The university will welcome a host of prospective undergraduate students and their families on Saturday for the first ROAR Session of the year. 

Each of the four open house programs provide a place for high school juniors and seniors to experience the culture at EMU and see what it’s like to be a student on campus. Those high schoolers, who might not have applied to EMU yet, attend panel discussions, participate in activities, take a tour of the campus, eat a complimentary meal in the dining hall and get answers to any questions they have. They can also audition for a spot in a music ensemble and potentially land a scholarship.

It’s too late to register for Saturday’s session, but registration is accepted for the next three sessions. ROAR Session 2 is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 18. The deadline to register for the event is noon on Nov. 10.

Registration can be completed online at /admissions/campus-visit/programs/open-house2.

This year’s series of ROAR Session events will have some noticeable changes.

Gone are the long lines of tables stretching down the hallway at the university fair. They will be replaced by an array of cocktail tables that elicit the feel of a mixer. The fair helps prospective students learn more about majors, campus programs, clubs and athletics. The updated format aims to get them more comfortable with wandering around and striking up conversations with faculty and students.

Herm, EMU’s mascot, will make more of an appearance this year. Cardboard cutouts of the blue lion will grace the tables at the university fair. A team of Royal Ambassadors will join in the enthusiasm, snapping pictures at the photobooth and hawking EMU merch at the swag shop. 

Saturday will also see the debut of a spirited school chant. And prospective students who make a tuition deposit can celebrate with a recent tradition: striking a gong in the admissions office. 

The biggest change might be the new name. What was labeled as Open House I before last year is now rebranded as ROAR Session 1. 

Previous open house campus visits were built for a different audience, says Mary Jensen, vice president of enrollment and strategic growth. They were more about communicating information and less about the experience.

The ROAR Session rebranding, along with the other updates, will help EMU more authentically express its identity to prospective students. It’s a way for the school to communicate the fun and welcoming vibe on campus. And it all fits into the invitation for prospective students to discover their passion, to follow their calling and to Find Your ROAR.

What’s in a name

“Find Your ROAR” packs a whole lot of meaning into a pithy tagline.

“Every word really says something about the way we go about education at EMU,” Jensen said.

“Find” evokes a sense of discovery and learning, and supports students in their path of exploration. “Your” focuses on helping students find their authentic and unique identities. And “ROAR” serves as not only a nod to Herm the lion, but also refers to each student’s passion and voice.

“When people find their place of passion and are able to let that shine, let that sing, let that be heard in the world, that’s what EMU wants to do, is help you find that place and then send you out into the world with your roar,” Jensen said. 

She noted that the tagline also helps dispel the stereotype of Mennonites being a quiet people. 

“Perhaps we’ve been seen as too humble,” Jensen said. “Peace is sometimes equated to passivity. And maybe we were not willing to be forthright about what we have to offer as being of value.

“We can’t be quiet; we don’t want to be the best-kept secret.”

Jensen, previously the associate provost of EMU at Lancaster, arrived in Harrisonburg in December 2021. She said she noticed that other universities used a tagline that tied into their identities. 

She tasked Fig Industries, a marketing agency based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with developing one that EMU could use. The school has been gradually introducing it in speeches and marketing materials over the past year, but this semester it’s being put into full force.

“This is the first year we are all in on it,” Jensen said.

In her convocation speech kicking off the school year in August, President Susan Schultz Huxman shared an inspiring message encouraging students to “Find Your ROAR” at EMU

“This expression has multiple meanings and yet at its core we are saying: come to EMU where you can belong to a caring and compassionate community of learners in the Anabaptist tradition and become your authentic self, ready to find your calling to serve a God of love and light and make the world a better place,” she said. 

How to apply

Those interested in finding their roar at EMU as a first-year student can submit an online application, which is free, nonbinding and does not require an essay, at /admissions/apply/.

The process typically takes between 10 and 15 minutes to complete, says Luke Litwiller, director of undergraduate admissions. Applicants are then asked to send a copy of their high school transcript to admissions. 

