A historian whose latest book traces the origins and development of the Anabaptist and Mennonite movements from their beginnings in Europe through their spread across the globe will present at EMU’s annual Albert N. Keim Lecture Series this week.

Troy Osborne is dean and associate professor of history and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where he teaches courses on the Reformation and Mennonite history.

His lecture, titled “Beyond Radicals, Reformers & Martyrs: The Possibilities and Perils of a Usable Past,” will be held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in Suter Science Center 106. The lecture is free to attend and open to the public. It will be livestreamed on the EMU YouTube page.

A reception at 4:30 p.m. in the upper level of the Suter Science Center will precede the lecture.

Mark Metzler Sawin, professor of history at EMU and director of its history and political science program, grew up with Osborne in Hesston, Kansas, and remarked on his dry wit. “Troy is a funny guy, and that sense of humor will certainly come through in his lecture,” he said. “He is a much-loved lecturer at Conrad Grebel.”

Osborne is the author of Radicals & Reformers: A Survey of Global Anabaptist History (Herald Press, 2024), which serves as a “new authoritative introduction to Anabaptist history,” according to a description from the publisher, and reflects on the ways that Anabaptists have defined their identity in new settings and in response to new theological, intellectual, geographic, and political contexts. The text provides an overview of how Mennonites “from Zurich to Zimbabwe” have adapted to or resisted the world around them.

“We haven’t had this sort of major book on Mennonite or Anabaptist history in probably 30 years,” Sawin said. “This has become the new Anabaptist history text.”

“The Anabaptist community is very much a global community, and histories before were really just focused on European and American Mennonites,” Sawin added. “Troy’s book does a great job of addressing the global Anabaptist history, providing a much more accurate view of the worldwide scope of Anabaptism.”

Osborne has a PhD from the University of Minnesota and degrees from Goshen College and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. His articles have appeared in Mennonite Quarterly Review, Archive for Reformation History, and Church History and Religious Culture. He and his wife Emma have two daughters. He is a member of Waterloo North Mennonite Church. 

In addition to the history lecture, Osborne will share his perspective on what can be learned from the Anabaptist story during Campus Worship at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in Martin Chapel (Seminary Building). 

More on the Keim Lecture Series

The annual Keim Lecture Series is presented by the EMU history and political science program. It honors the memory of Professor Albert N. Keim, who taught as a history professor at EMU for 35 years and served as the academic dean from 1977 to 1984. The inaugural lecture in 2013 featured leading historian Peter N. Stearns of George Mason University. 

Learn more about past presenters below:

• 2025: Public historian and bestselling author Elizabeth Catte presented on “Pure America: Eugenics and the Making of Modern Virginia.”
• 2024: Kristina Hook, State Department policy advisor for mass atrocity prevention, presented on “Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine: Atrocity Crimes, Accountability, and Pursuing a Just Peace.” 
• 2023: Clayton Koppes, professor emeritus of Oberlin College, presented on “Sex, Drugs and Human Rights: The Contested History of HIV/AIDS in the U.S.” 
• 2022: Professor Kimberly Schmidt presented on“Marketing Mennonites, Posing Cheyennes: Photography, Gender, and Indigenous Agency on the Mission Field (1880-1920).”
• 2021: Historian, author, and investigative reporter Rick Shenkman, founder of History News Network, spoke on “Why is Democracy so @#$&! Hard?” 
• 2020: Professor Ernesto Verdeja, of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, was the speaker. 
• 2019: Federal public defender, immigrant rights attorney, and playwright Kara Hartzler ’94 spoke on “Borders, Jails, and Long Drives in the Desert: 25 Years of Immigration Law in the Southwest.”
• 2017: Dongping Han, professor at Warren-Wilson College and a native of rural China, addressed “The Cultural Revolution: A Reinterpretation from Today’s China.”
• 2016: Artist/activist provided a lecture titled “Performing Statistics: Connecting incarcerated youth, artists, and leading policy experts to challenge Virginia’s juvenile justice system.”
• 2015: , political scientist in the University of Kansas’s School of Public Affairs and Administration, presented “The Police and Racial Discrimination in America.”
• 2014: , a pastor, activist and history professor who helped EMC professors initiate social change in Harrisonburg during the early 1960s, presented “Is America Possible?”

It was a hard time to be a pacifist during World War I.

When the U.S. officially entered the war in 1917, American Mennonites and other Anabaptists largely held fast to the pacifistic stance of nonresistance. Young Mennonite men were conscripted into military training camps upon the government’s promise they wouldn’t be coerced into service against their conscience. Some accepted noncombatant roles and served in medical or supply and support services, while others were allowed to work on farm furloughs or went to Europe to serve with the Friends Reconstruction Unit, said Dr. Andrew Suderman, associate professor in theology, peace, and mission at EMU. 

“The War Department, however, in fact, intended to persuade as many pacifists as possible to join the war crusade,” he said.

A number of conscientious objectors (COs) were court-martialed and sent to prison, he said, with some COs used as test subjects during the war. These tests included “positional resiliency”—forcing COs to maintain uncomfortable or strenuous positions for extended periods, often under harsh conditions—as well as nutritional limits and needs. “In other words,” Suderman said, “how few calories does a human actually need to live?”

“Due to this conflict … some European Mennonites saw the need for Mennonites from different nations to come together and wrestle with what it means to be a community of faith that spans different nationalities, including the nationalities that were in conflict with each other,” he said. “This led in June of 1925 to the first gathering of the Mennonite World Conference, which also commemorated the 400-year anniversary of the Anabaptist movement.”

The professor, who serves as director of global partnerships at Mennonite Mission Network and as the secretary of Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission, delivered the fifth and final installment in the “Anabaptism 1525/2025: Five Centuries, Five Lectures” series on Thursday evening in Martin Chapel. He spoke about the history of Anabaptism in the 20th century and explored how the faith movement, which began in Europe and largely remained in the North Atlantic region during its first four centuries, has become a truly global phenomenon.

Today, there are over 2 million Christians in the world who identify as Anabaptists, he said, including 72% of whom live in the Global South or “Majority World.” Suderman shared his own experiences of witnessing the Mennonite presence and influence in Colombia and South Africa.

