In the News

Interim plans in place following administrative resignation

Rob Ramseyer, Hesston College vice president of Student Development and athletic director, announced his resignation effective June 29 as he will become athletic director at Friends University in Wichita.

Ramseyer started at Hesston in 2011 as head baseball coach, leading the Larks for four seasons before transitioning to the vice president role in 2015. In 2014, he also served as interim dean of students during a year of transition.

“This new position is very fitting for Rob as he continues to pursue his academic interest and his wish to serve as an athletic director at a four-year institution,” said President Dr. Joseph A. Manickam. “We will miss Rob’s collaborative spirit and his ability to lighten up even the most challenging of situations. We wish him well as he continues his journey.”

In December 2017, Ramseyer completed a Doctor of Education degree through Creighton University (Omaha, Neb.). The topic of his dissertation was, “A Peculiar Institution? A Multi-site Case Study of Athletic Department Cultures at Small Christian Institutions.”

The college has put in place an interim leadership structure to fill the void until the positions Ramseyer held can be filled.

Effective July 1, Mark Landes, vice president of Finance and Auxiliary Services, will fill the interim athletic director role. Juli Winter, dean of students, will fill the interim vice president of Student Development role.

Applications for the athletic director role are being reviewed immediately while the hiring process for the vice president of Student Development role will begin during the upcoming fall semester.

Hesston College Aviation prepares to welcome new program director

Hesston College Vice President of Academics, Brent Yoder, has announced Mike Baker, Andover, Kan., as the new director of aviation. His first day will be July 9.

Baker comes to Hesston from the U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – Wichita Flight Standards District Office (US DOT/FAA – FSDO) where he has served as front line manager in the General Aviation Operations Unit and Flight Safety International Certificate Management Unit since 2014. In his role, Baker supervised principal operations inspectors and aviation safety inspectors, conducted or assisted with accident and incident investigations, pilot deviations, complaints, waiver issuance and provided safety oversight for aviation events in a jurisdictional boundary.

“Mike has extensive experience as a pilot, instructor and inspector within the aviation industry, and his experience and connections will serve the department well as we prepare to launch a bachelor’s degree program in aviation,” wrote Yoder in an email to campus announcing Baker’s hire.

Baker succeeds Dan Miller who served as director of aviation from 1999 until his unexpected death in April 2017.

A 1993 graduate of Hesston’s aviation program, Baker assumes his new role as the college is working toward expanding the program to a four-year bachelor’s degree program by fall 2019.

“The Director of Aviation position at Hesston College is truly the culmination of my professional and academic ventures,” said Baker. “This role provides an invaluable opportunity to facilitate student growth and development from both a theoretical and empirical perspective through the dissemination of substantive, engaging and encouraging instruction. Integral to this growth is the creation of an environment that not only challenges and solidifies each student’s aviation knowledge and expertise, but also collectively encourages each individual through their own spiritual journey. As a Hesston College graduate, it is a great blessing and privilege to be able to serve in this capacity.”

Baker’s other work experiences include roles within US DOT/FAA – FSDO such as principal operations inspector, aviation safety inspector, ground/simulator/aircraft instructor with FlightSafety International (Wichita), and manager, flight trainer/chief instructor/instructor pilot with International Flight Training Academy (Bakersfield, Calif.).

He also holds a masters of business administration degree from Tabor College (Wichita, Kan.) and a bachelor’s of science – professional pilot from Utah Valley State College (Orem).

Hesston College has operated a pilot training program since 1970, and added an air traffic control program in fall 2009, which is one of 36 FAA-approved Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) programs nationwide and the only one in Kansas. The program offers a private pilot certificate, instrument rating, commercial pilot certificate, multiengine rating, certificated flight instructor – airplane, certificated flight instructor – instrument and certificated flight instructor – multiengine.

Students recognized for spring 2018 academic honors

Hesston College announced the names of full-time students whose spring 2018 semester grades earned them a place on the Dean’s List (3.90 to 4.00) and Honor Roll (3.50 to 3.89).