Litwiller said students can receive a merit-based scholarship decision at the same time as their admission decision. Because EMU uses rolling admissions for entry, those decisions can happen quickly.

“It can happen within two weeks, and often quicker,” he said.

��ݮ����’s new director of the leadership and organizational management program brings an expansive and global perspective to her role. Christine Sharp, who holds a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University, has spent most of her professional career working to empower people from “all walks and stages of life” as leaders who can transform their organizations and the lives of others.

The program offers a bachelor’s degree in leadership and organizational management (LOM). Students can add concentrations in aviation, health care and restorative justice for more specific professional training and career options. Cohorts are enrolled at both the Harrisonburg, Virginia, main campus and the site in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 

Graduates of the LOM program, which started in Harrisonburg in 1993 and in Lancaster in 1997, number more than nearly 1,100.

Sharp also directs three more programs: the online associate’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, general education and early enrollment for high school students. In her role, she will also collaborate with community business, schools, and non-profits to assess needs and develop programs that provide new access to educational opportunities.

“We’re delighted to welcome Chris to our leadership team at EMU. She has been a very engaged adjunct faculty member since 2018 who has demonstrated outstanding teaching ability as well as commitment to student success and the EMU mission and vision,” said Mary Jensen, associate provost of EMU at Lancaster. “Our faculty and students will benefit from her deep experience in global leadership development, pastoral and church administration and professional coaching.” 

Sharp says the unique learning model and objectives of these programs fit her passion for empowering others, from high school students to adults returning to complete their degrees, to those who have not had opportunity for further education. “My life passion is to see others discover leadership gifting they did not realize they had. As one discovers these strengths, the impact is multifaceted in personal and professional life. I thrive when students embrace leadership concepts and apply these discoveries in their real life experiences.”

The LOM cohort model, which values discussions around and application to real-life experience, builds trust among students and enhances learning, Sharp says. “The ‘case studies’ used in class come from our learners who have jobs and families and who face victories and challenges every day. Before long, each student realizes they have something to offer, and leadership application begins to happen organically.” 

Developing leaders who seek to provide transformative workplaces and organizations has been part of Sharp’s career path for many years. She served in ministry at Global Disciples as an associate director/leadership development specialist, focusing on training, development, and coaching of indigenous church leaders and pastors across five continents. Prior to this assignment, she was the executive director of Brethren In Christ World Missions, giving oversight to vision casting, human resources, finance, missionary training, deployment and pastoral care, as well as internationally partnering in strategic planning, church development, and conflict resolution with Brethren In Christ churches globally. 

“In working with people across the globe, I found a hunger from all walks of life in wanting to learn how to empower their employees, how to build effective teams, how to develop strategic plans, and how to create thriving organizations,” she said. “It’s exciting to be a part of EMU’s mission, which seeks to provide an educational path for leaders who share the same vision.” 

Sharp holds a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University, an MS in organizational leadership from Regent, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Messiah College. She is also an ordained pastor in the Brethren in Christ Church and holds a professional coaching certification from the International Coaching Federation.

Innovative new undergraduate and graduate programs and a strong showing in retention across the undergraduate classes have helped ��ݮ���� report favorable gains in student numbers this fall despite considerable challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Class of 2024, numbering 202, is the largest in four years at the Harrisonburg campus.  The cohort is further strengthened by 16 additional new first-year students in the leadership and organizational management degree with an aviation concentration at EMU’s site in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

“These numbers illustrate EMU continues to offer a unique and rigorous academic experience with the added value and marketability of unique skills, knowledge and practical expertise that make our graduates sought-after in job markets,” said Jason Good, vice president for innovation and recruitment. 

The figures were released by the registrar’s office on Sept. 10. The data is collected as a traditional “snapshot” of enrollment trends, according to university registrar David Detrow.

EMU reports a total undergraduate enrollment of 918, inclusive of adult degree completion and RN-BSN programs. Graduate enrollment, which includes graduate certificate, master’s degree and doctoral degree programs, is at 468. has 63 students enrolled.