The lecture series was sponsored by the Shenandoah Mennonite Historians, planned by Caleb Schrock-Hurst ’18, MA ’22, and Elwood Yoder ’81, and partially funded by the Kennel-Charles Lecture Series at Eastern Mennonite School (EMS). It featured five speakers who traced the journey of the Anabaptist movement throughout the five centuries. Starting on Thursday, Jan. 30 (), Dr. John D. Roth, project director of MennoMedia’s Anabaptism at 500 , highlighted the emergence of Anabaptism in the 1500s. On Feb. 6 (), Dr. Mary Sprunger, professor of history at EMU, spoke about how Anabaptists were already in places and positions of wealth and privilege by the 1600s. On Feb. 13 (), longtime EMS teacher Yoder shared how Anabaptists in the 1700s were pressured because of their faith and how it challenged some of the social norms. On Feb. 20 (), Schrock-Hurst, a member of the Virginia Mennonite Conference, highlighted the ways Mennonites were affected by and leaned into modernization during the 1800s. This lecture series was a grassroots collaboration by historians, theologians, and church leaders to mark the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism.

In his lecture, Suderman spoke about the dangers of continuing to only deconstruct the Anabaptist narrative without considering what is being constructed. In a message to EMU News, he clarified that “there are things that need to be deconstructed. But many around the world also find the Anabaptist story and identity as life-giving.”

“Because of our growing distance from life-and-death struggles, perhaps largely because of our general affluence when compared to the rest of the world, Anabaptism too easily becomes a concept that we can debate rather than an embodied way of life,” he said during the lecture. “Our global companions, however, experience Anabaptism as a life-giving, emancipatory way of being in the world.”

Watch his lecture on YouTube .

The Shenandoah Mennonite Historians have promoted the study, interest, and awareness of Mennonite history since 1993. They conduct tours, hold an annual meeting, and produce a quarterly journal called Shenandoah Mennonite Historian. The Historian officers who endorsed this lecture series are Jim Hershberger, Chair; EMU Professor Emeritus of History, Gerald Brunk; Jim Rush; Gary Smucker; Norman Wenger; and Elwood Yoder.

Learn more here:

Johnson shared insights from her research on kidney disease using zebrafish at Notre Dame this past summer as well as her personal journey of falling in love with research. After an EMU professor asked her to present research from an EMU organic chemistry lab at UVA’s Chemical Society meeting, Johnson realized that she loved sharing her work with others. 

Johnson adheres to the personal motto “just keep swimming” from the movie Finding Nemo to guide her career choices. Her professors also highly influenced her journey into research through their constant encouragement and by providing opportunities including a trip to Australia to research fruit flies. “They have taught me to dream big and go for things I never would have expected myself to do,” she said.

Between nursing school and finishing her debut novel “Heartache on the Play Stage,” Mellinger was used to putting herself last. After a series of hardships while trying to become a licensed nurse post-graduation, she shared her realization of needing to prioritize herself.

“Trying to pour from an empty cup isn’t going to work,” she cautioned, detailing the ways in which she has begun to practice self-care, from sleep hygiene to exercise to choosing more nutritious foods. “Self care is not optional. It is essential for a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

Mark Sawin is a name known to many on campus, but his work is not limited to the classroom. Sawin spoke about his recent research and efforts to preserve Mrs. Isa Mae (Banks) Francis’ Green Book house where traveling Black folks stayed when hotels turned them away. Listed in the Green Book from 1953-1961, the house sits at 252 N. Mason Street. It is the last remaining Green Book house in Harrisonburg and was kept in its original state by siblings Henry and Lois Rouser, descendants of Mrs. Isa Mae (Banks) Francis.

William Reed, father of EMU’s own Mayor Deanna Reed, inherited the property from Lois Rouser in 2022. The Reeds called in experts, including Sawin, with the hope of further honoring the house’s legacy. Sawin has been researching the property and the family’s history because he says “being a historian is honoring people by telling their story.”

“They were extraordinary people,” Berry recalled. “They played such an important role in helping to shape the course of my life.”

Because of his church family at Newtown Gospel Chapel, Berry joined the Mennonite community and chose to attend EMU. He became an educator and later a lawyer, inspiring and defending countless others over a 53-year career.

Berry has been selected by EMU’s Alumni Association and its Awards and Nominations Committee as the winner of the 2024 Distinguished Service Award, which honors EMU alumni who have significantly impacted the lives of others.

Berry’s first experience with Mennonites began near Hartville, Ohio, during the 1950s. A child of migrant farm workers, Berry, now 80, would travel each summer with his parents and siblings from Sarasota to work on the mucklands harvesting vegetables. 

Members of local Mennonite churches would come to the migrant camps and invite children his age to vacation Bible school after the workday ended. It was a welcome diversion from working all day in the Ohio fields. It was also his first experience as a Black child attending a church with white people, and he came away with a sense that the Mennonites were different from whites he encountered in the South.

“They treated us as human beings,” he said. “Their actions seemed to coincide with the beliefs they professed.”

Berry later met more Mennonites in Florida after a white man came to the migrant camp and invited him and others to church in Newtown, the predominantly Black section of Sarasota. Though he resisted numerous invitations, he had great respect for the Newtown Gospel Chapel congregation.

After graduating from high school in 1961 and taking months to search his soul, Berry decided to become a Christian. That winter, he was baptized and became a member at Newtown Gospel Chapel. He was still a migrant farm worker, but was thinking seriously about college. 

In the early 1960s, colleges and universities in the South remained highly segregated, so Berry had his eye on either Morehouse College, a liberal arts college that taught Black men, or Gibbs Junior College, an all-Black school in nearby St. Petersburg. He shared his plans with his pastor, who encouraged him to apply to EMU.

Berry was accepted to EMU and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education. “EMU helped me prepare [for future career and educational endeavors],” he said. “You never stop learning.”

Following graduation, he applied for admission to the Mennonite Voluntary Service program in Elkhart, Indiana. In September 1966, he received a two-year assignment to the Voluntary Service Unit in Cleveland, Ohio, and became a public-school teacher. In June 1968, he returned to Elkhart and finished his Voluntary Service commitment by writing articles about the work of Mennonite volunteers in urban areas.

That fall, Berry enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame where he received a master’s and PhD. In 1969, he became the first African American faculty member at Goshen College, teaching politics, Latin American studies and Black history part-time until his retirement in 2010.

While at Goshen, Berry took a sabbatical to pursue law school at Indiana University. In 1985, he was admitted to the Indiana bar and started his full-time law practice.