Dean’s List – Freshmen

Sam Bartel, Hesston, Kan.
McKenzie Brown, Estes Park, Colo.
Jenna Denlinger, Lancaster, Pa.
Rina Fukada, Yokohama, Japan
Jade Gleason, Brush, Colo.
Cal Hartley, Benton, Kan.
Jaden Hostetter, Harrisonburg, Va.
Ruoran Huang, Sanming, China
Leah Huyard, Staunton, Va.
Kylee Kasselman, Claflin, Kan.
Lily Kauffman, Mountain Lake, Minn.
Rebecca Kaufman, Hillsboro, Kan.
Cassidy King, Cochranville, Pa.
Maria Kwee, Central Java, Indonesia
Kaylen Lassley, Salina, Kan.
Ivonne Ledesma, Wichita, Kan.
Taylor Longenecker, Rockingham, Va.
Faith Manickam, Hesston, Kan.
Sophie Miller, Goshen, Ind.
Rio Mori, Osaka, Japan
SungHyoun Nam, Gyounggi-do, South Korea
Caitlyn Nichols, Mesa, Colo.
Hannah Rosenbaum, Richmond, Texas
Jenna Schneider, Lodi, Calif.
Zachary Smisor, Valley Center, Kan.
Morgan Sterner, Sandy, Utah
Harune Suzuki, Osaka, Japan
Bryson White, Fort Worth, Texas

Dean’s List – Sophomores

Landon Baer, North Lima, Ohio
Jenna Boller, Kalona, Iowa
Savannah Bontrager, Milford, Neb.
Anna Breckbill, Kidron, Ohio
Jeremy Deckinger, Wichita, Kan.
Joy Driver, Rockingham, Va.
Andre Eanes, Harrisonburg, Va.
Elizabeth Eichelberger, Geneva, Neb.
Emma Eitzen, Lititz, Pa.
Shota Funazaki, Chiba, Japan
Autumn Gehman, Adams, Tenn.
Shaelyn Headrick, La Junta, Colo.
Luke Hertzler, Harrisonburg, Va.
Katelyn Kilmer, Goshen, Ind.
Levi Litwiller, Hopedale, Ill.
Gaitan Lleshi, Lezhe, Albania
Nicole Loewen, Hutchinson, Kan.
Elizabeth Miller, Archbold, Ohio
Mackenzie Miller, Lancaster, Pa.
Sarah Miller, Freeman, S.D.
Zachary Neely, Ada, Okla.
Curtis Oesch, Caldwell, Idaho
Miho Okuda, Chiba, Japan
Brenna Peters, Hesston, Kan.
Jaelyn Rufenacht, Archbold, Ohio
Koyuki Sakamoto, Osaka, Japan
Sadie Winter, Newton, Kan.
Lindsey Yoder, Millersburg, Ohio

Dean’s List – Juniors

Ashley DeTurk, Salina, Kan.
Sophia Miller, Newton, Kan.
Kaitlyn Shaw, Newton, Kan.
Vanessa Steckly, Milford, Neb.
Lilian Trifena, Tangerang, Indonesia
Moira Wells, Elbert, Colo.

Dean’s List – Seniors

Anna Baggett, Council Grove, Kan.
Meredith Burkhart, Newton, Kan.
Amie Geist, Wichita, Kan.
Samantha McElroy, Wichita, Kan.
Darrian Mosqueda, Hesston, Kan.
Raven Noris, Maize, Kan.
Alyssa Rostetter, Hesston, Kan.
Taryn Wallace, Hesston, Kan.

Honor Roll – Freshmen

Samantha Amarante, Lodi, Calif.
Alexis Avalos, Yucaipa, Calif.
Risa Fukaya, Kanagawa, Japan
Miyane Gonda, Tokyo, Japan
Faith Hallmark, El Dorado, Kan.
Annalys Hanna, Fraser, Colo.
Misato Kawamoto, Ibaraki, Japan
Yuka Kobayashi, Tokyo, Japan
Chris Lichti, Shickley, Neb.
Lindsay Manwell, Wichita, Kan.
Mariana Martinez Hernandez, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Ryan Morrissey, Bettendorf, Iowa
Kaede Nakada, Tokyo, Japan
Jared Oyer, Hubbard, Ore.
Joel Plank, Syracuse, Ind.
Camryn Roth, Canby, Ore.
Rei Vuksani, Tirana, Albania
Masemo Wakibogo, Hesston, Kan.

