In the News

Photo release - Embarking on a greater year

Hesston College welcomed new and returning students to campus and a new year during Opening Weekend Aug. 14 to 16. Activities throughout the weekend helped students, parents and others new to Hesston College become oriented with the community. The theme of being “greater than” self, worldly demands and fears and anxieties was a theme carried out through the weekend and addressed by speakers Michele Hershberger, Bible and ministry faculty member, at a Friday evening Opening Celebration and by Hesston Mennonite Church pastors John Murray and Amy Nissley Stauffer during Sunday morning worship. The 2015-16 theme verse from Mark 12:30-31 also speaks to the greatest commandment – Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Above - Freshman Emily Weaver (White Pigeon, Mich.) (right) and her family are greeted by a resident assistant during Friday afternoon move in.

Shaker and Mover Cody Halvorson (Temple, Texas) moves a fellow student’s belongings into the dorms; Resident Assistant Brady Bilderback (Boise, Idaho) braces for a face full of water as his mod mates try to “clean your RA” during the annual Sunday evening Mod Olympics.

The winner of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Cheer is hoisted into the air following her victory at Mod Olympics.

The Bel Canto Singers meet for the first time on the first day of classes, Aug. 17, with new music faculty member Russell Adrian (center) in the choral rehearsal space in the newly renovated Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education.

Students return for an Opening Weekend kickoff

Just as the buzz of construction slowed a bit on the Hesston College campus with the completion of the Northlawn renovation, the buzz of students returning took its place.

Hesston College is gearing up for the start of another academic year with the annual Opening Weekend beginning Friday, and classes starting Monday, Aug. 17.

Students have been arriving a few dozen at a time since last Thursday when resident assistants moved in for a weekend of training. Fall athletes arrived Sunday evening and jumped right into training and getting to know one another Monday morning. International students, aviation students, ministry assistants and Jumpstart participants will arrive Tuesday evening to get a head start on classes and training for their roles for the year. The dorms will open for all remaining students Friday afternoon.

Registration has also been happening for different groups of students throughout the week with the bulk of it to take place Saturday morning, followed by orientation for new students.

Several annual Opening Weekend events are free and open to the public. Opening Celebration, the first campus community event for the year will be at 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 14, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary.

The volleyball team, under the leadership of head coach Jessica Cleveland, will give a team season preview with a Maroon and Gold scrimmage at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 15, in Yost Center.

Sunday’s schedule features a 10:30 a.m. worship service with Hesston Mennonite Church. The apex event of the weekend – Mod Olympics – will be at 7:30 p.m., on the soccer field.

Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts season to feature artists from around the world

A menagerie of world-class musical talent, genres and sounds will headline the Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts’ 34th season.

The jazz ensemble Hot Club of San Francisco will open the season, Oct. 24 at Bethel College’s Luyken Fine Arts Center. In the Hot Club tradition of Django Reinhardt, the group’s “Cinema Viviant” program features vintage silent films accompanied by live gypsy swing. “Cinema Viviant” is a celebration of the imagination and innovation of early filmmakers Ladislaw Starewicz, who pioneered stop-action animation, and Charley Bowers, who combined animation with live action in the 1920s.

HBPA will celebrate the holidays with Cherish the Ladies, a long-running, Grammy-nominated, Irish American group, Dec. 3, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The ensemble will present the “A Celtic Christmas” program with enthusiasm, humor and traditional Irish music and step dancing.

Minguet Quartet will showcase music’s classical side when they headline the series with guest pianist Andreas Klein Feb. 1, 2016, at Hesston Mennonite Church. The string quartet and piano ensemble will feature composers like Bach, Mendelssohn and more.

The famous men’s a cappella chorus Chanticleer will return to the HBPA series after five years Feb. 23, 2016, at Bethel College’s Memorial Hall. The Grammy Award-winning ensemble is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its blend of male voices ranging from soprano to bass.

Rounding out the season will be London-based The Swingles, April 3, at Hesston Mennonite Church. The vocal ensemble, whose members have changed over the years, push the boundaries of vocal music, and whose innovation has resulted in five Grammy wins.

HBPA season tickets are available from $75 to $85 for adults. Single tickets can also be purchased for individual performances. Discounts are available for students and senior citizens. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 620-327-8158 or online.

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, the Hesston and North Newton Community Foundations, Mid-America Arts Alliance, the Kansas Creative Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and an award from the NEA. Additional funding for the HBPA series is provided by area businesses and patrons.

Farewell event to honor Tony Brown

Tony Brown, internationally acclaimed baritone, will be honored for his contribution to Hesston College and the local community for the past 15 years in a farewell tribute event at 7 p.m., Wednesday, July 8, at the Water’s Edge restaurant, 701 S. Main St., Hesston. The program will feature performance songs as well as homemade ice cream and refreshments from the Water’s Edge. The public is invited to attend.

