Academic Symposium
April 17, 2025
Posters, projects and presentations at Academic Symposium
April 9 marked the 26th annual Academic Symposium at Goshen College. Since no classes were scheduled for the day, students had the opportunity to attend sessions throughout the day which started at 8:30 a.m. and finished with the Graduating Leader Award ceremony at 3:30 p.m. However, this isn’t what the symposium always looked like. Years in the past, the event would take place on a weekend. Jody Saylor, director of development and academic innovation and chair of the academic symposium planning committee, said, “It was hard to get people to attend. Eventually, and I’m not sure who made the decision...
April 13, 2023
Students and faculty present research in annual Academic Symposium
Goshen College hosted its 24th annual Academic Symposium this Wednesday. The Academic Symposium provides a platform for faculty and students from various backgrounds and departments to showcase their original research and creative works. “The purpose is to celebrate all the different things that students have accomplished,” said Ann Vendrely, vice president of academic affairs and academic dean. “We know that students are doing lots of interesting individual and small group projects.” This year, GC decided to suspend classes for the day, marking the first time this has been done. When deciding whether to cancel classes, the planning committee will “pay...
April 9, 2021
Academic symposium returns for 22nd time
For the first time since 2019, Goshen College will host the 22nd Annual Academic Symposium on Friday, April 9. The academic symposium is a professional development event that showcases research from faculty and students from different backgrounds and departments. The stated goal is to recognize the academic research and creative works of authors while providing a supportive atmosphere that allows for productive conversations. “It’s generally academic work … it’s whatever is considered research in a given field or academic excellence,” said Beth Martin Birky, associate academic dean and director of the symposium. Goshen College put the 2020 Academic Symposium on...
March 13, 2020
Student research gains public recognition
When Goshen College students do projects for their classes, having them extend beyond the classroom isn’t always at the forefront of their minds. However, from time to time those papers and presentations make their way into public spaces for others to see and reflect on. In the case of a food sustainability video originally made for the Roots of the Environmental Crisis class, these kinds of projects can even be found in a church’s sermon series. According to Rosanna McFadden, pastor of Creekside Church in Elkhart County, the church received a grant from the Center for Congregations to develop their...
March 21, 2019
Students and faculty present at the 21st Academic Symposium
On Friday, March 15, the 21st Annual Academic Symposium took place in the Goshen College Harold and Wilma Good Library. Both students and faculty participated in this event which aims to provide a professional development opportunity that acknowledges the research and creative works from all disciplines. The Academic Symposium began at 10 a.m. with a session to recognize faculty on recent their promotions and published works. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 23 Goshen College students and three faculty members presented their original research and projects. Presenters were given 15 minute time slots to present their work and...
February 21, 2019
Academic Symposium an opportunity to share research
The annual Academic Symposium will look a bit different this year. Fritz Hartman, library director and the new coordinator of the Academic Symposium, has worked with an advisory committee of other faculty members to make significant changes to the event in an effort to give it more prominence and broaden its audience and participants. The Academic Symposium is a professional development opportunity that aims to acknowledge the academic research and creative works of its participants while also providing a supportive academic environment that allows for scholarly conversations and questions. The event will occur on March 15 from 10...
February 21, 2019
Academic Symposium an opportunity to share research
The annual Academic Symposium will look a bit different this year. Fritz Hartman, library director and the new coordinator of the Academic Symposium, has worked with an advisory committee of other faculty members to make significant changes to the event in an effort to give it more prominence and broaden its audience and participants. The Academic Symposium is a professional development opportunity that aims to acknowledge the academic research and creative works of its participants while also providing a supportive academic environment that allows for scholarly conversations and questions. The event will occur on March 15 from 10...
March 30, 2017
Academic Symposium highlights student research
Twenty-three students will present their research at the Annual Student Symposium on Saturday, April 1 in the Church-Chapel. The symposium program began as part of former Goshen College president Shirley Showalter’s honors program initiative that she launched at the beginning of her first term in 1996 with the first symposium taking place in the spring of 1999. “At the beginning of the spring semester, I issue a wide call for titles, and professors begin tapping students on the shoulder encouraging them to present,” said Jo-Ann Brant, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy and program director of this year’s Academic Symposium....
April 2, 2015
Annual research symposium celebrates student work
Last Saturday, 23 students participated in the academic symposium. The contestants competed for two different prizes: the Audience Choice Award and the Director’s Prize. According to Jo-Ann Brant, Faculty Program Director, the Audience Choice is determined by ballots cast by the audience and the Director’s Prize is determined by feedback from the chairs of the session, faculty members, the assistant director's observations and her own assessment. The contestants presented on a variety of subjects. According to a press release on the Goshen College website, “Besides thesis papers and investigations using the scientific method, presentations include expositions on the creative process...