Goshen College
Encyclopedia
Goshen College, is a private Mennonite
liberal arts college
in Goshen, Indiana
, USA with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. The college is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
. Goshen College was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute, and is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA
. Goshen College maintains a distinctive Christian Mennonite environment, but admits students regardless of race or religion. U.S. News and World Reports ranks Goshen as a third-tier liberal arts college.
Goshen is known for its Study-Service Term (SST), a program that takes students overseas for three months. Their time is split between studying the nation's language, history and culture, usually in the capital, and performing volunteer service, usually in smaller cities or rural areas of the country. The program was pioneering when it was founded in 1968 before study-abroad programs became widespread. The college also launched a domestic SST in 2010 to immerse students in the Latino culture and community in northern Indiana.
Goshen College is home to the Mennonite Quarterly Review
and the Mennonite Historical Library
, a 68,000 volume library compiling the most comprehensive collection of Anabaptist
material in the United States.
Goshen tends to maintain a fairly steady 55/45 ratio of women to men. Goshen's student percentage of Mennonite students to other affiliations also is approximately 55/45.
Goshen College is the first Mennonite school of higher education in North America to confer a four-year degree. "Old" Mennonites had traditionally been suspicious of higher education, but by the late 19th century, opinion started to change. Decades earlier, US mainline church denominations had started on a spree of founding colleges across America with hopes of developing well- trained clergy for their congregations. As more "Old" Mennonites sent their children to other Christian colleges, they realized that, without a college of their own, many of their youth would leave the church. Thus, prompted in part as a reaction to mainline Christianity, the "Old" Mennonites started the Elkhart Institute in Elkhart, Indiana
in August 1894 to prepare Mennonite youth for college. Because of this vision, even though Goshen today is open to everyone, its historical relationship with the Mennonite Church has had a lasting impact that is still very visible: It is home to the Mennonite Quarterly Review
, Mennonite Historical Library
, Mennonite Church USA Archives
, including Mennonite Central Committee archives, offices of "The Mennonite" and numerous alumni connections with the broader Mennonite Church.
H.A. Mumaw, a practicing physician, first led the small operation. In 1894, a group of 15 "Old" Mennonite ministers and laymen started a corporation that they named the Elkhart Institute association. The first diploma was awarded in 1898. Lured by businessmen to relocate several miles away to Goshen, Indiana
, the Institute moved in September 1903 and added a junior college course list, renaming itself Goshen College. By 1906, the Mennonite Board of Education took control of the college, dissolving the Elkhart Institute Association. A complete college course was established in 1908 and the first Bachelor of Arts degrees were conferred in 1910. The college-prep academy program of Goshen College was discontinued in 1935. However, after 1910, most of Goshen's students were enrolled in college courses. From 1914 to 1919, partly out of response to its constituents, Goshen College attempted a "School of Agriculture," which sought to prepare Mennonite young people to return to their rural communities. The hope was that such a program would spark a technological revolution among some of the farmers. Unfortunately the program was never a success and, after World War I
, the program was cut, five years after it began.
The school was closed during the 1923-1924 school year by the Mennonite Board of Education but reopened the following year. One of many factors in closing the college was denominational tension due to modernist
and fundamentalist Christian theologies of the 1920s and their impact on Mennonite theology at the school. In response to this crisis, many of Goshen's faculty and dozens of students, angry with the Mennonite Board of Education's decision, relocated to Bluffton College
. As part of the larger ongoing reaction against liberalism through the early 20th century, Hesston College
and Eastern Mennonite School
were formed among "Old" Mennonites, although staunch traditionalists realized that no higher education was particularly safe.
When the institution was reopened, it was marked by the new leadership of president S.C. Yoder and dean Harold S. Bender
, a man whose influence upon the "Old" Mennonites was significant for much of the 20th century. Bender carefully piloted the stormy waters of theology by stating that Mennonitism was not liberalism
. Bender later went on to say that fundamentalism
also contributed to problems with theology and created The Anabaptist Vision, a "third way" that sought to spell out the direction for the future Mennonite Church. More than arguing doctrine, Bender and a younger group of intellectuals at Goshen College sought to shape the Mennonite faith that was more ideological than institutional. The goal was to articulate a faith that could stand the test of academic scrutiny in broader society while carefully upholding traditional beliefs of the church. Out of this ideology, Bender started the Mennonite Quarterly Review
. Throughout this time, Goshen remained the epicenter of "Old" Mennonite theology and higher education, and became known as the "Goshen Historical Renaissance".
During the 1940s, Goshen was one of the Mennonite Central Committee's
key places to form a "relief training school" that helped to train volunteers for Civilian Public Service
, an alternative to conscription
. Many Mennonites chose the civilian service alternative because of their beliefs regarding Biblical pacifism and nonresistance.
