Academics
March 7, 2013
Seniors prepare for Pan-American bike trip
Ask Abe Stucky, Levi Smucker and Michael Miller what they’re doing after college. Their answer won’t follow the average student’s post-graduation plan: They’re biking from Paraguay to Goshen. The men plan to attend the Anabaptist History course in Paraguay this May. Then they’ll meet up with Matthew Helmuth, a former Goshen College student, mount their saddles and cycle across South America. If all goes well, they’ll cruise into Goshen ten months later, in March 2014. Their idea began in 2010 through talks on their Miller 1 dorm couch. But Miller described their vision as a “pipe dream,” something they thought...
January 24, 2013
Exercise and science united in new major
Starting next fall, students can combine knowledge of the body with knowledge of running, weight-lifting and sports. A new major called "exercise science" will be offered. The major corresponds with the physical education department changing its name to the kinesiology department. Physical education is a very narrow term to describe a growing field and department, especially with the scholarly research and professional application it encompasses. So, Jewel Lehman, chair of the newly-founded kinesiology department, decided to use this overarching term to create a more descriptive and inclusive title for what Goshen has to offer. The new major is designed to...
January 17, 2013
Goshen launches new degree programs for adult students
A new group of students and a new way of teaching have been added to the Goshen College community through the creation of additional degree programs for non-traditional students. Expanding on existing programs for non-traditional students, Goshen College has added three new programs this month. The Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) directed by the social work department, the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) led by the business department, and the Masters of Arts in Intercultural Leadership (MAIL) administered by Center of Intercultural and International Education, complement existing programs in Nursing and in Organizational Leadership. Enrollment and...
October 18, 2012
Second semester of online courses to run in summer ’13
This summer, Goshen College launched its first semester of online courses. Despite a low enrollment in the summer sessions, the college will run a second online initiative in the summer of 2013, according to Randy Gunden, executive director of adult and online programs. A tentative list of the online courses will be available by November, Gunden said. He said the college is working “to ensure (the 2013) courses offered will be attractive to current Goshen College students as well as students at other institutions.” Gunden helped coordinate the past summer’s online courses to better serve students and faculty and reach out...
September 27, 2012
New master’s program to teach intercultural leadership
Starting in Jan. 2013, Goshen College will offer a new master’s degree program in Intercultural Leadership. The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Associate of Colleges and School approved the program in August. According to Ross Peterson-Veach, associate dean of intercultural development and educational partnerships, the new class will be different than other intercultural-focused master’s programs. The class will teach professionals to build culture, address social justice issues and develop international skills within an organization. The 18-month program involves three 9-day sessions and online homework. According to a Goshen College press release, the program is “designed for mid-career working...
September 20, 2012
Apple at the core of first-year program
Goshen College’s gift to incoming students this year is quite different from last year’s ceramic mugs. The first weeks of the new iCore technology initiative are under way, and 168 of Apple’s newest tablets are in the hands of the first-year class. The college issued an iPad to every first-year student as a means of using “cutting-edge mobile technology for educational purposes,” according to a college press release. Goshen's goal was to “prepare students for life and work in a rapidly evolving landscape” where “tablets and smart phones are replacing personal computers and laptops as primary computing devices.” The college's...
September 12, 2012
Year of the passionate learner includes new core curriculum
This is the year of the passionate learner, announced Dr. James Brenneman, President of Goshen College, at an opening convocation on September 5. Whereas 2011-2012 focused on the core value of servant leadership, 2012-2013 is the year of the “contagion of passionate learning,” Brenneman said. Brenneman offered the story of Merle E. Jacobs, who taught at Goshen from 1953-1954. Jacobs was obsessed with birds and owned 87 canaries. Yet Jacobs’ passion for learning drove him, Brenneman said. Brenneman called students and faculty to seek their passions just as Jacobs did. “Ask yourself, ‘What is it you’re passionate about? Or, what...
April 11, 2012
Social work department to change its make-up
Next year, the social work department will its lose long-time program director, Bob Birkey. Birkey has been teaching at GC since 1975, making him the longest-serving current faculty member. He has served as social work program director for the past 18 years. In his 37 years of teaching, Birkey has led an SST unit in Belize, completed his Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame, achieved accreditation and multiple re-accreditations of the Social Work Program and completed sabbatical research in Greece. For Birkey, retirement means having a chance to pursue projects and interests that he has been unable to focus...
April 11, 2012
Child’s play: GC students write for whippersnappers
For students ready for a break from back-breaking academic literature during finals week, some lighter literature will be available from students in the education department’s Children’s Literature course. On Tuesday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Good Library’s Royer Reading Room, these students will read from the children’s books they wrote and designed as a final project for the class. The main audience will be children from the CCYC program and Parkside Elementary, but Lavonne Shetler, a junior [MAJOR?], urged college students to come as well, saying, “We want people to come look at our books because we've put...
March 28, 2012
Students share work at annual research symposium
This Saturday marks the 14th annual Goshen College Student Research Symposium, a day in which both students and staff come together to engage in a range of speeches on various topics. The day will consist of two sessions, one from 12:45 to 3 p.m. and the other from 3:25 to 4:45 p.m. The first session will feature 16 students who represent a wide range of academic departments and class years. Topics such as sex trafficking, reading fluency, the cultural obsession with zombies, osmotic hemolysis (water transport across cell membranes) and the relationship between celebrities and advertising will be covered. Each...
March 15, 2012
GC summer online course initiative
Course schedule, course names, and professors Cost = $325 per credit hour ($975 for a 3 credit hour course) Hallmarks of our approach: Courses from the GC catalog Courses developed by full time GC professors Outcomes, expectations, etc. same as for traditional delivery
March 15, 2012
Online summer courses now offered
When May term draws to a close, students will have the option of keeping their books open. Beginning in late May, Goshen College will begin to offer its first summer online courses. The summer semester will be divided into two 7-week terms. Students will be able to choose from a pool of general education classes that will be taught by traditional faculty. Some courses will fill both terms, while others will fill one. The cost of classes will be $325 per credit hour, or $975 for a 3-credit hour course. Randy Gunden, the executive director of online programs at Goshen...
October 12, 2011
Goshen to offer online courses
Goshen College is venturing into online education, with the first classes expected to be offered in the summer of 2012. This fall, Anita Stalter, the academic dean, invited faculty members to propose online courses. Within weeks the dean is expected to announce which courses will be in the first round of offerings. The online courses will be available for traditional and non-traditional Goshen College students and likely for students from other institutions. All of the courses offered will be drawn from the existing college catalog and will be taught by full-time professors. Randy Gunden, who most recently served as the...
September 28, 2011
New general education plan approved
In four years, Bio World, Reading the Bible and Literature and Writing will no longer be taught at Goshen College, or at least not the same way they're taught now. Faculty approved the new general education program, Goshen Core Curriculum, on Thursday, and the committee directing the change will develop the details this year. In the fall of 2012, incoming freshman and transfers will start with the new classes. The Core Curriculum will do away with colloquiums and introduce classes that must be completed sequentially within the first three years of college. In addition to these classes, which focus on...
April 21, 2011
Maple Scholars anticipate summer research
While most students don’t see Goshen during its most beautiful time of year, 16 students will get to experience a Goshen summer as they stay on campus to participate in the Maple Scholars program. This program is an opportunity for students to research and study an area of interest in-depth. Aside from researching, students participate in a weekly seminar, an opportunity to share their progress, and at the end of the eight-week program, each person prepares a final paper and display. This summer’s batch of scholars will be studying projects that vary from organizing and evaluating a children’s fitness and...