Tabor College Connection Spring 2019

Vol. 73 No. 2

Inside:

Alumni Profiles Winter Sports Round-Up Alumni News

ts n e res ok’ p e Bo g e l l gle o r C ‘Jun o b Ta ique un

From the President

Follow along with Dr. Glanzer’s travels and campus events on Twitter. /presglanzer

For 111 years, Tabor College has been a beacon of light, influencing young men and women to be people who will follow Christ and see their vocation as a way to make God’s world as He wants it to be. Knowledge, faith, character and truth as expressed in Jesus Christ are central to our work.

Alumni, friends, faculty and staff all have a part in enabling the influence of Tabor to be a strong and positive presence in the world.

I am proud of the impact and influence of Tabor College around the world and also in the heavenly realm. I love Tabor and want to see us reach new heights of influence as we carry out our mission.

On March 1, I stood before the employees of Tabor with a heavy heart and deep sadness as I announced actions that we would take to deal with our operations. The corrections and adjustments I announced were intended to place us on a path of fiscal operational health. The Executive Team had spent hours in conversation looking at data and working diligently to examine every decision from a multitude of angles.

We had prayed fervently, sought guidance from the Lord, wept at the thought of implementation, and carefully considered our God-ordained mission as leaders of the college. The finance committee of the board discussed the actions, and the full board approved all of the measures.

This is the simple truth: We need to bring our expenses below our expected revenue. Mission requires margin. Tabor needed to right-size the organization, as well as invest in programs and ventures to boost opportunities to better fulfill our mission. The heaviness I felt was because to be a good steward would require inflicting pain and hurt on people I love, respect and whom God has placed in my care as president.

The grief people are feeling, those directly affected and many of our alumni, is great. I grieve with them. I wish

there was another way. But in the end, we made decisions that we believe are the best for the institution and its future.

I wish I knew if we were getting it right, but only time will answer that question. I can honestly say that my spirit is strong and I am optimistic about Tabor’s future. Creating a budget where expenses are less than revenue, and investing in our future to ensure enrollment growth and increased revenue with sustainability as our key result is painful for us all.

But for Tabor to have a strong and sustaining future, Godhonoring stewardship requires making the tough calls.

Leadership is a learning process. As Tabor goes through this season of change, I continue to learn much about leadership. Some of the things I am learning are: • How decisions are communicated and implemented can always be improved.

• The light of information dispels the darkness of misinformation. However, the facts of a situation do not change the emotive responses.

• Triaging the many voices is important. But in the end, it is the vision, mission and values of the institution that takes priority.

• We have a diverse constituency. I need to learn how to better bring them together.

• Address issues sooner than later. I regret that I did not take action during the past three years to avoid these drastic decisions.

• Communicate the vision clearly. I am learning that repetition and precision are important when describing the vision.

Despite the pain and grief we are experiencing, I believe strongly that the future of Tabor is bright. We are being positioned for a strong and sustainable future. I take comfort in the words of Isaiah 42:16: “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

These words are true for all of us today as we go through this chapter in the history of Tabor College.

President Jules Glanzer 2

Connection Spring 2019 Vol. 73 No. 2 A magazine for Tabor College alumni & friends Editor Don Ratzlaff donr@tabor.edu Contributor Aleen Ratzlaff aleenr@tabor.edu Senior Designer Diane Steiner dianes@tabor.edu Student Designer Chloe Willems Photographer/Webmaster Michael Klaassen michaelwklaassen@tabor.edu Tabor College 400 South Jefferson Hillsboro, Kansas 67063 (620) 947-3121 tabor.edu Tabor College Mission: “Preparing people for a life of learning, work and service for Christ and His kingdom.”

@TaborCollege

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From the President ‘Jungle Book’ Choir in Carnegie Hall Tabor’s Baker Selected for NATS Performing Arts Alumni Profile: Melissa (Jimenez) Bass Alumni Profile: David Wahlstedt Carson Center Hard Decisions, Hopeful Future Reimagined Curriculum Path Sports Roundup Women’s Basketball Blooms Alumni News Tabor Now

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Tabor College presents unique ‘Jungle Book’ Tabor Theater delighted both children and adults with a unique production of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” adapted for the stage by Ethan Koerner and directed by Laurel Koerner.

Evening performances were Feb. 28, March 1 and March 2; with afternoon performances March 2 and March 3 in the Prieb Harder Theater within the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts.

Laurel Koerner said Tabor’s production was unique with the inclusion of puppets and masked actors to tell the familiar story.

“With the students we have right now, we wanted to seize the opportunity to leverage their energy and creativity and their interest in puppetry and mask work,” Koerner said. ”One of the magical things about puppetry is that it allows you to shift scale, similar to what film can do with zooming out and zooming in, so we could play with a giant elephant puppet in the show.”

Koerner’s cast list included 14 student actor-puppeteers with Janna Smith contributing as stage manager. Technical director Ethan Koerner oversaw puppet creation.

“The cast helped build the masks and puppets, so they learned some applied crafts as well,”

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Laurel Koerner said. “It’s special to have a group that was really seeing this thing through, from being part of the rewrites to helping create the masks and puppets themselves, to doing research on animal movement and behavior and all the way through to performing it for an audience.

“After the performance, the puppets were brought back out on stage so people could get a closer look, and try their hand at manipulating them,” Koerner added.

The production ran about an hour and 15 minutes.

“We wanted young people and children to come, we wanted families to know they could bring their kids to the show – which is part of why it’s a short show, and why we did a couple of matinees and a 7 p.m. performance so we could get them home for bedtime.”

Koerner added, “Something really interesting about the show is that it could break assumptions about what puppetry is and what it can do.”

Tabor combined choir shines in Carnegie Hall debut Bradley Vogel, director of choral activities at Tabor College, said he couldn’t have been more pleased with his choir’s Carnegie Hall debut in New York City on Sunday, Feb. 17.

The Tabor Concert Choir, enhanced with the addition of vocal students from Berean Academy and Wellington High School, was accompanied by the New England Symphonic Ensemble.

“It went very well,” Vogel said upon their return. “There were no problems, things went very cleanly, we were well prepared and the orchestra came together as it needed to.”

The choir took the opportunity seriously.

Assisting Vogel were Sara Morris, director of the Berean Singers, and Jessica Coldwell, director of the WHS choir. Both had studied and sang for Vogel while students at Tabor College.

“We had seven hours of rehearsal the two days prior to the concert,” Vogel said. “Then we had another one-hour rehearsal with the orchestra, and an additional hour of rehearsal just myself with the orchestra on Saturday night.

“That kind of preparation time helped bring the three choirs together, as we became cohesive and fine-tuned things,” he added. “By the second rehearsal, it really came together. I was really pleased with how the group matured and became very musically expressive. The feedback I got from them is that they really enjoyed doing it.”

