In 2015, 61 percent of Goshen College’s graduating class went on SST. For the class of 2017, that number is down to 46 percent. Tom Meyers, Director of International Education at Goshen College, says those figures represent how SST is struggling to adapt to Goshen College’s changing student demographics. “We have fewer legacy students now. We have a lot more local students now for whom SST is a strange idea,” Meyers said. There are 215 first-year students at Goshen. Of these 215, 56 are commuter students and 74 are student-athletes. Effectively 60 percent of Goshen’s first-year class consists of students...

By Carter Mckay-Epp • April 27, 2018 • Features

Goshen College President Rebecca Stoltzfus has named Dr. Ann Vendrely as the college’s new vice president for academic affairs and academic dean. Bringing more than 20 years of experience in higher education as a professor, researcher and administrator, Vendrely will direct the college’s academic program, provide leadership to the teaching faculty and lead the academic strategic planning. “I am so pleased to have Ann join our leadership team,” said Stoltzfus. “Her extensive teaching, administrative and research experience, expertise and success will be invaluable as she helps us shape our curriculum and academic program offerings for the needs of our students,...

By Admin • March 22, 2018 • News

Jim Caskey, vice president for institutional development, will be leaving the college to pursue a career in the Goshen Health leadership team. Caskey was hired in 1997 as regional director of development. He was in charge of working to build relationships with people in eastern states like Ohio, Virginia and New York. He became vice president for institutional development in 2010 and has worked at the college for almost 21 years. Caskey’s current role as vice president for institutional advancement allowed him to oversee the development office, alumni, church and parent relations along with other groups. He also served on...

By Elsa Lantz • March 15, 2018 • Features

Following a hiatus of nearly 20 years, the Indonesia Study Service Term is beginning again, with the first unit taking off in the spring of 2019. The group will be led by Brenda and Jodi Srof. This SST location will occur every third year, like Tanzania and China. The last time Goshen College sent a group of students to Indonesia was in the spring of 2001. The college left the country following a travel warning placed by the U.S. government in the wake of terrorist activity, which has long since been lifted. In its place the college established the Cambodia...

By Siana Emery • November 9, 2017 • News

Pat Lehman, professor of communication, is adding another set of responsibilities to her job as she anticipates leading the 2018 Spring and Summer Peru SST units. Lehman will leave in mid-December for Peru to prepare for the SST, with students following in January for the spring semester SST. She is looking forward to the upcoming trip. Lehman said, “I’m excited about strengthening my Spanish…seeing some of the world-renowned sites like Machu Picchu…and working closely with Goshen College students in an SST experience.” While she only recently visited Peru for the first time earlier this summer, this isn’t her first time...

By Nathan Pauls • October 26, 2017 • News

Since the last academic year, two administration positions have been updated: Goshen College President and Dean of Students. These roles have been filled by Ken Newbold and Gilberto Perez, Jr. Newbold’s term as Goshen College president began on June 1 and will continue until the end of October, when Dr. Rebecca Stoltzfus will come into office on Nov. 1, 2017. So far during Newbold’s time as president, he’s traveled to Orlando, Florida for the Mennonite Church USA Convention where he met with prospective, incoming and previous students. He also got the opportunity to engage with the other presidents of Mennonite...

By Abby King • September 7, 2017 • News

On Wednesday, Aug. 30, the fall 2017 China SST unit flew to Chengdu, China to study and teach for a semester. The group consists of 15 people, with music professor Bev Lapp and her husband Dale Klassen leading the trip, along with their two daughters. The China SST happens every three years, in rotation with the Tanzania and Cambodia SST programs. Over 30 SST units have gone to China, says Tom Meyers, director of international education at Goshen College. This is one of the most diverse SST groups, with students representing Asian, African-American and Latinx nationalities. Meyers says that the...

By Nathan Pauls • September 7, 2017 • Features

On June 11, 20 students, all still in high school or recently graduated, boarded a plane at O’Hare Airport in Chicago bound for Guatemala. For the next two weeks these students would engage in an intensive program created by Goshen College and the Lilly Endowment called Study-Service Theology Term (SSTT). This program was designed with the intent of exposing young people interested in theology to different ways of theological thinking, and to start nurturing the tools for theological leadership. The Lilly Endowment is a philanthropic organization based out of Indianapolis that recognizes the need for a new generation of driven...

