News
February 1, 2026
GC joined nationwide strike
On Friday, more than 50 Goshen College students, faculty and staff gathered, despite the snowy conditions, to participate in a nationwide strike calling for justice after the fatal shootings in Minneapolis. The protesters gathered between 2 and 3 p.m. to express their belief of over-reach by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The event was organized hastily on Thursday by Eliza Alemán, a senior sustainability and history major. She said “I just felt so heavy [on Thursday] … I knew that the strike was happening [on Friday] and I also know that not everyone can afford to give up...
December 4, 2025
Horst returns to teach figure drawing
Randy Horst ’83, professor emeritus of art, is returning this spring to teach ART 205 Figure Drawing; a class that studies the human body through various drawing medias. Horst taught full-time at Goshen College from 1988-90 and 2009-2022 — most recently in the position as professor of art. Horst said drawing has always been near and dear to his heart, as he received his master’s degree in drawing. Additionally, much of his personal work is also figurative — such as the pieces currently displayed in the Hershberger Art Gallery. About the importance of the class, he said, “Historically, most art...
December 4, 2025
Spring play takes a shift
As excitement for the spring play, “Poor Clare,” builds, the Goshen College theater department mourns the loss of their original play, “John Proctor is the Villain.” “John Proctor is the Villain” was picked up in July of 2025 by Universal Studios for rights to a movie adaptation. Since this legal development, the rights to the play are no longer available for purchase at college campuses. “John Proctor” was recommended to Amy Budd, associate theater professor and director, last year by theater students who participated in a weekly play read. One of these attenders was Mairin Mendoza, a senior theater major. ...
December 4, 2025
GC receives $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Just before Thanksgiving, President Rebecca Stoltzfus announced that Goshen College has been chosen to receive a grant for just under $5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc., an organization based in Indianapolis. In a campus-wide announcement, President Stoltzfus said, “More than 1,100 organizations from across the country applied, and only 48 were selected. We are deeply honored to be among them!” According to Lilly’s grant list, the program, entitled “National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life,” aims to “seek out and share stories that illuminate the vitality of Christian faith and life.” GC will be putting the funding toward five...
December 4, 2025
ILCs see less use from students
Among the various campus housing options, Intentional Living Communities are a unique option offered to students. Housing 8-12 students, depending on which house, ILCs are designed to allow for a group of students to come together and work towards a certain purpose that they decide together. These houses are supposed to declare their group’s purpose, and then make a plan to work towards their goals. Kevin Schultz, assistant director of residence life, said, “At the root, ILCs are meant to be occupied by a group of students with a common thread or purpose and passion. For example in the past...
December 4, 2025
Goshen Public Library facing hardship
The Senate Enrolled Act 1, signed into law by Governor Mike Braun on April 15, is changing how Indiana cities and counties collect property and income taxes. These changes have affected public libraries across Elkhart County that depend on property and income tax for annual budget funding. Due to the SEA 1, the Goshen Public Library is expecting to lose out on $913,000 that it could otherwise have collected in 2025. This has limited the resources of the library, including programs and services offered to Goshen College students. Grace Thomas ’16, development and community engagement manager for the library, said...
November 20, 2025
Squirrel Digest sends second-ever issue to print
After nearly a semester of work, the second issue of the Squirrel Digest went to print on Tuesday morning. The magazine was originally created by Charlie Aldrich ‘25, who published the first issue in the spring semester of 2025. Three hundred copies of this fall’s issue are set to be printed within the next one to two weeks, and distributed on campus and throughout the broader Goshen community. Griffin Eash, a junior graphic design major, and Mackenzie Miller, a junior communications major, are the co-editors-in-chief of the magazine. They are working with The Papers Inc., a northern Indiana media company,...
November 20, 2025
Racial reparations summit
Professor Drew Hart of Messiah University held a racial reparations summit at Assembly Mennonite Church on Saturday. The summit was attended by 115 participants from a wide swath of ages and represented more than 15 area congregations. The event was planned by Karl Shelly, pastor at AMC; Ben Bouwman, pastor at Walnut Hill Mennonite Church and Julia Gingrich, pastor at Eighth Street Mennonite Church and has been in the works for several years. This group also took inspiration from the work of the Elkhart County Regional Repair Network. Shelly emphasized that though this particular event has only been in discussion...