When the choir wasn’t rehearsing, students had free time to attend Broadway shows and operas, all within easy walking distance from their hotel in Times Square. The group also experienced the 9/11 Memorial and the One World Trade Center. Following their performance on Sunday, they loaded buses to take a cruise along the Hudson River showcasing the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline.

“We also had some subway experiences that were fun,” Vogel added.

“I think the whole package was a really neat thing for them to see.”

Vogel said he was impressed with the way the Carnegie Hall staff met the needs of the group.

“I think the word I would use is simply ‘professional’ – the way they treated us and the way they handled how you get on the stage and off the stage. All of that was managed by them.”

Vogel said he was allowed to choose the choir’s performance piece.

“They have a pretty long list of things that are part of their repertoire,” Vogel said. “A number of them I’ve done, and number of them are done a lot. I wanted something different.”

Vogel’s choice was, “Sunrise Mass” by Ola Gjeilo, a young composer who lives in New York City.

“It’s a newer work, it’s a little bit unusual in that it’s not your typical long melodies all the time,” Vogel said. “It’s very sonic. It even has places where one chord is still playing and a different chord comes in. They overlap and create the sense of tension and release throughout. It’s supposed to be ethereal. It has to grow on you as a singer because you don’t hear everything that’s happening.”

As the choir prepared to take the stage on Sunday, they followed their pre-concert tradition.

“Before we give a concert, we get in a circle, we pray and then we sing the chorus, ‘I Love You Lord and I Lift My Voice,’” Vogel said.

“They did that on their own. For me, it was very moving that they maintained the normal focus of what we do, and they took that with them to Carnegie Hall. It was very, very special to see that attitude and sense of ministry within that venue.”

Vogel said he was pleased with the choir’s performance – and so were choir members.

“They were very excited,” he said. “To a person, they had a great, great experience. And musically, the whole thing was good and very pleasing. It just went well.”

Their New York City experience was underwritten with donations exceeding $65,000.

“That’s an impressive figure for no brick-and-mortar,” Vogel said. “It came in to support the program and support the students. It came from choir alums and supporters of Tabor. That support was just as rewarding as the actual performance. The desire on the part of donors was to give the students an experience of a lifetime, and they really did.”

The NYC combined choir reprised its Carnegie Hall performance with a free concert as a “thank you” for the generous support from the Tabor, Berean and Wellington constituencies. The performance began at 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 10, in the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts on the Tabor campus in Hillsboro.

Vogel added “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber to the March 10 concert to give the orchestra an opportunity to perform on its own, and to present an iconic work for the audience. The Richert Auditorium was nearly at capacity that night.

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Tabor’s Baker selected for NATS intern program J. Bradley Baker, assistant professor of music in piano and collaborative piano at Tabor College, was notified Feb. 13 by the executive office of the National Association of Teachers of Singing that he is one of three pianists selected for the prestigious 2019 NATS Intern Program.

“Being selected to be a pianist for the NATS Intern Program is a great honor, and I am humbled to be selected,” Baker said.

“Each year, the program selects three pianists nationally who are early in their career to study with a master teacher who serves as both a professional and musical mentor.”

Baker will be mentored by master teacher J.J. Penna, an internationally renowned pianist on faculty at The Juilliard School.

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“I am thrilled for the opportunity to study with him and bring that knowledge and experience back to share with the students of Tabor College,” Baker said.

The intern program will be June 3-13 at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

Jen Stephenson, music faculty colleague at Tabor, noted, “Many of this program’s interns teach at some of the leading music conservatories in the world, including the Boston Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. We are thrilled to add Tabor College to the list of schools represented in this incredibly prestigious, world-renowned program.”

Tabor announces performing arts leadership The performing arts program at Tabor College is undergoing changes in leadership. Two current faculty are taking on new responsibilities, and two new faculty have been hired to lead the theater program. The changes take effect July 1, 2019.

Greg Zielke will continue as the performing arts director and assume the responsibility of providing leadership for the concert choir and choral ensembles. Zielke earned his bachelor’s degree from Tabor, a master’s degree from Wichita State University and a doctorate from the University of Missouri in Kansas City – all in the field of Music Education.

Zielke led the Grace University Concert Choir from 1991 to 2018. He also has been serving as artistic director and conductor for the prestigious Omaha Symphonic Chorus since the 2001-2002 concert season.

Sheila Litke will be associate performing arts director on a part-time basis, and will provide leadership in managing the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts. Litke achieved her doctorate in piano performance from the University of Kansas. Prior to that, she studied at Guildhall Conservatory of Music & Drama in London, and the Goethe Institute in Germany.

Tabor College President Jules Glanzer said the vision for the arts at Tabor is to expand and be sustainable.

“With a signature facility, we believe we can expand by growing student enrollment, increasing opportunity for student involvement, and providing creativity and variety in our programming,” Glanzer said. “Our hope is that this will bring a needed balance to the student body and help with retention, campus culture and sustainability.

He added, “We think the arts at Tabor should rival athletics as the face of the college. Both co-curricular departments greatly enhance the student experience and are vital to the mission and vision of Tabor.”

Meanwhile, Lauren Carlton will become the new theater program director and assistant professor of theater at Tabor. Carlton completed a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a self-designed minor in opera studies from the University of Alabama in 2014. In 2019, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in theater performance and pedagogy from Texas Tech

University. Over a four-year span, Carlton directed 14 productions, ranging from the university level to children’s theater.

Austin Harleson will be the new technical director in support of the theater department and as assistant professor of theater. He has a bachelor’s degree in Musical Theater from West Texas A&M University and a Master of Fine Arts in Theater Performance and Pedagogy from Texas Tech. As an adjunct instructor, Harelson has taught classes in Theater Arts at West Texas A&M and Texas Tech from 2016 to 2019. He has numerous credits in both theater performance and theater technology.

These performing arts faculty will round out the program leadership team: Jen Stephenson will be Music Department chair, oversee academic music programming and continue as assistant professor of vocal music; Shawn Knopp will continue as director of instrumental music and associate professor of music; J. Bradley Baker will continue as director of applied piano and collaborative piano; and David Martens will continue as director of contemporary Christian music.

Frank Johnson, executive vice president for academics, called performing and visual arts “part of the bedrock of a liberal arts education and experience.”

He added, “We have strategically positioned our programming in such a way that we not only continue, but leverage Tabor’s historic commitment to the arts. I look forward to seeing familiar faces as well as those new to Tabor concerts and productions in the coming days. It is our desire that these events not only are entertaining but enriching, elevating our spirits to a deeper understanding of God’s beauty.”

Rusty Allen, executive vice president for operations, said he is excited for the future of the performing and fine arts at Tabor College.