In 1980, Goshen College was granted care of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center
, a 1150 acres (4.7 km²) nature preserve that now offers Goshen's Master's degree in Environmental Science. In 1993, Harold and Wilma Good, longtime friends of the college, left their estate to Goshen. The estate was estimated at roughly $28 million, the majority in stock of the J.M. Smucker Company. Wilma was a daughter of the company's founder. The college sold the stock and added the funds to its endowment, more than doubling it. The campus experienced a building boom in the later half of the 1990s through the present, with an estimated $30 million in new or renovated structures on campus. This included the addition of the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center, the Music Center, the Connector, and the renovation of all dormitories. The college is currently working on a new campus master plan and strategic plan that will define the college's priorities for the years ahead. Today, more than 20,000 Goshen College alumni have been counted, residing in more than 85 countries. The Goshen campus has flourished from less than 50 acres (202,343 m²) to 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) with 18 major buildings.
and environmental science. Goshen College recently approved a Master of Arts
in Environmental Education and a master's degree in nursing with two tracks: family nurse practitioner and clinical nurse leader.
Goshen College also offers a variety of pre-professional programs:
The academic year is divided into two semester terms, with an additional May term.
. International education is a requirement for all students at Goshen College. Approximately 70-80 percent of students complete the requirement by participating in SST. Students are required to spend one semester abroad in a country or complete an intercultural experience in the US. They study the language and culture for six weeks at a foreign university, then do service for the remaining six weeks. Service may include working at a hospital, nursing home, kindergarten, or missionary service. Goshen College students currently may visit Cambodia
, Nicaragua
, China
, Tanzania
, Peru
, Senegal
, and Egypt
. Previous SST spots include Dominican Republic
, Costa Rica
, Ethiopia
, Germany
, Nicaragua
, Honduras
, Belize
, Cuba
, Haiti
, Poland
, South Korea
, Indonesia
, Mali
, and Ivory Coast. Over 7,000 students and 230 faculty members have journeyed to 23 different countries as part of SST.
and Indiana's Mid-Central College Conference
(MCC), one of the NAIA's most competitive basketball leagues. Because Goshen is part of the NAIA, it is eligible to award athletic scholarship
s. Men's sports include Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, and Track & Field. Women's sports are Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball. The college plans to add women's golf in the 2012-13 academic year.
Intramurals are also an integral part of Goshen's campus. Throughout the year, students participate in Baseball, Soccer, Ping-Pong, Volleyball, Frisbee Football, Badminton, Softball, and Racquetball. Rugball is a popular sport among Goshen students. Introduced to Goshen College by a student in 2001, the game is a combination of rugby, football, and soccer, and has gained popularity on several other campuses.
Campus Activities Council, or CAC, is the primary extracurricular organization on campus that hosts a variety of weekend activities and events. CAC is responsible for "Kick Off," a talent show held at the beginning of each semester. CAC also hosts "Hour After" shows, where talented students on campus perform music, comedy, or dancing for the audience. Goshen has a vibrant extracurricular program, with many students and faculty being involved on campus.
, branded as 91.1FM The Globe. On March 12, 2011, The Globe was named the Best College Station in the Nation, winning first place at the 71st Annual Conference of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) in New York City.
Goshen College Television (GCTV) produces a bi-weekly news show, "The Correspondent", which covers campus and community news. GCTV has also been involved in several larger projects, including the broadcast of the school's annual Festival of Carols on WNIT
. In the summer of 2011, the Goshen College communication department launched FiveCore Media, a video production company aimed at providing services for both on-campus and off-campus clients.
Every year Goshen College publishes the Maple Leaf, the school's yearbook, created, designed and managed by students. The Maple Leaf gives a glimpse of the academic year and provides documentation of the school's history.
In 2006, four students, part of Soluz Films, received a grant from the school's Peace and Justice Journalism program to make a documentary entitled Fuerza, on immigration in the Goshen area.
, Colm Wilkinson
, Chanticleer
, Canadian Brass
, Tokyo String Quartet
, and Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
.
values in regard to operation, justice, and teaching. All faculty members at the school are Christian, with at least eighty percent adhering to Mennonite convictions. The College holds convocations every Monday, and chapels every Friday, with occasional special events, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Students are required to attend fourteen of these services per semester.
Goshen College operates a campus ministries team, headed by the campus pastor. The team includes an assistant campus minister and student leaders who help guide and plan spiritual life on campus for the school year. Activities include managing the network of Goshen's small groups, spiritual friendship, leading campus worship, and planning chapels. Campus worship night is a voluntary praise and reflection time held every Wednesday night. Students also hold a Taizé
prayer service once a month on Sunday nights at 9:00. Because service is an important aspect of Christian faith, volunteerism ties in with spiritual life on campus.
, apartment living, and several small group houses. Outside the original quadrangle, Goshen's current campus has not been the result of a single master plan; rather the campus has evolved eclectically from building to building as the institution grew. Four-year residency was typical until the mid-1970s, when a growing student enrollment prompted school officials to forgo building new dormitories and allow upperclassmen to live off campus. In 2005, Goshen College announced its plan to return to four-year residency. With more students on campus, the school has spent over $10 million building and renovating dorms.
The Roman Gingerich Recreation and Fitness Center is a $7 million facility constructed in 1994 with three full-sized basketball courts, four racquetball courts, a 200 meter indoor track, swimming pool,(for recreational swimming only) hot tub, climbing wall, and weight room. The fitness center is open to all students and staff, and is used by community members as well.