Many of Berry’s law clients were migrants from Central America and Mexico who encountered legal problems in Indiana but were not fluent in English and sought legal assistance from lawyers who could communicate with them in Spanish. 

Eventually more Hispanic lawyers came to the area, but in the 1980s, Berry was one of the few who could serve that community.

“My objective was to be effective by doing the best that I could for them,” he said.

Now retired and living in Goshen, Indiana, Berry has himself a family of educators.

His wife, Elizabeth A. Hostetler Berry, a graduate of Goshen College with two master’s degrees, was a member of the Goshen College faculty and served as a teacher and the head librarian at Bethany Christian Schools in Goshen. Their three children—Dr. Joseph Berry, Dr. Malinda Berry, and Anne Berry (MFA)—are also in higher education.

The professor is working alongside James Madison University faculty members Mollie Godfrey and Carole Nash, and with JMU Libraries.

A feature story about the partnership between the two universities and their work was published online this month in Madison Magazine, the official publication of JMU. for the story by Josette Keelor. 

According to Keelor’s story, the Ida Mae Francis Tourist House, at 252 N. Mason St., dates to the early 1900s and “has witnessed at least three distinct eras — as a successful woman-owned boarding house, a Green Book safe place for Black travelers and the lifelong home of siblings Henry and Lois Rouser.” It’s welcomed such guests as prominent inventor and scientist George Washington Carver and members of Duke Ellington’s and Count Basie’s bands.

In the 1950s and early ’60s, the house was listed in several editions of the Green Book, a guide featuring businesses across the nation that welcomed Black travelers during Jim Crow (). The house became known as a safe place to stay when coming to or passing through Harrisonburg, and is the city’s last remaining Green Book-listed property.

“Now, more than 60 years later, JMU and EMU faculty are sifting through rooms of documents, photos and decor that will add depth to the stories that helped define a community,” Keelor writes in her story.

“Sawin has been putting together the story of the house, while Nash, some of her students and Godfrey fill in the gaps through the larger context of the history of the neighborhood and city,” she adds.

Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, whose father William Reed recently inherited the house, remarked on the importance of the partnership.

“It has allowed us to preserve this history,” she said in the Madison story. “We couldn’t have done this without the support of both universities.”

More stories about the historic Ida M. Francis House

WHSV (Aug. 7, 2024) — ““
Daily News-Record (Aug. 1, 2024) — ““
WMRA (May 2024) — ““

From its founding as Eastern Mennonite School in September 1917 up through today, EMU has been led by nine presidents who have guided it through times of turbulence and periods of prosperity. 

In honor of Presidents’ Day, we bring you a brief summary of EMU’s eight presidents emeriti and some of their enduring accomplishments.

The information below is taken from the profiles at emu.edu/president/emeriti. Click on the link to read more in-depth histories of each president.

J.B. Smith
President from 1917 to 1922

When J.B. Smith, the first president — or principal, as it was called at the time — of Eastern Mennonite School, arrived in Harrisonburg, Virginia, by train on Oct. 9, 1917, he found that several students had been waiting almost two weeks to start their studies. The next morning, he directed the first registration; classes started on Oct. 15.

Smith worked tirelessly to develop the school’s curriculum, hire faculty, recruit students, solicit support from Mennonite churches and expand the campus. He taught a number of courses, and students loved and admired him.

Smith resigned in January 1922 in a dispute about Mennonite churches maintaining their a cappella singing tradition by banning musical instruments in the church as well as in the home. He did not agree that instruments should be banned in the home, and he and his wife had recently purchased a piano.

A.D. Wenger
President from 1922 to 1935

Raised on a farm near Harrisonburg, A.D. Wenger, a founder of EMS, had already twice declined to accept administrative positions at the school before being elected as the second principal of the school in February 1922. 

One of the first tasks that Wenger tackled as principal was what he called a “mountain of debt” that remained from the school’s start-up and construction of the Administration Bulding. In 1930, the junior college achieved state accreditation — probably the greatest accomplishment of the Wenger years.

Wenger, whose title was changed to “president” in 1926, presided over a school hard hit by the Great Depression for most of the 1930s. Enrollment declined, financial contributions decreased and faculty positions were cut. Salaries, which were already low, were reduced. Wenger died suddenly in his home on Oct. 5, 1935, at age 67.

John L. Stauffer
President from 1935 to 1948

Two days after Wenger’s death, the EMS board appointed John L. Stauffer, a charter member of the EMS board, professor and ordained minister, as acting president. He was elected president 13 months later.

During Stauffer’s 13-year presidency, the student numbers increased from 159 to 442. He, along with longtime Dean C.K. Lehman and others, worked for years to achieve accreditation for EMS as a four-year college. This was finally accomplished in 1947. That fall, the school officially became Eastern Mennonite College.

In 1948, Stauffer asked for and received a sabbatical leave, feeling that he had served his time and that he should step aside for a younger person with more formal education. 

John R. Mumaw
President from 1948 to 1965

Taking office as acting president of the newly renamed Eastern Mennonite College in the fall of 1948, John R. Mumaw had spent more than half his 44 years on campus — as student, staff member, campus pastor and professor. He was the first alumnus to be chosen president.

Throughout the 1950s, Mumaw led EMC in pursuit of regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The college achieved regional accreditation in 1959. Enrollment during Mumaw’s 17 years as president increased 44 percent, from 475 to 843. EMC was one of the first colleges in Virginia, a racially segregated southern state, to integrate (in 1948).

In the early 1960s, Mumaw started talking about leaving the presidency, but he agreed to stay on until 1965. 

Myron S. Augsburger
President from 1965 to 1980

When he took office as president of EMC at the age of 35 — the youngest president ever — Myron S. Augsburger was already a nationally recognized evangelical leader. 

He gave passion to the office. Drama, instrumental music, intercollegiate athletics and international study developed dramatically. The seminary program was strengthened, and EMC changed its official name to Eastern Mennonite College & Seminary. The two biggest building projects during the Augsburger years were the domed state-of-the-art facility later named Suter Science Center, which opened in 1968, and the building that later became Hartzler Library.

After 15 years of work to strengthen EMC&S, Augsburger decided to resign in 1980 to pursue other interests.

Richard C. Detweiler
President from 1980 to 1987

The EMC board recruited a respected 55-year-old churchman from eastern Pennsylvania, Richard C. Detweiler, to succeed Augsburger.

