Professor Martha Greene Eads has been appointed as a mentor in the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program. Eads, who teaches English at 草莓社区 (EMU), is the first faculty member from a Mennonite institution to be appointed as a mentor. 

The Lilly Graduate Fellows Program supports academically talented graduate students who are exploring vocations in church-related higher education. It’s one of several initiatives run by the Lilly Fellows Program, which was founded in 1991 at Christ College, the interdisciplinary honors college of Valparaiso University in Indiana.

Eads’ mentoring partner in this three-year project is Professor Charles Strauss, who teaches history at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Frederick, Maryland. Eads and Strauss will each have a chance to host the Lilly mentees in conferences on their respective campuses, in addition to collaborating with the graduate students on research, teaching, and professional development.

Their cohort of fellows come from various humanities and arts programs at Stony Brook University, Boston College, the University of Notre Dame, Ohio State University, the Art Institute of Chicago, Georgetown University, and the University of Michigan.

“I can hardly wait to bring these young scholars to see what a wonderful place EMU is to teach,” Eads said. “So many people pass through grad school, thinking that they need to snag jobs at major research universities. One of the program’s goals is to help them envision possibilities for flourishing on smaller, church-related campuses.”

Program mentors are appointed in teams of one male and one female scholar from different Christian traditions (Strauss is Roman Catholic).

“He’s an impressive historian, a person of deep Catholic faith, and a lively conversationalist,” Eads said. “I could hardly believe my good fortune when Joe Creech in the LFP office invited me to mentor, but when he went on to say that he was asking Charles to be my teammate, I knew the experience would be too much fun to pass up.”

In addition to graduate student fellowships, the Lilly Fellows Program also offers postdoctoral teaching fellowships at Valparaiso University, maintains a national network of church-related colleges and universities, and operates the Lilly Faculty Fellows Program for mid-career faculty leaders from its network of schools.

Eads taught at Valparaiso University as a Lilly Postdoctoral Fellow in the arts and humanities from 2001-2003. She’s also been awarded several faculty mini-grants from the Lilly Foundation over the years. 

Two EMU alumni were in previous cohorts of the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program: Michael Spory ’11, now an architect, and Donovan Tann ’08, who recently joined the language and literature department at the University of Dubuque after teaching literature, writing and film at Hesston College.

The ACE Festival Keynote will take place virtually on Wednesday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Goldstein will speak on “Dreams, Drama and Dogma: Spiritual Writing Through the Centuries,” exploring the diverse legacy of writing in the Abrahamic faith traditions, from antiquity to the present.

Members of the public can view the free livestream on . (You do not need a Facebook account or page to access Facebook Live, nor does clicking on the link obligate you in any way to Facebook.)

Goldstein has a rich resume of community work in various disciplines. He helped found the Napa Center for Thought & Culture, an organization grounded in Jewish traditions and values that organizes thought-provoking programs and events. He was the founding rabbi of The New Shul, an innovative synagogue in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. He’s the national Jewish chaplain for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and a chaplain for the Napa Police Department. He’s done humanitarian work in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

As a visiting scholar with the Center for Interfaith Engagement in spring 2014, Goldstein taught courses in spiritual writing and comparative monotheistic religions. He has also served on the faculties of New York University, Loyola University, and Hebrew Union College’s Jewish Institute of Religion. 

The rabbi will also speak with a panel of EMU faculty and students about his newest book, Eight Questions of Faith: Biblical Challenges That Guide and Ground Our Lives (Jewish Publication Society, 2015), in a virtual event at 10:15 a.m. on April 21. 

The book uses eight questions found in the Bible 鈥� such as “why did I ever issue from the womb?” 鈥� to explore themes of mortality, responsibility, forbidden knowledge, sin, and the afterlife. Goldstein couples these meditations with reflections on his own life experiences.

Professor Marti Eads said the book鈥檚 “deep engagement with Hebrew scripture around existential questions is sure to spark rich campus conversation, not just during Goldstein鈥檚 visit but for days to come.” Copies of the book are already available for EMU students on a first-come, first-served basis in the language and literature department.

“Goldstein鈥檚 search for answers are res颅o颅nant with any reader鈥檚 con颅sid颅er颅a颅tions of per颅son颅al life and career,” wrote Rabbi Arnold D. Samlan in . “Indeed, the great val颅ue of this book is in the way the read颅er will take the author鈥檚 expe颅ri颅ences, per颅son颅al颅ize his ques颅tions, and move toward more mean颅ing颅ful choic颅es in their own life.”

Landis died Sunday, May 17, 2020, at age 87 in Harrisonburg. 

University administrators past and present acknowledge Landis鈥檚 legendary influence. With more than 50 years of service, he likely taught more students than any other professor in institutional history, and befriended many others, including colleagues in faculty, staff and administration,who missed out on the opportunity to enjoy his gifts from a seat in the classroom.

Landis taught at EMU from 1956 to 2007. His wife, Peggy Heatwole Landis, also gave 16 years of service to the university, providing leadership to student life. The couple led several cross-cultural semesters to England and Ireland, and were a constant and beloved presence at university events after their respective retirements. 

Park View Mennonite Church will host a live-streamed memorial service on Friday, May 22, at 2:30 p.m. Pre-service organ music and a slideshow will begin at 2:20 p.m. Visit for a link and order of service. 

A memorial website, , will be available Friday, May 22. Peggy Landis and the Landis family invite visitors to sign a guest register, and to share remembrances and tributes. 

Portions of this article were taken from Memorial gifts may be made to 草莓社区, Language and Literature Department, 1200 Park Road, Harrisonburg, VA, 22802 or online at /giving/.

A Lancaster, Pa., native, Landis graduated from then-Eastern Mennonite College with a degree in English in 1954. He joined the faculty of Eastern Mennonite High School in 1956 and taught while earning a master鈥檚 degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1958. At EMC and then EMU, he taught a range of undergraduate classes, including literature, writing, and public speaking. He also was a faculty advisor to English majors and to students who were undeclared. Many former students remain grateful for his attentiveness and insightful urgings toward discovering their true aptitudes and callings. [One is script and story writer Liz Hansen ’99.]

In 1976, he earned his DA from Idaho State University. During his studies there, encouraged by President Myron Augsburger, he took several courses in drama, and played an influential role as a faculty sympathizer and eventually formal advisor to budding student-produced dramatics. This eventually led to the hiring of a theater professor and the establishment of a major and minor program. Landis chaired the language and literature department for many years and held memberships in several professional organizations, including the Modern Language Association and the Virginia Association of Teachers of English.

His colleagues remember with affection Landis鈥檚 poetry recitations, from memory, at faculty gatherings, as well as his steadfast, equanimous presence. He served EMU through five presidents and immense intellectual and cultural change on campus.

Myron Augsburger, president from 1965-80, noted the 鈥減rivilege of working with Jay for many years.鈥� A 鈥渨onderful friend,鈥� he was always 鈥渦pbeat and a good spirit whether we agreed or not.鈥�

鈥淎lways positive, affirming and accepting鈥� is how Loren Swartzendruber, president from 2003-16, remembers his former colleague. As a young EMU staff member, he first knew Landis from the brown-bag lunches in the faculty-staff lounge on the second floor of the Campus Center that became quasi-seminars on a fascinating range of topics. Later, Landis would occasionally emerge from the audience after one of Swartendruber鈥檚 presidential communications to offer a compliment, 鈥渁nd reminding me with his characteristic twinkle in the eye that he was sharing his response as a teacher of public speaking.鈥�

EMU鈥檚 current president Susan Schultz Huxman, who holds a doctorate in rhetoric and also spent many hours teaching public speaking, has enjoyed similar interactions. 鈥淎s a fellow rhetoric scholar, I so appreciated his views on the power of rhetoric to move people,鈥� she shared. 鈥淲ith a refreshing Anabaptist perspective, Professor Landis reminded us that aspiring to eloquence is not an obsequious display; rather it is an act of love to connect with audiences and readers. He set the bar high for why we must choose the right words in print or in public speaking–because words matter–they inspire and instruct and inculcate community.鈥�

Joe Lapp, president from 1987-2003 and a personal friend who worshipped with Landis at Park View Mennonite Church, characterized him as an affirming presence, leaving 鈥減ermanent impressions on others by knowing them, remembering their names, providing encouragement …all who sat in Jay’s classes went away with warm feelings for his teaching of literature, quoting and reading of poetry classics, and contributing his own words of warmth and love of others. It was always obvious that Jay loved EMU — his heart was in all he did as a professor at EMU.鈥�

Colleagues in the EMU Language and Literature Department dreaded his retirement, even as they celebrated the 鈥渂ittersweet privilege鈥� of wishing him well into a new stage of life, with more time for writing, gardening, volunteering, and spending time with family, said Professor Marti Eads. On that occasion in 2007, she quoted a stanza from and nearly 13 years later, those same six lines are helping her to process his loss, to 鈥測ield with grace鈥� and 鈥渢o accept the end of a love or a season.鈥�

(The couple did indeed spend time writing, and in 2013, shared a joint reading and celebration of their respective works at EMU: Jay’s poetry collection聽鈥溾�� and Peggy’s memoir 鈥�.鈥�)

The profound gift of well-chosen words are what Professor Vi Dutcher also shares in this remembrance of how she came to join the faculty 14 years ago, a difficult decision that meant leaving behind small grandchildren, adult children and elderly parents:

Jay B sent me an email with these prophetic words, 鈥楢ll shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well鈥� written by Julian of Norwich in the 14th century. I decided to believe him. I had the honor to work alongside him for one year before he retired. In the many years since then, Jay B supported our department in word and deed accompanied by his beautiful roses. His legacy endures in each of us.

Among the many former students mourning Landis, Regina Beidler 鈥�88 recalled taking an advanced writing class with Landis, as well as travels during a cross-cultural semester in England. She remembers the couple鈥檚 warmth and enthusiasm as they lived on the same floor of a youth hostel in London, 鈥渏ust the right amount of parental [influence] to their horde of young adults.鈥�  

Beidler last visited with the couple two years ago at Homecoming and Family Weekend. 鈥淚 was recognized immediately and was glad to introduce my daughter who was herself an EMU student,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f we are lucky we are remembered by those who knew us when we were young because we are appreciated, not for what we can do, but for who we are. I鈥檓 grateful to have known and to be known by Jay B. We鈥檙e holding his family and the whole community who loved him, close.鈥�

A fitting end to this tribute are in celebration of his life: Throughout his life, he endeavored to live out EMU鈥檚 proclaimed mission to espouse justice, show mercy for all, and walk humbly with God.

We welcome your memories of Professor Jay B. Landis below as well as encourage you to visit to share tributes there. Memories and condolences posted here will be shared with the family.

Professor Marti Eads began the EMU program at the start of the fall 2019 semester. Each EMU student is paired with a VMRC resident for weekly one-on-one meetings to dip into literature. But the partners also trade personal stories, wisdom and connection.

鈥淚 just met with four of our bibliotherapists and came away feeling energized and grateful. They are enjoying their new friendships and learning a great deal about intergenerational friendship, communication in spite of disability, pain management, and hope,鈥� said Eads.

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Interns meet with Eads and also reflect in journal entries. A few excerpts, shared with permission, record how the relationships develop and how the experience benefits both participants.

Upset after a poor performance on an exam, one intern shared her frustrations with her client. In a journal entry later, she wrote,

She made me feel a lot better about it. That interaction right there is why I am truly enjoying this bibliotherapy. Yes, the main objective is that this is used therapeutically for the patient. And I do believe that this is occurring.  Maybe it鈥檚 just because we are getting to know each other better and are more comfortable with the arrangement, but I really think she is truly enjoying the experience and is bringing a positive impact in her life.  But I think that an even larger effect is the one this experience is having on me.  Every week, I look forward to this 1 hour block of time that is fully immersed in itself 鈥� no strings attached to any other part of my life… Bibliotherapy on Thursdays has become so much more than volunteer hours, patient contact hours 鈥� it has become an integral part of my week.

After striking out with an initial selection and a few awkward sessions getting to know one another, another intern connected with her client through a character who had experienced the tragic death of her child. Later, she reflected: Is “the key to aging gracefully” learning to accept the fullness of life’s emotion, in all its joys and sorrows?

Interns include undergraduate biology majors Melissa Kinkaid, of Archbold, Ohio, Caroline Lehman, of Dover, Ohio, and Rachel Musselman, of Denver, Pa.; English major Anali North Martin, of Cary, N.C.; and Claire Reilly, a graduate student in the MS in biomedicine program from Port Republic, Va.

The program is modeled after Clemson University鈥檚 bibliotherapy program, which was the subject of a 2019 Suter Science Seminar with Dr. Windsor Westbrook Sherrill, professor of public health sciences and associate vice president for health research at Clemson. Sherrill attended Wake Forest University and studied abroad in England with Eads.

Eads has helped to connect EMU students with VMRC residents before. She taught a spring 2018 global literature course in which 20-somethings and seniors delved into novels and discussed the theme of love and friendship.

Within the nursing department, Hershberger chaired both the undergraduate (interim) and graduate programs, developed and updated the foundational 鈥淪acred Covenant鈥� model of nursing, led an enrollment expansion in 2004, and proposed two new degree programs 鈥� the accelerated second degree and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree 鈥� that would position EMU as a top regional provider of nursing education.

Hershberger鈥檚 nursing department colleagues, nursing department chair Melody Cash and MSN program director Don Tyson, recognize her as both a mentor and a consummate professional, devoted to advocating for the most vulnerable, to seeking challenging and transformative experiences for EMU nursing students, and for elevating the departmental discourse around public health issues and challenges, among many other contributions.

Tyson鈥檚 office was located just across the hall from Hershberger鈥檚 for the last 20 years: 鈥淚t has been a blessing and treat as we have laughed, cried, disagreed, affirmed each other, consoled, and problem solved in so many ways.鈥�

Cash has appreciated her 鈥渨ise discernment and support 鈥 listening ear when I needed it …advice that came from years of experience and a place of compassion and caring.鈥�

Hershberger鈥檚 impact on the entire university has been no less substantial. She moved through the academic ranks to full professor in 2002 and in addition to teaching and leadership responsibilities within the nursing department, was tapped for leadership roles as core curriculum coordinator, director of the Humanitarian Action Leadership program, and finally, her current role as director of the cross-cultural program.

Additionally, Hershberger contributed to several innovative initiatives, each of which have shaped the university鈥檚 core niche as a unique, Anabaptist-rooted liberal arts institution. She helped to launch the cross-cultural program, a core curricular requirement for all undergraduates; chaired the faculty committee to launch the graduate Conflict Transformation Program, now the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding; and provided leadership to several undergraduate general education revisions.

鈥�Ann has made a lasting impact and we are deeply grateful for her deep commitment to EMU over nearly four decades,鈥� said Undergraduate Dean Deirdre Longacher Smeltzer. 鈥淪he has been a beloved professor and mentor to numerous students, both in the classroom and as leader of nine cross-cultural study semesters, and also to her many colleagues. Her wise leadership and her ability to gracefully balance completion of tasks with nurturing of relationships have afforded her numerous opportunities to serve off-campus as well, most notably including prominent roles with Mennonite Central Committee.鈥�

To Mennonite Central Committee

It is to MCC that Hershberger will devote the next few years. She recently accepted the newly created position of interim associate director, and will help Executive Director J. Ron Byler lead the organization during MCC鈥檚 centennial activities 聽over the next 2-3 years.

