Living Faith

Goshen College Professor of Bible, Religion and Philosophy Keith Graber Miller’s new book Living Faith: Embracing God’s Callings (Cascadia Publishing House LLC, Dec. 2012) explains why the primary Christian calling is to be a follower of Jesus Christ and what this entails for vocational life. Written from an Anabaptist perspective but relevant for any denominational group, the book is perfect for intergenerational settings and ideal for both group and individual study of vocation. It offers both historical and contemporary insights for discerning passions and pursuing callings.

Boston University Professor of Sociology of Religion Nancy T. Ammerman said, “Graber Miller calls all Christians to discern their passions, to be followers of Christ in vocations that matter. With the charm of a master story-teller, the vision of a teacher, and the insight of a seasoned scholar, he ranges from Mennonite history to today’s urban and professional Mennonite culture in a way that will inform and challenge lay readers and theologians alike.”

Living Faith can be purchased online for $12.95. It is also available in the Goshen College Bookstore.

North American volume in Mennonite Global History series

Goshen College Professor of History Steven M. Nolt and co-author Royden Loewen, professor of history at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, wrote Seeking Places of Peace (Good Books & Pandora Press, Oct. 2012) as the fifth and final volume of the “Mennonite Global History” series sponsored by Mennonite World Conference.

Seeking Places of Peace strives to create a comprehensive history of Mennonites in North America with a focus on people and places. It is one of the first to treat U.S. and Canadian Mennonite history as an integrated whole and explores how various people worked and lived in North America to express their religious devotion. Nolt and Loewen investigate the everyday lives of Mennonite men and women to illustrate their way of life.

The authors are “both masters of the North American story, and they have charted a fresh journey through remarkably diverse experiences,” said John A. Lapp and C. Arnold Snyder, who have overseen the Mennonite Global History series. “They both bring the insights of social history, which means that they focus on people in many geographical environments rather than on institutional development and theological controversy.

Together, they describe their task as writers of this inclusive and sweeping history as “seeking to answer a single question: How did Mennonite men and women live out their distinctive religious calling to follow Christ in North America? The answer is that they did so as ordinary people, in everyday life. In their lives they often aimed for holiness, neatness and orderliness, but the fact is that life is not always neat, it is never sin-less and indeed it is often messy. There have been joys and tears, moments of achievement and times of failure.”

In addition to teaching history, Nolt is an internationally-recognized expert on the Old Order Amish. He is the author or coauthor of nine other books, including The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World (2010), Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (2007), Mennonites, Amish and the American Civil War (2007) and A History of the Amish (2003).

Seeking Places of Peace, a 400-page book, can be purchased online. It is also available in the Goshen College Bookstore.

Pastor and Professor

Retired Goshen College Professor of Bible Don Blosser authored the new book Pastor and Professor: A Public Faith (Wipf and Stock Publishers, Aug. 2012). The book is one pastor’s story of a rich life filled with experiences that tested his faith and demanded growth that was both exhilarating and painful. It is the personal story of moving from faith as right doctrinal belief to faith as a liberating response to a loving God — a God who is always present, continually drawing followers into the future. This dynamic understanding of faith is based on the belief that the kingdom of God is a present reality where followers of Jesus are to be pastoral in spirit while prophetic in living.

Blosser weaves personal experience with public expression of an emerging faith that wrestles candidly with the realities of life and deals with the pastor/professor tension of integrating academic scholarship in the classroom with pastoral proclamation in the pulpit. Pastor and Professor invites the reader to share a journey where faith is often challenged, sometimes doubted, yet lived with enthusiasm as it is shared from the pulpit and in the college classroom. It invites the reader to find fresh insights in the Scriptures, and to live with new hope, to embrace life more fully, and to share more gently one’s own story with others.

Blosser, who received his doctorate from St. Andrews University in Scotland, is an ordained Mennonite minister who pastored congregations in Freeport, Ill. and Akron, Pa. He is the author of Dictionary of the Literature of the Bible (1993), and contributor to Jesus: His Life and Times (1998). He taught at Goshen College from 1979 to 2001.

Pastor and Professor can be purchased online for $22.40. It is also available in the Goshen College Bookstore.

The Classical Theory of Fields: Electromagnetism

Professor Emeritus of Physics Carl Helrich wrote the new graduate text in physics, The Classical Theory of Fields: Electromagnetism (Jan. 2012), published by Springer, a leader in scientific literature. It is based on a class that he taught at Goshen College and gives a thorough and logical exposition of the theory of electromagnetism, enriched with historical details. Some other features include high quality diagrams, end of chapter questions and a separate complete solutions manual.

