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 have worked together for the past nine years, and are close friends both on and off campus. “We … enjoy meals with our dinner group and attend concerts, main stage productions and games on campus. I am grateful for her friendship and appreciate her,” said Kauffman.
The shift will undoubtedly be a challenge, since both Kauffman and Waltner are relatively inexperienced, especially when compared to their predecessors. However, both are optimistic for the trip, especially with the support of one another. “I know the importance of having someone that you will be able to work well with,” said Kauffman.
This comes at a relatively convenient time for Kauffman, since GC’s Title V funding has been discontinued, so her workload has been made lighter recently. In addition to the timing, this is good for Kauffman because she’s excited to return to SST for the first time since she was a student. She said her experience in the Dominican Republic “stretched me and helped shape my lens through which I see the world,” which she looks forward to sharing with students.
Waltner, too, looks forward to sharing her own experiences with students. She said, “I want to walk with the students in this unit as they experience it and discover new things about themselves and the world.”
While Waltner doesn’t pretend to have as much experience as the Stoltzfuses, she is excited to work with students and mirror her own experience on SST, which was in Chile.
She also visited Ecuador last summer, and praised the country’s people, culture, diverse landscape and variety of activities, “The country offers so much, and the people are so warm and open,” said Waltner.
Neither, however, see their lack of familiarity as insurmountable. “Having never led an SST unit before and on such short notice, I am going into the experience with a team mentality — we are all in this together,” said Waltner.
“This is an opportunity for all of us to grow in our understanding of ourselves and be reflective on how the experiences are shaping us through what we are learning,” said Kauffman.
The timing of Duane and Karen Stoltzfus’ retirement at their respective schools was not significantly impacted by the change in SST leadership. Karen will retire from the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in December. Duane will retire from Goshen College in June from his role as a professor of communication and as director of adult and graduate studies.
Despite the distance, the Stoltzfus couple are excited for students to experience SST in Ecuador. “We will be among the most faithful readers of the Ecuador SST blog in the spring semester,” Duane Stoltzfus said.
“We are so grateful to Jan and Kristin for their readiness to serve as faculty leaders on short notice,” he said. “They will accompany an exceptional group of students and be joined in Ecuador by a strong team of partners. The Spring SST unit is in the best of hands.”