The $24 million Music Center, completed in October 2002, has become regionally renowned for its design and acoustics. The Music Center consists of several main sections: Sauder Concert Hall, Rieth Recital Hall, the Art Gallery, and various classrooms, practice rooms and offices. Several highlights are a central recording studio, MIDI labs, and Opus 41, a 1600-pipe tracker
pipe organ
, the first in the world with tempering based on alumnus Bradley Lehman's research of Johann Sebastian Bach's
notation. The facility was designed by Mathes Brierre Architects (design architects), Schmidt Associates (architects of record), and TALASKE (acoustics and audio consultants).
Goshen College maintains Merry Lea Environmental Center
and a marine lab in Florida.
Other properties maintained by Goshen College include: Brunk's Cabin, a retreat property complete with a lit sledding hill in Cass County, Michigan
, Witmer Woods, a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) arboretum with over 100 native Indiana species, and the adjacent property College Cabin (Reservoir Place), used for special events, along the Elkhart River
and millrace.
that would become the vision of the college. These five values continue to define the college's future. These values were selected by Goshen College's board of directors because they identify the college's understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
Christ-centered: based on , this is the main value with which the college seeks to identify. The remaining four branch from this value.
Passionate learners: Goshen College believes that its faith is supported and sustained by knowledge. As a center of learning, its goals are to educate and renew the minds of its students through a spirit of academic excellence.
Servant leaders: In a world searching for future leaders, Goshen seeks to produce servant leaders, embodied by the example Jesus has shown. By following Christ's example, Goshen seeks to create a culture of joyful service.
Compassionate peacemakers: Goshen College embraces biblical shalom
, the peace that God intends to build for humanity. Goshen seeks to renounce the violent and oppressive powers of this world while living lives that are examples of God's peace.
Global citizens: Goshen College teaches its students to go forth into the world offering their talents and gifts. Goshen seeks to respect the differences of others, while at the same time seeking common ground.
, and prestigious business leaders and musicians have all called Goshen their alma mater. Goshen's motto, "Culture for Service" is evident in many graduates and faculty. Thus, recognition of their contributions to society often supersede recognition of their names. Members of the rock band Lotus
attended Goshen College. Below is a list of several important people who have been associated with the College.
Principals of the Elkhart Institute
to create the Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning (CITL). The purpose of this grant was to research challenges that come with changing demographics in rural towns with small colleges, hopefully putting Goshen College at the forefront of the study. Goshen received this money in part because of its heritage with SST, and priding itself on being a good "global citizen," one of the school's core values. Goshen College's location in Elkhart County is optimal for such a study because of the community's large and rapidly growing Latino population (12.6 percent of the population in 2006). The grant also sought provide a venue for growing and retaining minority (particularly Latino) students. Despite growing minority populations, Indiana's minority enrollment in its colleges and universities has only increased two percent.
It's the dear and glorious parkside, where the Elkhart River flows
Tis a spot we love most dearly, 'Tis a spot we'll cherish long
After youth and strength have faded, and this world has heard our song
Chorus:
Goshen College, Ever Singing
To our motto we'll be true
Honor to our Master bringing
Alma Mater, we love you
Here we learn life's duties doing, in our sacred college halls
Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, answer high, when duty calls'
Though our times may be slender, may our hearts be warm and true
Ever lead us onward, upward, ever shall the strength renew
Chorus:
Goshen College, Ever Singing
To our motto we'll be true
Honor to our Master bringing
Alma Mater, we love you
And the lasting ties of friendship, growing through the hopes and fears
May they ne'er be brung assunder in the distant, coming years
Though our future paths may lead us, to unite humanity
Alma Mater e'er we leave you, loyalty we pledge to thee
Chorus:
Goshen College, Ever Singing
To our motto we'll be true
Honor to our Master bringing
Alma Mater, we love you
From sin, O make me free.
Prepare my life to fill its place
In service, Lord, for thee.
Accept my talents, great or small,
Choose thou the path for me,
Where I shall labor joyously,
In service, Lord, for thee.
Help me to show thy glorious way
That leads in hope to thee,
Till other souls their joy shall find,
In service, Lord, for thee.
Grant me thy grace for ev'ry task
Until thy face I see,
Then ever new shall be that joy
In service, Lord, for thee.
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
in Goshen, Indiana
Goshen, Indiana
Goshen is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the northern...
, USA with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. The college is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities is an organization designed to help primarily Protestant and evangelical Christian institutions of higher education cooperate and communicate with one another...
. Goshen College was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute, and is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA
Mennonite Church USA
The Mennonite Church USA, or MCUSA, is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century...
. Goshen College maintains a distinctive Christian Mennonite environment, but admits students regardless of race or religion. U.S. News and World Reports ranks Goshen as a third-tier liberal arts college.
Goshen is known for its Study-Service Term (SST), a program that takes students overseas for three months. Their time is split between studying the nation's language, history and culture, usually in the capital, and performing volunteer service, usually in smaller cities or rural areas of the country. The program was pioneering when it was founded in 1968 before study-abroad programs became widespread. The college also launched a domestic SST in 2010 to immerse students in the Latino culture and community in northern Indiana.