 “Despite a challenging year with documented COVID-related impact, we are very optimistic about EMU’s future and growth,” Good said.

Strong reputation attracts students to nursing, biology, engineering

Though many universities across the country reported dips in first-year enrollment due to uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Good said. “While our prospective students and families were deeply impacted by COVID-19 affecting enrollment plans for many, thanks to a student-centered approach from admissions, faculty, athletics and student services we were able to enroll a strong and resilient class,” Good said.

The Class of 2024 comes to EMU from 15 states and seven countries. Close to 30 percent identify as first-generation college students. The average GPA is 3.67. The top five majors, among 36 represented, are nursing, biology, business administration, computer science and engineering. Included in that is a large percentage of students who were offered admission into EMU’s Honors program.

At EMU at Lancaster, 16 additional new first-year students comprise the second cohort in a growing undergraduate program that combines a leadership and organizational management major with a concentration in aviation. 

This is the second year of more than 100 percent growth in program enrollment, according to Mary Jensen, provost at EMU Lancaster.

“It is gratifying to see the success of this program and student progression,” Jensen said. “It has clearly met a regional need for those who wish to become aviation leaders.”

Graduates finish with a bachelor of science degree and several commercial aircraft ratings, enabling a smooth transition into a variety of aviation careers. The program partners with Aero-Tech Services, Inc., an FAA-approved pilot school to provide ground and pilot training. 

Innovation in graduate programs

Building on its strong reputation in specialized fields of conflict transformation, restorative justice and trauma and resilience, EMU continues to develop academic programs that attract students who need skills to help them succeed in challenging times. 

“Many professionals in a variety of fields are seeking further specialized training with an integrated interdisciplinary approach,” Good said, “and our academic programs, with their emphasis on both theory and practical skill-building, are increasingly sought-after in fields such as health care, nursing, peacebuilding and education.”

The MA in Transformational Leadership, a new online graduate degree program at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, has attracted 13 students in its first full semester from across the United States and the world. The program is helping to meet a growing demand for leaders in all professional fields who can promote positive change, manage crises, analyze problems and transform conflicts. 

CJP moved all of its courses online this semester, which resulted in the largest class of first-year graduate students in program history.

The new graduate Certificate in Trauma and Resilience in Healthcare Settings began its first semester with six students. EMU’s graduate nursing program, with a reputation for excellence among many healthcare employers, continues to attract high numbers, with 53 students rolled. Notably, EMU will award its first doctoral degrees this academic year to six graduates of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. 

Additionally, 130 students, teachers and educational professions in the Rockingham County Public Schools are enrolled in a course about online learning tools.   

Lea Ann VanBuskirk was 38 when she went back to school to become a nurse. Now, with a master’s degree in nursing education under her belt and a doctoral dissertation almost complete, she joins the ��ݮ���� (EMU) faculty as the healthcare program director for Lancaster’s RN to BSN program.

“I don’t think we have one student in our program right now that isn’t working and juggling a family,” VanBuskirk said. It’s a challenge she’s intimately familiar with – her four children were still young when she started nursing school. The oldest was 10. “It was frightening,” she said.

This experience gives her a particular passion for educating nurses with families of their own.

“I am here to help them however I can,” she said. “When you decide to go back to school, you’re not doing this to your family. You’re doing this for your family.” 

She earned her associate’s degree in 2006, her bachelor’s in nursing in 2009, and her master’s in nursing education in 2011. Only then did she take a few years’ break before enrolling in Grand Canyon University’s doctoral program for general psychology with an emphasis on cognition and instruction.

VanBuskirk is currently a nursing supervisor at a small community hospital in the WellSpan Health network in Lancaster County – a position she will retain while at EMU Lancaster. She does get to interact with families, which she loves, but the job also stretches her in many roles, including “staffing, patient care, doctor needs, family needs, coordinating things with the county when there’s an emergency, fixing toilets,” VanBuskirk said with a laugh. 

