In the News

College Welcomes New Class, Including Inaugural Engineering Junior Cohort, to Campus

Hesston College’s fall enrollment figures followed national trends with a Fall 2023 overall student headcount of 325, a 4% decrease from the previous year.

In contrast to a decline in first-time freshman enrollment, Hesston College increased enrollment in other key areas. Now in its second full year of instruction, the bachelor’s degree-granting School of Management welcomed twelve juniors into its program, and Hesston’s brand-new School of Engineering welcomed its first junior cohort as well.

Other encouraging data points included a 3% rise in the number of international students enrolled at the college and the highest average GPA for an incoming freshman class at HC since 2013.

Hesston College students began to return to campus in early August to attend practice in performance areas such as fall sports and choir. A reinvigorated Larks volleyball team joined baseball and soccer players, as well as members of Bel Canto Singers, the college’s top choir. The rest of the Hesston College community joined them in the following weeks. Classes began on August 15, and students were introduced to a new iteration of Hesston’s traditional all-campus chapel and forum programming, called Formation.

Hesston College has begun a search for candidates for the position of vice president for enrollment management. This position reshapes the current vice president of admissions role and adds a focus on other crucial aspects of enrollment, including the retention of students.

Bel Canto Singers to Tour Colorado, Collaborate With Moundridge High School

Hesston College Bel Canto Singers will travel to Colorado for a fall tour October 14 to 16. The 18-voice mixed chamber choir, under the direction of Dr. Russell Adrian, will present a program titled “God Is Love,” inspired by I John 4:7-8, this year’s theme verse at Hesston College. The program will feature a wide range of genres, including selections by music professor Dr. Holly Swartzendruber.

A home concert will be held on Tuesday, October 18, featuring special guests Dr. Carren Moham, soprano, and the Moundridge High School Mixed Chorus, directed by Daniel Chisham. Dr. Adrian has attended several rehearsals at Moundridge High School this semester in preparation for the concert.

“Making music with local communities is so life-giving as we emerge from COVID restrictions,” said Dr. Adrian. “The students in Moundridge have been tremendous to work with, and I am looking forward to our ensembles performing together.”

The choral exchange will include two performances, beginning with a school assembly in Moundridge during the first week of October followed by the fall tour concert at Whitestone Mennonite Church in Hesston.

The tour itinerary includes:

• Friday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m., Rocky Mountain Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Relief Sale, Rocky Ford, Colo.
• Sunday, Oct. 16, 9:30 a.m., Beth-El Mennonite Church, Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Tuesday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Whitestone Mennonite Church, Hesston, Kan. with special guests Dr. Carren Moham and Moundridge High School Mixed Chorus

The 2022-23 academic year marks the 39th season for the Bel Canto Singers, Hesston College’s premier choral ensemble. Bel Canto Singers allows students from a broad spectrum of majors to make music an important part of their college experience. The group carries out ambitious concert and touring schedules annually. Members include Kelly Miller of Archbold, Ohio; Daniel Miller of Arlington, Kan.; Sadie Oesch of Caldwell, Idaho; Luke Allison of Freeman, S.D.; Alyssa Burkholder of Goessel, Kan.; Meg Beyer, Luke Huyard, Kara Longenecker, Ginny Miller and Eli Stoll of Harrisonburg, Va.; Rachel Weaver of Broadway, Va.; Aidan Swartzendruber of Henderson, Neb.; Anna-Joy Jones of Lockhart, Texas; Marinocean Joynathan Widjaja of Bintaro, Indonesia; Andrew Miller of Kidron, Ohio; Jack Shingler of Creston, Ohio; Jesse Kanagy of Lancaster, Pa.; and Abraham Cadillo Quispe of Yokohama, Japan.

College to Host Homecoming Family Festival September 24 During Annual Homecoming Celebration

Hesston College will host the Homecoming Family Festival on September 24 during their annual Homecoming celebration. This year’s festivities will include sporting events, food trucks, lawn games and family friendly fun.

The Homecoming Family Festival will feature volleyball and soccer games. In volleyball, the Larks are up against McPherson College JV at 3 p.m. In soccer, the women’s team will play Allen Community College at 5 p.m. and the men’s team will play at 7:30 p.m. Admission to both soccer games is free and admission to the volleyball match is free with Homecoming registration.

The Manickam Mosey walk/fun run will take place at 11 a.m. Walkers and runners of all ages and abilities are invited to participate in this Hesston College tradition. The two-mile route will wind through the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains. Early registration is encouraged.

The community is also invited to play the Hesston College Homecoming Highlight disc golf tournament, hosted at the Doug Unruh Memorial disc golf course on Hesston College campus late Saturday afternoon. Registration for the event costs $20 a person and $10 for Hesston College students and will include a T-shirt. All proceeds will go to the Hesston College Disc Golf Team. Tee time is 4 p.m. For more information and to register for player divisions visit hesston.edu/dgtourney.

