In the News

Challenge grant pushes capital campaign into final fundraising stretch

Hesston College has been awarded a $750,000 challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation in Tulsa, Okla., for its Be Greater capital campaign that will address facility needs in the college’s nursing and athletic programs.

The terms of the challenge grant gives Hesston College one year to raise the remaining $1.5 million of the $6 million campaign. College administration hopes to complete fundraising by mid-December 2018 with construction to begin immediately following and completed in August 2019 in time for the start of the fall semester.

“The Development team is so thankful for all of the generous support received since our fundraising began in the summer of 2016,” said Mark Landes, interim vice president of Advancement. “We are optimistic the $6 million goal is reachable. The last 25 percent is typically the most difficult to secure, but we have a good plan to raise the additional $1.5 million during 2018, and we look forward to engaging with supporters to finish our fundraising plan and watch these critical projects come up out of the ground very soon.”

Nursing and athletics are Hesston College’s two largest program areas – each with about 41 percent of the student population. The facilities – Lemons Center for nursing and Yost Center for athletics – are not sufficient to accommodate current program needs.

Each portion of the total campaign carries a $3 million price tag and will focus on the renovation of the existing facilities as well as include building expansion with new spaces to better serve students, faculty, staff and guests to campus.

Lemons Center was constructed in 1996 as an addition to the J.D. Charles Hall of Science and Arts, and has not received updates in more than 20 years. Campaign improvements will include a 9,740 square foot addition to be named the Bonnie Sowers Nursing Center in honor of longtime nursing program director Bonnie Sowers who retired from the role in 2017 after more than 40 years. Within that space will be a simulation lab, student practice rooms, a fundamentals lab, storage space, faculty offices, an administrative suite, a student lounge and study spaces. Some select areas in Charles Hall will also receive renovations and upgrades to benefit the natural sciences.

When Yost Center was built in 1982, Hesston fielded six intercollegiate teams compared to 14 teams today, posing a space problem for the current athletic facility and personnel. Enhancements included in the campaign are a 3,000 square foot weight room on the southwest side of Yost Center, a new, on-campus softball diamond, the addition of a new lobby on the northwest side of Yost, a coaches’ office suite, main gym renovations, a remodel of the athletic training room and the addition of a multi-purpose team room.

Hesston College has received grants from the Mabee Foundation for capital projects in the past, the most recent being a $500,000 challenge grant in 2014 for a $3.8 million campus entrance and renovation of the performing arts building, now named Keim Center for Performing Arts Education. That challenge was completed in October 2014, ahead of the December 2014 deadline, and the project was completed for the fall 2015 semester.

“We’re grateful for the relationship we’ve built with the Mabee Foundation over the years,” said Landes. “They have been supporters of the Hesston Experience and the college’s mission several times and in many ways. It’s gratifying to again receive their support and know they, too, recognize the importance of these programs to Hesston College.”

In addition to the Mabee Foundation grant, two lead gifts for the nursing portion of the campaign have been graciously provided by Carroll and Roberta Miller of Greeley, Colo., and Doug and Connie Dorsing of Fruitland, Idaho.

Mid-April update - Donors have contributed $500,000 since the Mabee Challenge was announced, bringing the Be Greater Campaign to the $5 million mark.

Annual AVDS conference to explore healthier communities through dismantling injustices

A year ago, Hesston College’s Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series (AVDS), an annual conference for church and community leaders, took on the daunting task of exploring how communities can effectively and compassionately respond when tragic events happen to them or those around them. As a continuation to that discussion, the 2018 AVDS conference will take those conversations to a preceding step and focus on dismantling the injustices that surround us in an effort to change the situations that cause unavoidable tragedies to happen.

With the theme “Before the Unthinkable Happens: Confronting our role in injustice,” the Feb. 23 to 25 conference will draw on the teachings of leadership competencies by the Kansas Leadership Center (Wichita), as well as hear from experts in the field, including professor, author and activist Dr. Drew G.I. Hart, local pastors Kevass Harding (Dell Rose United Methodist Church, Wichita) and Lois Harder (Lorrainne Avenue Mennonite Church, and Hesston Bible professor Michele Hershberger.

The conference is open to and will benefit anyone interested in what they can do to begin to change the injustices around them, including pastors, church and community leaders as well as lay persons.