Mary Jensen, associate provost at EMU Lancaster, said VanBuskirk brings several notable attributes to the faculty. 

“First of all, she demonstrates her commitment to students and the student learning experience by meeting students where they are and valuing the contribution they make to our learning community,” said Jensen. “And, LeaAnn has a riotous sense of humor. She makes us laugh and we all need that right now!”

VanBuskirk’s first nursing position was in cardiac telemetry ICU stepdown – serving patients with heart problems and other compounding issues, for example, someone who’s just had bypass surgery who also has diabetes. 

It was an “initiation by fire,” VanBuskirk said, but that hospital setting “was the best to develop my nursing skills and provided the best advantage for me to become an educator.”

She also discovered one of her callings as a nurse: geriatric patients. 

“People at the end of their life are the most vulnerable, and they just need a different kind of care. They need a lot more emotional care,” VanBuskirk explained. “For the most part they’re very sweet. They just need people to love them. There are a lot of old people that have families, but there are even more that don’t, and I just love them.”

VanBuskirk said nurses need that depth of care for patients to remain in such a demanding field. As she put it, “there’s no amount of money that can cover holding someone in your arms while they’re dying. You can’t put a dollar amount on that.”

Thankfully, her area hasn’t been hit overly hard by COVID-19. But several of her staff at WellSpan have contracted the virus since the start of the pandemic – thankfully, all of them have recovered well.

“I just can’t say enough about our nurses and their bravery,” VanBuskirk said.

HACC President John J. “Ski” Sygielski, Ed.D., and EMU at Lancaster Associate Provost Mary L. Jensen will sign an articulation agreement  11 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 5, at HACC’s Lancaster campus, East Building, room 202.

Upon successful completion of an associate of applied science (AAS) or associate of science (AS) degree, HACC graduates who meet all admission and application requirements will be guaranteed transfer of 60-80 credits into EMU at the university’s bachelor of science degree program in leadership and organizational management.

The degree can be completed in 15 months by attending class one night a week. Coursework and skillbuilding highlights topics of leadership formation, human dynamics and organizational behavior for business and public administration.

This is the second articulation agreement between the two institutions. An agreement in September 2017 ensures transfer of credit for HACC nursing graduates into EMU at Lancaster’s bachelor of science in nursing program.

About ��ݮ����

A leader among faith-based, liberal arts universities since 1917,  (EMU) emphasizes peacebuilding, sustainability, service to others and social justice to students of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. EMU educates undergraduate, graduate, professional and seminary students to serve and lead in a global context from the main campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia; the site in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and online. The EMU experience challenges students to pursue their life calling through scholarly inquiry, artistic creation, guided practice and life-changing cross-cultural encounter.

About HACC

HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is the first and largest of Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges. HACC offers over 100 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to approximately 19,000 students. Also, the College serves students at its Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York campuses; through virtual learning; and via workforce development and continuing education training. For more information on how HACC is uniquely YOURS, visit . Also, follow us on  (@HACC_info), like us on (Facebook.com/HACC64) and use #HACCNews.

The April 10 evening event in the terminal was a dual celebration: a launch party to announce EMU Lancaster’s new aviation program, the first collegiate degree of its kind in the region, and a gathering of EMU alumni in honor of LovEMU Giving Day, a one-day fundraising campaign.

Lancaster Airport, the fourth busiest airport in the state, is home to 24 businesses, including the regional carrier Southern Airways.

Some of those aviation professionals were in attendance among the crowd, which also included business owners, media invitees, prospective students and EMU alumni.

“There was excitement in the air,” said Jensen. “This program illustrates the unique role EMU Lancaster plays in the region, bringing innovative, partnership-based programs in response to the demands and economic needs of our region.”

Four years in the making, the fully accredited program — offering a bachelor’s degree in leadership and organizational management with private and commercial pilot certificates, instrument rating and a flight instructor certificate —is definitely off the ground and in the air. Several students are enrolled for fall 2018, and word is spreading about the new opportunity. The program courses meet one day per week on site at EMU at Lancaster, allowing students the flexibility to work and conveniently schedule their individual flight time the rest of the week.

