In the News

Annual lecture series to highlight cultural injustice

A review of American history will take place during this year’s edition of the Melva Kauffman Lecture Series. Hesston College will host Mark Charles for a presentation titled “Creating Common Memory: The Doctrine of Discovery and Abraham Lincoln,” which will discuss the history of the doctrine and how it led to the genocide of millions of indigenous people in North America. Charles will give a lecture  Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary as well as several lectures and Loss of Turtle Island simulation on Jan. 22, all of which are free and open to the public.

The Doctrine of Discovery is a religious and legal concept that has been used for centuries to justify Christian colonial conquest, with U.S. Supreme Court rulings supporting this doctrine as recently as 2005. In 2014, Mennonite Church USA formed a group called The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery that aims to “proclaim an Anabaptist spirit of discipleship rooted in the call to love of neighbor, seeking right relationship and reconciliation through active non-violence.” In addition to MCUSA ties, this topic accentuates the diversity and culture on the Hesston College campus and will present a new perspective on European colonialism.

“We are grateful that Mark is coming to campus,” said Lisa Longacher, development officer and member of the Melva Kauffman Lecture series committee. “His lectures will challenge us to think and to grow as we work for justice and peace for all.”

This annual lecture series is held in honor of Melva Kauffman, a 1936 graduate of Hesston Academy and a 1939 graduate of Hesston College, who was also an English and education instructor at Hesston College from 1944 to 1977. Following her death in October 2003, her family established this lecture series to continue supporting Kauffman’s lifelong interests in learning and the humanities.

The son of an American woman (of Dutch heritage) and a Navajo man, Mark Charles teaches with insight into the complexities of American history regarding race, culture and faith in order to help forge a path of healing and conciliation for the nation. He is one of the leading authorities on the 15th-century’s Doctrine of Discovery, its influence on U.S. history and its intersection with modern-day society. Charles co-authored, along with Soong-Chan Rah, the book titled “Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery.”

Schedule

All events are free and open to the public.

Sunday, January 21

7 to 9 p.m. – Creating Common Memory: The Doctrine of Discovery and Abraham Lincoln, sanctuary, Hesston Mennonite Church
Talkback session and refreshments to follow.

Monday, January 22

8 to 8:50 a.m. – Special session for Peacemaking and Justice course, Room 8, Smith Center

11 to 11:30 a.m. – Radical Inclusivity, sanctuary, Hesston Mennonite Church. Watch via live stream.

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Lunch and Learn, Sauder Rooms B and C, Bontrager Student Center

2 to 2:50 p.m. – Special session for Jesus and the Gospels course, Room 8, Smith Center

7:30 to 9 p.m. – Postponed due to weather – will be rescheduled at a later date

Loss of Turtle Island simulation, community center, Hesston Mennonite Church. This activity will attempt to recreate in a small way what it must feel like to lose the land you love. Experience deep conversations, true stories and the feeling of your space becoming smaller and smaller.

Students ignite passion for global peacebuilding

2023 MCC-UN seminar participants Jessica Raharjo, Larry Ruffin and Rylee Weishaupt with advisor John Murray

Hesston College students Rylee Weishaupt, Larry Ruffin and Jessica Raharjo stepped up to learn what they can do to bring peace to warring nations and the world by participating in the annual Mennonite Central Committee United Nations Student Seminar titled “Peacebuilding: Does the UN matter?”.

Held in New York City earlier this month, the seminar focused on the roles of MCC and the UN in the restoration of peace among nations and why that work is essential. Students attended presentations about the actions both organizations are taking in response to recent worldwide conflicts. Students also had the opportunity to participate in powerful devotional sessions with MCC East Coast Executive Director Hyacinth Stevens and Rev. Dionne P. Boissiere, chaplain of the Church Center for the United Nations. The devotional sessions discussed the absence of peace in the world and the duty of Christians to promote peacebuilding.

John Murray, Hesston College director of international admissions, arranged this opportunity for students so they could see these issues from different perspectives.

