To some it might appear that Hesston College has been drifting for a while, unsure of its identity in an odd middle ground as a two-year college beginning to offer four-year degrees and not fully committed to either. That is changing.

In fall 2023, the Hesston College Board of Directors announced the college will shift its academic focus to bachelor’s degree offerings. Associate degrees, though still available to all students, will become secondary.

“It’s like we have firmly committed to a direction after wandering around for a good long time, and that’s the reason I’m excited about the changes,” says Dr. Ross Peterson-Veatch, interim president. “We have firmed up an identity for the college, one that is expressed in the programs we’re setting up and relevant to today.”

Peterson-Veatch, who joined Hesston College last summer as vice president of academics and was named interim president in November, says Hesston will stay focused on three things in the journey ahead:

• remaining committed to being Christ-centered
• being practical in all that’s done – like pursuing academic programs that lead directly to jobs
• maintaining its commitment to global engagement.

Fun Fact: “I am an expert spoon hanger. I can hang a spoon from my nose, it’s easier if it’s metal and clean, I can hang one from my ear, and I can hang one from my eyebrow – all at the same time.”
Dr. Ross Peterson-Veatch, interim president

Changing to four-year provides a lot of opportunities for creativity and leadership on the faculty side. My deepest hope is that people can get excited, be engaged and unencumbered to be as creative as they can. That’s the kind of engine of great education, when your system is promoting creativity.
Dr. Ross Peterson-Veatch

Expanding academic offerings

Hesston went through complicated processes to gain Higher Learning Commission (HLC) approval to start the current bachelor’s degree programs. Peterson-Veatch says the college has applied to the HLC to add three new four-year programs:

1. health science (encompasses pre-medical, pre-vet, pre-dentistry, etc.)
2. health and human performance (pre-physical therapy, pre-athletic training and exercise science), with tracks in wellness and recreation sports studies
3. sports management

“We hope the process will be simpler since the new programs require less than 50 percent new curriculum, but in the end HLC will decide which process we will have to use,” says Peterson-Veatch.

If approved, Hesston will begin enrolling students in fall 2024.

“Now we need to expand our professional degree offerings,” Peterson-Veatch shares. “We are currently preparing to explore computer science and related careers like cybersecurity. That is what we’re working on next.”

Since these programs will be new, they will take longer to build and gain HLC approval. The college could begin enrolling students in these programs as early as fall 2025.

Fun Fact: “I was ranked the 153rd offensive guard in the 2007 NFL draft. They only draft like 40 total linemen so it pretty much means nothing, but it was cool to see my name on the website!”
Grant Myers, vice president of enrollment management

I believe that the work Hesston does with students is profound and lasting. The Holy Spirit is present on campus, and students encounter this through interactions with employees, fellow students and formation. Several times during the recent past the Holy Spirit has placed Jeremiah 29:11 on my heart. That sums up where my hope comes from.
Grant Myers

New strategies for growth

Vice President of Enrollment Management Grant Myers says his team is implementing multiple short- and long-term strategies to increase enrollment for this fall and beyond.

One initiative is transitioning athletics from a two-year to a four-year participation model. Hesston is working to achieve acceptance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and hopes to have that affiliation in place for fall 2025. With 70 percent of Hesston College students involved in athletics, this shift couples nicely with more students coming for four-year academics.

“Growth in athletics is turnkey and can yield immediate results due to strong demand,” explains Myers. “This will give time for new market development in segments that have opportunity but are harder to break through.”

Long term, the enrollment team aims to increase student enrollment to 500 over the next several years. Myers says the biggest challenge will be taking the campus culture from a two-year mindset to a four-year mindset.

“We need to get everyone comfortable with presenting Hesston to stakeholders as a four-year experience,” he states. “This will take time, communication and training.”

Fun Fact: “I love being outside and will use any excuse to do so. I enjoy gardening, mountain biking, hiking, camping and fishing. This past fall we took our family on a two-week road trip to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and Glacier National park.”
Caleb Loss, vice president of finance and auxiliary services

The staff and faculty here are very engaged and capable of building something amazing. My favorite part of implementing change is seeing the creativity and innovation that people will surprise you with. I can’t wait to see what this community will build.
Caleb Loss

Financing a better tomorrow

The need for financial sustainability is a driving factor in many of the changes the college is implementing. Though most are new to the team, administrative council members are also offering new, innovative ideas to expand income beyond student tuition.

Caleb Loss, vice president of finance and auxiliary services, joined the college last summer. He helped initiate an applied learning partnership that resulted in a student design challenge for engineering students and some additional funds for the college.

“An industry partner brought an issue to the college, which we were able to incorporate into two engineering courses,” explains Loss. “This provides students with an opportunity to apply what they’re learning in the classroom to a problem that is similar to what they will design or solve in their future career. In turn, this provides our partner with a solution to a problem, builds relationships between our students and potential employers and prepares our students to hit the ground running when they graduate.”

Grants, another revenue source explored by the administrative team, have the potential to help offset annual operating and program costs, new program costs and administrative costs.
Finding and applying for opportunities that fit institutional needs takes time, but the college could receive an award as soon as fall 2024.

Under new leadership since February, Hesston’s advancement team continues to play a big role through their Hesston Experience fundraising, which seeks to raise $1.5 million annually for the next three years. Leading their efforts is Hesston alumna Lisa (Hostetler) ’90 Longacher, acting vice president of advancement, who has been a development officer for the college since 2021.

“We are getting ready to launch our next capital campaign which will help us implement these transitions and expansions to our academic programs and athletics,”
she says.

Fun Fact: “I’m a fiber artist. I started off in traditional quilting, but I don’t like to follow patterns. I like to do things my own way, so instead I create my own art using fabric and thread.”
Lisa Longacher, acting vice president of advancement

I love getting to know students on campus and hearing about their great experiences. Many come from never understanding what an Anabaptist Mennonite is, and now they’re seeing this Christ-centered community. They’re feeling that in action today.
Lisa Longacher

Supporting a new generation of students

A shift to four-year programs also means changes to campus culture. Michael Smalley ’08, experienced the culture of Hesston College as a student, then as an employee for the past 12 years and, as of summer 2023, as vice president of student life. He hopes more continuity in the student body will allow Hesston to further entrench the positive culture they strive for in Student Life.

“With half of on-campus students graduating or transferring each year, there can be massive swings in the culture and feel on campus,” Smalley explains. “Keeping students those extra two years will allow for less dramatic shifts from year to year.”

Smalley and his team are working on several efforts to improve campus life for all students, with special consideration for a growing population of juniors and seniors. Implementing a Student Government Association (SGA) is one such aspect.

“Generally, juniors and seniors become clearer on things that they are passionate about and more willing to openly claim those things,” Smalley shares. “Student government provides students an opportunity to speak into their college experience and allows them a voice. Now is a perfect time for adding SGA and our students have already been calling for it.”

Fun Fact: “Not a fun fact for myself, but this year marks 18 years since my freshman year of college, so that means that the current freshmen were just being born when I started at Hesston. That means this is the first year I have truly felt ‘old’ while being on campus.”
Michael Smalley, vice president of student life

We are building on the foundation of what Hesston College has been about throughout its existence. How Hesston College looks and works is changing, however, the ‘why’ that has driven Hesston College continues to be strong and as important today as ever.
Michael Smalley