Youth are invited to visit the bouncy house on campus during the festival. Community members are welcome to try their hand at lawn games and gather at Adirondack chairs placed across campus. “It is exciting to see alumni, students and the community coming together and connecting,” said Hesston College alumni relations officer Jen Lehman.

Attendees will have their choice of three local food trucks. The Urban Skillet, Salted Creamery and MOBB Foods will be stationed on campus. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. the food trucks will be located north of Sieber Field.

College Celebrates the History and the Future of Business and Engineering at Homecoming

On September 23, Hesston College will kick off this year’s Homecoming with a celebration of the history of and the path ahead for the School of Management and the School of Engineering.

For many decades, Hesston College has offered foundational business education and engineering courses. In 2021, the college, which has traditionally offered associate degrees, welcomed their first cohort of bachelor’s degree business management students. This fall the doors opened to the first cohort of bachelor’s degree engineering students. Hesston’s engineering program provides education in the field of mechatronics, an in-demand area combining computer science, electronics and mechanical engineering.

Homecoming weekend will offer activities, events and entertainment for alumni, supporters, students and the community at large. On Friday, attendees are invited to an international dinner and musical performance by vice president of academics Dr. Carren Moham. Moham has performed at The White House, the Munich Opera in Germany and Wrigley Field. Friday evening’s concert will also feature selections performed by the Bel Canto Singers.

On Saturday, September 24, activities on campus will include class and affinity group reunions to be held in various locations around campus. Sporting events will be part of the day as well. Participants are invited to join in the tradition of the Manickam Mosey walk and other alumni games. Lark fans will have the opportunity to watch volleyball and soccer and play disc golf in the early evening hours.

Sunday, September 25, will wrap up the weekend-long event with a service at Hesston Mennonite Church featuring musical performances by the Bel Canto Singers.

Sunflower Performing Arts Kicks Off Its Season With the Sunflower Soirée

Sunflower Performing Arts at Hesston College (SPA) will kick off its 2022-23 season with the Sunflower Soirée, a free concert that will include local and regional professional musicians. The Sunflower Soirée will take place at 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 11, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

This year the featured artists are: soprano Carren Moham, pianist Mei Li, Salina Symphony Brass Quintet, Outside the Bach(s) composed of violinist Joan Griffing and clarinetist Leslie Nicholas, and Brain Flowers, a trio of flutist Kenna Graber, violinist Rebecca Schloneger and cellist Seth Girton.

“We received such positive feedback about the Sunflower Soirée from our audience last year,” SPA Director Holly Swartzendruber notes, “and we are thrilled to present more wonderful local artists. It will be an outstanding afternoon of music.”

Season tickets may be purchased or picked up at the concert. A tax-deductible donation can be made to Sunflower Performing Arts as well. Light refreshments will be served following the concert.

Currently masks are optional, but as the series complies with the masking policies of both Hesston College and Hesston Mennonite Church, audience members should be prepared to wear a mask if required.

Information about the Sunflower Performing Arts 2022-23 season will be shared during this performance as well.

Hesston College Returns to Campus With a Call to Love

With an early start to the fall semester, Hesston College welcomed back their students, faculty and staff this weekend. Opening festivities included lively events, Lark traditions, and a move back to an upgraded campus.

President Joe Manickam delivered a message to the Hesston College community bringing life to this year’s theme, “God is Love.” Manickam spoke of living in community with one another and the broad depth of the term ubuntu. It is an ancient term originating from South Africa which means, “I am because we are.” Manickam continued that ubuntu is the understanding that “what happens to the one impacts the all and what happens to the all impacts the individual.”

His talk was followed by a performance by the Bel Canto Singers.

As tradition goes on the Hesston College campus, Mod Olympics are part of the kick off to the new school year. Students team up with their campus roommates and play games for bragging rights and laughs. This year, students teamed up for a Hungry Hungry Hippo showdown in which teammates became “hippos” by rolling out bellies down on wheeled boards equipped with laundry baskets for scooping up the best prizes. Other activities included a campus picnic for staff, faculty and students, orientation and a COVID-safe move-in process.

The move back to campus will be met with new options this fall. Dorming juniors and seniors will have the option of living in new apartments at Kauffman Court. Three units formerly used as “mods” have been transformed into shared apartment units equipped with a kitchen and other common areas.

At the dedication of these new apartments, Deb Roth, vice president of student life, spoke about the housing needs of Hesston College’s bachelor degree-earning students. “The question was, ‘What can we do to improve the living options for our juniors and seniors to ensure they have a place that is right for them,’” Roth said.

Last year, Hesston’s student life department spoke with graduating and transferring sophomores about how to improve life on campus. It became clear that housing options towards independent living would benefit their future. “And here we are with the results of these meetings just a few months later,” Roth said.