“The study of classical electromagnetic fields is an adventure. The theory is complete mathematically and we are able to present it as an example of classical Newtonian experimental and mathematical philosophy. There is a set of foundational experiments, on which most of the theory is constructed. And then there is the bold theoretical proposal of a field-field interaction from James Clerk Maxwell,” writes Helrich. “This textbook presents the theory of classical fields as a mathematical structure based solidly on laboratory experiments. The student is introduced to the beauty of classical field theory as a gem of theoretical physics.”

This book can be purchased online for $81.49.

Adoption chapter in interfaith book

Professor of Bible, Religion and Philosophy Keith Graber Miller also recently had a chapter on adoption published in the just-released book Children, Adults, and Shared Responsibilities: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives (Cambridge University Press, Nov. 2012). The book is edited by Marcia J. Bunge and Graber Miller’s chapter in this interfaith book is titled “Orphans and Adoption: Biblical Themes, Christian Initiatives, and Contemporary Ethical Concerns.”

Motivation and critique chapter in art education book

Professor Emeritus of Art Marvin Bartel contributed a chapter on motivation and critique for an anthology on choice-based art education. The book, titled The Learner-Directed Classroom: Developing Creative Thinking Skills Through Art (Teachers College Press, Sept. 2012) is edited by Diane Jaquith and Nan Hathaway.

Intercultural chapter in Christian higher education leadership book

The new book Thriving in Leadership: Strategies for Making a Difference in Christian Higher Education (ACU Press, Aug. 2012), edited by Karen A. Longman, includes contributions by 16 other senior leaders in Christian higher education across North America, including Goshen College Associate Dean for Intercultural Development & Educational Partnerships Rebecca Hernandez. Her chapter is titled “Beyond ‘hospitality’: Moving out of the host-guest metaphor into an intercultural ‘World House.’”

This compilation represents an engaging introduction to leadership approaches and strategies in Christian higher education, designed to strengthen the leaders of today and inspire the leaders of tomorrow.
 

Faith mentoring chapter in spiritual formation for college students book

Campus Pastor Bob Yoder had a chapter published in a recent book titled Building a Culture of Faith: University-Wide Partnerships for Spiritual Formation (Abilene Christian University Press, Aug. 2012). The title of his chapter is “Strengthening a Christian College as a Faith-Mentoring Environment through Knowing-Being-Doing.” The book is a collection of 14 different essays on the influences of various parts of the university on student spiritual formation. Yoder’s chapter shares some of the findings of a two-year study he recently conducted.

Dale Brown Book Award

In 2012, Professor of Bible, Religion and Philosophy Keith Graber Miller received the Dale Brown Book Award for the text he edited titled Prophetic Peacemaking: Selected Writings of J.R. Burkholder (Institute for Mennonite Studies, 2010). The award is given for a new book that is “judged to advance significantly the scholarship in Anabaptist and Pietist studies,” and is given annually by Elizabethtown College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. Burkholder was a long-time religion, ethics and peace studies professor at Goshen College, and a mentor for Graber Miller during and since his seminary studies. Prophetic Peacemaking was chosen from a pool of 25 nominated books this year.

View a video of Graber Miller delivering the Dale Brown Book Award Lecture in October at the Young Center, and Burkholder offering a response.

On Oct. 9, 2012 — the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of Goshen College Professor of Biology James S. Miller — the college’s Campus Minister Bob Yoder (left) led a remembrance gathering at the campus prayer labyrinth, which now features new landscaping and a bench, donated by the Class of 2012 and the Class of 1962, in remembrance of Miller.

Goshen College students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members gathered Tuesday, Oct. 9 and, through fond memories, tears, prayers and singing, commemorated the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of Professor of Biology James S. Miller.

View photos from this event.

A home intruder killed Professor Miller, 58, about 1 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2011, according to the Goshen Police Department. Linda Miller, Professor Miller’s wife, was wounded in the attack and was hospitalized for five days. She said her physical wounds have healed, but she continues to suffer emotionally from the attack and the loss of her husband.

While police continue to investigate the case, and the Indiana State Police Laboratory still is examining evidence taken from the Miller home , family, friends, colleagues and members of the college community gathered twice on Tuesday to remember Professor Miller’s 31 years of service to Goshen College as well as to offer prayers for healing and peace.

