces with Bethel College for Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts, to present five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each school year.

HBPA is funded in part by the City of North Newton, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston), the North Newton Community Foundation, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and media sponsor KMUW-FM 89.1, with additional funding from area businesses and patrons.

Jefferson Dinner opens doors for dialogue

Over dinner Sunday evening, Hesston College history, economics and psychology students had conversation around the value of college and education in the format of a historical “Jefferson Dinner.”

Built on the premise of sparking civil conversation, the event at Hesston College and historically brought together voices from a variety of backgrounds and schools of thought to listen and share with one another.

“Studies show that increasingly, we’re not listening to each as much – especially politically,” said history professor Peter Lehman. “Jefferson Dinners, then and now, are opportunities to talk about issues of public importance.”

Lehman shared that the first Jefferson Dinner was held in 1790 when Thomas Jefferson, then secretary of state, gathered representatives of different sides of a disagreement on how the new country would pay for the Revolutionary War. To that point, the disagreement had resulted in a deadlock in Congress, and Jefferson hoped civil dialogue would bring about a compromise. And it did – The Compromise of 1790, also known as The Dinner Table Bargain.

Today, Jefferson Dinners are being encouraged by the Village Square, a non-profit, non-partisan, educational organization based in Florida. Likewise, rotary clubs around the country are sponsoring dinners to facilitate dialogue.

An important part of the format is being set around round tables so no one is at the head and there is no hierarchy.

At Hesston College, the buzz of conversation and laughter permeated the air as students engaged with one another in a new way.

“Our tendency is to group with people who are like-minded rather than build common ground with people who disagree,” said Lehman. “These are issues which affect off of us, so we should all be in on the conversation.”

Aviation approved for bachelor’s degree program

Hesston College has been granted approval by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the college’s accrediting agency, for a bachelor’s degree program in aviation-professional pilot. The college plans to launch the program for the 2019-20 year.

The bachelor’s degree in aviation will be the second baccalaureate program for Hesston College, joining the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which began in 2015. Hesston College will also continue to offer the Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences – Professional Pilot degree, giving students options for their educational and professional goals.

“The FAA has increased its expectations for pilots, especially those who transport people, and offering a bachelor’s degree prepares our students to meet those expectations more quickly,” said Brent Yoder, vice president of Academics. “In the past, co-pilots have been able to build flight hours on the job, but that’s not the case anymore. They need more experience and knowledge to get the jobs that are available.”

With rising pilot demand nationwide and worldwide, Hesston College Aviation has also seen building interest. In fall 2018, 18 new students enrolled in the aviation program as compared to eight a year prior, and eight more joined the program in January, bringing the total number of students enrolled with Hesston College Aviation to 38 with the start of the spring 2019 semester.

“The industry is definitely on an upward trajectory, and we’re seeing that right now and with our current enrollment and with our prospects for the coming fall semester,” said Yoder. “Hesston College has always been committed to offering the best student experience possible, and that starts with providing the programs and training our students need for their careers.”

With accreditation approval granted, the next step is to gain FAA approval of the bachelor’s program, which will allow student pilots to earn the necessary certificate to transport people – the Air Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate – at 1,000 hours of flight time as opposed to the 1,250 hours needed with an associate’s degree.

Students will continue to earn most of the required certifications and ratings in the first two years of the program, and much of the junior- and senior-level work will be classroom-based or, in some cases, a hybrid of online and on-campus classes. Students in the third and fourth years of the program will continue to build their flight hours through industry internships, which Mike Baker, director of Hesston College Aviation, is working to organize.

“Upper level aviation students will gain industry experience and build their flight hours through internships with partnering companies and organizations or even as flight instructors with Hesston’s program,” said Yoder.

Hesston College Aviation began in 1970 as an associate degree program at a time when the college had just revised its general education curriculum and wanted to implement more career options.

Operating from its own hangar at the Newton City/County Airport, about 15 minutes from the main campus in Hesston, the program currently maintains a fleet of five single-engine Cessna and Piper series aircraft, and a Piper Twin Comanche. Other training equipment includes a Redbird MCX C182 G1000 GFC FAA-approved Aviation Training Device (ATD). Part of the HLC’s program recommendations were to upgrade aircraft, a project which the college has already undertaken, having already purchased one Piper Archer and a commitment to purchase a second with the possibility of more.

In 2009, Hesston College Aviation introduced an Air Traffic Control (ATC) program in addition to flight training. In 2010, the ATC program was one of 36 programs nationwide approved as a Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program by the FAA, and the only program in the state of Kansas to earn CTI status. As a preparatory program for further training through the FAA, the ATC program will continue to offer only an associate’s degree.

More than 700 pilots have trained at Hesston College in the program’s 48-year history, and work in a variety of roles across the industry, including pilots for regional, national and world-wide airlines, corporate and charter companies, serve as missionary pilots or with humanitarian organizations, flight instructors, aerial application, FAA inspectors, medical evacuation pilots and more.

“Hesston College Aviation has long held a standard of producing highly professional pilots,” said Yoder. “As the industry changes, we’re so pleased to be able to continue offering that high level of preparation.”