Goshen College is home to the Mennonite Quarterly Review
Mennonite Quarterly Review
The Mennonite Quarterly Review is an interdisciplinary review journal devoted to Anabaptist and Mennonite history, theology, and contemporary issues. Published continuously since its conception in 1927 by Harold S. Bender and the Mennonite Historical Society, the journal is now a cooperative...
and the Mennonite Historical Library
Mennonite Historical Library
The Mennonite Historical Library is considered the world's most prominent and complete collection of resources and artifacts pertaining to Mennonites and related Anabaptist groups. It is housed in the Harold and Wilma Good Library on the campus of Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana. The specialty...
, a 68,000 volume library compiling the most comprehensive collection of Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
material in the United States.
Goshen tends to maintain a fairly steady 55/45 ratio of women to men. Goshen's student percentage of Mennonite students to other affiliations also is approximately 55/45.
History
The history of Goshen College is intertwined with that of the Mennonite experience in America. Because both histories have been so important to each other, it is necessary to explain Goshen's stories as related to larger American and Mennonite society.Goshen College is the first Mennonite school of higher education in North America to confer a four-year degree. "Old" Mennonites had traditionally been suspicious of higher education, but by the late 19th century, opinion started to change. Decades earlier, US mainline church denominations had started on a spree of founding colleges across America with hopes of developing well- trained clergy for their congregations. As more "Old" Mennonites sent their children to other Christian colleges, they realized that, without a college of their own, many of their youth would leave the church. Thus, prompted in part as a reaction to mainline Christianity, the "Old" Mennonites started the Elkhart Institute in Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
in August 1894 to prepare Mennonite youth for college. Because of this vision, even though Goshen today is open to everyone, its historical relationship with the Mennonite Church has had a lasting impact that is still very visible: It is home to the Mennonite Quarterly Review
Mennonite Quarterly Review
The Mennonite Quarterly Review is an interdisciplinary review journal devoted to Anabaptist and Mennonite history, theology, and contemporary issues. Published continuously since its conception in 1927 by Harold S. Bender and the Mennonite Historical Society, the journal is now a cooperative...
, Mennonite Historical Library
Mennonite Historical Library
The Mennonite Historical Library is considered the world's most prominent and complete collection of resources and artifacts pertaining to Mennonites and related Anabaptist groups. It is housed in the Harold and Wilma Good Library on the campus of Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana. The specialty...
, Mennonite Church USA Archives
Mennonite Church USA Archives
The Mennonite Church USA Archives was founded in 2001 under the denominational merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church...
, including Mennonite Central Committee archives, offices of "The Mennonite" and numerous alumni connections with the broader Mennonite Church.
H.A. Mumaw, a practicing physician, first led the small operation. In 1894, a group of 15 "Old" Mennonite ministers and laymen started a corporation that they named the Elkhart Institute association. The first diploma was awarded in 1898. Lured by businessmen to relocate several miles away to Goshen, Indiana
Goshen, Indiana
Goshen is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the northern...
, the Institute moved in September 1903 and added a junior college course list, renaming itself Goshen College. By 1906, the Mennonite Board of Education took control of the college, dissolving the Elkhart Institute Association. A complete college course was established in 1908 and the first Bachelor of Arts degrees were conferred in 1910. The college-prep academy program of Goshen College was discontinued in 1935. However, after 1910, most of Goshen's students were enrolled in college courses. From 1914 to 1919, partly out of response to its constituents, Goshen College attempted a "School of Agriculture," which sought to prepare Mennonite young people to return to their rural communities. The hope was that such a program would spark a technological revolution among some of the farmers. Unfortunately the program was never a success and, after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the program was cut, five years after it began.
The school was closed during the 1923-1924 school year by the Mennonite Board of Education but reopened the following year. One of many factors in closing the college was denominational tension due to modernist
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
and fundamentalist Christian theologies of the 1920s and their impact on Mennonite theology at the school. In response to this crisis, many of Goshen's faculty and dozens of students, angry with the Mennonite Board of Education's decision, relocated to Bluffton College
Bluffton University
Bluffton University, located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States, is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913...
. As part of the larger ongoing reaction against liberalism through the early 20th century, Hesston College
Hesston College
Hesston College, a two-year college founded in 1909, is located in Hesston, Kansas, United States, north of Wichita. The college has an enrollment of about 450 students who typically come from about 30 states and 30 other countries...
and Eastern Mennonite School
Eastern Mennonite University
Eastern Mennonite University is a private liberal arts university in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, affiliated with one of the historic peace churches, the Mennonite Church USA. Its main campus is on the edge of the small city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, about three miles from state-owned...
were formed among "Old" Mennonites, although staunch traditionalists realized that no higher education was particularly safe.
When the institution was reopened, it was marked by the new leadership of president S.C. Yoder and dean Harold S. Bender
Harold S. Bender
Harold Stauffer Bender was a prominent professor of theology at Goshen College and Goshen Biblical Seminary. His accomplishments include founding both the Mennonite Historical Library and the Mennonite Quarterly Review...