“The recent events in Israel and Palestine, the ongoing war in Ukraine and a long list of other violent conflicts in the world make this a very important learning experience for our students,” said Murray.

Weishaupt, a freshman from Goshen, Ind., reflected on her experience, “The seminar inspired me to be more intentional about educating myself on current events, while also being aware of what people are doing to bring peace not only from a corporate level, but also from the ground where the event is taking place.”

Students were also encouraged to participate in discussion groups to evaluate the current actions taken for the sake of peace and what could be done differently. Ruffin, a sophomore from Choctaw, Okla., left the seminar with a few interesting takeaways.

“One strange takeaway that I gained from the seminar was that all of the ‘big name’ diplomats and NGO [non-governmental organization] workers that work with the United Nations were human like me,” recalls Ruffin. “The seminar inspired me to continue seeking the stories of those who usually aren’t consulted in decision-making from institutions who say they’re trying to ‘help.’ With this I found that I need to learn more about history from those who weren’t the victors or in positions of narrative-changing power.”

Raharjo, a senior engineering student from Semarang, Indonesia, had the privilege of making this same trip last year.

“After attending last year’s seminar, I made a shift in the direction of the engineering field that I was planning to go into. I made up my mind that I will do engineering work that will promote peace and justice around the globe,” remarked Raharjo.

Students were also given a tour of the UN building where they learned more about the devastation of war and violence across the globe. This left Raharjo feeling the weight of reality.

“The fact that there is more money being allocated to the production of weapons, instead of the development of peacebuilding, was just so heartbreaking,” said Raharjo. “Once again I was reminded that peacebuilding takes all of us for it to be effective. It is good to have hope in the UN because there are many people there who are also in pursuit of peace, but we also need to be the hope itself.”

Alumni connections provide a learning experience for business students

Thanks to an extensive and supportive network of partners and alumni, a group of Hesston College students had the opportunity to meet with professionals in various business specialties and learn from them in a memorable, interactive environment during a recent trip to Denver, Colo.

Director of the School of Management Enrique Barreiro and faculty member Laura Lyndsey traveled with the business management program junior cohort which includes students Mackenzie Grove, Carson Elonich and Abraham Cadillo Quispe. The group spent several days meeting with business professionals who have ties to the college and toured their facilities.

Peyton Hofer, chief financial officer of TWC Management Properties and son of Hesston College partners Preston and Marjorie Hofer, talked with students about how he and his company built a hotel during the pandemic and how they navigated the struggles of the economy during that time. Marjorie Hofer, career coach and owner of The Career Profiler, walked the students through one of her profiling tests to help them get a picture of the type of career they are best suited for.

The next stop was Butcher & Swede, a custom fabrication company owned and operated by Hesston College alumni and members of the School of Management Advisory Council Nathanael ’04 and Audra (Hofer) ’08 Shue. The Shues took the cohort on a tour of their facilities where they design and manufacture custom furniture, cabinetry and signage, among other items. After the tour, the alumni discussed the challenges they faced when they began their journey helping out a failing fabrication company before eventually taking the risk of venturing out on their own.

This conversation with business owners helped Grove, a junior from Murphy, N.C., learn a valuable lesson about connections.

“Connections make the biggest impact on the growth and trust of a business,” she said. “Without them, there is a higher chance of failure since you don’t have the support you need.”

The cohort also met with Goshen College alumni Cindy Eby, founder and CEO of Results Lab, and Griffen O’Shaughnessy, founder and CEO of Canopy Advisory Group. Eby explained to the group how she noticed deficiencies in how companies, especially nonprofits and charity organizations, collect and analyze their data. She wanted to create a firm that would help set guidelines for data collection and analysis to help streamline the process for these companies. O’Shaughnessy started her career as a lawyer working with mergers and acquisitions before starting Canopy in 2009. O’Shaughnessy compared the work she did as a lawyer with the work she does at Canopy and explained the process she went through to start her business. She also discussed the benefits of working in consulting firms such as the flexibility and the range of companies they could work with.

