In the News

Photo release - Leaving a legacy

Bonnie Sowers, Hesston College’s departing Director of Nursing Education, listens to a tribute at a reception celebrating her more than 40 years of service to Hesston Nursing on May 9. Sowers will step down from the director role after 37 years on June 30. About 300 colleagues, former students and friends came out to celebrate with Sowers. Several tributes praised her servant leadership, kind and generous spirit, and encouraging attitude.

Hesston College and Hesston Recreation partner for a Day at the K

Hesston College and Hesston Recreation are partnering to give community members and alumni and friends of college a summer afternoon enjoying America’s favorite pastime with a Day at the K, Saturday, June 24. The Kansas City Royals will take on the Toronto Bluejays at 1:15 p.m., at Kauffman Stadium.

Group discounted tickets for the game are $19 per person. Children 32 inches in height and under are free as long as they sit on the lap of an accompanying adult. Tickets are subject to the Royal’s announced rainout policy.

The event recognizing Hesston in Kansas City was planned as part of Hesston College’s annual Explore Kansas! weekend trip, and Hesston College’s Director of Alumni and Church Relations Dallas Stutzman expanded the offer for the game to the larger community.

“The college has its annual Explore Kansas! weekend trip to the Kansas City area that includes the Royals game over this weekend,” said Stutzman. “In talking and planning with Ryan Magill from Hesston Recreation, we decided to invite the community and other college alumni and friends to come out as well for the event. We think it will be a great time for all of Hesston, and it can help to continue to build community good will. We hope to see a huge turnout for the game!”

Participants on the Explore Kansas! trip will spend Saturday night in Kansas City at the Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downton. Guests attending just a Day at the K can stay at the hotel for the same discounted rate as the tour group. A limited number of rooms are available on a first come first served basis.

Baseball tickets and Crowne Plaza reservations can be secured by contacting Sheri Esau at Hesston College at 620-327-8147 or sheri.esau@hesston.edu. No refunds will be made for the baseball tickets after the initial purchase.

Explore Kansas! trip to visit the Wonders of Kansas

Hesston College alumni and friends are invited to take part in the college’s annual Explore Kansas! trip, June 24 and 25. The 2017 overnight excursion includes a weekend of art, sports, cuisine, history, architecture, worship and music, with stops at or learning about 15 Kansas Wonders winners or finalists.

Leaving early Saturday morning, June 24, the chartered bus tour will head for the northeast part of the state with stops that include The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City), a first-class nationally-rated museum with 28,000 comprehensive artifacts.

The afternoon event will be Hesston College Day at the K for a 1 p.m. showdown between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Bluejays. Community members and those not participating as part of the weekend Explore Kansas! trip are also welcome to attend the Day at the K on their own, including a discounted ticket price of $19 per person. Contact sheri.esau@hesston.edu or 620-327-8147 to reserve game tickets.

Overnight lodging on June 24 will be at the Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downton. Guests just attending the Kansas City Royals game can stay at the hotel for the same discounted rate as the Explore Kansas! group. A limited number of rooms are available.

Sunday events include a tour at First Presbyterian Church in Topeka, which features the Tiffany windows – an art wonder of exquisite stained glass windows installed in 1911. The windows depict biblical stories with incredible detail. Participants will also learn about the Kansas Capitol’s John Steuart Curry murals and native Kansan Poco Frazier’s “Justice” statue.

For afternoon entertainment, and for the final stop, the group will take in the Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus concert at the historic Grace Episcopal Church in Topeka, with a post-concert church tour and presentation.

Tour group participants will eat well throughout the weekend, including Saturday evening at Kansas City classic, Stroud’s, for pan-fried chicken, and Sunday lunch at Woodyard Bar-B-Que, which was featured on The Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

The cost for the trip is $160 per person, based on double occupancy lodging. Reservations are encouraged as soon as possible, and no later than Friday, June 9, as available space is limited. No refunds will be made past the June 9 cutoff date.

Contact Alumni Relations at 620-327-8109 to reserve a spot. See a complete itinerary online.