Under Detweiler, then-academic dean Albert Keim led a consultative process with the faculty that resulted in one of the cornerstones of undergraduate education to this day: a requirement, beginning in 1982, that students be exposed to cross-cultural matters through study and experience.

The biggest crisis of Detweiler’s tenure was the 1984 fire that destroyed the Administration Building during a major renovation. The building was unoccupied at the time, but the tragedy affected campus morale, and Detweiler faced the challenge of slumping enrollments and budget cuts that affected faculty and programs. By the time he left EMC&S, however, the student population was on the increase again and a striking new Campus Center stood on the side of the hill where the “Ad” Building had once stood. 

In 1987, Detweiler resigned from the presidency, saying his years at EMC&S were “the most enjoyable and most difficult” of his life.

Joseph L. Lapp
President from 1987 to 2003

Like his immediate predecessor, Joseph L. Lapp was a native of eastern Pennsylvania. But unlike all six of his predecessors, he was not an ordained minister. He was a lawyer by profession.

His biggest accomplishments were starting four graduate programs — counseling, conflict transformation, education and business — in the 1990s, and, as a result, ushering in the new name of ��ݮ���� in August 1994. Under Lapp’s leadership, EMU expanded its innovative cross-cultural program. EMU made numerous campus improvements that culminated in the University Commons complex that includes the Yoder Arena. The building opened in 2000.

After 16 years as president, Lapp departed in 2003 to join the staff of Mennonite Foundation (now part of Everence), directing its Harrisonburg office.

Loren E. Swartzendruber
President from 2003 to 2016

Although elected in 2003, Loren E. Swartzendruber did not actually take office until January 2004. He spent the intervening months in preparation for the presidency. Provost Beryl Brubaker was interim president from June to December.

Among Swartzendruber’s accomplishments were the successful re-accreditation process for another 10 years by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, filling key administrative positions with talented people, and leading the university through economic hard times while balancing the budget.

One of the biggest building projects during his administration was “Phase Two” of the University Commons project (completed in 2011) in which the old Student Center was transformed into a main stage theater, studio theater, art gallery, classrooms, advanced media lab, and expanded coffee shop. Other accomplishments included EMU’s groundbreaking solar installation on the roof of the Hartzler Library and attendance with alumna Leymah Gbowee at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

Swartzendruber retired in June 2016 after 13 years as president.

Current president

Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman has served as EMU’s ninth president since Jan. 1, 2017. During her leadership, EMU has shattered records for donor giving — mark your calendars for this year’s LovEMU Giving Day on Wednesday, April 10 — and the university has garnered its share of the national spotlight with high rankings by U.S. News & World Report and Money Magazine.

Among the building projects completed while she’s been at the helm, renovations for Suter Science Center West were finished and dedicated in October 2021. Along with new seating, lighting and upgraded technology for S-106, Suter West renovations included modernized classrooms, new laboratory space for EMU’s engineering program, upgrading of the discovery room and expanded displays from the D. Ralph Hostetter Natural History Collection, upgraded climate-control system and an improved sprinkler system.

Another major project, which is nearing the finish line, is the new track-and-field complex being built. The $6-million complex, which is more than halfway funded, is scheduled to open this year. Donations are accepted online at: /campaign/track-and-field.

Huxman has served for more than 25 years in higher education in a variety of administrative and academic leadership roles. A graduate of Bethel College, Huxman holds an MA and PhD in communication studies from University of Kansas.

Interim presidents

Over the years, three interim presidents have kept the business of the university moving forward: Beryl Brubaker (May-December 2003), Fred Kniss (May-August 2013 for Swartzendruber’s sabbatical), and Lee Snyder (July-December 2016).

So, when Dr. Kristina Hook, a former State Department policy adviser for mass atrocity prevention, visited EMU last week to present on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Dwyer jumped at the chance to see her speak.

“It was fascinating and interesting to see someone in the field talk about what they’re passionate about,” Dwyer said. “It was cool, especially to hear not necessarily what you get on the news.”

is an assistant professor of conflict management at Kennesaw State University specializing in comparative genocide studies. Supported by the National Science Foundation, Fulbright and USAID fellowships, she has conducted fieldwork in Ukraine since 2015.

She was selected as this year’s speaker for the annual Albert N. Keim Lecture Series, presented by the EMU History and Political Science programs. In addition to her lecture, she met with faculty and students such as Dwyer for lunch, where she talked about her career progression and path through higher education.

Lys Nolt, a senior from Harrisonburg, also attended the lunch talk with Hook as well as the afternoon lecture. Nolt is taking a human rights and dignity course this semester, and was strongly encouraged to attend the presentation. 

The peacebuilding major is interested in working with nongovernmental organizations after graduation, and appreciated hearing Hook speak about generational trauma. 

“Something I’ve been learning more and more in peacebuilding is the importance of hearing the community and hearing what people have to say,” Nolt said. “The amount of care she has for both the Russian and Ukrainian peoples and for their state of living and their well-being during events of mass atrocities … I was really impressed by the way she approached it.”

Hook’s lecture on Thursday, Jan. 25, titled “Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine: Atrocity Crimes, Accountability, and Pursuing a Just Peace” included:

• Legal definitions of “atrocity crimes” and how they differ from “war crimes”
• A historical context to Russia’s aggression against Ukrainians
• Descriptions of the horrors that Ukraine is enduring
• Reactions from Ukrainians to the war

According to a slide from her presentation, 14,000 Ukranians were killed and 1.5 million internally displaced in the first seven years of the Russia-Ukraine War, from 2014 to 2021. During that span, 30,000 war crimes were committed on Ukrainians, and “jokes and slurs began to open conversations about Russian imperialism within Ukraine.”

In early 2022, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine became the largest attack on a European country since World War II, the violence ratcheted up. Ninety-thousand war crimes were recorded in 365 days. Genocidal language was regularly aired on Russian state TV. Torture and disappearances were a regular occurrence. And, for more than 700 days, daily nationwide missile attacks struck hospitals, churches, museums and art galleries.

About 60 people filled the Strite Conference Room in the Campus Center to watch her presentation.

Hook received her joint Ph.D. in anthropology and peace studies from the University of Notre Dame. She is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s .