The main takeaway that Grove had from this interaction was that finding the right career can be a journey.

“I learned that it is okay to work in a business that isn’t your ideal job to grow and expand to where you wanna be one day,” said Grove. “Sometimes the steps you don’t want to take are going to be the steps that will help you the most along the way.”

“We truly had a ‘legit’ time together,” said Barreiro. “Along with making long-lasting connections, meeting amazing Hesston alumni and being able to network with the various individuals, the group was able to enjoy themselves during the van ride, trying exotic food and also get to know our amazing faculty.”

Engineering collaborations between two Mennonite institutions

In the realm of academia, innovation is bred by collaboration. The Hesston College School of Engineering recently had the opportunity to witness this first hand as they collaborated on a project with the engineering department at Eastern Mennonite University. This partnership was made possible by a grant from the Marpeck Fund, an entity meant to encourage relationships between Mennonite institutions.

During spring break of 2023, a group of Hesston College engineering faculty, program director Johann Reimer, Joel Krehbiel and Chris Fadden along with engineering students Rozario Zogu, Jessica Raharjo and Rrok Topalli traveled to the EMU campus in Harrisonburg, Va., for the first phase of this collaboration. The Hesston group was asked to review two projects that EMU students had created in one of their design courses and choose one to work to improve. The project they chose was a flip board made up of multiple three-sided triangular prisms. The group from Hesston also had the chance for some sightseeing as they hiked part of the Appalachian Trail and explored Washington, D.C.

“Eastern Mennonite University and Hesston College have a long history of collaboration in various areas,” remarked Reimer. “I am so excited that we were able to forge ahead with a totally new engineering-related collaboration that provided real benefits for faculty and students alike.”

The collaboration was completed when the group from EMU consisting of program director Daniel King and students Craig Hertzler, Jacob Hess, Benjamin Friesen Guhr and Sean Swartley traveled to Hesston in October. The Hesston group presented their redesign of the project they chose in the spring to the group of EMU students. Hesston students added a sensor to the design which allowed the images to cycle from one to the next based on motion activation. The group from EMU also attended a few Hesston College engineering courses. At the end of the trip, the two groups went to the Cosmosphere, a space exploration museum in Hutchinson, and hiked around Coronado Heights near Lindsborg.

“It was really nice to build collaboration between colleges into our classroom design projects,” affirmed EMU engineering program director Daniel King. “It was very interesting to see the different solutions each team came up with as they approached the task. I really enjoyed the chance to strengthen ties between Hesston and EMU.”

Performance will take new approach on a classic holiday tale

Hesston College Performing Arts will ring in the holiday season with a performance of “A Christmas Carol” on Saturday, December 2. The one act production gives a fresh, new perspective to the well-known story. The performance will be held in the Hesston Mennonite Church at 7 p.m. Admission is free to the public.

“A Christmas Carol” has been one of the world’s most beloved holiday stories for over one hundred years. This new adaptation by Jerome McDonough combines Charles Dickens’ words with open staging, a fresh exciting script and beautiful music by the Bel Canto Singers and the Global Voices choir. Cast members will form a living cyclorama, panoramic view, before which all scenes are acted.

“Hesston College is thrilled to bring this classic Yuletide tale to the community and hopes everyone is inspired by the show’s message of charity and gratitude for the people around us,” said director Celaine Worden.

The talented cast consists of students Josh Fleming, Christian Ryan, Caroline Miller, Hadassa Friesen, Desirae Rodriguez, Alyssa Coonce, Joy Jones and Lily Corkill; faculty and staff Jose Gloria and Tim Shuart; and community members Micah Adrian, Hannah Adrian, Rebecca Shuart, Elijah Adrian and Howard Keim. The light and sound operator is student Sam Setiawan.

Refreshments will be served after the performance by the Hesston College Theatre Guild, and there will be a special photo opportunity with Scrooge and Tiny Tim.

