The basement of the Administration Building hides a department that most students rarely have a reason to visit: the Advancement office. While many don’t spend much time there, the work people in this department do helps all students. Neal Friesen is one such worker, although his career path was not exactly a straight line.

Friesen graduated from Goshen College in 2007 with a major in Bible, religion and philosophy, after transferring from Kansas State University where he had bounced between majors of architectural engineering, psychology and education. Friesen has great things to say about his time as a student at GC. 

Especially after spending three years at Kansas State, he loves the way Goshen, as a small school, can give its students so many opportunities. “The access to brilliant people in their field at a school of this size … I don’t know why anyone would go to a giant university … There’s so much more that you gain from a school like this.”

Friesen has spent years working at GC. He initially worked from 2013-16 as a resident director here at GC, and returned in December 2023 in his current role. 

However, there are gaps in this timeline. After his graduation in 2007, he worked in Residence Life at Hesston College for three years. Ending that stint, he quit his job to ride his bike around the country for six months, raising money for Mennonite Disaster Service. 

Following this, he attended Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C., and earned his master’s degree in theological studies.

After returning to GC as an RD, Friesen spent some time traveling; both visiting friends and family and taking bike rides. He spent time working at a bike shop, custom-tailoring people’s bikes to their owners. These adjustments included alterations for people with disabilities, who needed the service in order to ride a bike at all. 

Friesen contemplated buying his own bike shop, but ended up turning the opportunity down in order to keep his flexibility and ability to travel. However, he has not completely left this chapter behind him. 

In addition to his work at GC, Friesen works at the Pumpkinvine Cyclery, a bike shop in Middlebury. “Being able to help people in such a unique way and offer this skillset that normally you only find in cities … it’s very satisfying,” Friesen said. 

If two jobs weren’t enough, Friesen also works once or twice a week at Goshen Brewing Company. 

He says that after years of working seven days a week, a 40-hours-a-week office job gave him so much extra time, “I was a little stir-crazy and bored, so I may have overdone it,” he said, describing his many roles in the community.

Recently, Friesen took over leadership of the Advancement Communication Team Phonathon from Jill Koop Liechty after she left. This team spends time calling past donors and recognizing them for what they have given to the college. Friesen said “[the] warm and fuzzy feelings help them keep [GC] on their radar,” as many alumni love hearing from current students. However, not everyone answers their phone when the call from GC comes through. So, this team has started sending cards as well, as well as videos sent to donors, just saying thank you. 

“A personal touch means something,” Friesen said. “It’s my job to talk to people that care about this institution enough to give money to it, so it’s generally a pretty cool subset of humans.”

In addition to connecting with GC alumni, Friesen has been teaching a section of Identity, Culture and Community the past few years. 

He enjoys getting to know first-year students as they adapt to college life. However, he finds it ironic that he is teaching the class entitled “Career and Calling,” calling his own journey a “cautionary tale.”

Every student on campus benefits from the work Friesen and others in the advancement office do. “There are a ton of people helping to offset the cost of your education right now … This was generous people that came before you.”