Her forthcoming book analyzes the legacy of the Holodomor, a genocide in Ukraine under Joseph Stalin, including how this historical memory is driving Ukraine’s strong resistance to Russia today.

More on the Keim Lecture Series

The Albert N. Keim Lecture Series honors the memory of Professor Albert N. Keim, who served as a history professor at EMU for 35 years and was the academic dean from 1977 to 1984. The inaugural lecture in 2013 featured leading historian Peter N. Stearns, of George Mason University.

Learn more about past presenters, in this sampling:

2023: Clayton Koppes, professor emeritus of Oberlin College, presented on “Sex, Drugs and Human Rights: The Contested History of HIV/AIDS in the U.S.” 

2022: Professor Kimberly Schmidt presented on“Marketing Mennonites, Posing Cheyennes: Photography, Gender, and Indigenous Agency on the Mission Field (1880-1920).”

2021:  Historian, author, and investigative reporter Rick Shenkman, founder of History News Network, spoke on “Why is Democracy so @#$&! Hard?” 

2020: Professor Ernesto Verdeja, of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at University of Notre Dame, was the speaker. 

2019: Federal public defender, immigrant rights attorney and playwright Kara Hartzler ’94 spoke on “Borders, Jails, and Long Drives in the Desert: 25 Years of Immigration Law in the Southwest.”

2017: Dongping Han, professor at Warren-Wilson College and a native of rural China, addressed “The Cultural Revolution: A Reinterpretation from Today’s China.”

2016: Artist/activist  provided a lecture titled “Performing Statistics: Connecting incarcerated youth, artists, and leading policy experts to challenge Virginia’s juvenile justice system.”

2015: , political scientist in the University of Kansas’s School of Public Affairs and Administration, presented “The Police and Racial Discrimination in America.”

2014: , a pastor, activist and history professor who helped EMC professors initiate social change in Harrisonburg during the early 1960s, presented “Is America Possible?”

Clayton Koppes, professor emeritus of Oberlin College, will present on “Sex, Drugs and Human Rights: The Contested History of HIV/AIDS in the U.S.” for the annual Keim Lecture Thursday, Jan. 26, from 5-6 p.m. in Suter Science Center 106. 

The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception at 4:30 will precede the lecture. View the livestream on Facebook Live from (You do not need a Facebook account to access Facebook Live, nor does clicking on the link obligate you in any way to Facebook.) 

Koppes is the former dean, provost and twice acting president of Oberlin College. He is a historian of American culture, technology, foreign policy and the environment. The author of numerous articles and two books, including the co-authored Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits, and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies (University of California Press, 1990), he is now writing a history of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. 

Koppes graduated from Bethel College, then earned an MA from Emory University and a PhD with honors from the University of Kansas, both in history. At Bethel, he was a student of Professor Keith Sprunger , father of EMU history professor and Keim Lecture committee member Mary Sprunger. 

“Professor Koppes will provide insights about an important era in U.S. history,” Sprunger said. “Today’s students should know how the stigmatization of AIDS, due to the initial spread of the new disease among the gay community, hampered effective and compassionate public health and religious response to the epidemic. I’m excited–but also disheartened–about the way that this topic connects to current events, such as the covid pandemic, monkey pox, and the Club Q shooting.”

Koppes earned Bethel’s from his alma mater in 2018. The award acknowledges character and citizenship, achievement in a chosen profession or vocation, and work of benefit to humanity.

Among other professional leadership roles, Koppes has served as president of the American Society for Environmental History and was a founding member of Oberlin’s innovative Environmental Studies program.

More on the Keim Lecture Series

The Albert N. Keim Lecture Series honors the memory of Professor Albert N. Keim who served as a history professor at EMU for 35 years and was the academic dean from 1977 to 1984. The inaugural lecture in 2013 featured leading historian Peter N. Stearns, of George Mason University.

Learn more about past presenters, in this sampling:

2022: Professor Kimberly Schmidt presented on “Marketing Mennonites, Posing Cheyennes: Photography, Gender, and Indigenous Agency on the Mission Field (1880-1920).”

2021:  Historian, author, and investigative reporter Rick Shenkman, founder of History News Network, spoke on “Why is Democracy so @#$&! Hard?” 

2020: Professor Ernesto Verdeja, of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at University of Notre Dame, was the speaker. 

2019: Federal public defender, immigrant rights attorney and playwright Kara Hartzler ’94 spoke on “Borders, Jails, and Long Drives in the Desert: 25 Years of Immigration Law in the Southwest.”

2017: Dongping Han, professor at Warren-Wilson College and a native of rural China, addressed “The Cultural Revolution: A Reinterpretation from Today’s China.”

2016: Artist/activist provided a lecture titled “Performing Statistics: Connecting incarcerated youth, artists, and leading policy experts to challenge Virginia’s juvenile justice system.”

2015: , political scientist in the University of Kansas’s School of Public Affairs and Administration, presented “The Police and Racial Discrimination in America.”

2014: , a pastor, activist and history professor who helped EMC professors initiate social change in Harrisonburg during the early 1960s, presented “Is America Possible?”

Ten ��ݮ���� students are gaining professional experience this fall at the Washington Community Scholars’ Center (WCSC). They represent nine different majors, showing the range of placement possibilities available through the program. The diversity includes four computer science majors (with two also double majoring in math), two history and social science majors, one social work major, one liberal arts major, one digital media major, and one peacebuilding and development major.

The center, located in the nation’s capital since 1976, is a program of ��ݮ����.

The semester-long experience is also a community-building endeavor, with students living together in the Nelson Good House in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast Washington, DC. This semester’s placements include several organizations that are long-time hosts of EMU students, highlighting WCSC’s deep ties within the region. Many alumni can trace their careers back to a pivotal experience at WCSC. 

Read more about WCSC success! Nursing major Ashlyn Eby talks about personal growth and learning from her internship. Grads Tessa Waidelich and Terry Jones find full-time work after their internships.

Read on to learn more about the students, their placements and the organizations they are involved with. 

Zyeasha Ba, a peace and development major from Stafford, Virginia, is with the peace education program . She helps to lead discussions about conflict resolution with elementary school age children and men experiencing homelessness.

Seth Andreas, a math and computer science major from Bluffton, Ohio, is doing a variety of tasks at , from scripting to 3D modeling, in the realm of virtual reality game development.

KC Argueta-Rivas, a social work major from Springfield, Virginia, works with case managers at providing legal services and social services to clients.

