alumni
October 8, 2015
Homecoming 2015 full of awards, music, reunions
Last weekend was homecoming weekend at Goshen College, and the campus and town were full of festivities. On Friday, a special homecoming convocation was held to honor the 2015 alumni award recipients: Aliko Songolo ‘68 and Kathy Short ‘75 (Culture for Service Awards), Sonia Graber ‘00 (Decade of Servant Leadership Award), and Alice Gunden Bender ‘80 and Ken Pletcher ‘70 (Champions of Character). It was Solongo’s first time back on campus in many years. He attended many of the weekend’s events including the athletic complex dedication, which was especially meaningful since John Ingold, one of the people the complex was...
September 3, 2015
Sticking with it – GC graduates teach locally for the new year
As another school year begins, a number of recent Goshen College graduates are finding themselves in their first year of teaching at various schools in and around Goshen. Becky Snider and Brody Thomas are just two of nearly ten first-year, Goshen-grad teachers that chose to stick close to Goshen. For both Snider and Thomas, the reason was simple: the Goshen community. During their time as students at GC they became connected with a community that offered them support. After graduation, they were not ready to give that up by moving away. And for first-year teachers, to already know and feel...
April 16, 2015
‘92 alumnus will speak at 2015 commencement
Goshen College Alum Raj Biyani is scheduled to speak at the commencement ceremony on Sunday, April 26. Biyani is currently the managing director for Microsoft IT India. Since graduating from Goshen College in 1992 where he studied computer science and accounting, Biyani has acquired an impressive resume. He earned an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago and since then has worked in many areas of Microsoft. The Microsoft website has applauded him on his profile page by stating that “Under Raj’s leadership, the Microsoft IT India organization has become a magnet for top talent across India, improved team...
January 22, 2015
Bruce Hostetler offers Umble master class series
Director and graduate of Goshen College (‘88) and Bethany Christian High School (‘84), Bruce A. Hostetler will present the 2015 Roy H. Umble Master Class Jan. 20-24, featuring workshops, a keynote address and a reading of his newest play “Feral.” Hostetler is currently resident stage director for the Portland Revels, artistic director of CompassWorks, and a freelance theater/opera director, producer and playwright. His four operas have toured the West Coast and his play “Feral” was a hit at the 2013 Fertile Ground Festival in Portland. He is also past president of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance. “Our goal is always to bring in...
December 3, 2014
Goshen College receives nearly $2 million donation
Goshen College has received nearly $2 million for scholarships from Milo Albrecht, a 93-year-old farmer and regular donor. In what is the largest one-time donation by an individual in GC’s history, Milo gave $1.98 million worth of stocks to go primarily toward nursing scholarships. These stocks came from years of investing during his life as a farmer. Herb Roth, Albrecht’s cousin and caregiver, said in the GC news release, “Milo lived a simple, conservative life which allowed him to do this. He was an astute investor.” Albrecht attended Goshen College for three semesters from 1939-1949. He began giving to GC...
November 13, 2014
Grandparents Experience College
Kindergarten and college may not have a lot in common, but one similarity is the opportunity for grandparents to come and experience school with their grandchild. This is only the second year that Grandparents Day has been an event at Goshen College, but Rose Shetler, director of annual giving, who organized a large portion of the day, decided she wanted to make it happen here after hearing a presentation about a similar experience at another college. Grandparent’s Day is an opportunity for families to visit and see what their student is involved with at the college. In addition to being...
October 8, 2014
Alumni Receive Awards For Service, Leadership, Character
From Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, Goshen College’s campus was brimming with alumni, each one eager for the music, food, community and awards that accompany Homecoming Weekend. Homecoming Weekend is a chance for alumni from all classes to reunite. The college holds specific reunions for classes ten years out of college, twenty years out and then every five years following that. This year, the class of 1949 was celebrating their 70th year out of college. This year, Goshen College honored some of the most outstanding alumni. Three awards were given out to five alumni: the Culture for Service Award, the...