, a man whose influence upon the "Old" Mennonites was significant for much of the 20th century. Bender carefully piloted the stormy waters of theology by stating that Mennonitism was not liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. Bender later went on to say that fundamentalism
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...
also contributed to problems with theology and created The Anabaptist Vision, a "third way" that sought to spell out the direction for the future Mennonite Church. More than arguing doctrine, Bender and a younger group of intellectuals at Goshen College sought to shape the Mennonite faith that was more ideological than institutional. The goal was to articulate a faith that could stand the test of academic scrutiny in broader society while carefully upholding traditional beliefs of the church. Out of this ideology, Bender started the Mennonite Quarterly Review
Mennonite Quarterly Review
The Mennonite Quarterly Review is an interdisciplinary review journal devoted to Anabaptist and Mennonite history, theology, and contemporary issues. Published continuously since its conception in 1927 by Harold S. Bender and the Mennonite Historical Society, the journal is now a cooperative...
. Throughout this time, Goshen remained the epicenter of "Old" Mennonite theology and higher education, and became known as the "Goshen Historical Renaissance".
During the 1940s, Goshen was one of the Mennonite Central Committee's
Mennonite Central Committee
The Mennonite Central Committee is a relief, service, and peace agency representing 15 Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:...
key places to form a "relief training school" that helped to train volunteers for Civilian Public Service
Civilian Public Service
The Civilian Public Service provided conscientious objectors in the United States an alternative to military service during World War II...
, an alternative to conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. Many Mennonites chose the civilian service alternative because of their beliefs regarding Biblical pacifism and nonresistance.
In 1980, Goshen College was granted care of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center
Merry Lea Environmental Center
Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College is located just south of Wolflake at Bear Lake in Noble County, Indiana. Merry Lea is the largest privately held land reserve in the state of Indiana. The center serves as a field laboratory for students at Goshen College who are studying...
, a 1150 acres (4.7 km²) nature preserve that now offers Goshen's Master's degree in Environmental Science. In 1993, Harold and Wilma Good, longtime friends of the college, left their estate to Goshen. The estate was estimated at roughly $28 million, the majority in stock of the J.M. Smucker Company. Wilma was a daughter of the company's founder. The college sold the stock and added the funds to its endowment, more than doubling it. The campus experienced a building boom in the later half of the 1990s through the present, with an estimated $30 million in new or renovated structures on campus. This included the addition of the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center, the Music Center, the Connector, and the renovation of all dormitories. The college is currently working on a new campus master plan and strategic plan that will define the college's priorities for the years ahead. Today, more than 20,000 Goshen College alumni have been counted, residing in more than 85 countries. The Goshen campus has flourished from less than 50 acres (202,343 m²) to 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) with 18 major buildings.
Academics
Goshen College offers 34 majors and 37 minors. Some of the most popular programs are nursing, biology, business, communication, education, American Sign LanguageAmerican Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
and environmental science. Goshen College recently approved a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Environmental Education and a master's degree in nursing with two tracks: family nurse practitioner and clinical nurse leader.
Goshen College also offers a variety of pre-professional programs:
- Pre-Architecture
- Pre-Dentistry
- Pre-Engineering
- Pre-Law
- Pre-Medicine
- Pre-Pharmacy
- Pre-Physical Therapy
- Pre-Seminary
- Pre-Veterinary
The academic year is divided into two semester terms, with an additional May term.
Study-Service Term
Started in 1968, Goshen College's Study Service Term (SST) is a unique program. Goshen was one of the pioneers of colleges in offering programs abroad, due in part to its Mennonite heritage of missions and foreign service, particularly Mennonite Central CommitteeMennonite Central Committee
The Mennonite Central Committee is a relief, service, and peace agency representing 15 Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:...
. International education is a requirement for all students at Goshen College. Approximately 70-80 percent of students complete the requirement by participating in SST. Students are required to spend one semester abroad in a country or complete an intercultural experience in the US. They study the language and culture for six weeks at a foreign university, then do service for the remaining six weeks. Service may include working at a hospital, nursing home, kindergarten, or missionary service. Goshen College students currently may visit Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Previous SST spots include Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, and Ivory Coast. Over 7,000 students and 230 faculty members have journeyed to 23 different countries as part of SST.
Athletics
Goshen maintains a variety of varsity sports. Goshen is a member of the NAIANational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
and Indiana's Mid-Central College Conference
Mid-Central College Conference
The Mid-Central College Conference is an athletic conference composed of NAIA private Christian colleges in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio . The current conference commissioner is J. D...
(MCC), one of the NAIA's most competitive basketball leagues. Because Goshen is part of the NAIA, it is eligible to award athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
s. Men's sports include Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, and Track & Field. Women's sports are Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball. The college plans to add women's golf in the 2012-13 academic year.
Intramurals are also an integral part of Goshen's campus. Throughout the year, students participate in Baseball, Soccer, Ping-Pong, Volleyball, Frisbee Football, Badminton, Softball, and Racquetball. Rugball is a popular sport among Goshen students. Introduced to Goshen College by a student in 2001, the game is a combination of rugby, football, and soccer, and has gained popularity on several other campuses.