During a mid-morning gathering a few steps from what was once Professor Miller’s office in the Science Hall, the Department of Biological Services held a brief ceremony to dedicate a photographic image taken, edited and donated by Dr. Richard Manalis, emeritus professor of biology at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne . The black and white print, titled “Imagined Destination,” depicts a road cutting through a beautiful forest and ending in mist and a patch of sunlight, which suggests journeys taken by Professor Miller before and after his death.

Heartfelt and emotional comments by Manalis, as well as colleagues in the biology and nursing departments, brought tears to the eyes of some of the three dozen family members and friends present for the brief dedication. In a statement released Tuesday, Linda Miller said the past year has been the most difficult one of her life.

“Our family continues to mourn the loss of Jim as husband and father. Jim’s presence, his love, his jokes and his medical knowledge are just a few of the things that we miss. The physical wounds incurred that night have healed, but the emotional ones will take more time. Our children are doing as well as can be expected for grieving children. Life is not easy,” she said.

Jim Miller’s wife Linda (right), receives a hug of support after the college community held a remembrance service on Oct. 9, 2012.

“I continue to trust God every day for strength and for healing. I have experienced God’s peace, power and presence in the midst of this tragedy. God never promised us an easy life, but he did promise to never leave us. Thank you to all those who supported us in various ways this past year,” she added.

On Tuesday afternoon, beneath clear skies, about 150 people met at the campus prayer labyrinth for a remembrance gathering led by Campus Minster Bob Yoder. The labyrinth was chosen as the site of the gathering because it now features new landscaping and a bench, donated by the Class of 2012 and the Class of 1962, in remembrance of Professor Miller.

President Emeritus Victor Stoltzfus read a prayer written by President Brenneman, who was out of state and could not attend the gathering. In the prayer, Brenneman acknowledged Professor Miller’s many contributions as a teacher, colleague, parent, brother, spouse and family member, and called on God’s presence to bring healing to a community that continues to suffer and mourn: “We remember, Jim, today, on the anniversary of his untimely and cruel death. Words still do not adequately express our sorrow, nor silence convey our grief.”

Two Goshen College students then spoke about what Professor Miller meant to them.

Indigo Rey Miller, a senior nursing major from Colorado Springs, Colo., recalled Professor Miller as an academically tough professor with a passion for education manifested through his detailed lectures, long multiple-choice tests, after-hours mentoring and corny jokes.

“Weaving silly humor into our understanding of serious biological processes may have been a questionable move, but it made me rethink why we learned what we did in ‘Anatomy and Physiology’ and ‘Human Pathophysiology.’ He taught us what we needed to be educated nurses, but also how to see the beauty in life’s complexity.

“For nursing students, Dr. Miller was our liaison to the hard sciences. He was the fascinating, challenging and vital window into the science, which drove the medical world,” Indigo Miller said. “I will never forget the dedication Dr. Miller had for his students and relationships. I’d like to thank him for all his has done for me and the Goshen College community.”

Peter Martin, a senior molecular biology/biochemistry major from Goshen, said that he was fortunate to have known Professor Miller: “I just had my first interview with a medical school, and I feel as though Dr. Miller paved the way for both myself and countless others who have pursued graduate education after Goshen College. I am certain that Dr. Miller was a huge reason why I made it to that interview, and why I will also continue to pursue a career in medicine.”

During his junior year, Martin said that he felt isolated from classmates because he had moved off campus. When Professor Miller learned this, he often took time out of his busy schedule to have lunch with Martin to help him keep connected to the college. During a final, hour-long conversation, two days before he was killed, Martin said that he finally understood what made Professor Miller so special.

“He was passionate about his career, but more importantly, he was totally invested in his family and his students. I know that he cared deeply for both his family at home and his Goshen College family,” Martin said. “My hope is that people will remember him for much more than his quick wit, love of jokes and countless data. I hope that people will remember him as being a caring man who conducted himself with a sense of integrity and humility.”

Professor Jim Miller’s family prays during the college’s remembrance service on Oct. 9, 2012: (left to right) his sister Kathy Fenton-Miller, his mother Elizabeth Jeschke, his wife Linda, his son Robert, his daughter Leanne, his daughter Lisa Rose Martin and his grandson Jared Martin.