October 8, 2014
Alumni Board Discussed Transitions At GC
The Goshen College Alumni Executive Board, which meets twice a year, discussed happenings at the college and met with members of the administration about recent transitions. The board met last week over Homecoming Weekend. Dan Koop-Liechty, director of alumni relations and career networks, supervises the Alumni Board. The recent fall meeting was shorter than the spring meeting because it coincided with Homecoming Weekend, and Board members were involved with the Alumni Awards. The Board’s mission is to provide support and connection to alumni as well as aid in encouraging alumni to contribute to the college’s Student Aid Fund. The Board...
September 17, 2014
Budget Restrictions Terminate Yearbook
The Goshen College yearbook, in circulation since 1915, will come to an end after this year. Goshen’s yearbook, The Maple Leaf, will not be printed after the 2014-15 academic year. According to Adela Hufford, director of enrollment operations and yearbook advisor, a 40 percent drop in the budget is one of the major causes for the Maple Leaf’s termination. The sole budget for the production of the yearbook is a $40 fee, which 40 percent of students opted out of this school year. According to Joe Springer, curator at the Mennonite Historical Library, this is not the first time discussions about ending the Maple...
March 5, 2014
Making a way for women in sports
Gunden Gymnasium namesake shares her passion for women’s athletics Before Title IX, a comprehensive regulation that encouraged the inclusion of all genders and gender orientation in sports, women were not accepted or integrated into the sporting world. Sports for women both lacked an initiative and craved a pioneer that could lead females down the court. Ruth Gunden, an alumna, saw this opportunity and used her vision and love of athletics to carry it through. “If it is okay for the men, then why would it not be okay for the women? That was my question,” said Gunden. In 1953, Gunden...
November 22, 2013
Sunday storms bring tragedy to GC alumnus
Sunday afternoon, a storm blew through Illinois that changed Goshen alumnus Mike Zehr’s life – and not for the better. Zehr’s home was destroyed by one of the 16 tornadoes that touched down in Illinois and northwest Indiana over the weekend; the tornado blew through the house as he and his family huddled in the basement. Despite the immense loss his family now faces, Zehr reached out to family and friends on Facebook, thanking them for their support and prayers. “I haven’t had the time to respond to people individually, but do know that I have been feeling your love...
November 3, 2013
First Grandparent’s Day begins annual tradition
The visitors on campus this Friday will be a few years older than the typical prospective student. Goshen College's first "Grandparent’s Day" will be held this Friday and Saturday and will offer activities such as a special chapel service, campus tours, presentations by GC faculty and multiple opportunities to experience a normal day at Goshen College. Rose Shetler, Director of Giving and Operations Manager, is the primary catalyst that headed up this event. As part of her work, Shetler had attended several conferences and workshops in the area, including one in which a faculty member from Taylor University spoke on...
October 13, 2013
Alumni recognized for lives of service
At the close of his speech, Tony Brown, a 1971 Goshen College graduate, led the diverse attendants of Friday’s homecoming convocation in song. It was not the venerable 606 or some other equally challenging hymn, but the simple Sunday school tune “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Though lacking the four-part harmony so characteristic of Goshen College and the larger Mennonite community, the song—with generations of Goshen College students singing together—testified to a rich heritage, recognizing a shared history of place and community. Peter Eash-Scott, director of the alumni board, introduced the awards and the award recipients by...
October 13, 2013
A lasting bond, 65 years strong
During the Homecoming events last weekend, eight people met in the Koinonia room of College Mennonite Church, taking part in a rare opportunity to share their 65th class reunion to reminisce and reflect on how Goshen College has evolved since they turned their tassels in 1948. “It’s changed a lot since 1948, I’ll tell you that,” said Roger Neumann, a chemistry major from Illinois. He went on to explain that while the buildings have grown, the philosophy of both the administration and students is dramatically different. John J. Fisher, an English major from Pennsylvania and Professor Emeritus of English at...
October 10, 2013
A gift for gathering
Goshen College’s class of 1953 presented a picnic table to the student body as part of the homecoming celebration this past weekend. Fred Speckeen, class reunion coordinator, spear-headed the fundraising for the project. The alumni presented the picnic table, which is located at the entrance to the Leaf Raker, as part of their initiative to see outside study locations for students. A second picnic table was given by the class of 2011. Two umbrellas for the tables will be purchased in the spring. Any extra funds will be designated for the Bill Smoker Scholarship. The class of 1953’s reunion project...