In the News

Retiring chemistry professor to present final public presentation

With a final campus- and community-wide presentation, longtime Hesston College chemistry and astronomy professor Dr. Jim Yoder will kick off his last few weeks at the college before his retirement.

Yoder’s final Hesston College chapel presentation, “Integrating the Rainbow,” will be at 11 a.m., Monday, April 30, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The 30-minute presentation is free and open to the public.

Yoder has served at Hesston College for 50 academic years, teaching his first class on September 9, 1968, while still working to complete a doctorate in organic chemistry with minors in physical chemistry and philosophy of science from Indiana University (Bloomington).

He also attended Hesston College for a year in 1961-62, and completed a degree in chemistry at Goshen (Ind.) College.

Discovering Hesston, discovering opportunity

Nursing was always the profession Chloe McNiel knew she would choose. In fact, the call to the medical field was in her blood with a family of doctors, radiologists, dermatologists and nurses.

But coming to Hesston College was a path McNiel paved on her own.

“The idea my parents raised me in was to try to make it out of college with as little debt as possible, so I was looking at colleges around the area, colleges where I could live at home and work” McNiel said.

And she was all set to head off to Butler Community College (El Dorado, Kan.), living at home and working a job with her CNA qualification, while also attending the school on a choir scholarship. But her senior-year high school internship at Newton (Kan.) Medical Center changed all that.

“I started to notice that the nurses that were nicest to me had come from Hesston College,” McNiel said. “And even though I lived thirty minutes away from Hesston my entire life, I hadn’t heard of Hesston College until I ran into the nurses at Newton Medical Center. I thought I should probably apply.”

McNiel visited Hesston College, still not sure that attending a private school would even be financially possible. But she soon hoped it would be.

“I had been told that as soon as you step foot on a campus, you’ll know if it is right for you,” McNiel said. “And when we were on Hesston’s campus I remember my mom saying, ‘These seem like your kind of people, Chloe.’”

After being granted a theatre scholarship, McNiel could finally commit to becoming a Lark. But personal relationships and community were the reasons McNiel ultimately chose Hesston College, and they are the values that draw her to nursing as well.

“I like being able to be needed and to help,” she said. “I know nursing is hard, but it’s also rewarding. It’s neat to share intimate parts of people’s lives. That the patients let you into their world creates a deep connection.”

Amidst the microbiology and anatomy courses, McNiel finds time to participate in theatre productions, to serve as a Ministry Assistant on campus, to sing in choir and to work as a Hesston College Ambassador. She also works part-time providing home care.

McNiel plans to stick around for Hesston’s four-year BSN program, which is currently the only bachelor’s program the college offers.

“The nursing classes really challenge me,” she said. “There are people who are willing to help coach you and tutor you, teachers who are willing to work with you – they really do want the best for you.”

As someone who had never heard of Hesston College before attending, McNiel is taking it all in. She fondly remembers the Colorado camping trip and looks forward a three-week European tour with the International Chorale in May.

“Hesston has all these world travel options available,” McNiel said. “They are affordable and they allow for relationships to develop more quickly. I never imagined I could do those things alongside nursing.”

Yet McNiel is still focused on her end goal: nursing. She anticipates the next two years at Hesston to be intense, knowing nursing is a notoriously challenging program, but she’s ready for whatever challenges lie ahead.

“I’ve never imagined anything else for my life,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. So many of the people in my family that I’ve looked up to are nurses. I can see that I have whatever it is in me to be a nurse. This is my dream.”

by Mackenzie Miller

Playwriting festival returns for second year with eight original plays

After positive reactions towards Hesston College’s first “Pen to Paper to Performance” playwriting festival in 2017, the event is continuing for a second year under the coordination of Theatre Director Rachel Jantzi.

Jantzi chose eight original plays from a large number of submissions that will be featured in the final showcase at 7 p.m., April 27 and 28, in the Keim Center Black Box Theatre on the Hesston College campus.

“I’m excited because the scripts are so varied,” Jantzi said. “The actors are truly being stretched to meet the needs of eight different shows. They have impressed me and I am looking forward to the audience getting to experience that with us.”