Clubs and organizations
Goshen College has no official fraternities or sororities. This is due in part to the college's philosophy of inclusiveness and contributing to a sense of community. Regardless, many different types of clubs and organizations exist to help facilitate campus life. Clubs that play a significant part in campus life include: Black Student Union (BSU), Latino Student Union (LSU), International Student Club (ISC), Advocates, GC Players, American Sign Language Club, Sons of Liberty, Nursing Student Association, Voices and Harmony, Arabic/Middle Eastern Club, Entrepreneurship Club, Midweek Faith, Social Work Action Association (SWAA), Goshen College Pole Cats Disck Golf Club (GCPCDHC), Art Club, Pre-Med Club, Goshen Student Women's Association (GSWA), PAX and Eco-PAX.Campus Activities Council, or CAC, is the primary extracurricular organization on campus that hosts a variety of weekend activities and events. CAC is responsible for "Kick Off," a talent show held at the beginning of each semester. CAC also hosts "Hour After" shows, where talented students on campus perform music, comedy, or dancing for the audience. Goshen has a vibrant extracurricular program, with many students and faculty being involved on campus.
International Students
The International Students Club (ISC) hosts every year the “Coffeehouse”, an event during which international students demonstrate their artistic talents. Students are also given the opportunity, through Global Citizenship, to individually talk about their culture, and have it published by the Goshen College Newspaper.Media
Goshen College has its own school newspaper, The Record and its own radio station, WGCSWGCS
WGCS, branded as 91.1 The Globe is a college radio station based in Goshen, Indiana.It is affiliated with Goshen College. WGCS is licensed as a non-commercial Class A radio station by the FCC. WGCS first began broadcasting a classical music format on October 2, 1958 with limited hours of operation...
, branded as 91.1FM The Globe. On March 12, 2011, The Globe was named the Best College Station in the Nation, winning first place at the 71st Annual Conference of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) in New York City.
Goshen College Television (GCTV) produces a bi-weekly news show, "The Correspondent", which covers campus and community news. GCTV has also been involved in several larger projects, including the broadcast of the school's annual Festival of Carols on WNIT
WNIT
WNIT is the PBS member television station for South Bend, Indiana. Its studios are located in South Bend. WNIT broadcasts on digital channel 35 ....
. In the summer of 2011, the Goshen College communication department launched FiveCore Media, a video production company aimed at providing services for both on-campus and off-campus clients.
Every year Goshen College publishes the Maple Leaf, the school's yearbook, created, designed and managed by students. The Maple Leaf gives a glimpse of the academic year and provides documentation of the school's history.
In 2006, four students, part of Soluz Films, received a grant from the school's Peace and Justice Journalism program to make a documentary entitled Fuerza, on immigration in the Goshen area.
Nickname
Goshen College athletic teams are known as the "Maple Leafs," picked from the city of Goshen being referred to as "The Maple City."Performing arts
Goshen College students have a variety of shows to attend in the Music Center's Sauder Concert Hall or Reith Recital Hall or the Umble Center, Goshen's theater. With the addition of the Music Center to campus, the college has offered a Performing Arts Series of nationally renowned artists from across the country. Previous guests include Nickel CreekNickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
, Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson is an Irish tenor, best known for originating the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and for playing the title role in The Phantom of the Opera .Due to his association with these musicals, he reprised the role of...
, Chanticleer
Chanticleer
- Fiction :*A rooster appearing in fables about Reynard The Fox**The Nun's Priest's Tale, a version of Chanticleer and the Fox told in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales**By metonymy, any rooster**A character in the movie Rock-a-Doodle played by Glen Campbell...
, Canadian Brass
Canadian Brass
The Canadian Brass is a brass quintet founded by Dr. Charles Daellenbach and Gene Watts in 1970. In addition to maintaining a heavy international touring schedule, the Canadian Brass have recorded over 80 CDs and DVDs...
, Tokyo String Quartet
Tokyo String Quartet
The is an international string quartet.The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music. The founding members attended the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where they studied with Professor Hideo Saito. Soon after its formation the Quartet won First Prizes at the Coleman Competition,...
, and Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
.
Spiritual life
Because Goshen is a Christian college, spirituality plays an important part of campus life. Although Goshen maintains that people of different faiths are welcome to the college, the school emphasizes Judeo-ChristianJudeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
values in regard to operation, justice, and teaching. All faculty members at the school are Christian, with at least eighty percent adhering to Mennonite convictions. The College holds convocations every Monday, and chapels every Friday, with occasional special events, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Students are required to attend fourteen of these services per semester.
Goshen College operates a campus ministries team, headed by the campus pastor. The team includes an assistant campus minister and student leaders who help guide and plan spiritual life on campus for the school year. Activities include managing the network of Goshen's small groups, spiritual friendship, leading campus worship, and planning chapels. Campus worship night is a voluntary praise and reflection time held every Wednesday night. Students also hold a Taizé
Taizé
Taizé is the name or part of the name of several places in France and an asteroid:* Taizé Community in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, a monastic order visited by many young people* Taizé, Saône-et-Loire in the Saône-et-Loire département...
prayer service once a month on Sunday nights at 9:00. Because service is an important aspect of Christian faith, volunteerism ties in with spiritual life on campus.