Cor’Shauna Cunningham, a liberal arts major and psychology minor from Brooklyn, New York, is with , an addiction treatment center.

Mykenzie Davis, a digital media and communications major from Lititz, Pennsylvania, is with , where she is filming and editing videos for clients and enhancing her portfolio for post-graduation job search.

Natalia Hernandez, a computer science major from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, is with , where she is implementing malware detection software. She was recently offered a position as a service desk engineer at the same organization.

Anya Kauffman, a history and social science major from Goshen, Indiana, is interning at the criminal defense law firm, . “I help two legal assistants with tasks including requesting accident reports from the police department, scheduling hearings at the DMV, checking for court dates or case numbers. I think the most significant learning experience will be working in a fast-paced law firm, understanding the ins and outs of a criminal defense firm, and learning the process of a criminal legal case.”

Tace Martin, a history and social science major from Eugene, Oregon, is with . The site was one of the first public schools for African American children in the United States, and currently houses a museum, a research room, art exhibits, and the archives of the District of Columbia Public Schools. He is documenting and rehousing collections related to the school itself, as well as “pulling collections for upcoming scholarly visits.” Martin is also contributing to the site’s draft application to be listed on the National Park Service Register of Historic Places.

Joey Sun, a computer science major from Shenyang, China, is with the . His role consists of providing technical support to all Smithsonian employees regarding verification issues, technology assistance, and moderating access to special documents. He is learning to navigate the user interface and software the OCIO uses to support the entire Smithsonian network.

Noah Swartzentruber, a math and computer science major from Lancaster, Pa., is working on projects for the Smithsonian National Zoo’s website and collaborating on a web-based tool for zookeeping staff.

Summer 2022 placements included:

• A physical therapy practice
• Mennonite Central Committee’s National Justice and Peace Ministries office 
• Community of Hope, a community health clinic that provides quality healthcare and housing to families 
• Covenant House, an organization that provides educational programs, job training and placement, medical services, mental health and substance use counseling, legal aid and beyond to homeless youth
• St. Anthony Catholic School, gaining experience working with children and observing different teaching styles
• Washington Digital Media, making business cards and several other templates.
• Bread for the City’s primary care clinic in a Spanish-language setting
• Anacostia Watershed Society with their adult education classes, tree surveying, invasive species removal, wetland planting, and boat tours on the Anacostia River
• Keegan Theater
• Girls on the Run DC
• Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, which fosters just and equitable community development solutions that address the needs and aspirations of low- and moderate-income district residents.

Jamie Reich, WCSC’s associate director of communications and retention, contributed to this article.

We hope that what you hear and see this evening will move your spirit, buoy your soul, challenge your mind and bring joy to your heart. 

Professor David Berry, introducing the 11/11/22 Gala Concert

EMU’s annual Gala Concert was an evening of multiple delights amidst musical artistry, bringing together Nicolas Flagello’s rarely-performed choral masterwork about the life and death of Martin Luther King, Jr., and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear Balla Kouyaté, a legend of world music.

Equally thrilling to music lovers of the EMU community were the performances of university musicians in all ensembles, joined by 15 young musicians from the Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony. 

And especially meaningful for both performers and audience that night was that Dianne Flagello, wife of the late composer, had personally blessed the performance. 

Producer and master of ceremonies Professor David Berry shared with the audience that choir director Professor Benjamin Bergey had invited her to the performance. 

The 2.5-hour concert left many with feelings similar to what Berry had wished.

“Our program’s commitments to community engagement, justice and peacebuilding, and diversity of styles and genres in music was so evident,” said Dean Dan Ott, himself a musician. “I could see in the faces of our student-musicians that they understood deeply, in their bodies and spirits, that the full power of music to bring us together was in force during this performance.”

Sharon Welch, who leads the justice-oriented Social Transformation Fellowship, watched the livestream from Chicago. “Deeply inspiring to see young people performing with such skill and integrity that powerful work … such a clear articulation of the pivotal vision and impact of ��ݮ����,”  she observed.

In a note to Bergey after the concert, Flagello expressed appreciation for the multimedia presentation that accompanied the music, for the choir’s “angelic glorious sound,” and for bass Ricky Goodwin, who “sang with a sensitivity and heartfelt understanding of the role.” And in another synchronicity, she shared that Kouyaté’s performance was an “added pleasure, as my major instrument was the marimba.”

EMU’s music community and student-musicians rose to the challenge of two difficult and technically challenging collaborations in what was a rare opportunity, according to Berry and Bergey.

Flagello’s work has only been performed a few dozen times since its premiere. Preparations began more than a year in advance, with Bergey proposing the masterwork as part of a winning Inclusive Excellence grant from EMU’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

“The Passion of MLK was such a powerful work to learn on many levels for our students,” Bergey explained. “Modern oratorio is not often tackled as it is often harmonically more dissonant, which can be a challenge at first. Between the important and pertinent thematic content using MLK’s speeches, as well as liturgical texts and a beautiful composition, our students rose to the challenge that not many university groups have done.”

Kouyaté’s visit was also the result of collaborative efforts with and several other organizations (for a full list of sponsors, see below). 

The initial idea to invite him to perform came from his former colleague Kimberly Souther, now director of EMU’s Preparatory Music Program.

Kouyaté not only performed at the gala but visited school groups to speak about and perform with his balafon.

During their rehearsal, EMU musicians learned folk tunes from Mali alongside Kouyaté “in an improvisatory way through a different learning modality, which was such a stretching and beneficial opportunity,” Bergey said.

Professor Kyle Remnant, director of bands, worked in “out-of-the-box and creative ways with the jazz ensemble on improvisation and learning music by ear in preparation for collaborating with Balla,” Berry added. “That really helped give them the confidence to learn the music by ear in the way that these Malian folk songs would have traditionally been taught, which was an important part of the learning process.”

EMU musicians participating in the concert spoke later of their profound appreciation for such a rich experience. 

Orchestra concertmaster Judith Hoffman is a junior music education major aiming to work with young high school musicians. The gala provided her with inspiration to recreate a similar exciting and supportive environment and context, “one that embodies creativity and connection,” she said. “Being in an ensemble and creating music isn’t simply following the dynamics or articulation on the page. It’s about giving meaning to the music and using the music to reach and connect with others.”