“We have launched a robust concert series featuring artists from within our institution as well as professionals from all over our region,” Allen said. “We are proud of our black-box theater, state-of-the-art auditorium and art gallery. As our reputation continues to grow, we believe so will enrollment in our arts programs.”

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Vocation is a call to serve God in this world

By Melissa (Jimenez) Bass

I graduated from Tabor College in 2009. I want to share with you a little bit about my journey since graduating. Long story short, I graduated from Tabor with a degree in psychology. Upon returning home to California, I worked as a juvenile welfare investigator in Fresno County while earning my Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology. Later, I earned my PsyD (Doctor of Psychology) while working as a child protection social worker (I still work in child protection)….but that’s not the story….

The story goes…. I clearly remember sitting in a social welfare class taught

by Professor Debbie Gray.

It was called “Troubled Families” or something to that effect. My major, at the time, was Social Welfare.

I remember becoming so frustrated by the complexity of family systems and the varying dynamics that came with working with families that I changed my major to Psychology, diving into the research component of that major with Dr. Brad Mills. I thought I had dodged the bullet of being sucked into a profession that I would have probably disliked.

As I mentioned earlier, my first job upon returning home to California was working as a child welfare investigator (along the lines of child protection). Although I was elated to land my first “real” job as a college graduate, I was eager to earn my higher education and move on out of this field. My idea was to earn a master’s degree in forensic psychology and become a detective in the law enforcement profession and to follow in the footsteps of both of my parents, brother and other relatives.

I had been raised at a police academy for most of my childhood, as my parent was a police instructor for the state and city academies. I was conducting felony car stops and memorizing the ten code by age 12. However, that pursuit was derailed after suffering an illness with a treatment similar to the effects of chemotherapy. I could not attend an academy and undergo the rigorous training required of a law enforcement officer.

With treatment comes significant side effects. With the intent to remain positive, I took these side effects (i.e., drastic weight loss) and competed in a preliminary pageant for Miss California because, hey, I didn’t have to work out or diet, it was all natural. I ended up placing in the Top 10 bracket and won a scholarship.

I then began my doctoral studies as a coping mechanism to my illness.

By having a goal of homework tasks to focus on each day, I forced myself out of bed and completed a goal each day. I believe striving to achieve one small task each day was what kept me alive.

I began working as a social worker with Tulare County Child Welfare Services in California, which is where I have been employed for the past five years. I hesitantly took this job, as I did not want to be in the field of child protection again.

In 2016, I was given the Power 30 Under 30 Award, one of the most 8

prestigious awards in the world, for my research in early childhood trauma and work in the community with foster youth and victims of child sexual exploitation. In 2017, I graduated with my doctoral degree, and within the same week of receiving my diploma my son passed away unexpectedly.

I share this story because I thought my story had ended. But, having been grounded in the Christian faith at Tabor College, I learned to suffer with hope. I realized that I’m still alive because my life has a purpose.

I have learned to celebrate and acknowledge the abilities and strengths God has given me.

During these trials, I recalled reading a book in class my senior year of college called “Courage and Calling.” I recently unpacked that book (it has been boxed away) and reflected on the notes I had taken in that book back in college. It was about a theology of vocation; that our vocation is not something incidental or accidental, and it is our duty to accept and embrace what God has called us to do. Clearly, I had tried to push away and runaway from working in the field of child protection (multiple times!). I even left work one day frustrated at the failing justice system, called in sick, and looked for a new job. The thought of working in child welfare made me cringe.

Having survived several years now in this field, I see how God allowed me to embrace this field as an opportunity instead of a threat, that my vocation represents a call to God to serve him in this world. The capacity to handle suffering and setbacks has been essential in developing my vocation as learning how to live has enabled me to change effectively. God has given me the gift of further developing the field of child welfare.

I have worked in the government sector for several years at different capacities. I keep waiting for change, hoping that laws will be passed to help the children in our community, but it has only gotten worse. I have teamed up with officials from around the valley with the same dream and desire to bring change to our community, outside of the government sector, with a plan to open an organization inside a vacant hospital in Fresno, Calif.

This organization idea intends to end the gap between the separation of church and state with the goal of integrating both the government sector and the faith-based community into one entity with a common purpose of serving our families. In California, we investigate about 380,000 reports a year regarding allegations of child abuse and neglect.

Some 60,000 children are in foster care with 14,000 waiting to be adopted. Unaccounted for are the 122 child deaths that were a direct result of child abuse, 202 child suicides, and 8,094 children in juvenile hall.

Left untreated are the 705 children younger than 13 years of age, who have HIV/AIDS, 203,000 children between the ages of 12-17 suffering from substance abuse issues, and 46.7 percent of children in foster care being confirmed victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

The dream is to reopen a vacant hospital facility as this type of structure provides existing construction such as bedroom style rooms, cafeteria, offices and laundry facilities. Each floor would be a separate and secure service.

My team asks for prayer and guidance as we move forward. As a Tabor College graduate, I am striving to achieve my calling.

Melissa (Jimenez) Bass sent this update to President Jules Glanzer in late January. She graciously agreed to share her journey with the broader Tabor College constituency.

MEI grad program aids Ugandan school effort David Wahlstedt (g’19) was pastor of an Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., when his call to ministry took an unexpected turn toward Uganda.

“The church invited me to visit some work they were doing there,” he said. “It was a medical clinic, and they couldn’t imagine that anybody else would go along to brave the African safari, so to speak. So they sent me.”

The visit opened Wahlstedt’s eyes to the needs and opportunities in impoverished Uganda, particularly among school-age children.

“I discovered that 50 percent of the population of Uganda was under 17, and less than half of those students were in school,” he said. “It was too big of a mass of people for the government to handle.”

That experience led to the formation of a foundation to support an individual child-sponsorship project, with Wahlstedt as co-founder.

“For the next 12 years we added about 400 students through individual sponsorships here In the States,” he said. “We checked in with their families and extended families. Most of them were either orphaned by both parents or by one parent. Typically, they would spend time with their family or move in with an extended family, but those families wouldn’t send them to school.

“Education is actually free in Uganda, but the way government controls it is to limit the number of students who can go,” Wahlstedt said. “They have to have certain school uniforms, certain school shoes, and the ability to buy lunch. Uniforms and lunch were some things most families could handle, but the shoes cost about a month’s wages.”

About that time, Wahlstedt discovered a master’s degree program called Ministry Entrepreneurship & Innovation offered by Tabor College. The program strengthened his vision for starting a non-governmental organization whose sole focus would be to come alongside and partner with the “entrepreneurial educators” living in Uganda.

“What we do is simply provide whatever resources we can to help those educators provide the best possible education they can for those kids,” Wahlstedt said. “We began providing shoes for any child who had the ability to do that. Then we also worked with them to provide fruit seedlings that they would plant on the campus to help supplement the lunches there. We also provided some training in nature care – we’re developing a curriculum for that.”