Goshen College Professor of Music Beverly Lapp drew the 30-minute gathering to a close by leading participants in singing a gentle and consoling hymn — “Lord, Listen to your Children Praying.” Afterward, people lingered in the labyrinth and many greeted and consoled Professor Miller’s family and friends.

James Steven Miller was born Aug. 6, 1953, in Millersburg, Ohio, to Oscar Miller and Elizabeth (Bixel) Miller. He grew up in Berlin, Ohio and graduated in 1971 from Hiland High School, where he was valedictorian. He graduated summa cum laude from Bluffton University in 1975 with a B.S. degree in chemistry. He completed his doctorate degree in physiological chemistry (now known as medical biochemistry) at Ohio State University in 1980.

Professor Miller came to Goshen College to teach in 1980. The Goshen College Board of Directors granted him tenure as associate professor of biology in June 1985. He primarily taught upper-level courses taken by students in health-related tracks.

Professor Miller was known as a serious and dedicated academician and researcher. Family members and colleagues say he loved computers and applied a rigorous scientific approach to much of what he did — from teaching and administering tests to researching ways to ease his chronic back pain and improving his sense of humor.

Professor Miller was an active participant at Clinton Frame Mennonite Church, and before that College Mennonite Church. He is survived by his wife, Linda Miller; two daughters, Lisa Rose (Jeff) Martin, and Leanne Miller, both of Goshen; a son, Robert Miller, Goshen; a grandson, Jared Martin; his mother, Elizabeth (Marlin) Jeschke, Goshen; a sister, Kathy (Willard) Fenton-Miller, Marcellus, Mich.; and a brother, Tom (Crystal) Miller, Portland, Ore. Professor Miller was preceded in death by his father, Oscar Miller.

—Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Marcia Yost, whose Goshen High School choirs have won three state championships and six state runner-up titles, will become the executive director of the Music Center at Goshen College on Oct. 1.

Yost will continue her work as choral director and chair of the music department  at Goshen High even as she assumes leadership of the Music Center, a quarter-time position.

“Since the first time I walked into the Music Center I have been in awe of the facility,” Yost said. “The possibilities are wonderful and to be involved in continuing to bring those possibilities to the community and Goshen College is invigorating and exciting.”

Yost said she remembered on that first encounter sitting in the back of the hall as the college choirs and orchestra rehearsed a piece by Lee Dengler, a  Goshen composer, for the upcoming dedication.

“I was literally moved to tears,” she said. “I was so overcome by the facility and the music and the fact that we had something like this in our little burg.”

>> Read the rest of this article on the Goshen Commons website.

Members of the Goshen College Music Department will combine to perform a mixed faculty recital in Goshen College Music Center’s Rieth Recital Hall on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Performing are Goshen College music professors Debra Brubaker, soprano; Matthew Hill, piano; Scott Hochstetler, baritone; Beverly Lapp, piano; and Solomia Soroka, violin, with adjunct instructors Rebecca Hovan, flute; Roger Lewis, tuba; Christine Larson Seitz, piano; and Rosalyn Troiano, viola.

The varied program will feature works by Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko, J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Henry Purcell and more.

Tickets are $7 adults and $5 seniors/students, and will are available at the door one hour before the concert. GC faculty, staff and students are free with valid ID.

Brubaker

Hill

Hochstetler

Lapp

Soroka

Hovan

Seitz

Troiano

The work of four faculty emeriti from the Goshen College Art Department will be on display in Goshen College Music Center’s Hershberger Art Gallery from Sunday, Sept. 23 to Sunday, Nov. 4. There will be a reception on Sunday, Oct. 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Hershberger Gallery. The exhibit, which features the work of Marvin Bartel, John Blosser, Abner Hershberger and Judy Wenig-Horswell, is free and open to the public.

“20-20 Blindness,” made of stoneware in 2011 by Marvin Bartel.

Bartel will exhibit recent sculptural and functional ceramics. Bartel taught ceramics and art teaching methods at Goshen College from 1970 until his retirement in 2002. He also taught courses in basic design, three-dimensional design, photography, computer drafting and architectural design. Bartel patented energy reduction features used in the gas kiln he uses. It was one of seven kinds of kilns built during a kiln building class he taught in 1975.

Bartel studied art at Bethel College in Kansas, Washburn University and Wichita State University. He holds a master’s and doctorate degree in art education from the University of Kansas.

“Church,” painted in 2012 by John Blosser.