Junior music performance major Luke Haynes said his performance in the gala both stretched him and provoked strong emotions. He performed on the clarinet and organ with the Chamber Orchestra for the MLK piece. “I felt like I was contributing to raising awareness that racial oppression is still among us even 54 years after Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination in 1968.” 

Haynes also performed on clarinet with the EMU Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Kouyaté. “Learning some of his music and then soloing with him was so humbling,” he said.

“What I loved about this gala was the collaboration across ensembles,” said sophomore music and peacebuilding major Reah Clymer, a soprano with the University Choir and Chamber Singers. “My favorite part of the night was ending the concert with Balla, the Chamber Singers and the EMU Jazz Band. We were all dancing and moving around, singing harmonies, clapping different rhythms, and enjoying the music together. It was a magical and energizing way to end the concert, and I am really grateful to Balla for sharing his music with us.”

Special thanks to sponsors Nancy Heisey and the J.Wilmer and Velma I. Heisey Grant Fund; EMU’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Any Given Child-Shenandoah Valley; Shenandoah Valley Preparatory Music Program; ; ; and Encore, the alumni organization of EMU’s music program.

When Dale Schrag reached his $1 million fundraising goal for an endowment for the Mennonite Library and Archives (MLA) at Bethel College, he was ready to celebrate with donors and friends.

Just one problem – the goal completion came in the spring of 2020, when the pandemic was almost literally shutting the world down.

After 2½ years, Schrag says, he wondered if he should just give up the idea of an event. But a friend with fundraising experience told him, “You have to do something – you can’t meet a major fundraising goal like that without a celebration.”

So Schrag, a retired librarian and church relations director and lifelong historian, and Mary Sprunger, professor of history at ��ݮ����, are inviting the Mennonite academic world to a party in honor of Desiderius Erasmus, “the intellectual rockstar of 16th-century Europe,” as Sprunger calls him. 

The symposium, titled “Old Books Made New: The Surprising Wisdom of Erasmus for Today,” will be held simultaneously on the Bethel, Conrad Grebel University College, EMU and Goshen College campuses Nov. 4-5, linked via livestream and Zoom.

Erasmus Symposium Schedule @ EMU

.

At EMU, the symposium will be held in Room 303 of the Sadie Hartzler Library. All times are EDT.

No registration is required and all are welcome.

Friday, Nov. 4:

• 7:30-9 p.m. “Erasmus for our Age,” Keynote address by Dr. Greta Kroeker

Saturday, Nov. 5: 

• 9:30-10 a.m. Rare book show and tell.
• 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.Student presentations on specific Erasmus library holdings.
• 1:15-2:15 p.m. Roundtable 1: The Contemporary Relevance of Erasmus
• 2:15-3 p.m. Roundtable 2: The Future of Rare Book Libraries in a Digital Age 

The symposium is sponsored by the Marpeck Deans’ Fund, set up by the late Robert and Gerald Kreider to foster inter-Mennonite academic collaboration. There are nine college and seminary members in the United States and Canada.

Other fiscal sponsors are Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind., Bethel, EMU and Goshen College, which all have Erasmian texts in their libraries, along with Conrad Grebel in Waterloo, Ontario, and a private Kansas foundation, the BISON Foundation. Bluffton (Ohio) University and Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, will be participating in parts of the symposium.

Schrag will host a private dinner for donors to the MLA endowment in conjunction with the symposium.

Schrag is well known as an enthusiastic Erasmus scholar. Erasmus is particularly interesting to Reformation and Mennonite scholars because of his influence on Martin Luther and early Anabaptist leaders.

 At a program Schrag did about Erasmus in 2017, he met John Byler from Hesston, Kan.

 “He was very interested in Erasmus,” Schrag recalls, “which was unusual for a youngish guy. He had done a master’s thesis [on Erasmus] at Northwestern.”

Byler told Schrag in an e-mail: “We need to do a symposium on Erasmus, because our world needs Erasmus like never before.”

 So the seed of an “Erasmus symposium” as a way of honoring the MLA and other libraries had been planted. With the idea of making it intercollegiate, Schrag began working with Sprunger on the planning.

As Schrag was contemplating what to build a symposium around, he thought about the oldest book in the MLA’s collection – Erasmus’s 1522 translation of the New Testament.

“We looked to see which Mennonite institutions had 16th-century Erasmian publications,” Schrag says. “Goshen has two, Bethel and AMBS have one each, and EMU has more than a dozen.”

Schrag also knew immediately who he wanted for a keynote speaker: Bethel graduate Greta Kroeker, Ph.D., an Erasmus scholar and a professor at the University of Waterloo.

 Schrag imagined Kroeker would want to give her keynote lecture virtually, but she insisted on coming to campus in person.

Kroeker will open the symposium with her address, “Erasmus for Our Age,” on the Bethel campus, with livestreaming to audiences at other sites, including EMU> to audiences at Conrad Grebel, EMU and Goshen.

Saturday’s activities will take place at all four locations, linked via Zoom. 

“Erasmus embraced the innovative technology of his day: the printing press,” Sprunger notes. “In that spirit, we are using our newest technologies to connect presenters, audiences and the rare books themselves across thousands of miles.”

Activities start with a show-and-tell of each institution’s Erasmus books. There will also be a virtual exhibit on the symposium website.

 There will be student research presentations on specific library holdings, and two roundtable discussions, one with faculty members and Kroeker on the contemporary relevance of Erasmus, and one a conversation among librarians about the value of rare books and the future of books.

The symposium wraps up around 3 p.m. “Then it will be done,” Schrag says, “and there will be Erasmus disciples multiplying apace.”

A humanities professor, an operatic tenor, and an ordained Presbyterian minister and theologian, Ott says the new role “brings together my deepest passions and my life’s work.”

“EMU’s commitments to holistic education and the work of peace and justice could not align better with my own sense of vocation,” he added.

Ott started his new role this summer, taking over from retiring dean Sue Cockley. He comes to EMU from Monmouth College in Illinois, where he was associate dean for academic initiatives and professor of religious studies. He chaired Monmouth’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies and coordinated the peace, ethics and social justice program. 