In keeping with the goal to work alongside entrepreneurial educators, the NGO buys shoes through local entrepreneurs who we have developed and funded the initial start-up costs for each pair, which are handmade and custom-fit for each student.

“We have kind of a double impact,” he added. “We’re working with local entrepreneurs, and we’re working with educators to lift children out of poverty.”

Wahlstedt and his partners, Robert Matovu and Paul Ssesanga, formed an NGO with three prime initiatives, one of which is “Uganda Shoe Trees.” The name is a play on words, for the tree seedlings that students plant on campus, and the wooden foot-shaped device that preserved the shoes’ shape.

“Each kid can get a pair of shoes and two seedlings, one to plant on campus and one to plant at the house,” Wahlstedt said.

His commitment to Uganda Shoe Trees has been intensive.

“My wife and I calculated that over the past 17 years that I’ve been going to Uganda, I have spent two full years of it on the ground in Uganda.

I worked first with the child-sponsorship program and then with five EPC churches planted by my congregations, first in Tennessee and now in Texas.

Wahlstedt typically travels to and from Uganda two to three times a year. Since starting the NGO, he has made five trips in less than 18 months.

“In exchange for what we do – providing connections with our philanthropic individuals and organizations – we only ask that the headmaster or the entrepreneur at the school reserve 10 percent for the student population for those who can’t otherwise afford to attend.”

Having overcome the ruthless eight-year rule of Idi Amin in the 1970s, Uganda has become one of the easiest countries in East Africa to work with, according to Wahlstedt.

“They’ve been very liberal with how they deal with philanthropic non-profits,”

David Wahlstedt, surrounded by smiling Ugandan students, enrolled in Tabor’s Ministry Entrepreneurship and Innovation graduate studies program to help develop a new nongovernmental organization that would provide a bridge between his entrepreneur educators in Uganda and philanthropic individuals in the West. he said. “I’ve been there 17 years and there’s been so much money sent – and yet they are still in poverty. A lot of it has to do with corruption, for sure.”

Wahlstedt has taken what he has gleaned during his extensive time in Uganda, blended it with what he has learned through Tabor’s MEI program, and focused it on giving Ugandan entrepreneurial educators a “handup” instead of a “handout.”

“They love what we’re doing because we’re officially registered as an NGO now,” Wahlstedt said. “We are working both with entrepreneurial educators who are already on the ground, and we are creating brand new entrepreneurs who want to make the shoes for us. We even have people who tan the leather that we buy from local sources.”

Wahlstedt is encouraged by the impact of Ugandan Shoe Trees, and he envisions additional projects to support the NGO. He and his partners would like to build a guest house about 90 minutes from the capital city of Kampala to benefit from eco-tourism, one of Uganda’s main sources of income. The man who developed the Creation and Care curriculum for the school owns a tourism company that specializes in German-speaking tourism.

“The long-term goal of this would be: he comes in, he picks up everybody at the airport, they go out, and at some time during the trip they visit one of our schools,” Wahlstedt said. “They get to see part of what they’re paying for, and he donates part of what he makes toward these things. They can see what we’re doing to preserve the beauty of creation there, but also to help the children out of poverty.

“The biggest blessing from God in this whole process is that my church has embraced a very unique style of ministry,” he said. “They are really good about buying into new ideas. But more than that, I think a number of entrepreneurs in my congregation love the fact that we’re not just giving money to people, we’re actually supporting Ugandans helping themselves.

“I’ve got four congregational members coming with me when I lead my next team in July to help distribute shoes,” he added. “It’s really rewarding to be there to see the faces of the kids when they receive their shoes. Most of these kids have never had a pair of shoes other than plastic flip-flops. To watch them try to put their foot into a proper shoe, it’s like ‘I can do this.’ To see them walk around with a smile as big as a country mile – it’s pretty amazing.”

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Shoulder-tapping is key to Carson Center’s legacy More than a dozen years have passed since the mission-minded Mennonite Brethren Church in Carson, Minn., closed its doors and made a generous contribution to Tabor College following the sale of its meetinghouse.

With the funds, Tabor established the Carson Center for Global Engagement with a vision to emulate the congregation’s vision for reaching people for Jesus, both locally and globally.

“The church had a passion for sending people out who have done significant work in terms of missions,” said Craig Jost, the Center’s new director. Prior to accepting the role, he and wife Fabiana served in Mennonite Brethren mission work starting in 1991.

“As I’ve gotten to know some of the people as director, it’s ‘Oh, you’re talking about the Carson Center and that’s where I’m from,’” he said. “You realize the leaders who had been produced by this church – it’s all about looking outward. Essentially, that’s what we’re trying to do through the Carson Center here, to continue the legacy that was established way back when, and with various endowments with MB Missions.”

Jost describes his role as shoulder-tapping Tabor students and guiding them into mission, service and education.

“It happens with us sending out people for short-term trips that facilitate their learning experience,” he said. “We talk about experiential learning. It’s the in-class emphasis you get every day here at Tabor, but how do you put feet on that? The idea is to get them out and see how that works in the real world.”

A Tabor College team made a short-term exploratory trip in January to Belize, led by Karrie Rathbone, professor of biology. (Courtesy photo by Karrie Rathbone)

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The short-term mission trips usually occur during Tabor’s monthlong Interterm in January. This year, a team went to Belize with Karrie Rathbone, professor of biology.

“Students get to go out and do biology, but also connect with various activities that work for the betterment of some villages,” Jost said. “One of the challenges is to make those experiences profitable, not only for our students, but for the communities you go to serve. Our kids go and get their world reshaped – but they also have an opportunity to enter a community and make a difference for the long term. In the future, I would like to have some long-term relationships that we continue to establish.”

For 2020, Tabor’s Social Work program and the Carson Center are cooperating for a learning experience in Nepal with grassroots organizations addressing social issues in and supporting the abused, exploited and oppressed.

A second experience, called ACTION Tabor, is planned for January in partnership with Multiply, the church-planting ministry to facilitate church planting locally, nationally and globally for Mennonite Brethren in the U.S. and Canada.

“We’re trying to involve academic departments as much as possible – like biology, social work, criminal restorative justice and even what works for mathematics. What does it look like for art students? We may be developing an opportunity for people working with media, graphics and arts, especially video and audio, to work in Egypt to help with some media production there.

“That’s the way we tap shoulders,” Jost said. “You go along with the interests for students – media, service, reconciliation, biology – and give them experience. Sometimes we hit and miss on these programs. But with all these trips, one of the things we’re working on is a good training component at the beginning. You have an orientation and a good experience with a solid debriefing, and integrating the things you’ve learned into future lives.”