Hesston College announces institutional shifts

Updated Thursday, Nov. 9.

The Hesston College Board of Directors announced today institutional changes that came out of their recent board meeting including a shift in leadership and academic focus.

The board accepted the resignation of President Joseph A. Manickam effective Dec. 31, 2023. This decision comes after a September faculty vote of no confidence in the president and an independent investigation into the concerns.

“The findings of this investigation, which included interviews with various stakeholders and a comprehensive review of the issues raised, revealed a complex situation with multiple perspectives,” explained Board Chair Ken G. Kabira in a letter to employees. “In light of these findings, Joe chose to resign from his position as president to allow the college to move forward.”

Kabira said this decision reflects Manickam’s dedication to the well-being and unity of Hesston College.

“The board of directors acknowledges and deeply appreciates Joe’s dedicated service and the positive contributions he has made to our college and the broader community,” said Kabira.

In an effort to keep forward momentum, the board also appointed Vice President of Academics Ross Peterson-Veatch to serve as interim president effective Monday, Nov. 13, while a comprehensive search commences for a new president. Manickam will serve as a liaison to the interim president through the end of December to ensure a seamless transition of the college’s operations.

A shift in the college’s academic focus presented by the administrative council was also affirmed at the board meeting. This plan will address financial challenges and press further into Vision 2025. Driven by a commitment to holistic student development, the plan calls for an official shift in direction toward a four-year college model.

Hesston College will now focus primarily on bachelor’s degree offerings in professional fields while still offering associate degrees. Four-year degrees have already been launched in the schools of aviation, management, engineering and nursing. The next goal is to launch additional bachelor’s degree programs within these four schools as soon as possible. The shift to a four-year college also includes extending athletics to a four-year model. Performing arts will continue, but is shifting from an academic program to an activities model. Scholarships will continue to be offered for both athletics and performing arts.

The shift in academics coupled with the college’s financial reality did necessitate the reduction of 13 full- and part-time faculty and staff positions. These decisions were approached with much care and consideration, with the final position eliminations based on the position’s connection to the furthering of Hesston’s mission and new trajectory.

Peterson-Veatch and the forthcoming permanent leadership will inherit Vision 2025 and the expectation to execute it to its full potential.

Aviation team members place at 2023 NIFA aviation competition

Hesston College’s aviation team made a strong showing at the 2023 National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) for Region VI held in St. Louis, Mo.

The seven-member Hesston College aviation team, led by senior and team captain Matthew Manickam, delivered a standout performance in four critical events. Notably, Joshua Fleming secured second place in the Instrument Ground Trainer/flight simulation event, while Manickam took fourth place in the same category. In their debut at the Aircraft Pre-flight Inspection competition, Phoebe Kolb and Pablo Turcios secured impressive rankings of twelfth and fourteenth, respectively.

“I am extremely proud of how our team performed,” remarked Manickam. “We were competing against teams who have aviation programs much larger than our entire school, and we were able to be competitive and represent Hesston well. With the experience gained at this year’s competition, I’m optimistic about our ability to assemble another strong team to compete again next year.”

Toby Yoder, staff flight instructor and a member of the 2021-22 flight team, represented Hesston College as a judge at the event. Looking ahead, the team is gearing up for next year’s Region VI SAFECON event, hosted by the University of Dubuque, with plans to expand their participation and a potential opportunity to host the event in 2026.

Masterworks remembers Tony Brown with a tribute concert

This year’s Masterworks concert presented by the Hesston College music department has a personal significance to the Hesston community. The memory of Hesston College alumnus and former employee Tony Brown will be honored with a concert titled Peacing it Together: A Tribute to Tony Brown. The performance takes place November 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Hesston Mennonite Church. A pre-concert life story sharing will be given by former college employees John Sharp and Dallas Stutzman and current music professor Ken Rodgers at 7 p.m.