Students and faculty commissioned for service

During a May 3, Hesston College chapel, 41 students and faculty were commissioned for Christian ministry and service for summer and fall placements.

The students will serve around the world in positions from camp counselor to supervisors at disaster sites.

Doing a three-week field experience in Greenbrier County, W.V., with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) are Disaster Management Program students Keegan Cook, Whitewater, Kan.; Luke Husbands, Lancaster, Pa.; John Ebaugh, Holtwood, Pa.; Rebecca Reutzel, Topeka, Kan.; and Angus Siemens, Newton, Kan. Following that placement, Cook, Ebaugh and Reutzel will serve an additional five weeks in Detroit, Mich., and Husbands and Siemens will spend five weeks in Pine Ridge, S.D. Program director Cleo Koop will serve alongside the students.

Disaster Management student, Christy Kauffman, West Liberty, Ohio, will serve with MDS for three weeks on the Pacific island of Saipan, and for six weeks with Ten Thousand Villages in Akron, Pa.

Cleo Koop, director of the Disaster Management Program, will serve as project director with MDS for one month in Greenbrier County, W.V., and for one month in the Pacific island of Saipan.

Cheri Baer, Apple Creek, Ohio, will serve for eight weeks with VBS (Vacation Bible School) on the Road in South Texas.

Nicole Loewen, Hutchinson, Kan., will serve with Converge International Fellowship and Youth for Christ.

Elizabeth Eichelberger, Geneva, Neb., will serve with Youth Venture in Detroit, Mich., through Mennonite Mission Network.

Morgan Leavy, Telford, Pa., will serve as an intern with UrbanPromise in Camden, N.J., as a counselor at one of eight camps throughout the city, and will help direct a play for high school students involved with the organization.

Bailee Nichols-Clary, Wichita, Kan., will work with youth from Park Place Ministry Center, Wichita, at Wheat Slate Camp, Augusta, Kan.

Billy Bass, Yoder, Kan., will support conflict resolution in serving with KIPCore through Bethel College, North Newton, Kan.

Abraham Mateo, Fort Myers, Fla., will serve at Toledo (Ohio) Mennonite Church through the Ministry Inquiry Program.

Gabby Willis, Rusk, Texas, will serve with a week-long Vacation Bible School at her home church.

Jonae Hochstetler, Ogema, Minn., will direct a week-long Vacation Bible School at her home church.

Zach Neely, Ada, Okla., and David Ladwig, Wichita, Kan., will serve for one week with Wayne Simien’s Called to Greatness Camp. Ladwig will also serve three weeks with Legacy Ministries, Inc., Wichita.

John Ruth, Harleysville, Pa., will serve as a mentor at the Souderton (Pa.) Boys and Girls Club.

Malik Ellis, Midlothian, Va., will serve with Foundation Basketball, Midlothian.

Students serving as staff or counselors at camps include:

• Cassidy Bontrager, Wellman, Iowa, at Crooked Creek Christian Camp, Washington, Iowa.
• Sarah Booth, Goessel, Kan., at Camp Mennoscah, Murdock, Kan.
• Desiree Bretado, Whittier, Calif., at Fellowship for Christian Athletes softball camp.
• Rachel Brown, McKinney, Texas, at Shepherd Community Center day camp in Indianapolis, Ind.
• Erin Brubaker, Goessel, Kan., at Drift Creek Mennonite Camp, Lincoln City, Ore.
• Elena Buckwalter, Fulks Run, Va., at Highland Retreat Center, Bergton, Va.
• Renee Buckwalter, Wellman, Iowa, at Crooked Creek Christian Camp, Washington, Iowa.
• Abby Byler, Harrisonburg, Va., at Drift Creek Mennonite Camp, Lincoln City, Ore.
• Silas Driver, Harrisonburg, Va., at Drift Creek Mennonite Camp, Lincoln City, Ore.
• Andre Eanes, Harrisonburg, Va., at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, Divide, Colo.
• Chloe McNiel, Valley Center, Kan., at Royal Family Kids Camp at Camp Horizon, Arkansas City, Kan.
• Hannah Miller, Parnell, Iowa, at Crooked Creek Christian Camp, Washington, Iowa.
• Trevor Oyer, Hubbard, Ore., at Drift Creek Mennonite Camp, Lincoln City, Ore.
• Kathryn Roth, Wauseon, Ohio, at Little Eden Camp, Onekama, Mich.
• Shalee Rowley, Colorado Springs, Colo., at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, Divide, Colo.
• Jaelyn Rufenacht, Archbold, Ohio, at Little Eden Camp, Onekama, Mich.
• Janelle Schmucker, Los Fresnos, Texas, at Amigo Centre, Sturgis, Mich.
• Carissa Slabach, Newton, Kan., at Ponca (Ark.) Bible Camp.
• Ally Vogt, Hesston, Kan., at Victory Bible Camp, Sutton, Alaska.
• Sadie Winter, Newton, Kan., at LifeChange Camp, Clinton, Mo.
• Hannah Yoder, Freeman, S.D., at Swan Lake Christian Camp, Viborg, S.D.

Bartell to serve as Director of Nursing Education

Hesston College has announced that Becky Bartell, M.S.N., R.N., C.N.E., has been named Director of Nursing Education and the successor to longtime director, Bonnie Sowers, who has served in the role for 37 years and will step down on June 30. Bartell will assume the role July 1 while Sowers will transition to a teaching position within the department.

Bartell joined the Hesston College nursing faculty in 2010, teaching upper-level nursing courses and serving as the curriculum coordinator while the department shifted from an associate degree program to a bachelor’s degree program.

“Becky has earned the respect of students and colleagues through her in-depth knowledge of and commitment to nursing education and to the mission of Hesston College,” said Brent Yoder, Vice President of Academics. “She has many strengths that she will bring to the position: passion for nursing, clear and focused thinker, proactive, decisive, committed team player, willingness to listen, calm demeanor, poised, warm and supportive, kindness, loyalty and good-humor.”

Bartell earned a master’s of science in nursing from Fort Hays (Kan.) State University and a bachelor’s of science in nursing from Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.). She is also a Certified Nurse Educator (C.N.E.).

“Becky will lead our program into the next decade with great skill, poise and a deep knowledge of what it takes to continue ‘The Hesston College Nursing Experience’,” said outgoing director Sowers. “Our culture of developing competent and caring nurses will remain and only grow stronger in the years to come.”

Celebrations and performances part of Hesston College Commencement Weekend activities

Hesston College will celebrate the class of 2017 during Commencement Weekend May 12 to 14.

The commencement ceremony will be at 9 a.m., Sunday, May 14, in Yost Center. Dr. Marie S. Morris, will deliver the commencement address. Dr. Morris is a 1979 graduate and the provost at Anderson (Ind.) University. She has served in cabinet-level higher education leadership for 17 years, and has also served on the Hesston College Board of Director since 2013. The service will be streamed live online at hesston.edu

Selected by their fellow graduates and faculty as student speakers will be graduates Cassidy Bontrager (Wellman, Iowa) and Jonah Short-Miller (Bellingham, Wash.).

Individual student groups will be recognized in ceremonies during the weekend.

A pinning ceremony for nursing graduates will be at 10 a.m., May 13, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary. The ceremony marks the 50th graduating nursing class from Hesston College – 50 years of the associate degree program and the first group of baccalaureate degree nurses. A reception honoring the graduates will follow in the church’s Community Center. As in Sunday’s commencement ceremony, Dr. Morris will be the featured speaker. In addition to many leadership roles, she earned a Ph.D. in nursing administration from George Mason University (Fairfax, Va.), a master’s degree from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville) and a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.).

Disaster Management students will be acknowledged for completion of the program at 1 p.m., May 13, in the Campus Worship Center in the lower level of Keim Center for Performing Arts Education. Paul Unruh, a 1958 Hesston Academy and 1960 Hesston College graduate, will be the featured speaker. Unruh is involved with leadership positions with Mennonite Disaster Service and volunteers on many service sites across the country.