November 20, 2025
Choosing community and connection
The theme of this week’s Goshen College convocation was “US Immigration.” The convo was hosted by Gilberto Pérez, vice president of Student Life, Philipp Gollner, professor of U.S. history, and Saulo Padilla, a Mennonite Central Committee migration education coordinator. They shared their stories of immigration to the United States. Gollner, who grew up in Austria, took the stand first. He started by talking about his experiences with immigration while going through Chicago O’Hare airport this year. Gollner explained that he has been through immigration twice this year and how in April, he was called into secondary questioning with his family...
November 20, 2025
Peace club comes back
Pax Club, a group centered around peace, ceased activities during 2016-17 due to changes in the student body and the graduation of leaders, leaving no remaining students to take over the club. Now, it’s returning with a new temporary name — Peace Club. What started as an idea earlier in the year, the Peace Club gained momentum, and aims to become an official organization on campus once again in the spring semester. Interest began with Mackenzie Miller, a junior communication major, who initially considered starting a peace club on campus after attending the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship conference (ICPF) at Eastern...
November 13, 2025
Literacy, a bridge to equity
One hundred fifty teachers and administrators gathered in the Fellowship hall on Friday and Saturday to learn about the Science of Reading (SoR), an interdisciplinary body of research focused on reading development and teaching methods. The summit sessions were led by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, a bilingual speech language pathologist. Goshen College became a part of the Advancing Science of Reading in Indiana (ASRI) initiative after receiving a $489,915 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. in January 2024. The initiative was created in 2022 to enhance Indiana student reading proficiency through SoR instructional methods. Kathy Meyer Reimer, chair of the education and...
November 13, 2025
Changes in leadership for spring Ecuador SST
Jan Kauffman and Kristin Waltner received a message two weeks ago that came as a surprise: Duane and Karen Stoltzfus said that they needed to withdraw from their roles as Study-Service Term faculty leaders in Ecuador to focus on a personal health crisis. Kauffman, associate dean of student success, and Waltner, registrar, accepted the offer to lead the Ecuador SST for the 2026 trip. “I visited Ecuador over the summer and loved it — the people, culture, diverse landscape, and variety of activities. The country offers so much, and the people are so warm and open,” said Waltner. The two...
November 13, 2025
Artificial intelligence in the business world
For most of the semester, Goshen College has been hosting Raj Biyani ’92, an investor and mentor who worked as a managing director for Microsoft IT. On Wednesday last week, Biyani spoke on the role artificial intelligence has been playing in industry at a luncheon hosted by the business department. Biyani said that he has spent his time in Goshen in three main areas: speaking to students, engaging with the community and presenting on artificial intelligence. Of his time here on campus, he said, “It’s been incredible. It’s been actually very, very energizing.” Jodi Beyeler, vice president for institutional advancement,...
October 30, 2025
GC responds to ICE arrests in the area
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that there have been four people from the Michiana area who have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. A local pastor, who requested anonymity for safety on behalf of herself and her community, said that one was deported, and the others are being held in Kentucky and Indianapolis. She said, “ICE is not ‘as active’ in the Michiana area as it is in other parts of the country, but they are active.” Gilberto Pérez Jr, vice president for student life and Hispanic Serving Initiatives and the dean of students, said, “It...
October 30, 2025
Disc golf teams confirmed
Jason Samuel, director of WGCS FM and Globe Media, confirmed his new role as coach for the Goshen College men’s and women’s disc golf teams on Tuesday. This puts GC at a total of athletic programs. They will be the first GC teams to regularly compete against NCAA schools. “The time is right. There are signposts instead of speed bumps that are telling me that we’re headed in the right direction,” Samuel said. The GC athletic department began talks of establishing a disc golf team back in 2022. Erica Albertin, former athletic director, asked Samuel to do some research on...