The concert will honor Brown’s lifelong pursuit of peace building through music. Masterworks chorus and orchestra, along with soloists Dr. Holly Swartzendruber and Keith Harris, will perform compositions Brown held dear to his heart. Selected works include a scene from “Elijah” by Felix Mendelssohn, “Old American Songs” by Aaron Copland and a wide collection of spirituals and art songs.

Swartzendruber, a professor in the Hesston College music department, has performed numerous operatic roles and has sung soprano solos in Handel’s “Messiah,” the Brahms “Requiem” and Mozart’s “Requiem.” In addition to her work at Hesston, Swartzendruber teaches private voice lessons to area high school students, leads voice performance classes and adjudicates regionally and statewide.

Harris, a close personal friend and colleague of Brown, has an impressive list of credits including performances with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Israeli Opera, Teatro Comunale Bolzano, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Lyrique en Mer France, Opera Tampa, Toledo Opera and is a frequent soloist at Carnegie Hall and the theaters at Lincoln Center. His album Keep on Climbing, a collection of inspirational and religious music, can be found on iTunes and Amazon and his book “The Odds Against: Finding the advantage in your disadvantage,” also available on Amazon, discusses his journey with dyslexia and becoming a professional singer. Harris is a sought-after voice teacher, choral conductor, voice over artist and jingle singer.

A member of the college’s class of 1969, Brown returned to campus in fall 2000 to teach sociology and anthropology and serve as artist in residence at Hesston. In the nearly 20 years Brown spent at Hesston, he touched the lives of so many people in the community and across the globe. Brown died May 22, 2023 after a brief illness.

College explores international partnerships through workshops in Indonesia

Hesston College took a step toward expanding its international connections by leading workshops at three Indonesian universities this past summer.

The workshops, led by Heidi Hochstetler, Hesston College education and English for Speakers of Other Languages professor, were arranged with help from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) staff in Indonesia and the Institute for Indonesian Partnerships.

“The vision was to connect with universities in a different part of the world to find ways that we can help each other through academic partnerships,” says Hochstetler.

Through a year of planning, Hesston College organizers and their connections in Indonesia identified three universities that seemed to have the most interesting connections for Hesston to explore. Hochstetler’s week-long workshops at each of the universities focused on English language instruction, education instruction or a combination of the two areas that the institutions identified as providing the most benefit for their faculty and students. The universities Hochstetler visited were Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana in Salatiga, Central Java; Universitas Kristen Wira Wacana Sumba in Waingapu, Sumba; and Universitas Nusa Cendana in Kupang, Timor.

Hochstetler’s workshops were tailored specifically to the needs the university expressed. At the first university in Central Java, she worked with faculty across multiple disciplines to feel more prepared and confident to teach in English.

“They are already experts in their disciplines, and they primarily teach in Indonesian, but the university has future plans to offer more subjects and even complete degree programs in English,” Hochstetler says. “This workshop was to build the faculty’s confidence and abilities to teach their discipline in English.”

At the second workshop on the island of Sumba, the university was interested in having support for faculty to write and publish in English. The final workshop on the island of Timor was presented to junior- and senior-level university students who are studying to teach English as a profession.

All of the workshops included interactive and collaborative work so attendees could practice with and learn from one another as well as from the instruction presented.

“In the U.S., we know that our students represent many cultural backgrounds, but it’s exponentially larger in Indonesia because growing up on a different island can mean speaking a different language,” Hochstetler says. “The Indonesian universities understand how multicultural their student body is, so it was interesting to see how they navigate providing the necessary support for that.”

Hesston College has long placed importance on intercultural engagement as a vital part of the student and human experience. Since the first international students arrived at Hesston in the mid-1940s the college has built a vibrant international student program. In 2022, international students from 21 countries made up 18 percent of total student enrollment.

Hochstetler was encouraged by the summer workshops, and looks forward to the engagement that could develop between Hesston College and its Indonesian counterparts.

“For Hesston College, this trip felt like a good first step in forming mutually beneficial partnerships between our institutions,” adds Hochstetler. “I think there are some really good options, like having students work on projects together or providing study abroad opportunities.”