In the News

New renovations to be celebrated at Homecoming 2015

Hesston College will welcome alumni and friends from across the country and around the world to campus Sept. 25 to 27, for A Hesston College Homecoming 2015 with the theme “A campus transformation.”

The weekend will feature events celebrating the new campus entry and the newly renovated Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education.

The public is invited to join the celebration for many of the events throughout the weekend. Early bird registration is encouraged by Sept. 6, and can be completed online.

Event highlights for Friday, Sept. 25, include:

• A ribbon cutting for the new campus entry will kick off the weekend’s celebrations at 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 25, from the north campus entry.
• Several music performances will accompany the weekend’s celebration. Performing arts students and faculty will present Tiny Desk Concert-style solos and ensemble performances by the Bel Canto Singers, Chorale and Chamber Orchestra to showcase the Northlawn renovations from 3 to 4 p.m.
• A group of former faculty members will be inducted as emeritus faculty and honored for their years of service and contributions to the college at 4 p.m., in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary.
• A Family Festival with fun for all ages will be at 6 p.m., on the lawn north of the soccer field. Festival activities include bouncy houses and barrel train rides for children as well as women’s and men’s soccer games at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.
• A 9 p.m. coffeehouse in Northlawn’s Campus Worship Center will feature singer/songwriter and 2000 graduate Jeremy Kempf, who has led worship at the Mennonite Church USA Kansas City 2015 national convention, 2005 graduate and musical theatre performer Fjaere Harder Nussbaum and other alumni and student performers. Druber’s Donuts and Lincoln Perk coffee will be served.

Event highlights for Saturday, Sept. 26, include:

• A dedication ceremony for Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education will be at 9:30 a.m., at the campus entry and an open house in Northlawn. The program includes an unveiling and presentation of a Green Gables replica scale model by Hesston College alumnus Mel Diller and a hymn sing.
• The annual Alumni and Friends Banquet will be at 6 p.m., in the Bontrager Student Center Dining Hall. The evening will feature an ethnic dinner, speaker and 2012 graduate Zenawit Nerae and recognition of reunion classes, emeritus faculty and Campus Entry/Northlawn donors. Cost for the banquet is $25 and includes admission to the Performing Arts Showcase following the dinner. Reservations are required.
• The Performing Arts Showcase will be at 8 p.m., in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary, and will feature outstanding alumni, faculty and student performers including Fjaere Harder Nussbaum, Jon Helmuth, The Sunflower Trio and the Hesston College Bel Canto Singers, Chorale and Chamber Orchestra. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children 12 and younger and may be purchased through the Hesston College Bookstore or at the door.

The college will share in a joint worship service with alumni and the Hesston Mennonite Church congregation at 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 27, at Hesston Mennonite Church. Jeremy Kempf will lead worship music and 2002 graduate Jeremy Shue from Silverwood Mennonite Church (Goshen, Ind.) will bring the message. The service will also feature combined college choirs and alumni speakers.

Community and college partnership encouraging authentic caring and change

“Be the Change: Caring that Matters” is the theme for Hesston College’s fall 2015 First-year Experience (FYE) course, and it’s reaching beyond the campus property lines through the college’s 2015 community read selection Etched in Sand (2013, William Morrow Paperbacks) by Regina Calcaterra.

Every first-year Hesston College student bought the book for FYE, and faculty and staff received it and were encouraged to read it during the summer. A partnership between Hesston College and the Hesston Public Library also made it available to community members, along with a standing invitation for the wider community to participate in all of the college’s community read events throughout the semester. A Newton Public Library book club and a Moundridge High School English class have also gotten on board with the partnership.

“Hesston College is continually reaching out to the Hesston community in order to develop a good relationship—both communities need and benefit from relationship with one another,” said Margaret Wiebe, director of the college’s Mary Miller Library.

Both Wiebe and Libby Albers, director of the Hesston Public Library, applied for and were awarded $500 each from the South Central Kansas Library System New Program/Project Development Grant. With the combined awards, they purchased 125 copies of Etched in Sand for free distribution to the community, which as of Sept. 1, have all been claimed by community members interested in exploring the themes of the foster care system and the impact of caring, among others, along with the college community.

The New York Times bestseller, Etched in Sand, 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 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 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.

Several child advocacy professionals as well as faculty members are scheduled to speak in FYE classes and at special events throughout the fall semester, all of which the community is invited to attend.

A highlight to the lineup is an on-campus presentation from Calcaterra who will discuss her book and advocacy work with foster care at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 5, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. Calcaterra will also do a follow-up question and answer session at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Hesston Public Library.