The featured plays in the final showcase are:

• Born Again by Carol Duerksen
• First Date by Travis Duerksen and Mitchell Stutzman
• Goodnight, Washington by Patricia Middleton
• Small Cups of Coffee by Dave Osborne
• Classified by Lois Thieszen Preheim
• An Empty Classroom by Jamie Rhodes
• How the Octopus Got His Legs by André Swartley
• Chapter Fourteen by Caitlin Waits

A simplistic set will build cohesion between the eight contrasting shows, and sophomore theatre major Mariah Trible will direct two of the shows alongside Jantzi. A single ensemble of 13 actors, each taking on several different roles, will bring the shows to life.

“I am honored that these playwrights trust us to tell their stories,” Jantzi said. “Even if it may not be how they envisioned it as they wrote, they were brave enough to let it go and trust someone else with their words. That is a courageous act.”

Prior to the show on Friday, April 27, beginning at 6:30, there will be a 30-minute performance by On A Lark, Hesston’s improv comedy troupe led by freshman Colton Adams (Wichita, Kan.).

Final organ concert in series to feature Kansas graduate students

The final concert in the 2017-18 Andover Organ Series hosted by Hesston College will feature two doctoral students from the University of Kansas (Lawrence). Tyler Boehmer and Rob Hobgood will perform music by Bach, Buxtehude, Vierne and Reger at 7 p.m., Friday, April 20, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

This concert continues to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the installation of the Andover Organ at Hesston Mennonite Church. The concert is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the concert in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center.

Competitive in world organ competitions from a young age, Boehmer earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah). Upon completion of his graduate and doctoral degrees, he plans to remain active as a performer and teacher.

Originally from Raleigh, N.C., Rob Hobgood received a bachelor of music degree in church music and organ performance from Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Ga.). Hobgood then completed a master of music degree in sacred music from Westminster Choir College of Rider University (Princeton, N.J.). He is now pursuing a doctorate of musical arts degree in church music with concentrations in organ performance and choral conducting, studying Michael Bauer.

Andover organs are built by the Andover Organ Company of Methuen, Mass. The company builds and restores mechanical action pipe organs, and since its founding in 1948, has restored more than 500 organs across the United States, as well as building new instruments, including the Opus 116 pipe organ, installed at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus in 2007.

Funded by the John Earnest Foundation, the Andover Organ Series at Hesston College features organists from around the world.

Faculty recital to highlight seasoned piano instructor

Serving as adjunct instructor of piano at Hesston College, pianist J. Bradley Baker will perform a faculty recital at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 24, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The recital is free and open to the public.

Fellow musicians Jen Stephenson and Betul Soykan will join Baker for some pieces. Stephenson, a soprano performance vocalist, will sing some Rachmaninoff songs, while Soykan, assistant professor of violin at Wichita (Kan.) State University, will play the Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata and join Baker in playing Rachmaninoff solo piano repertoire.

Baker’s solo performances have taken him throughout the United States and Canada and have been aired on public radio stations in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

In addition to his role at Hesston, Baker is the collaborative pianist and vocal coach and director of the Music Preparatory School at Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.). As the director, he leads a group of expert faculty in the music education of pre-college youth in Central Kansas.

Baker also serves as executive director and music director and coach for Music On Site, Inc., a new opera company based in Central Kansas.

Baker earned a doctorate of musical arts degree in piano performance from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), a master of music degree in piano performance from the Cleveland (Ohio) Institute of Music, and a bachelor of music degree in piano performance from North Dakota State University (Fargo).

Alumni and friends Goshen, Ind., event gives glimpse into capital enhancements

On the evening of April 10, more than 60 Hesston College alumni and friends gathered at the Bread and Chocolate venue in Goshen, Ind., to connect with one another and the college, meet new ninth President Joseph A. Manickam, and hear about the the college’s vision for the future.

President Manickam shared about current events at Hesston College, including the capital campaign to provide enhancements to the college’s nursing and athletic facilities. Bonnie Sowers, former director of nursing education (1980-2017) shared about the highly regarded nursing program and how these plans will help improve the student experience.