Jost said his initial project at Tabor is a three-year term, but having gotten engaged with the program, he and his family are open to a longer term.

“I see mission as the center of who we are as an institution,” he said.

“One thing in the future I’d like to see is a more dynamic activity with bringing international students onto campus and being able to train up leaders worldwide,” he said.

“I know we’re in the middle of Kansas, so it’s not exactly an international hub. We already have a number of international students on campus and I think we could also proactively seek out more students in our own conference throughout the globe, and see it facilitated by creating scholarships for them to come. They would bring some spark and life to campus.

For more information about the Nepal Learning Trip or the ACTION Tabor adventure, contact Craig Jost by email at craigjost@tabor.edu, or call him at 620-947-3121, ext. 1504.

Tabor board: Hard decisions, hopeful future Tabor College has announced changes to help ensure a preferred future. With the shifting patterns of resourcing the college, Tabor is adjusting to right-size the organization, as well as investing in programs and ventures to boost opportunities.

The Tabor College Board of Directors, at their Feb. 22-23 meeting, affirmed several administration recommendations in an effort to right-size the organization financially, as well as investing in programs and opportunities to fulfill Tabor’s mission to prepare people for a life of learning, work and service for Christ and his kingdom.

“Our overall financial position is solid and strong, but for the past two years our expenses exceeded revenue, and we used reserves and borrowed to take care of operations,” said Jules Glanzer, Tabor College president.

“Therefore, we have to take action to secure our future by creating a budget where expenses are less than reasonable revenue, and we are investing in our future to ensure enrollment growth and increased revenue with sustainability as our key result.”

Expense reductions

In order to prevent expenses from exceeding revenue for a third consecutive year, the board approved a series of actions to be taken during the coming months to reduce budget expenses for the 2019-20 fiscal year including a 2 percent expense reduction from current levels, freezing all salaries at current levels, relocating Tabor’s online programs from Wichita to the Hillsboro campus, and reducing payroll by more than $500,000.

“While revenues have continued to grow, expenses have grown even faster,” Glanzer said. “These changes were necessary to bring expenses in line with revenue and lay the foundation for a sustainable future.”

Combining these budget-reduction actions will lead to personnel changes. Those affected by the changes were informed.

Tabor will relocate its online Wichita programs to the Hillsboro campus. All graduate programs will be continued from the Hillsboro

campus. The School of Adult and Graduate Studies will become the School of Graduate Studies and the adult undergraduate programs will be integrated into the School of Professional Studies and School of Liberal Arts Studies. Oversight of online programs will be integrated into Tabor’s academic administration.

Board Chair Susan Koslowsky said, “The Board of Directors supports the decisions the administration made to meet the board’s challenge of budgeting expenses at a lower level than reasonable revenue expectations.

We understand that, although difficult, the changes made were necessary to continue to move the college forward for a preferred and sustainable future.”

Investing for the future

Tabor’s administration is not just focused on cuts.

“It is important that we invest in our future, ensuring enrollment growth and increased revenue,” Glanzer said. “In some ways, the process that we are embarking on is just the beginning of working to create a strong, sustainable and preferred future for Tabor.”

The expense cuts will free enough resources to allow substantial investments to be made in recruiting, retention and fundraising, the source of 95 percent of Tabor’s income. Significant investments include: (1) Launching a Master’s of Education program online; (2) Creating an additional staff position to focus on student success; (3) Restoring a staff position focusing on career services; and (4) Increasing the Advancement staff to broaden the donor base.

“Much time, prayer and energy went into the decisions that were made,” Koslowsky said. “Thoughtful consideration surrounded each recommendation and proposal. The board recognizes, affirms and thanks the faculty for their excellent work in reinventing our curriculum, and values the work done by the administration to uphold a high standard for our students and constituents.”

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Faculty reimagine curriculum Frank Johnson, academic dean at Tabor College, accepted a challenge this fall not so different from the one Lewis and Clark encountered in 1804.

Find the path to a preferred future.

For President Thomas Jefferson, it was mapping the unknown U.S. western territory.

For Tabor President Jules Glanzer, it was reimagining Tabor’s entire academic curriculum to make it distinctive, creative and efficient – and ultimately more attractive for future students.

“It’s fair to say we had not done a comprehensive review of our curriculum in some time,” Johnson said. “As a result, it was evident that there were inefficiencies. We can’t just ask ourselves how we’re doing.

Part of the Higher Learning Commission review process we went through a couple of years ago signaled that we were to continue to work on our assessment processes and initiate a more robust review process.”

The Process

The first faculty session met Oct. 22, but Johnson decided to expand the opportunity for input.

“I shifted from having a task force do this work to the whole faculty, so anybody who felt they had some skin in the game was invited to come,” he said. “I [also] invited the dean of students and the dean of admissions to participate in every meeting.”

The group came back together in early December. Johnson asked Aleen Ratzlaff, current faculty chair, and Laurel Koerner, assistant professor of theater, to run the first meeting of the full faculty, jump-starting the innovation process. Seven special faculty meetings were held over seven weeks,

Dec. 10 through Feb. 8, with two weeks off for Christmas.

“These were multi-hour meetings,” Johnson said. “I would contend that during that time frame, more work was accomplished on curriculum revision than had been done in a similar time frame at Tabor ever before.

Traditionally, this would take a minimum of two years, but we did it in seven weeks.”

The Product

As a result of their work, Tabor has a new 40-hour core curriculum, a decrease from 45 to as many as 60 hours, depending on circumstances.

“This is truly a lean core,” Johnson said. “One of the things I really like about it is that we set enrollment minimums [for the number of students in a class], which we didn’t have before. Another change is our approach to our freshman-level ‘Welcome to Tabor’ class. It has gone from a one-hour to a three-hour class into which we’ve embedded elements from our Wellness Concepts and Personal Finance courses.

“We’ve organized our core into six thematic problem-solving areas,” he added. “We will also focus on a select number of societal problems as a way to frame some of this critical-thinking engagement. Another element of faculty work I’m especially proud of is replacing classes about performing and visual arts with classes in which students do performing and visual arts.

“We continued our freshman-level Bible, Community and Culture and Worldviews in Christian Perspective distinctives course options.

We retained the capstone senior-level distinctive, Christian Faith in Contemporary Culture, while eliminating our sophomore-level faith formation distinctive in favor of developing a new series of courses,” Johnson said. “The new courses, presently labeled as ‘Vocation and Values’ courses, incorporate the personal faith element into the professional context associated with students’ various fields of study.

“These courses will integrate the concepts of calling, vocation and Christian perspective in various fields. For example, science majors will take a class titled ‘Faith, Ethics, Science & Math;’ Business majors will take ‘Faith & Profit;’ Health and Human Performance majors will take ‘The Spirit of Sports’ and so on.”