Other community read presentations include:

• Diana Schunn, executive director of Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County, 12:30 to 1:20 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15, Hesston Mennonite Church
• Panel presentation with Sammie Simmons, Kansas Department for Children and Families; Nancy Ross, National Alliance on Mental Illness; and Lt. Travis Rakestraw, Exploited and Missing Children Unit, Wichita, 12:30 to 1:20 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17, Hesston Mennonite Church
• Etched in Sand book discussion with Libby Albers and Hesston College psychology instructor Kevin Wilder, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 22, Hesston Public Library
• Etched in Sand book discussion with FYE director Marissa King, 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 28, Lincoln Perk

Anyone wanting to join the discussion and read Etched in Sand can be added to the Hesston Public Library waiting list or check out the e-copy using a library card through the Sunflower eLibrary.

Faculty and staff appointments for 2015-16

Hesston College announces the following faculty and staff appointments for the 2015-16 year:

• Russell Adrian, music faculty and Bel Canto Singers conductor holds a bachelor’s degree from Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.), a master of music degree in choral conducting from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and a doctor of musical arts degree in conducting from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis).
• Russ Gaeddert, Student Success faculty, will lead a task force in organizing a new interdisciplinary leadership program. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Bethel College (North Newton) and a master of education degree from Wichita (Kan.) State University. Gaeddert helped create Hesston’s Disaster Management Program and served as director from 2005 to 2015.
• Elizabeth Hess, director of Marketing and Communications, holds a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the University of Cincinnati (Ohio).
• Rachel Jantzi, theatre faculty, holds a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in dramatic arts from Emporia (Kan.) State University and a master’s degree in theatre from Oklahoma State University (Stillwater). Jantzi has taught communications courses at Hesston since 2010, and has also been involved in college theatre productions as an actor, choreographer, sound and costume designed and director.
• Cleo Koop, Disaster Management Program director, holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and religion from Bethel College (North Newton) and a master of divinity degree from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, Ind.).
• Joel Krehbiel, physics and physical science faculty, holds a bachelor’s degree in math and physics from Bethel College (North Newton) and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical sciences and engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• Meg Leatherman, Admissions visit coordinator is a graduate of Hesston College and earned a bachelor’s degree from Bluffton (Ohio) University.
• Peter Lehman, visiting English faculty, holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.), a master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University (State College) and is a Ph.D. candidate in American studies at Penn State.
• Lindsey Mason, development officer, holds a bachelor’s degree from Goshen (Ind.) College.
• Kyle Miller Hesed, biology faculty, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas (Lawrence) and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Maryland (College Park).
• Saralyn Murray, American Sign Language interpreter, holds a bachelor’s degree in ASL from Goshen College.
• Rob Ramseyer, vice president of Student Development, holds a bachelor’s degree from MidAmerica Nazarene University (Olathe, Kan.), a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and is completing a doctor of education degree in interdisciplinary leadership from Creighton University (Omaha, Neb.). Ramseyer served as head baseball coach from 2011 to 2015 and as interim Dean of Students during the 2014-15 year.
• Terena Ronan, Food Service staff.
• Kaitlin Schmidt, horticulturist and grounds manager at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, earned a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from Bethel College (North Newton).
• Kathleen Schroeder, art faculty, holds a bachelor’s degree from Bethel College (North Newton) and a master’s degree from Wichita State University.
• Kendal Slabach, flight instructor intern, is a graduate of Hesston College.
• Michael Smalley, admissions counselor, is a graduate of Hesston College and holds a bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University.
• Courtney Spitz, assistant baseball coach, holds a bachelor’s degree from Drury University (Springfield, Mo.).
• Karla Stauffer, nursing faculty, holds a bachelor of science in nursing degree from Bethel College (North Newton) and is completing a master’s in nursing leadership and administration from Wichita State University. She is also a Critical Care Registered Nurse.
• Kate Swartley, Spanish faculty, is a Hesston College graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree from Goshen College and a master’s degree from Bowling Green (Ohio) State University.
• Madison Wiles, Women’s Soccer goalkeeper coach, holds a bachelor’s degree from Bethel College (North Newton), where she played soccer for the Threshers.
• Juli Winter, director of Campus Life, is a Hesston College graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Bethel College (North Newton) and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Utah (Salt Lake City).
• Mike Zucconi, director of Development, holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and history from Eastern Mennonite University and a master’s of education degree in sports administration from Wichita State University.

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.