Blosser will exhibit his direct observation paintings. While a professor at Goshen College from 1999 to 2011, Blosser spent the majority of his time as the chair of the art department, during which he led search committees that hired four art faculty members and oversaw the opening of the Hershberger Art Gallery in the Music Center.

Blosser graduated from Goshen College with a bachelor’s degree in 1970. He continued on to Bowling Green State University for a master’s degree and Arizona State University for a master of fine arts degree before teaching at Hesston (Kan.) College for 20 years. In 1999, Blosser returned to Goshen College as a professor, where he taught for 12 years.

“Heritage Fields as Color,” made of acrylics and mixed media in 2008 by Abner Hershberger.

Hershberger will exhibit his acrylics and mixed media works. Hershberger was a professor of art at Goshen College from 1965 to 1999. He received his bachelor’s degree from Goshen College in 1960, a master of arts in teaching degree from Indiana University, Bloomington in 1965 and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1970.

“Sage,” made of bronze in 2012 by Judy Wenig-Horswell.

Wenig-Horswell will exhibit her watercolors, jewelry and sculptures. She taught at Goshen College for 34 years, teaching a wide range of studio and lecture classes in the art and humanities departments until her retirement in 2009. She served briefly as art department chair on two occasions and teamed with music and theater professors to develop the Arts in London course in 1999, which she helped teach for six years.

After graduating from Bowling Green University with a bachelor of fine arts degree, she went on to earn a master’s of fine arts degree in 1970. For several years, Wenig-Horswell taught art at Northridge High School in Middlebury, Ind. In 1973, while at Northridge, she started teaching evening studio classes at Goshen College before teaching full time as a sabbatical replacement for Professor Emeritus of Art Abner Hershberger in 1976.

The Hershberger Art Gallery is located near the north lobby of Goshen College’s Music Center at College Avnue and 12th Street in Goshen. The gallery hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on weekdays, 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays and 2-4 p.m. on Sundays. Hours vary during school vacations, and there are additional gallery hours on concert dates.

New teaching faculty:

James Halteman, a 1966 Goshen College graduate, is a visiting professor of economics in the business department. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees from Penn State University.

Jim Hess is director of the business degree program for non-traditional students. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Manchester College, a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University at Bloomington and is working on his doctorate in leadership at Capella University. Previously, Hess served as dean of business and technology at Richland Community College in Decatur, Ill.

Jeffrey Mayfield is assistant professor of chemistry for the fall semester. He received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University at Bloomington and a PHDC at the University of Notre Dame.

Beth Miller, a 1999 Goshen College graduate, is assistant professor of nursing. She worked nine years as a staff nurse at the Circle of Caring Birthplace at IU Health Goshen and is enrolled in the Master’s of Science in Nursing program at Ball State University.

Leslie Miller is assistant professor of art. She received a bachelor’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University and has extensive experience as a freelance designer and art director at advertising and marketing firms.

Gilberto Perez is associate professor of social work. He graduated from Hesston College and Eastern Mennonite University for his undergraduate degrees and received a Master’s in Social Work degree from Universidad Interamerican de Puerto Rico in 2001.  Perez is a regional pastor for the Indiana/Michigan Mennonite Conference. In 2007, he received the Hispanic/Latino of the Year Award presented by the Indiana Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs.

Kristopher Schmidtis assistant professor of biology. He received degrees from Trinity Western University, the University of British Columbia and his PHDC from Simon Fraser University this year.

Jonathan Schramm is assistant professor of sustainability and environmental education at Goshen College’s Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center. Schramm received a doctorate in ecology and evolution from Rutgers University.

Nayo Ulloa is assistant professor of Spanish with a 1-year assignment. He received a bachelor’s degree from National University and a master’s degree from San Jose State University.

New administrative faculty and staff:

Tammy Anderson is a security officer (formerly employed on campus by an outside security company).

Tyson Baker is events manager in the Office of Conferences and Events. Baker received a bachelor’s degree in media and public communications from Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne and has eight years of work experience from numerous venues, including the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Tabitha Berkey is library services assistant in the Good Library. She graduated from Ivy Tech with a library technical assistant degree.

Alexander Childers is head baseball coach. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Olivet Nazerene University. Childers served as Goshen College’s assistant baseball coach for two years.

Jack DeMaria is custodial supervisor in the Physical Plant. He is a graduate of Liberty College and previously worked at American Senior Communities.

Gwen Gustafson-Zook is minister of worship and church relations coordinator. She has previously served as pastor at Faith Mennonite Church in Goshen and served with Mennonite Central Committee in the United States and Jamaica.

