2023-24 Theme Verse: Luke 4:18-19, “We can because Christ is.”
Opening Weekend – Clark the Lark
Hesston College introduced the new mascot to kick off Mod Olympics. The name was chosen through an online poll of the community.
Title IX Implementation Group
After forming over the summer, the Title IX Implementation Group made huge strides in educating the campus community about their roles in the compliance with Title IX and implementation of the Cozen O’Connor recommendations.
September
New Airplane for Aviation
With help from the Laban and Helen Peachey Endowment Fund, the School of Aviation added an aircraft to their fleet to expand students’ options for scheduling flight hours.
Increase in New Student Enrollment
Hesston College saw its first increase in new student enrollment since before the pandemic with 151 new students enrolled for fall 2023 compared to 144 last year.
Cultures Fair
Homecoming 2023 kicked off with this annual celebration of culture and diversity where international students from more than 20 countries shared elements of their cuisine, music and dance with the community.
Homecoming
Homecoming festivities highlighted some of the long standing traditions at Hesston College and what they look like in 2023. Activities included a variety of athletic events, the family festival and a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Bel Canto Singers.
Engineering Scooter Donation
Glenda (Shirk) ’83 Kauffman generously donated her late father’s scooter to be used in a project for an engineering design class to build a mobile robotic platform, such as a remote control lawnmower.
Athletic Hall of Fame
Hesston College honored eight inductees in their inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony including the father of Hesston College athletics Evan Oswald ’48 and legendary coach and administrator Gerry Sieber ’64.
Business Trip to Denver
Junior business students met with business owners through connections from Hesston College Partners and alumni. A highlight of the trip was touring 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.
Steel Magnolias
The first theatre production of the year emphasized the importance of strong relationships.
October
Home Sweet Hesston
Hesston College hosted the opening events for the community-wide homecoming celebration, featuring a food truck rally, yard games, community pep rally and a disc golf tournament.
Nursing set record first-time NCLEX HC pass rate
The School of Nursing raised their already high bar as 97 percent of their 33 graduates from the 2022-23 class passed their national licensing exam on the first try.
Aviation Team Members Place at NIFA
The seven-member Hesston College squad made an impressive showing at the 2023 National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) while competing against much larger schools. Josh Fleming ’25 secured second place in the instrument ground trainer/flight simulation event, while Matthew Manickam ’24 took fourth place in the same category. In their debut at the aircraft preflight inspection competition, Phoebe Kolb ’26 and Pablo Turcios ’26 secured rankings of twelfth and fourteenth, respectively.
Engineering Collaboration with EMU
Students from Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) traveled to Hesston to complete a collaborative project that began during spring break of 2023. This partnership was made possible by a grant from the Marpeck Fund, an entity that encourages collaboration among Mennonite institutions.
November
MCC UN
Three Hesston College students traveled to New York City to participate in the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) United Nations (UN) seminar where they discussed peacebuilding and why the UN matters.
Business Trip to Chicago
Senior business management students toured a variety of businesses and experienced business for the greater good. The students met with Tony Daniels, associate director of church and volunteer engagement at Breakthrough, and learned about how Breakthrough caters to the underserved people in the community.
Move to Four-Year College
Hesston College announced a shift in its academic focus prioritizing bachelor’s degree programs and committing to adding new programs in the future.
Interim President
Dr. Ross Peterson-Veatch was named interim president of Hesston College following the resignation of Dr. Joseph A. Manickam ’87.
Masterworks Concert – Tony Brown
The music department paid homage to Hesston College alumnus and former employee Tony Brown ’69 for his lifelong pursuit of peacebuilding with a concert titled “Peacing it Together: A Tribute to Tony Brown.”
December
Christmas Carol
Performing Arts rang in the holiday season with a new approach to this classic Christmas tale.
Unity Day
To commemorate the peaceful student protest against the college’s past mishandling of Title IX issues one year ago, Hesston College dedicated the Healing Circle and held optional workshops for students and employees.
Pancake Night
Who doesn’t enjoy some delicious pancakes during a late night study session for finals week? This was a great way to close out Reading Day, the Monday before finals.
Stanley Black and Decker Leadership Training
Employees from four Stanley Black & Decker plants across the country visited campus for a three-day leadership training seminar led by faculty and area experts and hosted by the advancement staff in the basement of Keim Center.
Engineering Partnership with Harper Industries
The School of Engineering signed their first applied learning agreement with Harper Industries, allowing students to gain real-world experience working to improve a Harper hydraulic hose hookup assembly.
January
Continuation of Music and Theatre Programs
Initially a part of the academic program cuts announced in November, the music and theatre programs were reinstated as associate degree options.
Service at the Villa
Groups of students participated in service projects at Schowalter Villa, spending time with residents by attending a program with them, playing games or making Valentine’s Day cards.
Community Day
Students, faculty, staff and members of the community came together in Yost Center for a variety of activities including a pair of Lark basketball games, performances by the Hesston High School pep band and cheerleaders and free haircuts offered by alumna Christy (Berkey) ’03 Pickerill
February
Virtual Class Reunions
For the second year in a row, Hesston College alumni gathered virtually to reconnect with classmates from the college ’58, ’68, ’78, ’88, ’98, ’08, ’18 and academy ’58 classes. More than 90 alumni registered for the event from 21 states and five countries.
Little Shop of Horrors
HC students, faculty and staff took the stage to perform this Broadway musical and made audiences laugh, scream and consider giving up gardening altogether!
March
Community Day
The Hesston community gathered on campus once again for a variety of activities including a softball doubleheader, flag football games and a performance of the spring musical.
Fly/Drive weekend
Admissions hosted a special visit weekend for students who live out of state to stay a night in the dorms and participate in the Community Day festivities.
Bel Canto Singers Tour
The elite choir traveled east for a tour over spring break with stops in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois before performing a home concert at Hesston Mennonite Church.
April
Annual Juried Art Exhibit
Students of all majors submitted works in any medium for judging on their merit by an outside juror.
Pen to Paper to Performance
After a four-year hiatus, this community-wide playwriting festival returned, allowing playwrights a chance to have their submissions produced and performed by the Hesston College theatre department.
May
Larkfest
Students and faculty were recognized for their academic and leadership achievements in this annual ceremony.
Commencement
Hesston’s 2024 graduates are preparing for this long awaited day. The college’s 114th commencement will present approximately 60 associate degrees and 44 bachelor’s degrees.
International Choir Trip: Europe
Bel Canto Singers and Global Voices members and alumni are preparing for their biannual choir trip across Europe. This trip will last 22 days and consists of 12 concerts in churches spread around the Netherlands, Germany
and Switzerland.
August
September
October
December
January
February