Read more about the LOM degree with an aviation concentration.

Partnering with a Lititz-based flight school, the new program develops students as pilots and leadership-oriented professionals from the first semester of ground school through an internship in the aviation field and beyond.

Matt Kauffman, director of operations at Aero-Tech, said the collaboration is an exciting opportunity to join an organization with the similar goal of developing people to their full potential. Aero-Tech’s values of “community, integrity, stewardship and service” align well with EMU’s mission of preparing students to serve and lead in a global context, he added. And he’s especially intrigued by the potential of working with pilots who are also engaged in collegiate studies and bring a different perspective into their flight training.

Both Tom Baldridge, president and CEO of The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and David Eberly, Lancaster Airport director, pointed out the program’s potential economic benefits to area residents and businesses.

A recent study by Boeing projects a shortage of 637,000 pilots over the next 20 years, Eberly said, which roughly means 87 new pilots a day “to maintain airlines to today’s standards.”

EMU Lancaster’s program provides an FAA-approved expedited path to earning an Airline Transport License, saving students both time and money and leading more quickly to employment in a high-demand career, Eberly said.

Baldridge called the program “one more opportunity to keep these graduates locally, to provide family-sustaining jobs and to create a greater economic impact in this region.”

The program will coordinated by Jim Cistone, who holds a PhD in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has more than three decades of varying experience in the field, from business development, engineering, software development and program management. He is also a certified flight instructor.

Jensen concluded with thanks to her team at EMU Lancaster, “one of the most innovative, collaborative and engaged groups of people with whom I’ve ever had the opportunity to work.”

She especially noted the efforts of Julie Siegfried, director of operations, and Catherine Stover, associate director of marketing and communication. The duo “caught the vision” and conducted market research and a feasibility study.

“It was all here waiting when I arrived in 2015,” said Jensen, who became the site’s first associate provost in 2015. “So without those two women, their vision and perseverance, this probably could not have happened.”

It is the first local articulation agreement for Thaddeus Stevens that gives graduates of many of its technical programs, such as residential remodeling, HVAC and plumbing, a path to a bachelor’s degree in management.

“The skilled trades provide outstanding career pathways to entrepreneurship and management,” said Zoann Parker, vice president of academic affairs at Thaddeus Stevens. “This agreement will give our graduates a way to accelerate their path to management in a large company or starting and owning their businesses.”

Under the agreement, EMU will accept up to 80 college credits earned in completion of an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree from Thaddeus Stevens toward the 120 hours required for the bachelor of science degree.

The remainder of the program is designed to be completed in 16 months attending one class per week from 6-10 p.m.

“At ��ݮ����, we have a history of applied liberal arts, emphasizing the relationship between learning skills and learning to think critically and creatively to solve problems in order to effectively practice one’s profession for the common good,” said , associate provost, EMU at Lancaster.

Jensen said the agreement will support the current national and local priority to increase the percentage of Americans holding undergraduate baccalaureate degrees, which research suggests is the single most effective step toward a living wage.

Currently about five percent of Thaddeus Stevens students go on to pursue a bachelor’s degree, according to Lancaster Online.

The articulation agreement was signed by representatives of the institutions during a program involving faculty, administrators and students at EMU at Lancaster.

“Serving an annual average of 500 students, ��ݮ���� at Lancaster is committed to — and delivers — a rigorous academic program that is affordable and prepares graduates to succeed in their careers and further academic pursuits,” Jensen said.

Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and awards associate degrees in 22 high-demand, skilled occupations.

The agreement was signed May 25 during a formal ceremony in the Yokum Library on the RACC campus.

“The degree completion pathway represented by this agreement promises to support the educational and career goals of nursing students, providing resources and information they need to utilize their time and tuition dollars effectively and efficiently, “ says Dr. , associate provost of EMU at Lancaster.