Honor Roll – Sophomores

Louisa Angeline, Semarang, Indonesia
Connor Atkinson, Colwich, Kan.
Sierra Broce, Goddard, Kan.
Nebiyat Demissie, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
John Ebaugh, Holtwood, Pa.
Jacob Harris, El Paso, Texas
Aya Iseki, Taito, Japan
Nadeem Jaber, Jaljulia, Israel
Lydia Jembere, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Preston Judd, Hayden, Ala.
Ryan Oostland, Goshen, Ind.
Cristina Rapisardi, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Dylan Schoknecht, Woodstock, Ga.
Angus Siemens, Newton, Kan.
Carissa Slabach, Newton, Kan.
Mariah Trible, Valley Center, Kan.
Dillon Unruh, Wilmore, Kan.
Abraham Vidulich, Wichita, Kan.
Laura Wright, Norwich, Kan.
Ashley Yasin, Lake Isabella, Calif.
Payton Yehnert, Parker, Colo.
Noah Yoder, Harrisonburg, Va.

Honor Roll – Juniors

Emily McMichael, Fort Worth, Texas
Alexandra Pelz, Viola, Kan.

Honor Roll –

Seniors Krystal Duerksen, Goessel, Kan.
Lauren Dunbar, Wichita, Kan.
Terin Hiebert, Hesston, Kan.
Kaitlin McGhee, Wichita, Kan.

Hesston alumni graduate from seminary

By AMBS

Three alumni of Hesston (Kansas) College participated in the May 6 commencement service of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), Elkhart, Indiana:

Mariah Kate Martin of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, graduated with a Master of Divinity with a major in pastoral ministry. She plans to marry Nick Bouwman in July and is pursuing a pastoral ministry assignment. A member of Defiance Church in Glenwood Springs, she attends Faith Mennonite Church in Goshen, Ind. Martin previously earned an associate of arts from Hesston College in 2013 and a bachelor of arts in religious studies from Goshen College. She is the daughter of Kim and Lauren Martin of New Castle, Colorado; her father, Lauren, earned a master of divinity from AMBS in 1990.

“Leaving AMBS, I will carry with me and treasure the opportunities the seminary gave me to find my voice,” she said. “I was supported and encouraged to listen well, speak mindfully and to embrace the simple power of sitting with others in their joys and sorrows.”

Ronald Lizwe Moyo of Hesston graduated with a Master of Divinity with a major in pastoral ministry. Moyo, who completed part of his degree at a distance through the seminary’s MDiv Connect program, anticipates continuing as Outreach Pastor for Whitestone Mennonite Church in Hesston. He previously earned an associate of arts from Hesston College in the pastoral ministries program in 2012. He is married to Sue Moyo, and they have two children.

“The ability to be informed by my academic studies and by my classmates who are coming from different cultural backgrounds has been an amazing journey,” Moyo reflected.

Daniel L. Yoder of Goshen, Indiana, graduated with a Graduate Certificate in theological studies. He plans to continue as Pastor of Christian Formation for Youth at College Mennonite Church in Goshen. Yoder previously earned an associate of applied arts and sciences in youth ministry from Hesston College in 2001 and a bachelor of arts in Bible and religion with a concentration in youth ministry from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. He is married to Talashia Keim ’02 Yoder, and they have two sons.

“AMBS has helped me appreciate how contextualized ministry is and how much joy and awe that can bring,” Yoder said. “All humans are created in the image of God and bring their own experiences, theological history, physical abilities, ways of spiritual engagement, stage of faith formation, emotional health, phase of life — not to mention which side of the bed they woke up on that morning — and all of this is a unique reflection of one element of the vastness of God.”