Adela Hufford is document management specialist in the Information Technology Services Office. She is a graduate of Anderson University.

David Kempf, a 2009 Goshen College graduate, is the audiovisual/IT systems specialist in the Information Technology Services Office.

Janie Beck Kreider, a 2008 Goshen College graduate, is an intern for the year at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. She also received a Master of Divinity degree from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

Jameson Lingl, who attended Goshen College in 2005-06, is coordinator of young alumni and phonathon in the Development Office.

Tatiana Markhel is a custodian in the Physical Plant.

Erin Milanese is sciences librarian and instructional technology specialist in the Good Library. She received a bachelor’s degree in history from Bluffton (Ohio) University and a Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University.

Bruce Miller is a security officer (formerly employed on campus by an outside security company).

Jason Pollock is the web designer/developer in the Public Relations Office.

Jeffrey Riehl is a security officer (formerly employed on campus by an outside security company). He received a bachelor’s degree from Bethel (Ind.) College.

Savino Rivera is the multicultural admission coordinator in the Admission Office.

Maria Tice, a 2002 Goshen College graduate, is administrative assistant and volunteer coordinator at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. Previously, she worked as a park naturalist in Hyattsville, Md.

Seth Unruh, a 2009 Goshen College graduate, is desktop architecture specialist in Information Technology Services Office.

Katelyn Yoder, a 2012 Goshen College graduate, is FiveCore Media assistant producer.

Todd Yoder, a 1984 Goshen College graduate, is major gifts officer in the Development Office.

The new adjunct professors this year are: Melissa Chupp in the Art Department; Susan Kauffman teaching Khmer; Roma Osterloo in the Education Department; Sally Schlueter in the Education Department and Kendra Yoder in the Sociology Department.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College has three interns this year: Thomas Hartzell, Janie Beck Kreider and David Stoesz. And the Information Technology Services Office has three interns: Elijah Martens, Marcus Unruh and Daniel Vader.

Marcia Yost.

GOSHEN, Ind. — Marcia Yost, the acclaimed director of choral music at Goshen High School and a longtime local educator, is the new executive director of the Goshen College Music Center, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jim Caskey announced today.

Yost, who will also remain in her role at Goshen High School, assumed her quarter-time appointment at the college on Sept. 1. She will be assisted by Associate Director Deb Kauffman and Brian Mast, performance venue manager and technology director, who has been promoted to the new role of managing director. Yost will replace Brian Wiebe, who has led the Music Center since it opened in 2002. On Oct. 1, Wiebe will become executive director of Horizon Education Alliance, a new organization in Elkhart County working to strengthen local education from birth through career.

“I am delighted that Marcia is sharing her proven leadership gifts with the Music Center this year,” said Caskey, who oversees the Music Center. “Marcia is widely recognized as a creative champion of the arts, and effectively uses music education to bring out excellence from her students at Goshen High School. As we continue our efforts to enrich lives through quality artistic programming and educational opportunities for everyone in our community, we look forward to the new ideas and connections that we can make together.”

Yost said she is delighted to be able to retain her position at Goshen High School while sharing her skills and leadership with Goshen College. “I am just as dedicated to the program at Goshen High School as I have always been, but this is a wonderful opportunity to expand on my desires to serve our community as a music educator and arts advocate,” she said. “To me, this is a perfect match.”

A lifelong Goshen resident, Yost has been music educator for 36 years — from 1976 to 1983 at Fairfield Community School and since fall 1983 at Goshen High School, where she is chair of the Music Department and has been designated as a “master teacher.” Under her guidance, Goshen High School choirs have won three state championships and six state runner-up titles.

A graduate of Goshen High School, Yost has a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Indianapolis and a master’s degree in music education from Western Michigan University. She sang professionally with the Indianapolis Arts Chorale and the Indianapolis Opera Company. She also has been director of music for First Presbyterian Church of Goshen.

As the new executive director, Yost will plan and implement programming, help oversee the Community School of the Arts, including the Music Together program and the youth honors orchestra, help oversee the college’s Performing Arts Series, collaborate with the college’s Music Department and assist with fundraising to increase support for the Music Center.