“How can we help our communities be healthier so that fewer trauma-related incidents happen?” said Kurt Horst, pastor of Whitestone Mennonite Church (Hesston) and a member of the conference planning committee. “This year’s AVDS challenges us to change that by looking at ourselves and learning the places where we’re blind to the way we contribute to injustices –economic, racial, even gender injustices – and go back home prepared to change ourselves, our churches, our communities and our world.”

“I think that a lot of us assume that the situation of injustice is very clearly defined and that it is interpreted or understood the same by everyone,” said Carlota Ponds, conference planning committee member and Director of International Student Support at Hesston College. “It’s change within yourself first.”

Adrion Roberson, a faculty member for the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC), known for its innovative approach to civic engagement, will lead participants through the four KLC leadership competencies, while faith-based speakers will connect the messages back to theology and the teachings of Jesus.

“I look at the attributes of what the KLC competencies bring and I just see Jesus,” said Roberson, who is also pastor of Berean Community Church in Kansas City, Kan. “When we look at the competencies of managing self, diagnosing situations, energizing others and then being able to intervene skillfully, the culture has shown us that it can’t do that on its own. We can’t expect change unless something changes us first.”

Dr. Hart, an assistant professor in theology at Messiah College (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), will use his experience leading and mentoring black and brown youth as a pastor, working for an inner-city after-school program, and working closely with Philadelphia-based nonprofits to lead the discussions and learnings from a faith-based perspective.

The opening keynote address by Hart and Roberson will be free and open to the public beginning at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 23, at Hesston Mennonite Church. A free-will offering will be collected to help cover conference expenses for those attending this session only. Hart will speak on the topic “Stayed on Freedom: A Theology for Confronting Systemic Injustice as Beloved Community.” Roberson will share an overview of the four leadership principles from a faith perspective.

Small group discussion times throughout the weekend, or Change Agent groups, will allow participants to engage with one another to develop meaningful responses and strategies for change.

The weekend’s theme will also be highlighted through a Ted & Company TheaterWorks show, “Discovery: A Comic Lament,” starring veteran actor Ted Swartz and Michelle Milne, about the Doctrine of Discovery, the legal framework that justifies theft of land and oppression of indigenous people. The show will be at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 24 at Hesston Mennonite Church. Conference participants will attend the show through their conference registration. The public is invited to join them at $12 for adults and free for youth of all ages. Tickets are available at the door or in advance from the Hesston College Bookstore in person or by calling 620-327-8105.

Registration for the weekend conference can be found online, along with a full schedule of events and other information. The cost to attend is $100 per person with discounts available for members of sponsoring congregations or two or more participants from the same congregation.

Organizations partnering with Hesston College to sponsor the conference include Whitestone Mennonite Church (Hesston), Hesston Mennonite Church, South Central Mennonite Conference, Western District Mennonite Conference, Everence, Mennonite Central Committee Central States and Mennonite Mission Network.

Andover Organ Series to feature Italian organist

Continuing to bring quality performing art from around the world to south central Kansas, the next concert in the 2017-18 Andover Organ Series will feature Italian organist, Davide Mariano at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The concert is free and open to the public.

Born in 1988, Mariano is the most active Italian organist of his generation on the international scene. He performs a repertoire ranging from the middle ages to the contemporary era. As an organist, harpsichordist and pianist, he collaborates with diverse orchestras and chamber groups across Europe and Japan.

Mariano has been organist-in-residence for one year at the Sapporo Concert Hall “Kitara” (Japan) and is currently young-artist-in-residence at the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. His upcoming performances will take feature him as a soloist at the Église de la Madeleine in Paris, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Tokyo cathedral.

Mariano holds master’s degrees in organ and harpsichord from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria, and an artist’s diploma in organ from the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris.

The Hesston concert is a continuation of the tenth anniversary celebration of the installation of the Andover organ at Hesston Mennonite Church. 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 Ernest Foundation, the Andover Organ Series at Hesston College features organists from across the world.

VOCES8 vocal ensemble to bring contemporary flavor to HBPA spring season

Having established themselves as one of the world’s best-loved singing groups, the British vocal ensemble VOCES8 will delight a Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts (HBPA) audience as part of their North American Tour at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

The a cappella ensemble comprised of eight mixed voices was praised by “Gramophone” for its unity. “The singing of VOCES8 is impeccable in its quality and balance. They bring new dimension to the word ‘ensemble’ with meticulous timing and tuning.”

VOCES8 performs repertoire from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary commissions and arrangements. The group is a Decca Classics artist and has released acclaimed recordings that have topped the classical charts. With an on-going program of recordings and live broadcasts, VOCES8 is heard regularly on international television and radio.

VOCES8 performs extensively throughout Europe, North America and Asia. The 2017-18 season includes debut tours in Singapore and Mexico as well as an extensive European schedule and about a month of U.S. performances.

In addition to outstanding musicianship, VOCES8 is passionate about music education and is the flagship ensemble of the choral music charity VCM Foundation, which works with young people to develop an appreciation of choral music, provides teacher training and holds regular training events singing celebrations.

Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, as part of its HBPA visit, VOCES8 will conduct two days of choral master classes for area high schools and colleges.

Reserved seating and general admission tickets for the VOCES8 performance are available online or by calling 620-327-8105. Single tickets are for sale at the Hesston College Bookstore in Erb Hall or Bethel College’s Thresher Shop in Schultz Student Center during regular business hours. Reserved seating is $27 for adults and senior citizens, and general admission seating ranges from $18 to $23. Discounts are available for students and senior citizens.

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series is a collaborative effort of Hesston College and Bethel College, presenting five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each year. HBPA is funded in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment, KMUW, the National Endowment for the Arts and area patrons.

Students, alumni and friends invited on trans-cultural trip to Thailand that integrates peacebuilding with the arts

“I have yet to find another mode of communication that cuts across differences, boundaries and borders more than the arts,” said Hesston College President Joe Manickam. “The arts provide a common language that exists in every culture.”

And so, Manickam, along with internationally-acclaimed baritone and Hesston College staff member Tony Brown, hope to join the power of the arts with that of peacebuilding in an intergenerational journey to Thailand for Hesston May 14 to 31.

Manickam came to Hesston to start his new role as president during the summer of 2017 after having lived and worked in Thailand for several years, most recently as Director of the Institute of Religion, Culture and Peace and faculty member for peace studies at Payap University in Chiang Mai.

Brown has traveled across the globe for many years through the Peacing It Together Foundation, which is his creation and exists to serve the global community as a resource for peace and social justice, using music and the spoken word to bring people together across the divides of race, culture and religion.

The trip will enter communities off the beaten path and engage with stories of hope and transformation along the margins of society. A trans-cultural course, this trip is open to all college-level students and Hesston College alumni and friends. An emphasis is being placed on the gifts an intergenerational group can bring.

“Our hope is to take along other people who can be transformed on this trip the same way Tony and I are, adding to the messengers who return home with stories and transformation,” Manickam said.

Participants will travel to four distinct regions of Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Tak Province and Southern Thailand. Along the way, the group will meet with several leaders of faith communities from the Muslim, Buddhist, Christian and Sikh groups. A few days will also be spent at Payap University with the music department learning about traditional Thai music.

“The focus of this trip is really on the arts, both performing and visual,” Manickam said. “But you don’t have to be an artist to go on this trip. It is for people who would appreciate the arts.”

The trip will also make several sightseeing stops around Thailand and will end on the beaches, allowing for a time of debriefing and reflection.

Those interested in attending this trip should contact cindy.loucks@hesston.edu or 620-327-8233. The cost of the trip is $1,800 for students and $2,200 for other participants plus the cost of air fare. A $500 deposit is due to the Hesston College Business Office by Feb. 20.

“The arts are a very powerful tool for peacebuilding because that brings people from different places and different walks of life together to connect in a common language,” Manickam said. “None of us have to be fluent in it, but we can all participate if we are willing.”

Honoring Dr. King’s legacy

The Hesston College community participates in the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day “Tools for the Journey” workshop on Jan. 15, led by President Joe Manickam and John Murray, director of International Admissions. The workshop addressed injustices that are pervasive in society today and what individuals can do to recognize injustices and their own reactions to them. No classes were held on MLK Day in order to give the entire campus community – students, faculty and staff – a chance to participate in the activities.

Hesston College students participate in an activity during the “Tools for the Journey” workshop. From left are Zac Neely (Ada, Okla.), Molly Hess (Marion, Kan.), Aubrey Johnson (Mustang, Okla.), Malik Murad (back to camera) (Arlington, Texas), and Ish Moye (Olathe, Kan.). A chapel was also held in the afternoon and featured a student, faculty and staff gospel choir and speakers Ben Woodward-Breckbill, associate pastor of Shalom Mennonite Church (Newton, Kan.), and Jessica Klanderud, history professor at Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.).

Night of free basketball and entertainment for the community

The local community and alumni of Hesston College are invited to campus on Wednesday night, Jan. 24 for Alumni/Community Basketball Night, a free event featuring varsity basketball games, entertainment and fun for the whole family.

The Larks will take on NJCAA Region VI rival, Fort Scott Community College, with the women’s game scheduled for 6 p.m. in Yost Center and the men’s game to follow at 8 p.m. The evening will be filled with games, prizes, snacks and entertainment.

“Alumni/Community Night has become an annual tradition for Hesston College and a good way to reach out to the wider community as a kind of thank you for all the ways they are involved with and support the college,” said Dallas Stutzman, director of Alumni and Church Relations.

In addition to the basketball games, the lineup for the evening includes free haircuts by Snip N’ Clip, Lark megaphones and free popcorn, Lark tattoos, the Hesston High School pep band and musical entertainment by Hesston College international students.

Extending the community support, Schowalter Villa/Bluestem Communities is helping to sponsor the evening’s events.

High school students are invited to a pre-game devotional at 6:30 p.m. led by men’s basketball coach Dustin Galyon on the topic “Start with accountability: A biblical approach to walking together in community.” Students who wish to attend the devotional session should RSVP to brandy.quinn@hesston.edu by Friday, Jan. 19. Devotional participants will meet in Yost Center at 6:20 p.m. to walk together to Kropf Center for the meditation. Following the devotional, participants will be treated to free pizza.

Both the women’s and men’s basketball teams are having competitive seasons with the women currently at a 7-8 record and the men at a 10-4 record with eight games surpassing the 100-point mark.

Hesston College plans MLK Day activities

A day of celebration and learning to better understand others’ perspectives will mark Hesston College’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Day events on Monday, Jan. 15.

Hesston students will have the whole day off from regularly scheduled classes to participate in a campus-wide workshop, “Tools for the Journey,” along with faculty and staff, which will better equip them with practical life skills, like effectively communicating with others from differing backgrounds and viewpoints.

The public is invited to join the campus community at 1 p.m., in Hesston Mennonite Church for a special chapel service that will celebrate Dr. King’s life and work through music and speakers. Chapel presentations include:

• Student reflections on the “What are you doing for others” program they will attend at Hutchinson Community College on Jan. 14.
• Ben Woodward-Breckbill, associate pastor at Shalom Mennonite Church, Newton, Kan., will share “Accepting the Invitation,” a kingdom perspective on privilege and racism based on Luke 14.
• Dr. Jessica Klanderud, history professor at Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.), will speak about how King’s non-violence was necessary during the Civil Rights movement and continues to be necessary today.

“As we celebrate MLK Day at Hesston College, we must keep Dr. King’s broad legacy in mind,” said President Joe Manickam. “Though the African-American community birthed his legacy, that legacy now carries the hope for many around the world. We must celebrate alongside our African-American sisters and brothers who carry his name like no other can while recognizing the global impact Dr. King continues to have around the world.”

Students receive academic honors for fall 2017 semester

Hesston College announced the names of full-time students whose fall 2017 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

Samantha Amarante, Lodi, Calif.
Jola Ceca, Lac, Albania
Jenna Denlinger, Lancaster, Pa.
Jade Gleason, Brush, Colo.
Faith Hallmark, El Dorado, Kan.
Cal Hartley, Benton, Kan.
Jaden Hostetter, Harrisonburg, Va.
Laura Huang, SanMing, China
Leah Huyard, Staunton, Va.
Aya Iseki, Taito, Japan
Kylee Kasselman, Claflin, Kan.
Rebecca Kaufman, Hillsboro, Kan.
Cassidy King, Cochranville, Pa.
Yuka Kobayashi, Tokyo, Japan
Maria Kwee, Central Java, Indonesia
Kaylen Lassley, Salina, Kan.
Ivonne Ledesma, Wichita, Kan.
Chris Lichti, Shickley, Neb.
Taylor Longenecker, Rockingham, Va.
Faith Manickam, Hesston, Kan.
Sophie Miller, Goshen, Ind.
Rio Mori, Osaka, Japan
Joel Plank, Syracuse, Ind.
Hannah Rosenbaum, Richmond, Texas
Jenna Schneider, Lodi, Calif.
Zachary Smisor, Valley Center, Kan.
Morgan Sterner, Lehi, Utah
Harune Suzuki, Osaka, Japan
Addie Swartzendruber, Henderson, Neb.
Bryson White, Fort Worth, Texas
Armelda Xhari, Lezhe, Albania

Dean’s List – Sophomores

Landon Baer, North Lima, Ohio
Lacey Biggerstaff, Newton, Kan.
Jenna Boller, Kalona, Iowa
Jeremy Deckinger, Wichita, Kan.
Joy Driver, Rockingham, Va.
Elizabeth Eichelberger, Geneva, Neb.
Shota Funazaki, Chiba, Japan
Autumn Gehman, Adams, Tenn.
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.
Curtis Oesch, Caldwell, Idaho
Ryan Oostland, Goshen, Ind.
Alexandra Pelz, Viola, Kan.
Brenna Peters, Hesston, Kan.
Monica Plank, Marion, Kan.
Jaelyn Rufenacht, Pettisville, Ohio
Abraham Vidulich, Wichita, Kan.
Sadie Winter, Newton, Kan.
Payton Yehnert, Parker, Colo.

Dean’s List – Juniors

Allison Jantzi, Hesston, Kan.
Sophia Miller, Newton, Kan.
Vanessa Steckly, Milford, Neb.
Lilian Trifena, Tangerang, Indonesia

Dean’s List – Seniors

Kaedi Baer, Englewood, Colo.
Crystal Burgess, Los Angeles, Calif.
Meredith Burkhart, Newton, Kan.
Ashley DeTurk, Salina, Kan.
Celine Gregor, Omaha, Neb.
Brooke Hershberger, Goshen, Ind.
Amber Junkins, Wichita, Kan.
Kensi Mader, Wichita, Kan.
Raven Norris, Maize, Kan.
Zahira Shafeeq, McPherson, Kan.
Sarah Whitten, Wichita, Kan.

Honor Roll – Freshmen

Louisa Angeline, Semarang, Indonesia
Alexis Avalos, Yucaipa, Calif.
Brielle Baucom, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
McKenzie Brown, Estes Park, Colo.
Mairon Chavez Garcia, Tochigi, Japan
Taylar Clark, Port Angeles, Wash.
Rina Fukada, Yokohama, Japan
Risa Fukaya, Kanagawa, Japan
William Gaby, Goshen, Ind.
Emily Hague, Marion, Kan.
Annalys Hanna, Fraser, Colo.
Grant Harding, Louisburg, Kan.
Lily Kauffman, Mountain Lake, Minn.
Jenna Magana-Garcia, Hutchinson, Kan.
Lindsay Manwell, Wichita, Kan.
Mariana Martinez Hernandez, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Brant McCune-Wall, Manhattan, Kan.
Kaede Nakada, Tokyo, Japan
SungHyoun Nam, Gyounggi-do, South Korea
Caitlyn Nichols, Mesa, Colo.
Camryn Roth, Canby, Ore.
Jared Schlabaugh, Wellman, Iowa
Teo Soler, Orleans, France
Samantha Trejo, Lyons, Kan.
Zachary Yoder, Berea, Ky.
Anna Zehr, Tiskilwa, Ill.
Taitem Zeigler, Natoma, Kan.

Honor Roll – Sophomores

Kylie Brenneman, Hesston, Kan.
Sierra Broce, Goddard, Kan.
Nebiyat Demissie, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Andre Eanes, Harrisonburg, Va.
John Ebaugh, Holtwood, Pa.
Emma Eitzen, Lititz, Pa.
Jacob Harris, El Paso, Texas
Shaelyn Headrick, La Junta, Colo.
Preston Judd, Hayden, Ala.
Guhyoun Nam, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Zachary Neely, Ada, Okla.
Josie Noll, Atchinson, Kan.
Jasmine Pankratz, Abbyville, Kan.
Ricardo Pineda Moreno, Ancon, Panama
Jenna Ratzlaff, North Newton, Kan.
Kendall Richardson, Lodi, Calif.
Kantaro Sekiya, Tokyo, Japan
Haley Unruh, Wilmore, Kan.
Ashley Yasin, Lake Isabella, Calif.
Lindsey Yoder, Millersburg, Ohio

Honor Roll – Seniors

Taylor Berner, Wichita, Kan.
LaKeisha, Frierson, Wichita, Kan.
Samantha McElroy, Wichita, Kan.