Of the 21 graduates honored during the commencement service, which was held at College Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana, 12 earned a Master of Divinity, five earned a Master of Arts in Christian Formation, and one earned a Master of Arts: Peace Studies. Three students received a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies, representing the equivalent of one year of study. Palmer Becker, D.Min., a church leader, pastor, missionary, author and educator from Kitchener, Ontario, gave the commencement address. Becker was director of Hesston’s pastoral ministries program from 1999-2006.

The graduating class comprised seven men and 14 women from Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Romania. Two graduates originally came to the U.S. as refugees, fleeing war in their home countries of Laos and Zimbabwe (Ron Moyo).

Eighteen of the graduates are affiliated with Mennonite Church USA; one with the Evana Network; one with the Brethren in Christ U.S.; and one with the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. One is nondenominational.

More than 70 percent of the graduates are serving as pastors or seeking pastoral or chaplaincy assignments. Four are pursuing mission or service work, and one is seeking work in faith-based community organizing. Half of the graduates served as paid pastors or congregational staff members while earning their seminary degrees.

Kabira named Board of Directors chairperson

The Hesston College Board of Directors, the governing body for Hesston College, elected board member Ken G Kabira (Naperville, Ill.), a 1981 Hesston graduate, as chairperson during the May 2018 meeting. Kabira, who has served as a member of the board since 2014, will officially begin in his new capacity at the October 2018 board meeting, where he will lead the group in guiding and supporting college processes, plans and initiatives.

In his appointment as chair of the board, Kabira succeeds Kelvin Friesen, Hesston College class of 1973. Friesen was a member of the board from 2006-18, including leading the board as chairperson from 2012-18.

“I believe Ken G will do an excellent job as board chair, working with President Manickam to move the college forward,” said Friesen. “It has been my privilege to serve on the Hesston College Board of Directors, and it is my hope that Hesston College will continue to be a wonderful experience for students to study and learn in Christ-centered community.”

Kabira is a marketing and general management executive with more than 20 years of experience of accelerating customer metrics, brand awareness, revenue and profitability for leading organizations in the U.S. and abroad. He has served as a chief marketing officer in all three sectors of the economy – public, private and nonprofit. He currently serves as managing principal for TrueWorks, a Chicago-based marketing and management consultancy

Kabira has also used his expertise to make significant contributions to Hesston College, including guiding the college through a branding process in 2010, and serving as chair of the search committee that led the process to install Joseph A. Manickam as the ninth and current president of Hesston College.

“I am very honored and humbled to be selected to succeed Kelvin Friesen as the board chair,” said Kabira. “As an alumnus of Hesston College, I have benefitted enormously from the intellectual, social and spiritual formation I experienced at the college. Hesston gives a big experience to students who are making a critical transition in their lives. I look forward to working with the board, Dr. Manickam and the faculty and staff to make Hesston a Mennonite college for all.”

In addition to his Hesston College degree, Kabira also holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s of business administration from the University of Chicago.

Reflection on Philadelphia Urban Life and Culture class

The following was written by Bible and ministry professor Michele Hershberger, who is leading a three-week inter-cultural class in Philadelphia.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Do we take God to the city? Or do we find God in the city?

Those are two very different questions. They emerge from two very different worldviews.

Along with five Hesston College students, I am a part of Urban Life and Culture, an experiential Hesston College class in Philadelphia. The six of us are spending time with Philadelphia Anabaptist Christians in three different cultures: Latino/a American, Asian-American and African-American. But how we answer the question above will determine what we learn these three weeks and whether or not we do significant cultural and relationship damage.

It’ll determine whether or not we find God.

Many Christians tend to see themselves on a mission to take God into the city. They have their facts right…there are more people moving into cities and there are problems in our cities. But the Christian self-identity of bringing God to the city isn’t really Christian at all. It assumes that rural or suburban Christians have it all together and they are the only ones who have something–the gospel–to offer to others. This misconception nurtures self-righteousness and keeps us from seeing all the things urban Christians have to give to us.

It keeps us from seeing God in the city. And God is alive and well in the city.

I saw God in the city today.

I saw God in the gentleness of a mother and her small child, as they stepped on the bus. I laughed with the ladies who overseeing the Pennsylvania primary elections in our neighborhood. When I told them about our class, they said they’d pray for us. I listened as Pastor Juan said hello to everyone we passed in the hood, and they–and we–could tell he loved them.