Johnson said he was especially pleased with new developments such as a complete re-engineering of the pre-med program, leading to a new biomedical sciences major. Additionally, the business program will have a new concentration in entrepreneurship as well as the option for students to participate in DECA, a national competition-based entrepreneurship program.

“Professor Staci Janzen will give leadership to the DECA team,” Johnson said. “She is also proposing that we form our own student-run marketing agency with a Main Street storefront in Hillsboro. This would be co-run by management majors and would perform services for the community while offering real-world experience for the students.”

The Preferred Future

Johnson said if he had to come up with a tagline for the reimagined core and curriculum, it would be, “Real-World Readiness and Kingdom Awareness.”

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“We want students to come to know Christ, or grow in relationship with Christ,” Johnson said. “We want them to hear Christ calling them to a life of work and service and to be prepared by their courses of study for these vocations.”

Johnson said the total hours required for graduation have been reduced from 124 to 120.

“This is yet another example of the efficiencies built into our academic innovation work,” he added. “We are also moving from a four-year to a two-year catalog. Every course must be offered at least every other year, if not annually. This will help transfer students.”

Johnson said Tabor has additional options in the hopper.

“We’ll be partnering in new ways with Student Success to improve the curricular and co-curricular experience,” he said. “That means improved

career services, improved advising and improved student workplace readiness. We’re also redirecting interterm away from a ‘mini-semester’ to a time that allows unique opportunities for students to learn around the world via the Carson Center for Global Engagement or right here on campus.”

“Overall, we’re trying to increase the excellence and relevance of our academic programming and elevate the reputation of our programs,” Johnson said. “In fact, I would like to have at least two or three of our programs considered ‘destination majors’ across the Midwest.”

“I’m so proud of our faculty for the time and energy they invested in this innovation project,” Johnson said. “This is going to help us live out our mission, vision and values in new and exciting ways to the benefit of not only students but also the Kingdom.”

New Curriculum Highlights: • Academic departments will be restructured into three schools: Professional Studies, Liberal Arts Studies and Graduate Studies

INTERTERM: Vocation & Values Distinctive Courses:

• Curriculum has a 40-hour core with 120 hours required to graduate

• Faith, Ethics, Science and Math

• Every major has a three-year track, enabling students to complete their programs in three years, saving them a year of college tuition

• Aesthetics: Art & Faith

• Provides double-major possibilities • Critical thinking on societal issues • Wellness, personal finance and problem-solving • Sciences reconfigured for a pre-med major • Adaptive Ministry Leadership major to complement other majors

• Faith and Profit • The Spirit of Sports • Reading, Writing and Speaking as a Christian • Valuing Connections

• Entrepreneurship track in business • Strengthens Christian worldview teaching

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Winter Sports Round-Up Men’s Basketball

The Tabor men’s basketball team completed its season with a 5-19 record in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and a season record of 7-23 under Coach Micah Ratzlaff. Junior guard Tevin Berry was named to the All-KCAC Honorable Mention team as voted on by the KCAC head coaches. The 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard from Newton (Kan.) averaged 12.7 points per game, which tied him for the team scoring lead. He transferred to Tabor College this season from Butler County Community College.

Women’s Basketball

With a nucleus comprised of five four-year seniors, Coach Shawn Reed’s team went on a 21-game winning streak to claim the KCAC regular-season championship at 22-2, and the post-season KCAC tournament championship for a 28-3 record. The No. 3 seeded Bluejays qualified for the NAIA Div. II National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa, but lost a 56-54 heartbreaker to Corban University in the first round. Morgan Ediger was a unanimous selection to the All-KCAC First Team and Taylor Deniston was named to the All-KCAC Second Team. Seniors Tristen Leiszler and Kristyn Wedel were named to the All-KCAC Honorable Mention team. Coach Reed was named the “Lonnie Kruse KCAC Women’s Coach-of-the-Year.”

Swim Team

Nine Bluejay swimmers qualified for the NAIA National Championship swim meet Feb. 27 to March 2 in Columbus, Ga. For the women, sophomore Madelynn Donohue qualified in the 50- and 100yard freestyle and broke the school record in each event. She also was a member of five Bluejay relays. Mariana Nassuno Alves qualified in the 50 Free and Michal Parris in the 500 Free. Annika Highstrom swam in the 200, 400 and 800 Free relays and the 200 and 400 Medley relays.

For the men, four-time national qualifier Evan Bell competed in the 200 freestyle and four relays. Nicholas Bradley broke the school record in the 100-meter breaststroke at the NAIA Midwest Championships; he swam in the 200 and 400 free relays and the 200 and 400 medley relays. Junior Jacob Rudolph and freshman Jonathan Austin also swam relays for Tabor.

Danny Smith was an alternate for the relays. “This team has been resilient and put a lot of trust in the process,” Coach Nate Duell said.

Cheer Team

The Bluejay cheer team finished third in its first home competition under new head coach Jordyn Lott. The Bluejays executed one of the hardest routines among the three competing teams. “A group stunt not executed earlier in the season cost us some points, but when we got to pyramids, our energy came up and we were able to land those,” Lott said. The change was enough to position Tabor ahead of conference rival Sterling College. Oklahoma Panhandle State University won the competition. Coach Lott said she was proud of the way her team performed for being in front of its home crowd for the first time. Senior Sierra Lyons and sophomore Alyssa Matney served as co-captains for the team.

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Softball

Between unfriendly weather and playing teams from larger schools, Tabor’s defending KCAC championship team started its season with a 3-5 record through March 9. But first-year coach Bryan Howard has a strong core of talented players this spring. “Our veterans should build on what they accomplished last season,” he said. “We are expecting them to lead this team, and our younger players who will be on the field with them.”

Madison Byrd, Tabor’s NAIA All-American pitching standout compiled a 20-9 record in 2018, with an earned-run average of 1.77, plus seven shutouts and three saves on her way to being named KCAC Pitcher of the Year. She also batted .300 with a team-high four home runs and 33 runs batted in. Three additional All-KCAC athletes are returning as well: Hannah Jones, Madison Primrose and Taylor Kathler. Additional returning starters include Dani Calder (first base), Arizona Schraeder (third base) and Brittany Vankonynenburg (right field).

Baseball

Despite frequent early-season weather challenges, the Tabor baseball team has posted an 9-0 record in the KCAC and is off to a 15-3 start for the season under Coach Mark Standiford as the March schedule begins. Senior Nathan Arruda has paced the Bluejay pitching corps with a 4-0 record. He was named KCAC Pitcher of the Week for his performance Feb. 18-24 as voted upon by the KCAC sports information directors. Ben Van Diest was named KCAC Baseball Player-of-the-Week for his performance during the opening week of the baseball season. Van Diest, through five games, went 7-for-16 (.438), including three home runs for a slugging percentage of 1.125. In the Preseason NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the Bluejays received 11 votes.