Brown will move to his boyhood home area of Pittsburgh, Pa., to live near family members. He plans to continue his work with the Peacing It Together Foundation, as well as perform around the country and world. His current feature event is the multi-media presentation I Go On Singing, a musical tribute to American hero and African-American entertainer of the 20th century, Paul Robeson. Brown will also continue as a part-time development officer for the college.

Brown came to Hesston College as artist in residence and sociology faculty member on a one-year assignment in 2000. He has since served in those roles as well as campus counselor and internal consultant for diversity and inclusion. His presence on the college campus as well as in multiple settings in the Kansas region and around the world have been a wonderful gift to the local and global communities.

Contributions will be accepted at the event for the Peacing It Together Foundation. Brown founded the organization, which serves 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. In his travels, Brown has seen music transform and heal in countries such as Bosnia, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Uganda, Ethiopia, the Philippines, China, Japan, South Korea, Colombia and most recently on a three-week tour to Java and Bali Islands in Indonesia.

Heinzekehr starts as registrar

The Hesston College community welcomed Justin Heinzekehr to the role of registrar June 8.

Heinzekehr completed a Ph.D. in religion through the Claremont (Calif.) School of Theology in May. Most recently, he worked as an adjunct instructor of Bible and religion at Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.) while working on his dissertation.

“Justin brings to Hesston College a unique perspective that combines college classroom experience with a broad background in the gathering, analysis and communication of enrollment data,” said Brent Yoder, vice president of Academics. “His focus on systems thinking as it relates to higher education will be valuable to a number of academic areas he serves.”

Heinzekehr also earned a bachelor’s degree in Bible, religion and philosophy from Goshen (Ind.) College and a master’s degree in theology and ethics from Claremont. His past work experience includes coordinator of institutional research at Goshen College, a consulting analyst for Mennonite Education Agency (Elkhart, Ind.) and an admissions assistant at Claremont.

His vast work and research has earned Heinzekehr multiple published pieces and conference presentations across various disciplines and subjects. He’s also received several academic honors, including Lilly Graduate Fellowship from the Lilly Program in Humanities and the Arts at Valparaiso (Ind.) University from 2011 to 2014.

Heinzekehr fills a role that was managed by Gerry Selzer in an interim period during the 2014-15 year. Selzer concluded 35 years of service to Hesston College in May. He served in various capacities during his tenure, including faculty member, Admissions assistant and registrar from 1994-2008.

Prior to the interim period, the registrar role was held by Yoder, who served in that capacity from 2011 to 2014 when he was named interim vice president of Academics before being named to the permanent role in December 2014.

College’s Mennonite Church USA convention presence to be greater than ever

Hesston College may be shifting its traditional convention approach, but it’s not walking away from its commitment to creativity and fun.

Those responsible for planning Hesston’s presence at the Mennonite Church USA Convention Kansas City 2015 say the heart of the effort is rooted in a desire to be a resource to youth and youth leaders as well as speak a message of hope to a church that’s experiencing conflict.

“Our convention planning team was looking for a way to change the tone and conversation we have at convention,” said Marathana Prothro, director of Marketing and Communication. “We want to shift the focus to empowering youth to deepen their faith and recognize the potential within themselves.”

Youth who visit the Hesston College booth at Kansas City 2015 will be encouraged to “be greater than” – greater than their struggles, greater than society’s standards and greater than their current context – through expanding their faith and discovering who they are meant to be through Christ.

“Convention is about faith formation,” said Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, vice president of Admissions. “We as exhibitors need to support that mission and help students go beyond the free stuff and open themselves up to the ways the entire convention experience may be deepening their faith.”

Working at faith formation at convention is just an extension of Hesston College’s student experience, mission statement and the daily work on campus. College staff realized that the question they needed to ask was not, “How can we do things better than our counterparts?” but “How can we be more faithful to the church and its mission?”

The church’s mission of stewardship extends into Hesston’s booth where nearly all of the materials are repurposed, making part of Hesston’s convention presence to be “greater than” spending.

Even as Hesston moves away from an inward promotion focus, the ever popular Hesston College match game, a convention staple and favorite among youth since Atlanta 2003, will remain part of the college’s convention activities, and will also encourage faith practices.

A new element to the Hesston convention experience will be booth activities focused on spiritual practices and a special event featuring Bible Quizzing. Teams of four to six youth can sign up to test their knowledge of Luke 23 and 24 starting Wednesday night, July 1. The winning team will receive a youth retreat led by Hesston College Bible instructor and convention youth worship speaker Michele Hershberger.

To see more about Hesston’s convention activities, start here. Visit the Hesston College booth at Kansas City 2015 to share your “greater than” story.