The question you bring determines the answer you find.

When we look for God in the city, we see different things. Yes, there is still trash on the sidewalks and graffiti on the walls. But there are also gardens and murals–and beautiful people. Every person has a unique picture of God. When we look for that piece of God in each person, we find God. We are enriched. story.

Seeking God in the city makes us less judgmental. Instead of immediately judging the prostitute on the corner, we talk to her. There’s a reason she’s there, a story. Perhaps she was molested at age 11 or forced to do things she didn’t want to do. There’s always a story.

Seeing God in the city keeps us humble. We hear stories of unfailing faith, stories of God’s miraculous providence. We receive warm hospitality in the surprise gift, the warm handshake, the delicious food. We receive so much more than we give.

I see God in Pastor Juan Marrero. He walks with people from the neighborhood he grew up in, the Black and Puerto Rican neighborhood of Fairhill. He baptizes mothers and sons. He counsels young men who need jobs or to get off drugs–or both, because as Pastor Juan would say, there is a correlation. So for him and his ministry, it is about Jesus but it’s also about getting people jobs, treating others with dignity and speaking out against unjust structures that keep people in poverty. Even more, Pastor Juan knows that the people in his hood have love, faith, humor and grace to give to him and that they need to give and that he gains so much as he receives.

He looks for God in the city every day. He represents Jesus in the city every day.

It’s true that we are to “take” God wherever we go. But perhaps we don’t earn the right to tell others about Jesus until we come with humble, nonjudgmental hearts, looking for the God who is already there.

Air traffic control with a side of ham radio: A recipe for success

Someday in the not too distant future, Alex Hunter ’18 plans to be sitting in a radar control room, directing airplane traffic between its starting point and ending destination.

Before Hunter had even earned his Hesston College degree in Aviation – Air Traffic Control (ATC) on May 13, he’d already moved part way through the process for the next step in an air traffic controller’s career path – the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Academy in Oklahoma City. He just needs the paperwork to be approved and a spot to open and he’ll be en route to Oklahoma for more ATC training.

“I applied to the FAA for the Oklahoma City Academy in July 2017, so it’s a long process to get through, but I’m excited I’m this far in the process now and for the day I get my call to go,” Hunter said.

As one of only 36 FAA-approved Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) Air Traffic Control programs in the country – only about 30 of which are currently active – and the only one in the state of Kansas, Hesston’s program fits a very specific niche for an industry currently in high demand.

Hesston College first introduced the Air Traffic Control Program in fall 2009, earning CTI status later that school year. Over the last couple of years, due to program restructurings from the FAA’s end, Hesston’s program quieted, but endured.

Prior to the FAA’s launch of the CTI program, the Academy would train any U.S. citizen applicant, even those with no controller or aviation knowledge. As might be expected in a highly specialized line of work, the pass rate was low. With the introduction of the CTI program, Academy acceptance changed and only individuals who had graduated from a CTI school or those with military experience were accepted. A few years later, Congress changed the rule and decided to let anyone off the street again apply, with no preference given to CTI graduates. Again the Academy pass rate plummeted. So not even a year ago, the FAA reinstated the program while still maintaining open enrollment but bringing applicants through two different pools – one for CTI graduates and military veterans, and the other for any other U.S. citizen.

“Despite all the changes with this program, Hesston has hung on,” said professor Bob Harder. “Even when the FAA stopped giving preference to CTI graduates, we still had several students go through our program who eventually went on to become controllers.”

The FAA doesn’t want CTI schools to train students as controllers, as they are trained in a very specific way once in the Academy, but rather prepare them to be successful at the Academy.

Preparing students for success is one of the things Hesston College does best, and it may be the unique experiences Hesston’s program gives students that help make the difference as they compete for the coveted Academy spot.

For starters, Hesston ATC students are also required to get their Private Pilot certificate – a requirement that is only in place at a few other CTI approved schools.

“Controllers don’t often have flight experience and don’t know what it’s like to be on the other side,” said Harder. “If they understood situations from a pilot’s perspective, they may be able to assist in ways non-pilot controllers can’t. We think having these students learn to fly is a valuable experience that goes above and beyond.”