Track and Field

MEN: The Bluejays traveled to the KCAC Indoor Championships hosted by Northwest Missouri State University in February. The men finished 12th in a tight team competition.

Sprinter Parker Findlay came home with All-KCAC honors in the sprints and hurdles.

Jacob Skinner finished right behind Findlay in the 60-meter hurdles. Drevion Cooper set a personal record of 7.45 seconds in the 60-meter dash. Chris Ruffino took third in pole vault.

In all, six Bluejay men achieved All-KCAC honors. Findlay represented Tabor at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Brookings, S.D., in late February.

WOMEN: The Bluejays placed fourth at the KCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Missouri. Dash Manuz repeated as an All-KCAC athlete, finishing sixth in the 60-meter sprint. Taylor Quiring achieved three All-KCAC honors, finishing fifth in the 800, fifth in the mile and sixth in triple jump. Sarah Bird brought home AllKCAC honors in long jump and the 800. Julie Loewen placed fourth at 1,000 meters, eighth in the mile, and seventh in the 5,000 meters. Emily Kemling earned three AllKCAC honors, placing fifth in the 5,000, sixth in the mile and seventh in the 3,000. All three Bluejay relays earned All-KCAC honors. Quiring and Ajanique Wells qualified for the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Brookings, S.D., in late February.

Golf

From September through February, Coach Mike Jamieson’s golf team competed in five tournaments during the fall season. The spring schedule began Feb. 25-26 with the South Padre Invitational, where the Bluejays finished fourth at the four-team event. Five freshmen comprise the men’s team: Noah Birkeness, Adam Lindstrom, Logan Mathews, Daniel Rempel and Oscar Saldivar. Erin Morrison is the lone female on the team. The spring schedule offers four additional events: three rounds of the KCAC Championships, March 18-19; the Tabor Spring Invitational, March 25-26; the Bethel Invitational April 6-7; and the fourth and fifth rounds of the KCAC Championships April 29-30 to complete the season.

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Sticking with it: Bluejay basketball blooms Recruiting talented athletes who play well together has been the formula for hardwood success when it comes to Tabor College women’s basketball.

For the sixth consecutive season, Coach Shawn Reed’s team qualified for the NAIA DII Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa, thanks to his core group of five committed seniors.

Taylor Deniston, Morgan Ediger, Kristyn Wedel, Tristen Leiszler and Taylor Mires have played together all four years at Tabor.

“It’s really special to have five seniors who have played here all four years,” Reed said. “They have accomplished so much as a group and as individuals. They qualified for their fourth straight national tournament, they won two regular-season KCAC championships and three consecutive KCAC tournament championships. They’ve been to an Elite Eight and a Sweet Sixteen (at nationals). They have had fantastic careers.”

Within Reed’s “Fab Five” are two seniors who have a basketball connection that goes all the way back to their middle-school years.

Morgan Ediger and Taylor Deniston were competitors on good teams during their early years. Ediger played for Cimarron High School while Deniston played for Holcomb High. Their games over four years became a 40-mile rivalry along US-400 Highway in western Kansas.

“We played against each other at state our freshman and sophomore years, and our junior year we played in the sub-state finals,” Ediger said.

Deniston added: “The first two years we (Holcomb) won, and then our junior year we played them at Cimarron and they won. Our senior year, we just played a regular-season game. They won that one, so we’re tied on that.”

Reed kept his eye on both athletes during their high school years, as well as their time playing AAU basketball in the off-season.

“I followed them around the summer before their senior year, so they were on my radar,” Reed said. “I spent a lot of time on the road that summer, and spent a lot of time their senior year driving to western Kansas. Obviously, that was a good investment of my time.”

Indeed it was. By the end of their Tabor career, the dynamic duo contributed to 101 Bluejay victories and only 33 losses over four seasons.

Individually, both players surpassed the 1,000-point barrier. Ediger completed her career with 1,314 points with Deniston not far behind with 1,209.

“To have two players who have scored more than 1,000 points in the same class is really, really rare,” Reed said. “I think it speaks to the individual talent that both of them have, and it speaks to our corporate and team talent. To score a thousand points, you have to be talented, but you also have to have a lot of opportunities. They have played in the postseason a lot, so they get extra games there. The team success has helped their individual achievements, and their individual achievements have helped the team’s success.”

Tabor’s five four-year seniors formed the foundation for this season’s success. Pictured from left: Kristyn Wedel, Taylor Deniston, Morgan Ediger, Taylor Mires and Tristen Leiszler.

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Reed highlighted their similar on-court skills: “They both shoot the 3-point well, they can both drive and get to the rim, they are both excellent free-throw shooters. Both of them have improved defensively during their time here at Tabor, and I think they’ve both grown a lot.”

The two players both affirmed Reed’s leadership as coach.

“Something I like about him, you hear other teams get excited, but we’ve never been that kind of team,” Deniston said. “We could knock off the No. 1 seed and we’d come downstairs all calm and collected. But when Coach Reed comes in, he brings the energy. But he’s always been really calm, whether in terrible situations or good situations.”

Ediger likes how their coach pushes them to improve.

“I’d say he challenges us to be at our best on a daily basis,” she said. “He doesn’t slack off. When we do have success he always says we haven’t really arrived. His attitude is always trying to get better.”

Both players said they value their basketball experience beyond their success on the court.

“I think my whole experience has been good,” Ediger said.

“I spend a lot of time on basketball because that’s what I’m really passionate about, but I’ve been able to form good relationships with teammates. Off the court, that’s probably the highlight—our coaches and how they treat us and help us grow personally.

“Winning championships is great and everything, but if you do it with people you don’t really care about it doesn’t mean quite as much,” she added. “It takes us a lot of time to incorporate everyone who’s new in the system and find that chemistry. But we’ve grown a lot and the team has gotten a lot better.”

Deniston has valued her time at Tabor as well.

“The relationships have been good,” she said. “I’ve been here all four years and have seen a lot of girls come in and out of the program. I can honestly say that with all the seniors we’ve had in the past, when we see them now it’s like nothing has changed. It’s fun to experience something like that.”

Following graduation, both players are interested in being a graduate assistant with a collegiate women’s program. Ediger, a communications major with a minor in coaching, hopes to coach at the college level someday.

“I would love for that to be my career,” she said. “It’s one thing I’m most passionate about.”

Deniston, with a major in sports management and business, is considering being a graduate assistant at a different KCAC school as she works toward her master’s degree.

“After that, maybe I’ll try to work for NBA or NFL organizations,” she said. “Further down the road, I’ve thought about opening my own business of some sort.”

Reed said these two players have a special connection: “I think they understand each other on the court and off the court. They’re both really competitive and they’re fantastic friends. They’re really cut from the same cloth in that regard.