Dyck Arboretum flora appears in Kansas governor’s inauguration celebration

Because of a deep appreciation and understanding for Kansas and its flora, the staff of Hesston’s Dyck Arboretum of the Plains recognizes the subtleties of the beauty of Kansas in winter – as in every season – and works daily to educate others to it as well. On a cold January day, they were able to spread the arboretum’s mission and passion for Kansas nature to the state capitol of Topeka and to the highest seat of state government by playing a role in the gubernatorial inauguration of Laura Kelly.

A few weeks prior to the Jan. 14 inauguration, arboretum staff received a call from an Inauguration Planning Committee member asking about renting evergreens for a stage display.

“She said she saw our website and loved it, and wanted to support a Kansas institution and a place with Kansas history,” said arboretum Grounds Manager Katie Schmidt.

As a public garden rather than a greenhouse production, the arboretum wasn’t able to fulfill the initial request, but Schmidt persuaded her to consider floral arrangements using native plants instead.

“I convinced her to go the floral arrangement route, but with eco-friendly natives as the focus,” Schmidt said. “Though we don’t offer floral services, the arboretum was happy to provide a wide range of native and adaptable cuttings to a florist (Blue Morning Glory Studio in Lawrence) who could use them to create the displays. We have lots of healthy evergreens and haven’t cut down our garden beds for spring, so the timing was just right.”

Schmidt collected native grasses, cedar cuttings and ornamental branches that reflect the Kansas landscape in January from the arboretum’s 29 acres and delivered them to the florist. On her personal time, Schmidt assisted Blue Morning Glory with the arrangements.

“We wanted arrangements that honor the landscape,” said Schmidt. “Really, they were such a small detail of the big inaugural day, but it can send a message – are we valuing the native plants of Kansas that are part of our heritage? Are we being genuine to what it means to live in a prairie state? I was so happy we could use materials that reflect the beauty of our state in a way that is classy but conscious, polished but not perfect.”

While it’s not in the business of doing floral arranging, Dyck Arboretum, which is owned by neighboring Hesston College, does serve as a place for people to be educated about the Kansas ecosystem to be able to nurture native plants on their own.

The arboretum’s Native Plant School series includes several beginner’s classes on landscaping with native plants, responsible landscape practices, using native plants at home to attract wildlife and how to reproduce native plants. The twice yearly FloraKansas: Native Plant Festival in April and September is an opportunity to learn about and purchase native prairie plants for use in personal gardening and landscaping. In addition, the four-person arboretum staff and a myriad of volunteers are always happy to share their knowledge of indigenous plants.

“Having lots of wonderful native plants in your home landscape means you can create your own floral arrangements any time of the year,” said Schmidt. “With our educational offerings at the arboretum, we hope to cultivate transformative relationships between people and the land.”

Submissions being accepted for third Hesston College play writing festival

It’s time again for south central Kansas playwrights – both amateur and experienced – to exercise their creativity and storytelling abilities with submissions to Hesston College Theatre’s “Pen to Paper to Performance” play writing festival.

Submissions for the 10-minute play festival will be accepted through March 11. Eight winning submissions will be notified March 18 and will be produced in the final showcase event April 26 and 27. Playwrights of winning submissions will receive a percentage of the box office earnings.

Now in its third year, the “Pen to Paper to Performance” play writing festival, which was launched by Hesston College Theatre Director Rachel Jantzi, has become a sought after experience both for local playwrights and audience members who get to see the stories come to life on stage. With the plays performed by Hesston College Theatre students, the event allows voices and talent from the community and across the region to be heard and shared.

The 2018 event featured nonfiction accounts based on historical events both recent and further in the past, fictional works as commentary on important societal issues, and lighthearted humor.

10-Minute Play Festival submission criteria

Scripts accepted until March 11. Eight selected submissions will be produced in the final showcase event, “Pen to Paper to Performance,” April 26 and 27 in the Keim Center Black Box Theatre on the Hesston College campus. Winning submissions will be notified March 18, and will receive a percentage of the box office earnings. Auditions and rehearsals for the chosen shows will begin the following week.

Submission rules:

• We will accept no more than two (2) plays per playwright.
• Scripts should fall between 8 and 12 pages and run roughly 10 minutes.
• Suggested number of characters is three to five.
• Characters in plays should be able to be portrayed by college students.
• Location/setting expectations should be kept minimal for the sake of logistics.
• No musicals.
• Original work only; no previously produced work will be accepted.
• We will acknowledge submissions via email, but we will not offer critiques.
• Please staple hard copy of scripts. Please no binders, covers or folders.
• We reserve the right to edit of the sake of time or logistics in collaboration with the playwright.

How to submit:
Please submit both a hard copy and an emailed copy. Hard copies will not be returned. Plays should include a cover page with the following information:

• Play title
• Playwright’s name
• Playwright’s phone number
• Playwright’s email address

Deliver submissions to Rachel Jantzi in Hesston College’s Keim Center

OR

Mail a hard copy to:
Hesston College
c/o Rachel Jantzi
PO Box 3000
Hesston, KS 67062

Email an identical copy to rachelj@hesston.edu with “10-minute play” in the subject line.