By Lucia Nisly • September 7, 2017 • Features

Just in time for the 50th anniversary of Goshen College’s pioneering program in international education, the Study-Service Term, Pinchpenny Press is publishing an intercultural guidebook, drawing on the experiences of faculty, staff and students who have participated in SST. A release party for the book, “The Goshen College Guide to Studying and Serving Abroad: Essays on Intercultural Learning,” will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12 in the Koinonia Room of the Church-Chapel. The 18 essays address subjects like learning languages, serving as a form of accompaniment, tracking time, framing stories, giving and receiving resources and money, dealing...

By Record • April 13, 2017 • News

In January, the President’s Council at Goshen College announced that all sabbaticals are to be frozen for the next two school years, starting this fall. The decision was made during the process of developing the budget for the fiscal and academic year of 2017-2018, as the college identified cost savings. Sabbaticals are given to full-time teaching faculty after 10 years of employment, subject to approval from the academic dean’s office. There is a limit on the number of sabbaticals granted each year. A professor may choose one of the following two plans: (a) one semester with full pay, or (b)...

By Maddie Birky • April 13, 2017 • News

Next year, Jo-Ann Brant, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy will be taking on a new role at Goshen College: interim vice president for academic affairs. Brant will be replacing Ross Peterson-Veatch, who is the current interim vice president. Brant will work with Peterson-Veatch to ensure a smooth transition. “My role as an interim vp,” Brant said, “will be to make sure that all the regular work of the Academic Dean’s office is completed so that the academic programs run smoothly.” The interim vice president for academic affairs serves on the President’s Council and leads all aspects of the academic...

By Elsa Lantz • April 6, 2017 • News

Out of the 46 high school sophomores, juniors and seniors that applied for the Study-Service Theology Term, 20 of them will be traveling to Guatemala in June 2017 for the programs’ first term. Before leaving for Guatemala, the students will stay on campus for two days of orientation led by Jo-Ann Brant, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy. After orientation on campus, the students will travel to Guatemala under the direction of Keith Graber Miller, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy, Ann Graber Miller, Peter Paetkau, senior, and Gloria Showalter, recent GC alum. The SSTT group will spend just over...

By Jordan Waidelich • March 9, 2017 • News

Over 89 years, Hank Weaver has visited more than 100 countries. He’s been to each continent, including Antarctica. He’s traveled for business and pleasure, for long-term and short. In 1957, Weaver began working at Goshen College, which opened a whole new world of opportunities. He worked at the college for over 22 years, as a chemistry professor, provost and interim president. After six years of working as a chemistry professor at Goshen College, Weaver decided to spend a year abroad in Peru through the Ford Foundation. With his family, Weaver moved to Lima where he taught at the oldest university...

By Abby King • March 9, 2017 • Features

Saint Joseph College, located in Rensselaer, Indiana, announced earlier this month that the institution would be suspending all operations at the end of the spring semester due to financial hardships. The college decided to cease activity after evaluating its financial standings and resources. On Friday, Feb. 4, the college released a statement saying the following: “After significant introspection and countless hours of discussion among key administrators, the college has come to the solemn realization that its prior plans to grow out of the current financial challenges cannot be realized. The financial challenges are too steep in light of the current...

By Josh Stoltzfus • February 23, 2017 • News

Peru SST coordinator Celia Vasquez and her husband, Oswaldo Aguirre, made the flight from Peru to the Midwest to experience the Goshen area, speak in several classes, and reconnect with old acquaintances. This was Vasquez’s first visit to Goshen in over 10 years, and Aguirre’s first time out of his home country. While visiting, Vasquez and Aguirre partook in a number of activities around the Goshen area, as well as some day trips to nearby sites of interest, such as Lake Michigan. Their visit also fell during an exciting time to experience an American pastime at its peak, as they...

By Josh Stoltzfus • November 10, 2016 • News