In The News Archives - EMU News

Nursing alumna honored with DAISY Award from UVA Health

Ryan Cornell — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:00:18 +0000

Brittany Scott ’19, an EMU nursing alumna at UVA Health Cancer Care Augusta, has been honored with a DAISY Award. The award recognizes the “extraordinary nursing care” she provided to a patient at the infusion center and her “true advocacy, critical thinking, compassion, and a commitment to seeing the whole person, not just the symptoms,” a nomination says.

“Brittany Scott’s actions changed the trajectory of this patient’s life and exemplify the very heart of the DAISY Award,” it adds.

DMin student’s adult education initiative builds a culture of nonviolence

Ryan Cornell — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:34:30 +0000

The Rev. Angelo Mante, a graduate student in Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program, serves as co-founder and executive director of . The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based organization cultivates a community of nonviolence through relationships and education and was recently featured on 89.1 WBOI, a National Public Radio member station.

Kaleb Wyse ’10 shares gardening tips on ‘Live with Kelly and Mark’

Ryan Cornell — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:15:04 +0000

Kaleb Wyse ’10, an accounting and business administration grad who hosts the “Wyse Guide” and , shared some trendy spring gardening ideas on an April 10 segment of Live with Kelly and Mark.

Wyse is a fourth-generation Iowa farmer and New York Times bestselling author of the cookbook There’s Always Room at the Table (HarperCollins, 2025). He offered talk show hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos tips to make the most of their outdoor spaces and boost their curb appeal, including ways to attract pollinators, trim herbs, and prune plants.

Watch the EMU alum’s TV appearance below!

Professor’s backyard pond makes it onto cover of national magazine

Ryan Cornell — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:08:41 +0000

In the spring 2026 issue of , Steven David Johnson, professor of Visual and Communication Arts (VACA) at EMU, writes about how his daughter’s school project building a small backyard pond turned into a family native plant landscaping effort bringing biodiversity to their yard.

Johnson’s photography of the pond and its bountiful wildlife—think butterflies, hummingbirds, and frogs—are beautifully captured on the magazine’s cover and its glossy pages, as well as online.

Read his story and view the photos .

As a result of the project, Johnson wrote, “we went from seeing an occasional wandering toad to now having a fully functioning ecosystem.”

“For me, this is a story of hope,” he said. “Tackling the extinction crisis can seem overwhelming, but everyday folks can transform their backyards into an oasis for wildlife.”

Professor Steven David Johnson’s photography also graces the cover of the March-April 2026 issue of Virginia Wildlife Magazine, which features a story about Virginia’s vernal pools and the salamanders that inhabit them. To view his photos with that story, click on the photo above or visit . (Photos courtesy of Steven David Johnson)

Alum column: ‘Dignity is the only way’

Ryan Cornell — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 02:00:00 +0000

Peter Sensenig ’05 writes in Anabaptist World about interfaith engagement against the backdrop of the war on Iran.

Mat Huff ’06 coaches Luray boys to state championship win

Ryan Cornell — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:11:31 +0000

Congratulations to Mat Huff ’06, head coach of the Luray High School boys basketball team, for leading the Bulldogs to their first state championship win since 1976. Huff was also an assistant coach for the EMU “Runnin’ Royals” men’s basketball team that advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

EMU leaders rally crowd at Women’s Day March

Ryan Cornell — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 21:59:18 +0000

EMU Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus and Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, director of alumni engagement and community connections at EMU, spoke at the Harrisonburg International Women’s Day March on Saturday, March 7.

Professor David Evans shares message of ‘beloved community’ with Chicago-area church

Ryan Cornell — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Dr. David Evans, professor of history and intercultural studies and associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, delivered a guest sermon on radical solidarity on Sunday, Feb. 8, at First United Methodist Church of Evanston, Illinois.

Students planning Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship conference at EMU

Ryan Cornell — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:26:10 +0000

Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship will host its annual conference March 13-15 at EMU with the theme “Solidarity, Community and Resistance in this Political Moment.”

Professor reflects on 100 years of Black History Month

Ryan Cornell — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:00 +0000

As the newly appointed vice president of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham NAACP, Dr. David Evans, professor of history and intercultural studies and associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, presented on the significance of Black History Month during the chapter’s meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Alumna, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee MA ’07 appears on ‘CBS Mornings’

Ryan Cornell — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 03:29:37 +0000

Leymah Gbowee MA ’07 (conflict transformation), a graduate of EMU’s world-renowned Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and a 2011 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, appeared on CBS Mornings with famed activist Gloria Steinem on Tuesday, Feb. 3, to discuss their new children’s book, Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All. (Orchard Books, 2026).

A description of the states:
In this bold anthem, feminist organizer and bestselling author Gloria Steinem and Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee share their parallel journeys as activists. … (Their) dual paths have inspired a friendship empowered by the principles of equality, progress, and hope for a new generation. Here, two friends come together to tell one uplifting story of girls and women strengthening one another and changing the world.

Watch the video of their appearance below!

About CBS Mornings

Each weekday morning, CBS Mornings co-hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil, and Nate Burleson bring you the latest breaking news, smart conversation and in-depth feature reporting. CBS Mornings airs weekdays at 7 a.m. on CBS and streams at 8 a.m. on the CBS News app.

About Leymah Gbowee

Nobel Peace laureate Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist, social worker, and women’s rights advocate. She is founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, based in Monrovia. As a writer, Gbowee is the author of the inspirational memoir Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War, and the children’s book A Community of Sisters. She is perhaps best known for leading a nonviolent movement that brought together Christian and Muslim women to play a pivotal role in ending Liberia’s devastating, 14-year civil war in 2003. Gbowee returned to EMU to deliver commencement addresses in 2014 and 2018, the latter year being when she was awarded EMU’s first honorary doctorate.

About Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem is a political activist, feminist organizer, and the author of many acclaimed books, including the national bestseller Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem. She is a contributor to the classic children’s book Free to Be You and Me. She is also the cofounder of the National Women’s Political Caucus and the Women’s Media Center. In keeping with her deep commitment to establishing equality throughout the world, Steinem helped found Equality Now, Donor Direct Action, and Direct Impact Africa.

Alumna artist’s paintings on display at Gehman Gallery

Ryan Cornell — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:59:00 +0000

A collection of more than 30 oil and watercolor paintings by Rebecca Souder Gish ’09, titled An Edom Hills Almanac: A Year of Painting Outside, captures scenes from her 43-acre farm in Linville. The exhibit will remain on display at the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery (University Commons 179) through Feb. 20.

Alumna author wins literature prize

Ryan Cornell — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:26:52 +0000

Patricia Grace King ’89, an author living in Durham, England, who taught in EMU’s Language and Literature Department from 2000-03, is the winner of the 2026 Drue Heinz Literature Prize, “one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a collection of short fiction” (University of Pittsburgh Press). Her collection, Those Who Vanish, will be published in September 2026.

SPI student facilitates healing for Haitians in crisis

Ryan Cornell — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:29:34 +0000

Nadège Robertson, a Winston Fellowship recipient in EMU’s Summer Peacebuilding Institute and the co-creator of Lakou Tanama, is the lead facilitator for faith-inclusive healing spaces that support the mental well-being of recent Haitian entrants living in the United States. The mental health initiative works in partnership with Church World Service.

New play from EMU alumna highlights life in the Shenandoah Valley before the Civil War

Ryan Cornell — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:23:32 +0000

A new play written by screenwriter Liz Beachy Hansen ’99 and premiering at the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center this weekend tells the story of what it was like to live in the Shenandoah Valley on the eve of the Civil War. The hourlong “Rise Up and Follow” takes place this Saturday and Sunday, as well as next Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20 and 21, every 15 minutes from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.