Volunteerism
Every September, Goshen College participates in an activity called Celebrate Service Day (CSD). Students team with professors and administrative faculty and go out into the larger Goshen community for a day of service. First year students go with their colloquium advisers, while other students go with their dormitory floor or small group. Aside from CSD, many students donate their time to work at local kindergartens, elementary schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.Campus facilities
Goshen College has four dormitoriesDormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
, apartment living, and several small group houses. Outside the original quadrangle, Goshen's current campus has not been the result of a single master plan; rather the campus has evolved eclectically from building to building as the institution grew. Four-year residency was typical until the mid-1970s, when a growing student enrollment prompted school officials to forgo building new dormitories and allow upperclassmen to live off campus. In 2005, Goshen College announced its plan to return to four-year residency. With more students on campus, the school has spent over $10 million building and renovating dorms.
The Roman Gingerich Recreation and Fitness Center is a $7 million facility constructed in 1994 with three full-sized basketball courts, four racquetball courts, a 200 meter indoor track, swimming pool,(for recreational swimming only) hot tub, climbing wall, and weight room. The fitness center is open to all students and staff, and is used by community members as well.
The $24 million Music Center, completed in October 2002, has become regionally renowned for its design and acoustics. The Music Center consists of several main sections: Sauder Concert Hall, Rieth Recital Hall, the Art Gallery, and various classrooms, practice rooms and offices. Several highlights are a central recording studio, MIDI labs, and Opus 41, a 1600-pipe tracker
Tracker action
Tracker action is a term used in reference to pipe organs and steam calliopes to indicate a mechanical linkage between keys or pedals pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe of the corresponding note...
pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, the first in the world with tempering based on alumnus Bradley Lehman's research of Johann Sebastian Bach's
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
notation. The facility was designed by Mathes Brierre Architects (design architects), Schmidt Associates (architects of record), and TALASKE (acoustics and audio consultants).
Small Group Housing
Small Group Housing (SGH) is an option for juniors and seniors on Goshen's campus. Started in the 1970s, SGH offers students the opportunity to live in a house arrangement, with common kitchen and living spaces. The purpose of SGH is for students to develop another living experience alternative to dormitory life. This same idea was carried out with the construction of the Apartments. Goshen College maintains that SGH living is a privilege, and students must apply as a group to live in a residence. An application board consisting of resident directors, spiritual life, and physical plant review all potential candidates in the spring for the next school year. Each group must create a housing plan, division of responsibility, show examples of volunteerism, and a commitment to better the Goshen campus, as well as resolve conflict. Other factors considered in the application process include house cumulative GPA, extracurricular involvement, median age of the group, and personal faculty recommendations. Houses are then rewarded to applying groups who exemplify high academic, moral, and volunteer efforts, based on objective and subjective review.Satellite facilities
Merry Lea Environmental Center
Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College is located just south of Wolflake at Bear Lake in Noble County, Indiana. Merry Lea is the largest privately held land reserve in the state of Indiana. The center serves as a field laboratory for students at Goshen College who are studying...
and a marine lab in Florida.
Other properties maintained by Goshen College include: Brunk's Cabin, a retreat property complete with a lit sledding hill in Cass County, Michigan
Cass County, Michigan
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,104. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a total population of 316,663 and is sometimes considered part of Greater Michiana...
, Witmer Woods, a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) arboretum with over 100 native Indiana species, and the adjacent property College Cabin (Reservoir Place), used for special events, along the Elkhart River
Elkhart River
The Elkhart River is a tributary of the St. Joseph River in northern Indiana in the United States. It is almost entirely contained in Elkhart County. It begins southeast of Millersburg just across the county line in Noble County. It flows generally westward through Benton and then turns...
and millrace.
Core values
In 2002 the college approved five core valuesIdeal (ethics)
An ideal is a principle or value that one actively pursues as a goal. Ideals are particularly important in ethics, as the order in which one places them tends to determine the degree to which one reveals them as real and sincere. It is the application, in ethics, of a universal...
that would become the vision of the college. These five values continue to define the college's future. These values were selected by Goshen College's board of directors because they identify the college's understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
Christ-centered: based on , this is the main value with which the college seeks to identify. The remaining four branch from this value.
Passionate learners: Goshen College believes that its faith is supported and sustained by knowledge. As a center of learning, its goals are to educate and renew the minds of its students through a spirit of academic excellence.
Servant leaders: In a world searching for future leaders, Goshen seeks to produce servant leaders, embodied by the example Jesus has shown. By following Christ's example, Goshen seeks to create a culture of joyful service.
Compassionate peacemakers: Goshen College embraces biblical shalom
Shalom
Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness, and welfare and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye...
, the peace that God intends to build for humanity. Goshen seeks to renounce the violent and oppressive powers of this world while living lives that are examples of God's peace.
Global citizens: Goshen College teaches its students to go forth into the world offering their talents and gifts. Goshen seeks to respect the differences of others, while at the same time seeking common ground.
Notable People Associated with Goshen College
A number of famous people have either taught or attended Goshen Gollege throughout the years. Co-founder of Oregon's Bach Music Festival, numerous academics, award winning authors, the developer of the seedless watermelonWatermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
, and prestigious business leaders and musicians have all called Goshen their alma mater. Goshen's motto, "Culture for Service" is evident in many graduates and faculty. Thus, recognition of their contributions to society often supersede recognition of their names. Members of the rock band Lotus
Lotus (rock band)
Lotus is an instrumental electronic jam band formed in Indiana in 1999 now based in Philadelphia, PA and Denver, CO.-History:Formed at Goshen College in Indiana in 1999, and after a few years of playing what they describe as "funk/jam music", Lotus recruited percussionist Chuck Morris in 2001 and...
attended Goshen College. Below is a list of several important people who have been associated with the College.