The other unique point is an option rather than a requirement, but one that several aviation students take part in every year – amateur radio, or Ham Radio Club.

Harder, who is a licensed ham radio operator with an avid interest in contesting, started the club in the mid-2000’s, and has been wildly successful – even in the age of cell phones and ever growing technological advances.

Each November, the club competes in the School category of the American Radio Relay League November Sweepstakes, the most popular ham radio competition in the country. The club has beat out competition like Stanford, MIT and Harvard over the years, and is currently on a five-year winning streak.

“Ham radio uses the same phonetic alphabet as aviation – A is Alpha, B is Bravo, C is Charlie,” said Harder. “It’s great practice because we use the phonetic alphabet to give call signs. It can also be very fast. It’s like being in a control tower when the planes are all coming in at once. We also have to accurately log each contact on a computer.”

In the November Sweepstakes competition, participants make and record as many contacts as possible in a 24-hour period.

“I really like using air traffic and aviation students, especially air traffic because they need to talk for a living,” said Harder. “Aviation students are often scared to talk on the radio when they first get started. They are just microphone shy. They want to sound good right away, so ham radio helps them build their confidence.”

For Hunter, the dedication of the faculty to see students succeed is key in his Hesston College training and preparation for the Academy. Because he hadn’t yet completed the CTI program, he entered as a military veteran, having spent five years as a Navy medic.

“I’ve really appreciated the faculty and staff who do such a good job taking care of students’ needs, being flexible with scheduling and building personal connections,” said Hunter. “The kind of training Hesston offers is exactly what the Academy wants, and I’m grateful for that.”

Community-focused nursing gives students insight into issues affecting society and health

Most of the time, hands-on experiences for nursing students mean spending time in the different units of hospitals learning how to treat patients who are ill or recovering from a variety of ailments and procedures.

For Hesston College nursing students, hands-on experiences also break out of the confines of a medical facility and into the community giving students opportunities to work with populations and issues they may not otherwise encounter.

In their final semester, Hesston College senior nursing students take Population-based Nursing, a course that gives them opportunities to look at a population’s environment, socioeconomics, health practices and other factors that contribute to overall health and wellbeing. The students are able to go hands-on within the population to address needs and concerns they discover through observations and determinations to help improve quality of life.

“All BSN programs have some component of population-based nursing,” said professor Duane Miller. “What is unique about Hesston’s approach is the cohort model. I have not yet found another program that does it this way.”

In many nursing programs, population-based nursing is an individual preceptor model where each student is assigned to a nurse to follow and observe in the populations he or she serves.

With Hesston’s model, which just completed its second year, eight to 10 students were assigned to a social service clinical location where they are guided by the staff and a clinical instructor and work directly with the population served.

“We didn’t want just observational, fly-on-the-wall experiences,” said Miller. “With population-based nursing, we’re not focusing on one-to-one care. We want to take our expertise as nurses and connect with our community. So we tried the idea of partnering with social service agencies and it has worked out really well.”

Students dispersed into the community to places like Kidron, Inc. (North Newton) and Hickory Homes (Hesston), both income-based housing for elderly people, Circle of Hope (Newton), a relationship-based initiative through the Peace Connections organization that seeks to improve the financial health and well-being of the community, New Jerusalem Misisons (Newton), which provides physical, emotional and spiritual support to individuals living with AIDS, and even the Hesston College campus.

The result was students thinking outside the box to address the needs they perceived and making connections they may have otherwise missed.

“When we started Population-based Nursing I was really only thinking about like a health clinic and the nurses there who give immunizations all day,” said Rebekah Voran, Kingman, Kan., who served at New Jerusalem Missions. “I was kind of confused at how we were going to have an entire class about just a health clinic. It’s obviously a lot bigger than that, and now I see how the smallest things – like even cracks in the sidewalk – are a nursing issue. Are the streets good enough for people to walk on so they don’t fall and get hurt? Are there crosswalks where there need to be? I see now how that’s definitely a nursing issue.”