Fall 2015 community read selection to focus on hope and change despite pain

For the fourth year, Hesston College invites individuals and groups in the Hesston and surrounding communities to join students, faculty and staff for a community read during the fall 2015 semester starting in August.

The book selection for the 2015 read is Etched in Sand (2013, William Morrow Paperbacks) by Regina Calcaterra. The New York Times bestseller is the author’s memoir tracing her and her four siblings’ childhood experiences with abandonment, physical abuse and a fear of the foster system that was put in place to protect them. The book will support the theme “Be the Change: Caring that Matters.”

Hesston Public Library is partnering with Hesston College by offering the read to the community as part of its programming. A Newton Public Library book club is planning to participate as well. High school classes, churches and individuals are also encouraged to participate.

The book was selected and is led by Hesston College First-year Experience course organizers. At the college, the theme and book’s content will be the focal point of discussions, presentations, service opportunities, chapels and forums – all of which the community is welcome to participate in throughout the 2015-16 year.

“Etched in Sand offers the community an opportunity to explore the ways that academics, faith and careers help us find ways to make change, whether the slightest act of care or a powerful and systematic adjustment,” said Marissa King, Hesston College faculty member and community read coordinator.

Calcaterra will visit the Hesston College campus October 5 to present on her book and work as a successful lawyer, New York State official and advocate for children in foster care. Calcaterra will also make a presentation at the Hesston Public Library October 6.

Calcaterra’s story is emotionally charged with accounts of homelessness, violence and constant neglect. The siblings learn to fend for themselves and lie about their mother’s whereabouts to avoid attention from the authorities.

Small acts of caring laced in among the children’s pain makes their fearful existence survivable and acts as a stepping stone for each of them to boost his or her way out of the precarious cycle to become well-adjusted and successful adults.

“We hope this community read will be an inspiration to see how small and sometimes unnoticed actions can make a big change,” said King.

Graduates encouraged to make meaningful connections

Based on Hesston College’s 2014-15 theme verse from John 15:4-5, the class of 2015 was encouraged to find strength and inspiration through a relationship with Christ during a Commencement service May 10.

Kevin King, executive director of Mennonite Disaster Service, delivered the Commencement address “Abide In Me,” encouraging graduates to look past the society’s messages of materialism and self-worth and into deeper connection with Christ, self and others.

“I hope my words can help deliver you through this system and society of shame and into a deep, unshakeable sense of your own worthiness, beauty and value,” said King. “As you step forward, receive your diploma and enter into the next chapter of your lives, I pray that you will abide in Christ; remain connected to the source of all life.”

King (Lititz, Pa.) has served with MDS since 2004. He was instrumental in the formation of Hesston College’s Disaster Management Program, started in conjunction with MDS in 2005, and has remained involved in the program’s operation since that time.

Student speakers were Malcolm Mann (Plano, Texas) and Jordan Waidelich (Stryker, Ohio) who were nominated by faculty and staff and chosen by their classmates to deliver the student address.

President Howard Keim conferred 148 degrees for the Class of 2015 – 50 associate of arts degrees, 11 associate of science degrees, 65 associate of applied arts and sciences degrees and 22 associate of general studies degrees.

Individual student groups were recognized in special ceremonies May 8 and 9.

Pastoral Ministries graduate Tom Wedel was commissioned for ministry in a May 8 service. Ron Moyo, Saturday night worship pastor at Whitestone Mennonite Church (Hesston) and a 2012 Pastoral Ministries graduate, presented the message “What the Lord requires of Tom.”

Longtime Mennonite Disaster Service volunteer and member of the bi-national MDS Board of Directors, Paul Unruh (Hesston), a 1958 Hesston Academy and 1960 Hesston College graduate, presented the message “Fear and Anxiety – Friend or Foe” at a recognition ceremony for ten students completing the Disaster Management Program May 9.

A May 9 nursing pinning ceremony recognized 50 nursing graduates. The message “My Greatest Hope for the Nursing Class of 2015” was delivered from the nursing faculty perspective by Joyce Huber (Hesston) and from the graduate perspective by Makayla Ladwig (Wichita, Kan.)

The Aviation department honored eight professional pilot graduates and one air traffic control graduate during a May 9 reception. Troy Jantz (Hesston) a 2001 aviation graduate, brought the message.

Students, faculty and staff commissioned for service at late April chapel

During an April 29, Hesston College chapel, 52 students, faculty and staff members were commissioned for Christian ministry and service for summer and fall placements.

“These individuals are going to make a difference in someone’s life because they are willing to join with and participate in Jesus’ ministry that is already taking place in all of these different settings,” said Todd Lehman, Hesston College campus pastor.