Aviation graduates will be recognized during a 2:30 p.m. reception, May 13, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center. A short program will feature Jerry Eichelberger, a 1985 Hesston graduate, who is manager of the FAA Flight Standards District Office in Wichita, Kan.

In addition to recognizing student accomplishments and graduates, the weekend will also include several performances and exhibitions.

• Art work produced by students throughout the 2016-17 year will
• Chamber Orchestra Concert featuring sophomore soloists at 7 p.m., Friday, May 12, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Bel Canto Singers Concert at 4 p.m., Saturday, May 13, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Theatre Showcase featuring a themed collection of scenes and monologues performed by the spring semester Acting I and Acting II classes at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 13, in the Keim Center Helmuth Studio Theatre.

Sophomore music students will showcase their talent in recitals throughout the weekend. Performers include:

• Sarah Booth (Goessel, Kan.), voice, and Kathryn Leichty (Harrisonburg, Va.), voice, at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, May 11, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Olivia Copsey (Goshen, Ind.), voice, and Emily Griffioen (Belmond, Iowa), flute, at 9 p.m., Friday, May 12, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Adele Hofer (Denver, Colo.), voice, at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 13, in the Keim Center Helmuth Studio Theatre.
• Morgan Leavy (Telford, Pa.), music cabaret, at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 13, in the Keim Center Helmuth Studio Theatre.

An informal come-and-go “Go Everywhere” reception for all students, families, faculty and staff will be from 8 to 9 p.m., Saturday, May 13, in the lower level of the Keim Center for Performing Arts Education. This will also be a time for attendees to offer words of blessing and appreciation for transitioning interim president Ben Sprunger.

Photo release - Conversations on health care

Kansas Senator Carolyn McGinn (R) (Sedgwick) spoke to the Hesston College Nursing Healthcare Systems class on Friday, April 21, about the recent work of the Kansas State Legislature and how to lobby representatives. Much of the conversation focused on expansions being discussed for mental health care and Medicaid. Senator McGinn has represented the 31st district since 2005. She is chairperson of the budget committee and serves on the Agriculture and Natural Resources committee.

Photo release - Trying on college

A group from Horace Mann Middle School hears a presentation about college fit illustrated with shoes by Hesston College Dean of Student Success, Deb Roth. On April 25 and 26, Hesston College hosted 150 students from three Wichita schools, Horace Mann and Alison Middle Schools, and Campus High School, who are part of the AVID program to give them a glimpse into college life. AVID visits give first generation students an idea of going to college. The Hesston visits included games, activities, presentations, a campus tour and lunch.

College community mourns loss of faculty member

The Hesston College community was struck by the unexpected news of the death of Director of Aviation Dan Miller, from a heart attack on Sunday, April 23. Miller, a 1978 Hesston College graduate, was 63. He had served as the program’s director since 1999.

Miller was recognized by his students and colleagues as a patient, kind and welcoming presence. He expected the utmost professionalism from student pilots, and conducted himself with the same standards.

Prior to becoming director of Aviation, Miller served as Hesston College Associate Director of Development from 1995-98, and as an instructor in the Aviation department from 1979-84. In total, he served at Hesston College for 26 years.

Miller had undergone heart surgery on March 24 and was recuperating and working at home, waiting for a follow-up visit with his cardiologist on May 5. He is survived by his wife Jaynette, and four children, Leslie (Miller) ’02 Duerksen and husband Lyndl, Amreitha (Miller) ’03 Jeeva and husband Pradeepan, Vaughn Miller ’04 and wife Caroline, and Bryant Miller and wife Chrystiana, as well as four grandchildren.

Viewing is Wednesday, April 26, Miller-Ott Funeral Home in Hesston: public 2 to 7 p.m., family present 5 to 7 p.m. Memorial service Thursday, April 27, at Hesston Mennonite Church at 2 p.m. – live webcast