technology
November 8, 2012
This winter, geothermal unit heats three buildings
Last spring, Goshen College partnered with Chillit Chillers, a local business that designs and manufactures geothermal monitoring systems, to install an efficient heating and cooling system for Umble Center, the Good Library and parts of the Union Building. Glenn Gilbert, GC sustainability coordinator, said that geothermal, though expensive to install, was a good option for the college. “We have a desire to get away from steam,” said Gilbert, “which is a wonderful [heat] source but is not very efficient.” The project came at this time because several buildings needed heating upgrades anyway. But why should students care about a utility...
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
Goshen Commons makes its Internet debut
GOSHEN – Last Thursday, amidst the small fanfare of one aqua-colored banner, a table of chips and homemade salsa and a gathered crowd of 20, a website went live for the first time. Goshen Commons was officially born, and with it, a whole new way to converse. Goshen Commons is what Duane Stoltzfus, professor of communication, dubs “an experiment in journalism.” Pull up the homepage and you'll find an impressive lineup of community members blogging on a variety of topics and a scrolling column of news and feature stories sharing feel-good stories from the larger community. There are articles about...
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
Through the tunnel: Changes carry campus from old to new
Each year, the beginning chills of fall have beckoned a new first-year class to Goshen's campus. However, for the past three years these classes have only gotten smaller. This year's class of 2016 is comprised of 166 new students from 22 different states and 14 different countries. While there are only four fewer new faces this year compared to last, Goshen's enrollment numbers have been shedding students each consecutive year since 2009. James Townsend, Goshen's new vice president for enrollment, management, and marketing, said it's not just about increasing numbers, but attracting the right kind of students. “There's not...
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...
March 8, 2012
President’s Council affirms iCore Initiative
On Wednesday morning, the President’s Council approved the Goshen College iCore Technology Initiative, providing all incoming first-years with an iPad in conjunction with the new GC core curriculum. “We were hoping to have [the affirmation] by February,” said Ross Peterson-Veatch, associate academic dean and a member of the iCore Initiative task force, “but people raised questions that were valid, and so we had to address them.” Peterson-Veatch said that those concerns were taken into consideration, but the final decision needed to be made yesterday because the academic advising period begins next week. Said Jim Brenneman, Goshen College president, “I’m excited...
February 23, 2012
iPad initiative unveiled
Goshen College students may welcome a new addition to campus next fall, and it won't just be the incoming first-years. Earlier this week, Goshen College announced the proposal of an initiative to provide each incoming first-year student with an iPad. Ross Peterson-Veatch, associate academic dean and director of curriculum for CITL, is one of the minds behind the proposed plan. “The basic proposal is that all incoming first-year first-time students will receive the latest iPad,” said Peterson-Veatch. “This initiative coincides with the launch of our new core curriculum. Professors will teach the new Identity, Culture and Community course, which every...
February 23, 2012
The iPad debate: Student opinions
Student Quotes: I think it is a great idea because technology is the way education is going. The iPad will make things more efficient. It is also a good recruiting tool; the other college my younger brother is looking at is giving freshmen free iPads, so it's kind of a draw. – Nate Manning, senior Buying iPads seems like a waste of valuable resources that could be used otherwise. Goshen is a great school and there are a million reasons for people to come here, but I don't think “for the free iPad” should be one of them. – Erin...
April 7, 2011
Goshen boasts new face on the Web
Visitors to goshen.edu discovered a more colorful, image-oriented Web site last Wednesday, April 30. as Public Relations just launched the redesign of the Goshen College home page. Since last fall, Public Relations has been working with Mindpower, Goshen’s branding agency, to design this new site. The last design of the Goshen site happened in 2009 to incorporate the new Peace by Peace branding. In the latest redesign, Public Relations aimed to include larger photos, more stories of students, condensed navigation and a constant tool bar at the bottom of the pages. “There’s a story we want to tell with the...
April 7, 2011
Incorporating iPads could help tell the GC story
The Public Relations Office is making peace...iPad by iPad. The department is currently exploring how iPads can be incorporated into campus communication and marketing. The office first obtained several iPads last year following Apple's release of the light-weight electronic tablets. This year, four of the latest models are being used by Public Relations and about six in Admissions. Richard Aguirre, director of Public Relations, sees high potential for the use of iPads at Goshen. "Many colleges and universities are already using or exploring the use of iPads. [The iPad] is a beautiful example of outstanding form and function. We are...
March 31, 2011
WiFi upgrade to result in speedier Internet connection on campus
Information Technology Services (I.T.S.) will upgrade the campus-wide WiFi infrastructure, resulting in speedier wireless Internet access on campus. I.T.S. will install the first access points in April, and expect to finish the project this summer. Michael Sherer, the director of I.T.S., said, "Our current infrastructure was inexpensive to deploy, but labor intensive and not designed to handle the load that we were putting on it, so we began to experience hardware flakiness and failure." Over the past few years, wireless networking has shifted from being a useful supplement to being students' preferred network option, said Sherer. Many students own two or...
February 5, 2011
Mac Minis save college energy and money
The new Mac Minis on campus are not only saving Goshen College $8,000 per year, but are also lessening the impact on the environment in several ways. Last summer, ITS installed 379 Mac Minis around campus in a move to increase energy efficiency and to upgrade software. The Mac Minis replaced several older computers that were then sold to community members, donated to charity or disposed at an electronic waste service. “The January electrical bill may be the lowest January bill in almost 20 years,” said Glenn Gilbert, utilities manager. He believes the Mac Minis are an important contributor to...
November 3, 2010
Brende offers link between music and technology
It took almost two years of living with an old-order Anabaptist community in Tennessee for author Eric Brende to find the reality that he was looking for. Brende, author of Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology, visited Goshen College on Sunday, Oct. 31 to speak on how technology has distorted humans’ view of reality and what he has done to make peace with such technology. Sitting at the piano in the Music Center, Brende used musical metaphors to illustrate how important music had been in his development and understanding of life. Early in the event, he took two volunteers...