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

Doing an eight-week field experience in Crisfield, Md., are Disaster Management Program students Austin Braddock, Baldwin City, Kan.; Jeremy Delly, Francklin, N.J.; Jonathon Gonzalez, Goshen, Ind.; Uriah Sauder, Lititz, Pa.; Lane Schrock, Parnell, Iowa; Quintin Selzer, Thomas, Okla.; and Garrett Woelk, Goessel, Kan. Program director Russ Gaeddert, Hutchinson, Kan.; and volunteers Don and Rachel Horst, Newton, Kan., will serve alongside the students.

Several students, faculty and staff will serve at the Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City June 30 to July 5:

• Students Christy Swartzendruber, Shickley, Neb.; and Ali Zuercher, Phoenix, Ariz., will serve as service project leaders.
• Faculty member Gary Oyer, Hesston, Kan.; staff member Russ Neufeld, Newton, Kan.; and students Spencer Miller, Milford, Neb.; and Michael Kilmer, Glendale, Ariz., will work with audio visual support.
• Staff member Phyllis Weaver, Hesston, Kan., will work in the information booth.
• Staff members Brent Brockmueller, Stephanie Swartzendruber and Kevin Wilder, all of Hesston, will serve with Community Life.
• Staff member Simon Zehr, Tiskilwa, Ill., will be serving throughout the week.
• Faculty member Laura Kraybill, Hesston, Kan., will serve as Adult Worship Coordinator, as well as serve on the writing team at Mennonite World Conference in Harrisburg, Pa., July 21 to 26.
• Student Laura Blosser, Hesston, Kan., will serve as a nursery worker.

Several students will serve at church camps:

• Laura Blosser will serve at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, Divide, Colo., as Cook Staff for two weeks.
• Faculty member Rita Peters, Hesston, Kan. will volunteer at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp for two weeks.
• Molly Cherveny, Topeka, Kan., and Robin Morris, Hutchinson, Kan., will serve at Camp Mennoscah, Murdock, Kan. Morris will also serve at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp.
• Megan Baumgartner, Hesston, Kan., will serve at Camp Friedenswald, Cassopolis, Mich.
• Colton Eby, Fisher, Ill., and Catie Kauffman, Goshen, Ind., will serve at Camp Amigo, Sturgis, Mich.
• Mary Bender and Andry Stutzman, both of Harrisonburg, Va., will serve at Choral Camp at Rosedale Bible College, Irwin, Ohio.
• Hannah Hostetter, Nairoibi, Kenya, and Rachel Shenk, Waynesboro, Va., will serve at Highland Retreat, Bergton, Va.
• Caroline Kauffman, Sarasota, Fla., and Cyannandra Luttrell, Tiskilwa, Ill., will serve at Camp Menno Haven, Tiskilwa.
• Christina Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Pa., will serve at Camp Hebron.
• Johanna Burkholder, Warden, Wash., will serve at Camp Camrec, Leavenworth, Wash.
• Bree Flowers, Pinto, Md., will serve at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mt. Pleasant, Pa.
• Steven Yoder, McVeytown, Pa., will serve at Gator Wilderness Camp, Punta Gorda, Fla.
• Emma Roth, Goshen, Ind., will serve at Crooked Creek Christian Camp, Washington, Iowa.
• Travis Splechter, Coffeyville, Kan., and Phillip Horning, Ephrata, Pa., will serve at the Mennonite Disaster Service youth project site at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp. Horning will also serve at Wilderness Wind Camp, Ely, Minn.
• Elisabeth Wilder, Hesston, Kan., will serve at Wilderness Wind Camp and will also teach at a school in Honduras through Bilingual Education for Central America.
• Sarah Hoover, Elbing, Kan., will serve at Camp Hiawatha, Wichita, Kan.

Students will serve in a variety of other settings as well:

• Cayla Bromlow, Winfield, Kan., will serve at Winfield First Presbyterian Church as a youth and nursery intern.
• Quinn Kathrineberg, Salina, Kan., will serve as a teacher at Memphis (Tenn.) Teacher Residency.
• Caroline Riggenbach, Lafayette, Ind., will intern at Shepard Community Center, Indianapolis, Ind.
• MaKenna Grow, Logan, Utah, will fulfill missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
• Jared Hague, Marion, Kan., will serve with Aulne United Methodist Church, Marion, to rebuild homes in San Marcos, Texas.
• Oliver Denlinger, Denver, Pa., and Karli Mast, Hubbard, Ore., will serve with Youth With a Mission in New Zealand.
• Taylor Zehr, Wauseon, Ohio, will serve with Youth With A Mission in Austin, Texas.
• Ben Rush, Quakertown, Pa., will serve with Eastern Mennonite Missions’ YES program in either Southeast Asia or Kenya.
• Nick Yoder, Wellman, Iowa, will serve with Mennonite Central Committee’s Serving and Learning Together (SALT) program in Bolivia.