Past Presidents
- John D. Yordy (Interim President), 2004–06
- Shirley H. Showalter, 1997–2004
- Henry D. Weaver, (Interim President), 1996
- Victor S. Stoltzfus, 1984–96
- J. Lawrence Burkholder, 1971–84
- Paul E. Mininger, 1954–70
- Carl Kreider (Acting President), 1950–51, 1970–71
- Ernest E. Miller, 1940–54
- Sanford C. YoderSanford Calvin YoderSanford Calvin Yoder , S.T.D., D.D., was a Mennonite pastor, biblical scholar, moderator of the Mennonite General Conference from 1919-1921, and president of Goshen College from 1923-1940...
, 1923–40 - Daniel Kauffman, 1922–23
- Irvin R. Detweiler (Acting President), 1920–22
- Henry Frank Reist, 1919–20
- George J. Lapp, 1918–19
- John E. Hartzler, 1913–18
- Noah E. Byers, 1901–13
Principals of the Elkhart Institute
- Noah E. Byers, 1898–1903
- Willis E. Tower, 1895–98
- Rev. F.A. Hosmer, 1894-95
Notable Alumni
- Roger N. Beachy (1966) - Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
- Douglas Swartzendruber (1978) - Medical Director of the Goshen Center for Cancer Care and named to the TIME Magazine's 2010 list of the 100 most influential people in the world
- David P. Bartel (1982) - professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Raj Biyani (1992) - general manager of the Product Group Strategic Initiatives team at Microsoft
- Dana Graber Ladek (1997) - Iraq Displacement Specialist for the International Organization for Migration
- James C. Strouse (1999) - screenwriter and director
Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning
On October 25, 2006, Goshen College announced that it was the recipient of a $12.5 million Lilly grantLilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
to create the Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning (CITL). The purpose of this grant was to research challenges that come with changing demographics in rural towns with small colleges, hopefully putting Goshen College at the forefront of the study. Goshen received this money in part because of its heritage with SST, and priding itself on being a good "global citizen," one of the school's core values. Goshen College's location in Elkhart County is optimal for such a study because of the community's large and rapidly growing Latino population (12.6 percent of the population in 2006). The grant also sought provide a venue for growing and retaining minority (particularly Latino) students. Despite growing minority populations, Indiana's minority enrollment in its colleges and universities has only increased two percent.
Traditions
- Goshen's motto, "Culture for Service," was coined by president Noah E. Byers in 1903.
- Goshen's school colors, purple and white, were modeled after Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, where President Byers attended and after which he wanted to model Goshen.
- One of the college's many traditions is "sampling" sap from the city of Goshen's official Maple Tree, located on campus, and "testing" how many more weeks of winter there will be. Professors from the science department bring out their equipment with much fanfare to determine the official length of winter. In 2006, the maple tree was removed because of disease rotting the hardwood and was replaced by a new tree, now the official maple tree of Goshen. In 2007, new president Jim Brenneman replaced this tradition (which probably resulted in the early death of the maple) with "Weather or Not Day"; a day celebrating Northern Indiana's fickle weather.
- Early (1925) advertisements for the college were refreshingly direct. One said “Goshen [is] not the best college in the United States. But it is better than the rest for Mennonite young people.”
College seal
Goshen College seal signifies the book that all alumni have signed since graduation, and the lamp signifies the enlightenment that comes with education. As a Christian school, the book also signifies the importance of word, as well as God's call for his people to be "light to the world."Alma Mater
There's a spot in Indiana, where the leafy Maple growsIt's the dear and glorious parkside, where the Elkhart River flows
Tis a spot we love most dearly, 'Tis a spot we'll cherish long
After youth and strength have faded, and this world has heard our song
Chorus:
Goshen College, Ever Singing
To our motto we'll be true
Honor to our Master bringing
Alma Mater, we love you
Here we learn life's duties doing, in our sacred college halls
Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, answer high, when duty calls'
Though our times may be slender, may our hearts be warm and true
Ever lead us onward, upward, ever shall the strength renew
Chorus:
Goshen College, Ever Singing
To our motto we'll be true
Honor to our Master bringing
Alma Mater, we love you
And the lasting ties of friendship, growing through the hopes and fears
May they ne'er be brung assunder in the distant, coming years
Though our future paths may lead us, to unite humanity
Alma Mater e'er we leave you, loyalty we pledge to thee
Chorus:
Goshen College, Ever Singing
To our motto we'll be true
Honor to our Master bringing
Alma Mater, we love you
College hymn
Teach me thy truth, O mighty One,From sin, O make me free.
Prepare my life to fill its place
In service, Lord, for thee.
Accept my talents, great or small,
Choose thou the path for me,
Where I shall labor joyously,
In service, Lord, for thee.
Help me to show thy glorious way
That leads in hope to thee,
Till other souls their joy shall find,
In service, Lord, for thee.
Grant me thy grace for ev'ry task
Until thy face I see,
Then ever new shall be that joy
In service, Lord, for thee.