“I have had opportunity to perform in and be in the audience at the Music Center over the past 10 years. Every time I am at the Music Center, I am overwhelmed by the fact that this incredible facility is right here in Goshen,” she said. “However, there are many in town and the surrounding areas that still do not know about or have not experienced this facility and the incredible culture it brings to Goshen. I have been dedicated to music education my entire life and I am very excited about what the Music Center has to offer to the music education of our community, young and old.”

Department Chair and Professor of Music Beverly Lapp said she believes Yost will enhance the Music Department’s educational mission and build on Wiebe’s “energetic leadership” and his support for community outreach programs. “It is exciting to now have Marcia Yost bring her exceptional skills as a visionary music and community leader to the mission of Goshen College,” Lapp said. “I expect the Music Center to thrive under her ability to connect and motivate people for the cause of music in our community.”

Yost said she shares that hope. “My initial goals are to learn from what has been accomplished in the past 10 years under the leadership of Brian Wiebe. There will be a period of learning followed by a time of talking with many who share in the life of the Music Center to begin visioning what the next years will look like,” Yost said. “Part of the vision will be how we even better communicate the offerings of this facility. Hopefully, together we will envision the Music Center becoming the epicenter for music education in our community and state, and perhaps beyond that if we dream a bit.”

–Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Kristen Kauffman

The Goshen College Community School of the Arts (CSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kristin Kauffman as the new director of the Rejoice children’s choir, a community chorus for area boys and girls in grades 3 through 5.

A soprano, Kauffman has taught private voice lessons to students in the Penn-Harris-Madison and Concord school districts, as well as at Bethany Christian Schools. In August, she began teaching voice lessons to students in the Goshen Community Schools. She was vocal music teacher at Central Noble High School and Central Noble Middle School in Albion, Ind. from 2000 to 2004, where she directed six choirs, provided private voice instruction and taught courses in music theory and musical theater.

Kauffman also serves as a guest song leader for area retreats and conferences, as a flute and vocal soloist and as an adjudicator with the Indiana State School Music Association. She remains active in music at her home congregation of Belmont Mennonite Church, where she directs the Belmont Children’s Choir and serves as congregational song leader. Kauffman is a 1998 graduate of Goshen College with a degree in K-12 music education.

CSA offers two community choirs: Rejoice and Shout for Joy, directed by Sandy Hill, for students in grades 6 to 8. All area youth in grades 3 to 8 may audition for the choirs regardless of singing experience or past participation.

Both choirs rehearse Thursday evenings from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the Goshen College Music Center. Concerts take place in the Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall and elsewhere in the Goshen area. Tuition is $130 for the year with registration through the Community School of the Arts required. Financial aid is available. Visit www.gcmusiccenter.org for more information.

James Townsend

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College President Jim Brenneman has named James Townsend as the college’s new vice president for enrollment management and marketing. Bringing more than 25 years of higher education leadership and experience to the position, Townsend oversees the Admissions Office, Financial Aid Office and the Public Relations Office, and serves on the President’s Council. He began his role in June 2012.

Brenneman said, “We are excited to have James Townsend join our leadership team. He comes with a successful track record in enrollment management and marketing, and brings special energy and expertise in social media and web-based recruitment. The combination of James’ personal rapport, professional skills and spiritual commitment to the Goshen College core values, makes him a great fit for this position.”

Prior to coming to Goshen, Townsend (better known on campus as “JT”) served in leadership roles at LeTourneau University and Abilene Christian University, both located in Texas. He was an admissions counselor, assistant director of admissions and director of enrollment marketing at Abilene Christian University; and he was the freshman year experience instructor, director of admissions and senior director of enrollment services at LeTourneau University. Townsend serves as the chair of the undergraduate council in the North American Coalition of Christian Admission Professionals (NACCAP) and has presented sessions on social media, sustainability in Christian higher education and admissions counseling.

“What an honor it is to become part of such a tradition of academic excellence within a compassionate Christian environment,” said Townsend. “Goshen College is one of the few that truly engages students in exploring what it means to serve others locally and globally, and I look forward to sharing this message with students and parents here in Indiana and around the nation.”

Townsend received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Abilene Christian University in 1989, an M.B.A. in human resources in 2005 from LeTourneau University and is expected to receive an Ed.D. in educational leadership in higher education from Grand Canyon University in 2013. His dissertation research is about servant leadership and conflict management in higher education.

Townsend also serves on the President’s Council with the vice president for academic affairs, vice president for student life, vice president for institutional advancement and vice president for finance. He can be reached at james.townsend@goshen.edu or (574) 535-7368.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Assistant Director of Public Relations Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.