The 2022-23 opening weekend was a kick-off to the many firsts that Hesston College will witness this year. Along with the new housing options, the first junior cohort of Engineering students will begin taking classes.

School of Nursing Is Granted 10-Year Accreditation With a Perfect Review

Hesston College School of Nursing continued its track record of success by receiving a 10-year accreditation for the baccalaureate degree from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This accreditation extends until June 30, 2032.

CCNE’s accreditation was granted without recommendations for improvement or identified deficiencies. Accreditation is granted after a rigorous process including both self-reports and external reviews by the accreditation agency. Hesston College’s BSN program is also approved by the Kansas State Board of Nursing.

“With full accreditation, we can focus on processes that will strengthen our curriculum and make our program stronger,” reported Gregg Schroeder, director of Nursing Education. “Since we do not have deficiencies to address, we can spend our energy on curriculum review and planning.”

CCNE is officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency with the purpose of ensuring the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate and residency/fellowship programs in nursing. The agency maintains accountability to the profession and the community by upholding and evaluating values and standards for nursing programs. The agency also fosters continuing improvement within individual nursing programs (www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE).

With no improvements needed, the program can focus on the future. According to Schroeder, “The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has developed new Essentials for nursing programs so we will begin integrating these new competency standards into our curriculum plan.”

Hesston College has offered nursing education since 1966 and a bachelor’s degree since 2015. BSN students have had a 100% overall NCLEX pass rate the past two years running and a 100% job placement rate.

School of Engineering Receives Approval for International Student Admission Into the Bachelor of Science Program

Hesston College School of Engineering celebrates their approval to admit international students into the baccalaureate program beginning this fall. This status is granted by the Student Exchange Visitor Program of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It comes after a six-month approval process and joins the ranks of several other programs available on campus including the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Bachelor of Arts in business management.

Educational institutions within the U.S. who admit international students must first receive approval through the I-17 immigration document. This process includes extensive paperwork and annual site visits to maintain status. Generally, there are additional requests for evidence to solidify approval, but for this program no requests were needed.

“There is a lot of excitement in our international partners for our engineering program,” John Murray, director of International Admissions said, “especially the focus on mechatronics.”

Mechatronics is new to Hesston College and brings an educational option that will help students meet the needs of the future. Mechatronics combines mechanical engineering, electronics and computer science into one discipline. Upper level classes will begin in August 2022.

Two international students have been patiently waiting in the wings for this approval. Jessica Raharjo, a student from Semarang, Indonesia, and sophomore at Hesston College, is looking forward to continuing her studies.

“It is awesome how the combined knowledge of these engineering fields can change the way people live,” said Raharajo. “Engineers make the world’s advancements happen.”

With an increased demand for mechatronics by both students and the needs of industry, this program will lead its graduates to be well positioned to meet their career goals. In addition, by bringing in students for this program from around the globe, all students are given greater transcultural opportunities.

Hesston College serves international students representing 21 countries, accounting for 15% percent of the student body. With the addition of the bachelor’s degree of engineering as an option for these students, the college continues to encourage further global diversity within its grounds.

“The approval of the engineering program is not only affecting my future,” said Raharajo, “but also the future of the people living alongside me.”

Presidential Medal of Valor Awarded to Hesston College Alum

Hesston College graduate Ryan Sprunger ’11 was awarded the Medal of Valor on Monday, May 16, 2022, by President Joe Biden. Sprunger, along with fourteen other recipients from the 2019-20 class, received this honor for “extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty.”

In the East Room of the White House, President Biden honored fifteen individuals with the Medal of Valor, the highest honor a President can bestow on a public safety officer. This award is given to those who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect others from harm.

On December 22, 2019, in Kidron, Ohio, Assistant Chief Sprunger was leaving church and was headed home when he heard a call from his station that two boys had fallen through the ice into a frozen pond. He was closer than the fire station and time was crucial to save the children. When Sprunger arrived, he found a grandfather and one child in the pond struggling to stay afloat. With a short rope and a small life vest in hand, he made it to the edge of the ice shelf just in time to see them go under the water. He jumped in church clothes and all and was able to pull them out to the surface. The second child was recovered by a crew arriving at the scene. Sprunger attended to the victims until medical personnel took over.

“I was very humbled to be in the company of the others who were also receiving the award, to hear their heroic stories,” Sprunger said about the ceremony at the White House. “It was humbling to be alongside them receiving the same award.”

Sprunger also received the Ohio State Valor award in November of 2020. His actions continued with the launch of a life-saving project. Named in memory for the child lost during the rescue, Jenson Rescue Ropes are now installed at ponds and bodies of water throughout the East Wayne area.

Present for the White House ceremony was Sprunger’s wife, Colleen. Sprunger is a third-generation firefighter and a second-generation Hesston College graduate and holds an associate degree in aviation from Hesston and a bachelor of science in ministry from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan.