Connect Goshen Day and Explore Goshen Day are two of Goshen College’s largest outreach events. While GC’s annual event to connect with donors and alumni brought Rise ’n Roll doughnuts — affectionately known as “Amish Crack” —  to the Gunden Commons on Tuesday, prospective students from around the country got to explore the college’s campus on Friday. 

Peter Moser for The Record

Connect Goshen Day is all about reaching current students and faculty, as well as GC alumni and donors. Jodi Beyeler, the vice president for institutional advancement, is responsible for coordinating most of the event. “Connect Goshen Day is our annual day of giving. This is our sixth year of doing it, and it’s a day that involves celebrating our connections, giving back and celebrating what GC has been, is and will be in the future,” Beyeler said.

“On campus, students and employees can stop by the Gunden Commons all day long and get their Rise ’n Roll donuts and be part of giving thanks to donors. We’re making videos and writing postcards to say thank you to our donors,” Beyeler said. Along with these interactive ways for students and faculty to give their thanks, there was music, conversation and campus members gathering in the commons all afternoon.

However, Connect Goshen Day reaches far beyond GC’s campus. Beyeler said, “We are going to have 20 different alumni gatherings across the country, so it’s just a day of fun and giving. That’ll be groups of 5-40 people gathering at different locations across the country.” These alumni get together to remember their connections and celebrate those friendships. “[These gatherings] were new last year and have continued, so that’s really exciting,” she said.

One of the events that was planned for more engagement involved GC’s many campus squirrels. Beyeler said, “One of the things we are doing is that, when people make a donation of $18.94 or more, they can choose a fun name for a campus squirrel, and then we will send them a certificate with their name for their squirrel.” Among the names so far are: “Mabel (pronounced Maple),” “Dr. Rev. Patch Fluffeth McNutterson III, Esq.,” and “Eileen.”

There was also the option for students to contribute by being an advocate, rather than making donations themselves. “We invite our students to play a role of advocacy and encouraging the people they know and their networks to give to Goshen,” Beyeler said. As an advocate, students received a personalized link to share and could then see how many people clicked on their link and donated to GC. There were also rewards and prizes available for advocates to win for reaching certain amounts of clicks or donations — designed to be fun, competitive and engaging.

“This is really focused on driving support for our students and what we’re doing here every day, and it’s amazing. The feeling of seeing our alumni and friends step up and say ‘Yes, I care about this place, it matters to me and I want to be a part of that,’ and it’s just a really tangible way of watching the love and connection for this place,” Beyeler said.

Each season, GC also hosts prospective students on Explore Goshen Day. Most of these students are local, but some come from other states, including Florida and Oregon. Lizeth Perez-Ochoa ’22, an admissions counselor, said the day is “just a general overview of what Goshen is.” 

Throughout the day, students get a tour of the campus and then have deep-dive sessions. These sessions include visiting classes of their choice and meeting the professors, while parents and family go to their own sessions covering details such as safety and cost information. Visiting students then attend a student panel where current GC students share their experiences and answer any questions that the students may have.

Perez-Ochoa said, “From a lot of the feedback we’ve been getting about this from students and families, they’re feeling like this has been the best visit. They say this has been very warm and welcoming, and we are always wanting to go above and beyond.” 

She also spoke about how Goshen’s small campus allows for students to receive the individual attention and care that they might not receive at other schools. “Goshen maintains the connection with students and families; no matter how far away you’re coming from, you still get to experience that closeness,” Perez-Ochoa said.

“Hopefully, we can get more to come. Around 15-20 students plus their families is really nice, but I think the more the better. We just have so much to offer, and people don’t know about it,” Perez-Ochoa said.