Academics
March 22, 2018
New academic dean appointed
Goshen College President Rebecca Stoltzfus has named Dr. Ann Vendrely as the college’s new vice president for academic affairs and academic dean. Bringing more than 20 years of experience in higher education as a professor, researcher and administrator, Vendrely will direct the college’s academic program, provide leadership to the teaching faculty and lead the academic strategic planning. “I am so pleased to have Ann join our leadership team,” said Stoltzfus. “Her extensive teaching, administrative and research experience, expertise and success will be invaluable as she helps us shape our curriculum and academic program offerings for the needs of our students,...
March 15, 2018
Concord Rotary recruits future peace leaders for Rotary Peace Fellowship
While the world hopes for peace, Rotary International - a humanitarian service organization dedicated to world peace and understanding – works to make it a reality by training the next generation of peace leaders. The Rotary Club of Concord is now recruiting for the Rotary Peace Fellowship, a program that gives up to 100 fellows the opportunity to obtain professional development certificates or master’s degrees in Peace and Conflict Resolution. “Today, there are still far too few mediators who are experienced practitioners in conflict resolution. There is an urgent need to produce another generation of people who can play a...
January 25, 2018
New committee forms on campus
Goshen College has started a new committee on campus to work with athletic coaches and academic faculty in order to avoid putting students in the middle of conflicts. The committee was formed last semester and met for the first time on Jan. 12. The committee is made up of several faculty members who volunteer their time and energy to act as liaisons for their departments. The idea is that this will enhance communication between athletic and academic programs. “On many campuses, [academics and athletics] are seen as competing areas, but we see tremendous value in the partnership,” said Josh Gleason,...
November 30, 2017
Social work program nationally recognized
“I tell my students they are how I am changing the world,” said Jeanne Liechty, director of Goshen College’s social work program. She has high standards, and Goshen College is giving students a chance to meet them. According to Zippia, a website that provides career information across many professions, Goshen College’s social work program was ranked as number one in the state of Indiana. Zippia looked at data in regard to average earnings of graduates, the percentage of the social work majors in the graduating class, and general school performance such as admissions rates, graduation rates, average cost of attendance,...
November 20, 2017
Latino Entrepreneurship Program focuses on collaboration, innovation
Gilberto Perez Jr. pulls three business cards from his shirt pocket: one for a tuxedo-rental store, another for a florist and the third for a ballet folkorico group. All are Latino-owned businesses located in Goshen. Many of the local businesses in the Goshen and Elkhart County area are owned by Latinos — the Latino population of Goshen is approximately 29 percent, while Elkhart County is around 15 percent. Perez, dean of students at Goshen College, points at the cards and says, “What would happen if Goshen College offered adult [business] education to these individuals? …We’d be building up the next...
November 9, 2017
Public relations alum returns, offers advice
“How can we communicate better?” This was the question posed to Pat Lehman’s Principles of Public Relations class last week when Lassane Queodraogo, a 2014 graduate of Goshen College, returned to campus to speak. Queodraogo is currently a Ph.D. student in Media Studies at Ohio University in Athens. He came to share and connect his work with media and the Muslim world to the class’s current chapter on cross-cultural communication. In the case of cross-cultural communication, the goal is to create common ground without falling into two “sins”: essentialism or exceptionalism. Essentialism, he explained, is a belief system grounded in...
September 21, 2017
GC ranked second in nation
Washington Monthly ranked Goshen College second in the country in the category “Top 100 National Baccalaureate Colleges,” which focuses on public service, research and social mobility. Annually released at the start of each school year, the Washington Monthly rankings take into account other factors as well, including six-year graduation rate, percentage of students receiving Pell Grants and percentage of first-generation students. Goshen moved up a notch nationally, having place third a year ago in the same category. The college retained its position as the top baccalaureate college in Indiana. The already noted rankings by Washington Monthly look less at a...
September 21, 2017
New minor expands artistic curriculum
Goshen College’s music and theater programs have long been part of the school, but now a new minor will combine them both. The musical theater minor, introduced to the campus this year, will give students the opportunity to participate in musical theater more than ever before. “This was a missing piece to the already very strong theater and music departments,” said Tom Myers, new dance instructor in the theater department. “By including this minor, Goshen College becomes even stronger in attracting students into their music and theater programs, as this will…help them prepare for a career in performing or teaching...
September 7, 2017
GC and EMU launch collaborative Doctor of Nursing Practice program
Goshen College and Eastern Mennonite University are thrilled to roll out the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, starting in January 2018. After a three-year process from initial conception to its impending implementation this winter, the online joint-college doctoral program is now open to applicants. Dr. Ruth Stoltzfus, director of graduate programs in nursing at GC and co-chair of the DNP program, is excited by the unique accessibility the program allows. Besides two residency requirements, the courses are entirely online and, as Stoltzfus termed it, asynchronous. “This means we will never meet together,” Stoltzfus said. “For example, we will never...
April 6, 2017
Brant named new interim vp for academic affairs
Next year, Jo-Ann Brant, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy will be taking on a new role at Goshen College: interim vice president for academic affairs. Brant will be replacing Ross Peterson-Veatch, who is the current interim vice president. Brant will work with Peterson-Veatch to ensure a smooth transition. “My role as an interim vp,” Brant said, “will be to make sure that all the regular work of the Academic Dean’s office is completed so that the academic programs run smoothly.” The interim vice president for academic affairs serves on the President’s Council and leads all aspects of the academic...
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....
February 23, 2017
GC to welcome Saint Joseph College students
Saint Joseph College, located in Rensselaer, Indiana, announced earlier this month that the institution would be suspending all operations at the end of the spring semester due to financial hardships. The college decided to cease activity after evaluating its financial standings and resources. On Friday, Feb. 4, the college released a statement saying the following: “After significant introspection and countless hours of discussion among key administrators, the college has come to the solemn realization that its prior plans to grow out of the current financial challenges cannot be realized. The financial challenges are too steep in light of the current...
February 16, 2017
Textbook savings project comes to Goshen
Last year, Erin Milanese, head of learning technologies, and Fritz Hartman, director of the Good Library, implemented a program called the textbook savings project. “I did a survey last spring of the student body to see about how much money students are spending on textbooks and found that textbook prices are a problem,” Milanese said. “I think that’s known across higher education, so we just decided it was a project we wanted to pursue.” The project encourages interdisciplinary collaboration between librarians and faculty members, who are voluntary participants. “For those who say yes, they choose one class to work on...
February 2, 2017
GC announces 12 new programs of study
Goshen College recently announced its upcoming addition of 12 new programs of study in hopes of increasing student enrollment. The new majors that will be offered are engineering physics, environmental and marine science, sign language interpreting, sustainability management, sustainability studies and sustainable food systems. New minors include music for social change and musical theater. There are also tracks in earth and climate science and a music for social change concentration. Additionally, an English learners license is being offered as an add-on for working teachers. “Faculty were invited to develop new program proposals for investment that build on the college’s identity...
January 19, 2017
Giving back to Goshen College astronomy class
The Goshen College science department has a new addition to its May Term Astronomy class: a 3.5 inch refractor telescope. The telescope was donated by Goshen College alumni Bob Gerber, who decided to regift the telescope to the science department after over 50 years of personal use. Gerber attended Goshen College from 1957-1961, where he graduated with a B.A. in chemistry. Although Gerber’s main work before he retired was as a general practice M.D., Gerber has always had a passion for physics and astronomy. “Since [college], it has become evident that physics might have been a better major”, said Gerber,...