“They know each other’s skills and abilities,” he added.

“You’re pretty blessed if you have one player of that caliber in a class. But to have two 1,000-point scorers in a class is just amazing. But really, the whole senior class is outstanding.”

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A L U M N I

N E W S

Alumni News Marriages Jonathan and Whitney (Allen g’11) Douglas, married in Hillsboro, Kan., on Dec. 21, 2018 Jerrod and Emily (Heizelman g’10) Shafer, married in Buhler, Kan., on June 16, 2018

Allen/Douglas

Heizelman/Shafer

Joshua (g’17) and Grace (McNeil) Davidson, married in Bel Aire, Kan., on June 16, 2018

Births/Adoptions Jack Stirton

Connor Yamazaki

Connect with us ONLINE! Update your info, send us pictures and tell us about your recent honors/ awards online at tabor.edu/alumnifriends.

Click on the Be Connected tab to submit your information!

CODES

g – graduate fs – former student cs – current student f – faculty ff – former faculty st – staff fst – former staff tcw – Tabor College Wichita fm – former missionary fp – former pastor

Kiyoshi and Jennifer (Wall g’01) Yamazaki, Parker, Colo., a boy, Connor, Nov. 20, 2018

Mark and Laura (Ediger g’07) Stirton, Ft. Collins, Colo., a boy, Jack William, Jan. 22, 2019

Deaths Vernice Ratzlaff (fs’58), Hillsboro, Kan., March 18, 2019 Lawrence Brenneman (fst’86), Fort Myers, Flor., March 14, 2019 James Jost (g’70), Colorado Springs, Col., March 13, 2019 Myrna (Eitzen fs’52) Jost, Hillsboro, Kan., March 12, 2019 Mavis (Balzer fs’52) Vix, Hillsboro, Kan., Feb. 25, 2019 Dr. Ernest Wiens (fs’59), Hillsboro, Kan., Feb. 17, 2019 Dale Warkentin (fm/fp), Wichita, Kan., Feb. 15, 2019 Roland Reimer (g’61), Hesston, Kan, Jan. 25, 2019 Mary Ann (Funk fs’79) Wiens, Battle Ground, Wash., Jan. 18, 2019 Ray Classen (fs’72), North Newton, Kan., Jan. 15, 2019 Wilbur Just (g’54), Clearwater, Kan., Dec. 26, 2018 Lula Mae (Neufeld fs’43) Harder, Buhler, Kan., Dec. 11, 2018 Arelie Schmidt (fs’56), Hesston, Kan., Dec. 5, 2018 Leland Bartel (fs’66), Lenexa, Kan., Oct. 22, 2018 Joel Franz (fs’47), Visalia, Cal., Oct. 21, 2018 Melvin Reimer (g’77), Inman, Kan., Sept. 21, 2018 Bennie Faul (g’54), Golden Valley, Minn., May 20, 2018

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Alumni News – 2010s Kayla Vix (g’10) is a Communications Manager for the national office of the League of Women Voters in Washington, D.C. Andrew Wiens (g’11) joined the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce as Vice President of Government Relations on January 2. He will direct the Chamber’s advocacy efforts at the local, state and federal levels. Wiens has been the Chief Policy Officer for Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer since 2017. He has also held other policy positions in the Governor’s office and the Department for Children and Families since 2011. A Kansas native, he is a graduate of Tabor College and Washburn University. He and his family are in the process of relocating to Wichita from Topeka.

Vogel Design LLC, a Wichita-based digital and print design studio operated by David Vogel (g’12), received seven certificates of excellence at the 2018 American Graphic Design Awards in fall. The national competition is sponsored by Graphic Design USA magazine, based in New York City. Roughly 10,000 entries were submitted for evaluation, but only 10 percent received recognition. While at Tabor, Vogel studied design, communications, English and marketing. He began Vogel Design LLC as his full-time occupation in spring 2014.

Matthew J. Wiebe (g’15) joined Smith Haughey Rice & Roegg and will be practicing in its business and real estate practice group in the Holland, MI office. Matthew practices business, securities, and real estate law, including nonprofit and for-profit entity formation and governance. Matthew earned his Bachelor of Arts from Tabor College, majoring in business management and accounting/finance. He also earned a minor in music and was a member of the Concert Choir and the Symphonic Band. Utilizing a joint degree program, Matthew earned a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration from Washburn University in 2018. He served as an editor for Washburn Law’s flagship student publication, the Washburn Law Journal; as the Fellow of the Business and Transactional Law Center; and as a legal intern in the Small Business and Nonprofit Transactional Law Clinic. Prior to joining as an attorney, Matthew had held legal internships at Smith Haughey and at the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.

Kelyn (g’14) and Marissa (Hiett g’15) Vix are living and working in Nepal.

Kaleigh (Troxell g’17) Huxman, McPherson Middle School math teacher, received a Horizon Award from the Kansas State Department of Education. The Kansas Horizon Award recognizes exemplary first-year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding. Huxman is one of just 32 first-year teachers selected statewide for the 2019 Horizon Award. “I am truly honored to receive this award,” Troxell said.

“I could not have done it without the strength that only comes from the Lord, the encouragement from my administration and staff, and the support from my husband and family. I would also like to thank my professors at Tabor and all the teachers who have opened their classrooms to me over the past six years. I became a teacher because I wanted to make an impact on students the way my teachers and coaches did for me. I cherish the opportunities teaching gives me to talk to students and encourage them to be the best versions of themselves.”

Tabor

NOW!

A campaign to ensure a strong, sustainable and preferred future.

Tabor College has been blessed by the generosity of our alumni and friends through the years, and in return we have witnessed thousands of graduates impact our communities and the world as leaders.

Together we have watched our student body grow and as a result, the campus has grown as well.

NOW we are needing your help to ensure a strong, sustainable and preferred future for Tabor College.

We invite your support for Tabor NOW! Your gifts will keep Tabor the college of choice for students seeking a life transforming, academically relevant and decidedly Christian education.

Our challenge: We need $4.6 million between now and June 30, 2020.

With your gifts, we will...

• Raise $1.15 million for the Tabor Fund for 2018-19 • Raise $1.1 million for the Tabor Fund for 2019-20 • Refrain from borrowing by raising $2.0 million for operations • Restore $350,000 to our reserve funds

Will you consider making a gift AND a two year commitment to TaborNOW? We are thankful for the $1.1 million already received or committed. Please join us NOW!

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SAVE THE DATE Come home for Tabor family, friends & fun

HOMECOMING 2019

OCTOBER 18-19

tabor.edu/homecoming

FRIDAY, OCT. 18 • Golf Classic/Dinner & Awards/Theater

SATURDAY, OCT. 19 • Campus Activities • Football Game • Theater • Reunions