Provost Fred Kniss said that Ott earned the “strong and unanimous support” of the search committee and those campus community members who participated in his visit in spring 2022. “The committee and others were impressed by his strong training, experience, and ongoing interest in all three areas of the PATH School. He also has demonstrated commitment and positive action in supporting EMU’s core values of discipleship, community, service, and peace. He brings proven experience in advancing our strategic goals related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Ott will also serve as dean of  Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

“Dan’s leadership comes at an important moment for Eastern Mennonite Seminary,” said The Rev. Dr. Sarah Bixler, associate dean of the seminary. “To have a dean who is a peace theologian and scholar, and well-versed in ecumenical contexts, positions the seminary to deepen our Anabaptist Mennonite values while also expanding our reach. We’re living in a societal moment when the theology and practice of peace and justice are sorely needed. Dan brings the vision and experience to keep our seminary grounded in this core part of our identity, and to help us reach new audiences who are longing for this kind of education.” 

Ott holds a PhD from Claremont Graduate University in the philosophy of religion and theology, a Masters of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Music from West Virginia University. He is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Ott has more than 17 years of experience in teaching, scholarship, and administration. His administrative work includes curriculum and program development, grant writing and directing, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. At Monmouth, he supervised the university’s general education curriculum, and recently led its review and revision funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation. He also oversaw assessment and review of all academic programs across the university.

Ott’s scholarship is in the areas of religious thought in the United States, philosophies of peace and nonviolence, and Christian liberal theologies, especially process and pragmatic theologies.

He is co-author with Hannah Schell of Christian Thought in America: A Brief History (Fortress Press, 2015). Publication credits include Theology Today, Political Theology, and the American Journal of Theology and Philosophy. 

EMU’s 2022 alumni awards will be presented at the Oct. 7-9 Homecoming and Family Weekend celebration.

Recipients include Dr. Joseph Gascho ’68 and Camila Pandolfi ’12.

���³��� Amy Rosenberger ’85 received word she was the recipient of the Alum of the Year Award for 2022, she thought she had misread the letter.

“I had to read it twice,” said Rosenberger, who graduated with a BA in English and minors in sociology and theater arts. “I never expected to receive such an honor, and when I think of those who’ve been named in prior years, it’s more than a bit overwhelming .”

She may have been incredulous about receiving EMU’s honor, but members of the selection committee were not. They, along with Rosenberger’s colleagues, clients, and law professionals recognize the positive impact this labor and employment lawyer has made for more than 25 years.

Her most recent honor is among the most prestigious: In 2021, she was elected as a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. The non-profit professional association honors leading lawyers nationwide for achievement, advancement, and excellence.

 “Being elected as a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers is one of the greatest honors a labor and employment lawyer can achieve,” Rosenberger said, “and I am humbled to be included in this distinguished group.”

A partner in the Philadelphia law firm Willig, Williams & Davidson, Rosenberger lists the following career highlights 

·   Representing labor unions and employees including government service, healthcare, K-12 and higher education.

·   Supporting workers and unions in arbitration and litigation; organizing drives and collective action; and pursuing fair contracts.

·   Teaching skills to workers to negotiate confidently with employer representatives.

·   Serving on the appellate team that obtained the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s affirmance of a $4.04 million plaintiff’s verdict in an employee’s breach of contract claim.

·   Enforcing an interest arbitration award for a corrections officer bargaining unit before the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board and prevailing on appeal, resulting in recovery of more than $3.6 million to the affected employees.

·   Serving as president and board member for the Philadelphia Chapter of Labor and Employment Relations Association.

·   Member of the AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance (formerly Lawyers Coordinating Committee) since 1995, serving on the board of directors for three years.

·   Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, 2016 to present.

·   Selected to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2017 to present.

Rosenberger enjoys the variety of responsibilities in her work. “It’s a mix of litigation, negotiation, strategic planning, education, and by its nature, the law is always evolving and so there is always something new to learn and to adapt to.”

Learning how to navigate and adapt to the traumatic challenges of the pandemic were issues Rosenberger and many of her clients dealt with in 2020. Essential workers, including educators, health care and transit employees, faced a barrage of concerns, such as contacting the virus and bringing it home to their families, as well as working long hours in stressful conditions.

“I think we are only beginning to see the impact of all of this on our workforce,” Rosenberger said. “There are many who are changing careers as a result, or who have retired earlier than they had originally planned, and we are seeing the impact in worker shortages in all sorts of fields.”

Typically, Mennonites do not choose a career in law, Rosenberger said. “When I went to college, and when I graduated, I knew that I wanted to find work helping others, but I wasn’t sure exactly how. The thought of becoming a lawyer never occurred to me. I don’t think I ever met a lawyer until I was an adult.”

Rosenberger credits EMU’s Washington Study Service Year (WSSY), now the Washington Community Scholars’ Center, for giving her a year of “immense personal growth,” she said, adding that being taken out of her comfort zone and being exposed to different societal and political issues “opened my eyes to a world of options for meaningful work that I hadn’t previously considered.” The core curriculum of WSSY still informs her work as an attorney — “especially the sociology coursework that explored concepts of servant leadership and psychology curriculum that focused on interpersonal relations.”

After graduation, Rosenberger worked for a few years in legal support staff roles, but still wasn’t thinking of law as a career option. “It was really when I went to work for a firm that represented unions and employees that I saw a legal career as something that fit with my values, and that I would find personally and intellectually rewarding.”

In 1995, Rosenberger completed her education at Northeastern University School of Law. Competition in a traditionally male-dominated career could be challenging for female attorneys starting out at that time, she said, but she had an early advantage. “I found a position right out of law school, in a firm [Willig, Williams & Davidson] that is majority women-owned, and I’ve worked there ever since.”

The more senior women attorneys were “excellent advisors,” Rosenberger said of her mentors. “They invested their time and energy in training me and identifying opportunities for me to develop skills and expertise as well as helping me to find leadership roles within our profession. I have tried to follow their example to ‘pay it forward,’ both within and outside my firm.”

So how does a successful lawyer relax from her busy life of service? Rosenberger enjoys traveling (especially to national parks), spending time with family, and gardening. “I find it relaxing and meditative to work in my big backyard vegetable garden, to harvest food and preserve it.”

However, no matter how demanding her career is, serving others gives value to her life. “Often the greatest joy in my work comes in what may seem like the small victories, but not to the employee involved,” Rosenberger said, noting examples of her experiences helping employees get pay increases or overturning unfair discipline that resulted from favoritism. “Working with labor unions allows me to do that, because under a union contract, there are more avenues to ensure fairness for all employees than in the non-union workplace.”