Included in the nursing portion of the campaign is an addition to the existing facility, Lemons Center, that will be named the Bonnie Sowers Center for Nursing Education, in honor of Sowers many years of service to the college and countless contributions to the nursing program.

Students bring home leadership challenge award

The team of five students, who are enrolled in an Adaptive Challenges in Leadership course at Hesston, competed against 10 other teams from colleges in Kansas and surrounding states. Each team member played a role at a fictitious “Central Kansas University” – Director of Student Activities, Residential Life Coordinator, Director of Health Services, Director of University Relations and Dean of Students – and in their team roles, had to investigate allegations of dangerous hazing among members of the university’s marching band, meet with senior members of the university’s administration, formulate response plans and action plans to eliminate future incidents, and present their ideas orally to two judges.

The Hesston team’s efforts earned them the Emerging Leadership Award, which is given to the highest scoring team among those in their first or second year at the event.

“These students weren’t sure what to expect, but they were eager to learn and they worked well together,” said Brent Yoder, instructor of Hesston’s Adaptive Challenges in Leadership Course and vice president of Academics. “This was an adaptive challenge, and they recognized that good leadership in this simulation involved exploring tough interpretations, engaging unusual voices and speaking to loss. They should be proud of the way that they performed, representing Hesston College as five sophomores competing against many large universities.”

Members of the team were sophomores Keegan Cook (Whitewater, Kan.), John Ebaugh (Holtwood, Pa.), Sarah Miller (Freeman, S.D.), Jaelyn Rufenacht (Pettisville, Ohio) and Kyle Stucky (Moundridge, Kan.).

Oesch named new women’s resident director

Lorren Oesch, a 2016 Hesston College graduate, has been announced as Hesston College’s new women’s resident director. Oesch will start her new role August 1.

“We are excited to have Lorren on our team and look forward to seeing the impact she will have on our students and campus,” said Juli Winter, dean of students.

As part of Student Development, Oesch’s role as resident director is part of a team of three other resident directors who oversee student life and housing. Resident directors supervise a student staff of resident assistants, assist in maintaining campus lifestyle standards and serve as a role model and mentor for students.

During her time as a Hesston College student, Oesch was a member of Bel Canto Singers and the women’s tennis team. She also served as a resident assistant as a sophomore, providing leadership to her peers in the dorms, and worked for Admissions as a Student Ambassador. Oesch will graduate from Eastern Mennonite University at the end of April with a degree in peacebuilding.

Students to gain new insights into healthy relationships through workshop opportunity

College- and high school-age students are invited to learn about creating and maintaining healthy relationships at a free event hosted by Hesston College and Bethel College.

“The Relationship Workshop: How to Have a Healthy Relationship in the Modern World” will be presented by Dr. Joanne Davila, Saturday, May 5, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the Hesston College campus. A lunch break will be held mid-day with dining options in the Hesston College cafeteria or at area restaurants. The cost for brunch for non-Hesston College students can be paid at the door.

The workshop will provide an evidence-based framework for healthy relationships centered on insight, mutuality and emotion regulation. The workshop will teach participants skill on healthy decision-making related to romantic relationships and entering or exiting relationships, successful navigation of issues and potential conflicts that arise in relationships, and strategies for coping with the emotions relationships bring.

Dr. Davila is professor of psychology and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook (N.Y.) University.

A group of Hesston College nursing students presented the idea and are planning the day’s events as part of their Population-Based Nursing course, led by nursing professor Duane Miller. In researching possible topics for a class project, they came upon a TEDx event talk of Davila presenting on healthy relationships, and were drawn to its relevance for young adults. Hesston College Dean of Students, Juli Winter, and campus counselor, Julie Lehman, both confirmed that relationship issues are something they see and hear of students struggling with regularly.

Davila will also present in Hesston College forum at 11 a.m., Friday, May 4, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

Registration for the free Saturday workshop can be completed here. Contact duane.miller@hesston.edu with questions.

Watch Davila’s Tedx event talk.