“The American Nurses’ Association is really pushing that we have more nurses involved in our communities, including serving on boards and things like that,” said Miller. “Nurses have a lot of knowledge and expertise and we can use that to help our communities. That’s what I hope the students saw at the end of the day. I’m hopeful they’ll be active in their communities.”

As students became acquainted with the organizations they were working in and the people they were serving, their creativity flowed to meet the needs they found.

At Hickory Homes, the students helped compile a cookbook with recipes that are affordable and simple for residents to make. At New Jerusalem Missions they helped improve the facilities for more comfortable living and assisted with food preparation. And on the Hesston College campus, one group addressed education about epidemics or disease spread after the campus was hit with several rounds of illness that affected dozens of students, focusing particularly on hand hygiene. Another group observed a need for education on healthy relationships, and brought to campus an expert in the field, Dr. Joanne Davila, professor of psychology and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook (N.Y.) University, to lead a relationship workshop with both Hesston College and Bethel College (North Newton) students. Students also participated in poverty simulations, through Peace Connections, that put them in simulated situations to better understand the effects of poverty on all areas of life.

“For us to add value, we don’t want to add something new that the community doesn’t actually want or need or start something that isn’t sustainable,” said Miller.

That’s another reason working with the nonprofit organizations was beneficial – they are already established and serving the population and the students were able to step in and find ways to make what’s already working even better.

“I’ve always thought if we can structure clinical in a way that students can really practice to the extent of their education and training and then find ways that connect with their passions, we could benefit both the college and the community and the student,” said Miller.

And that’s exactly what happened.

“This experience showed me how to better help my community,” said Dacia Hightower, North Newton, Kan., who served at New Jerusalem Missions. “It showed me how to speak out or find ways to assist people with their needs.”

Graduates charged to love like Christ

Hesston College graduates were sent on to their next chapter challenged to love with the radical love of Jesus at commencement exercises on Sunday, May 13.

Michelle Armster, M.Div., executive director of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Central States (North Newton, Kan.,) delivered the commencement address, “What’s love got to do with it?” based on the 2017-18 Hesston College theme verse of I Corinthians 13:1-3, encouraging the graduates to choose love in whatever they do with their lives.

“In Matthew 25, in the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus is very clear what it means to love like him and what we are supposed to do,” Armster said. “He says feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, comfort and heal the sick, support the imprisoned. And often when this is read we hear crickets because this kind of love is very clear, but this kind of love is really hard. It expects giving of ourselves and sacrificing for others. It challenges powers and principalities. It also demands that we work to confront and dismantle the systemic oppressions that allow these conditions to exist.”

“So I say to you all today, choose love,” Armster continued. “Graduates, you are not the future, you are the now. So to love like God, you may need to look in different places. Because love speaks life, not death. Love speaks hope, not despair. Love speaks acceptance, not condemnation. Love speaks inclusion, not exclusion. Love is a choice. Love is a commitment. And we need you to choose love and to show us how to love again. Because the Good News, the Gospel, is about love for everyone.”

Two students, Jose Lezama Mendoza, Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and Mackenzie Miller, Lancaster, Pa., were nominated by faculty and staff and voted by their classmates as the graduate speakers to reflect on their Hesston Experience.

President Dr. Joseph A. Manickam, Ph.D., conferred 47 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees and 84 associates degrees.

The 47 nursing program graduates were honored at the Nursing Pinning ceremony on May 12. Alice Thornton Bell, APRN, MPA, MA, MSN, senior director at the Advisory Board Company, and mother of graduate Geoffrey Bell, delivered the address, “We Must Do Better Than This.”

Other May 12 events included a recognition ceremony was held for students completing the Disaster Management Program. Krista Rittenhouse, a 2012 Disaster Management graduate, delivered the message, “It every day bro.” Rittenhouse serves with Mennonite Mission Network’s Service Adventure in Johnstown, Pa.

The Aviation department honored graduates completing the professional pilot and air traffic control programs of study. John Reimer, a 1990 Hesston Aviation graduate and demonstration pilot at Textron Aviation in Wichita, Kan., delivered the reception address.