Hershberger has served on MCC boards since 1996, including 10 years from 2009-19 as board chair of MCC US. 聽She served with her husband Jim as MCC representative in Nicaragua from 1985-90 and again in 1999-2000. Her first service with the organization was in 1983 in El Salvador.

The interim leadership role with MCC was 鈥渁n unexpected, but clear calling,鈥� 聽Hershberger said. 鈥淭he interdenominational relationships I鈥檝e built over the years through working with MCC will help me work within the organization as it adapts to important challenges. I am grateful that EMU has been my occupational home and the focus of my service to God and the church for many years, and I hope to continue the relationship after the interim position concludes.鈥�

Appreciations

As a colleague, Hershberger contributed to EMU鈥檚 intellectual community with 鈥減erceptive comments and questions during meetings as well as over meals,鈥� said Professor Marti Eads, of the EMU Language and Literature Department. 鈥淚 treasure the challenging example she provides of living with integrity, and how she demonstrates measures of kindness, humility and cheerfulness when devoting herself to difficult tasks, such as a campus-wide curriculum revision process. I never had Ann as a teacher, but I imagine her to function as a teacher in the same way that she functions as a friend: encouraging others to do our very best because she believes we can and is waiting in excitement to watch us bloom.鈥�

Sue Cockley, dean of the graduate school and seminary, shared similar sentiments about Hershberger鈥檚 versatile capabilities. 鈥淎nn is one of those very rare people who can care intensely about individual students in her class and, at the same time, think structurally about the well-being of the entire university. She is at once an inspirational idealist and a very practical realist.鈥� 聽

Current and former students appreciated Hershberger鈥檚 role modeling and mentorship, pointing out that her words and actions has always shown genuine care, authenticity and intentionality. 聽

Maria Yoder, a senior biology major, travelled to Guatemala and Colombia with Hershberger as a sophomore. Yoder and Hershberger were co-investigators on a diabetes research project in Guatemala and travelled together to present at the fall 2018 American Public Health Association national conference.

鈥淲ithout the experience, motivation, and guidance from Ann, I never would have thought I was capable of carrying out the research with Concern America. And that’s the beautiful thing about Ann 鈥� she is a natural teacher because she cares about the end product, not her own personal glory. She has hopes for this world that extend well beyond her lifetime and knows that teaching a younger generation is the best way to create a lasting impact.

鈥淪he has given me great counsel not only in regards to academics, but life in general,鈥� said nursing student Asenie Daniel, who was also on the spring 2017 cross-cultural. 鈥淚 am so thankful to have such an incredibly intuitive and receptive person in my life.鈥�

Nursing student Esther Ghale recalls how Hershberger helped her through a challenging situation on that same cross-cultural, and continued her support back to campus. 鈥淎nn came and gave me a big bear hug, exactly what I needed at that time. She didn鈥檛 say anything, she didn鈥檛 ask questions, she just embraced us.鈥�

Tessa Gerberich Hershberger 鈥�13 [no relation], 聽a nurse care coordinator for the women’s health and prenatal care program at Harrisonburg Community Health Center, still speaks with her former undergraduate advisor frequently. She says Hershberger has had a lasting influence on her own practice of nursing, from nursing clinicals at EMU to her postgraduate Serving And Learning Together (SALT) term in an HIV/AIDS clinic in Nigeria and her transition back into the U.S. health care system.

One of Ann Hershberger鈥檚 strengths, Tessa Hershberger said, is her strong commitment to interacting with grace and respect for all, whether patients, students, friends and colleagues. 鈥淢ore than doing for someone, nurses walk with and share information for people to cultivate their own strengths and independence, rather than creating dependency, and Ann exemplifies this, not just in her nursing, but in her teaching and mentoring roles as well. She holds our questions, thoughts and experiences with grace; asks good, thoughtful questions; and encourages us and reminds us of the strength within ourselves.鈥�

Ann Hershberger will be recognized at a reception on campus in late April. Any appreciations offered in the comment box below will be passed along to her.