“We at RACC are pleased to formally enter into this articulation agreement with ��ݮ����. It means increased access and opportunity for our RACC students and clearly defines a new pathway to success through EMU’s nursing program,” says RACC President Dr. Anna Weitz.

In Pennsylvania, graduates with an associate’s degree in nursing articulate to universities for a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree. Articulation is different from transferring, according to a joint release of the two institutions. While transferring between schools involves the transfer of individual courses, articulation indicates that a block of credits are awarded based on having an RN license.

EMU will accept at least 71 college-level credits from RACC if applicants meet specific admissions criteria, which include maintaining a minimum GPA of 2.0 or greater as required by the RACC nursing program.

Being with other women “doing theology” was a profound experience, even for this woman working on her Master of Divinity degree through EMS Lancaster. She works part-time at Akron (Pa.) Mennonite Church as interim director of children and youth ministries.

In short, she “does theology” all the time. But not always with only women and not in such a powerful space, which explains the “pumped-up” delight.

“The time spent with such a diverse group of amazing women of race, age, life stages, lifestyle choices and color brought me courage, strengthened my faith and secured a safe space to share and be engaged,” Nancarvis said.

Similar thoughts were shared by Elizabeth Witmer, a sophomore major and in the EMU residence halls.

“It was wonderful being in a place where I felt I could truly be myself, where I could express all parts that make up who I am,” she said. “That’s the first time I’ve felt that I’ve been able to do that in a church setting.

The conference is a periodic event hosted by the Women in Leadership Project of Mennonite Church USA. The students’ registration fees were sponsored by EMS, EMU Campus Ministries, and women within the Lancaster Mennonite Conference.

Professor: ‘essential’ empowerment happens at women-only events

EMU professors and , EMS Lancaster faculty member Elizabeth Soto, and EMU Lancaster Associate Provost also attended. Pannell, who teaches in the , presented on “Womanist Theology from an Anabaptist Perspective” and “RAW Monologues: Stories from Radical Anabaptist Women overcoming sexism within the church.”

Heisey, in her first year as , teaches in the . “It is essential for women to listen to each other as we work out our understandings of God, and our relationships with churches,” she said.

The conference theme, “I’ve got the power: naming and reclaiming power as a force for good,” was a hot topic for the attendees.

Madison List, a senior major, was inspired by a story told by Sue Park-Hur, pastor at Mountain View Mennonite Church in Upland, Ca.

“Blessing and not cursing puts the power in our courts,” recounted List. Heisey also found that to be “the most energizing story” of the weekend.

Kate Kauffman, a first-year major with minor, grew up very involved in the church. She saw a recurring theme in conference conversations : “power brings up our stories of pain … How pain is at work in how we relate to each other is something I’ve been processing a lot in sexism and in racism.”

Thobekile Ncube, a Lancaster seminary student, said that the word “power” has negative connotations for women in her home country of Zimbabwe. There, women are expected to “be silent laborers,” she said.

“That conference planted a seed in me,” says Ncube. “We can do more than what the culture expects us to do. I can encourage them [her countrywomen] to help each other. I can train them to have confidence in themselves.”

Conceptualizing the ‘doing’ of theology

Heisey has been attending Women Doing Theology conferences, through their various names, since the 1970s, and says that embodying theology has been the direction of movement. “The understanding of how women do theology has been broadened, so that it’s not just academic theology in the traditional sense.”

Elizabeth Soto, the Lancaster faculty member, said the conference was “not only a rational exercise of our brains, but an integration of our minds, body and soul … Lancaster students have shared that it was a valuable experience because they did not see themselves as women leaders doing theology before, and were afraid they would not fit in. This was clearly not the case. The concept of how women do theology was extended, and they were able to see how they are doing theology in a legitimate way in their daily life.”

Other students attending the conference included:

• Gina LaVoyce Burkhart, of Manheim, Pa., associate pastor for Landisville Mennonite Church and a seminary student in Lancaster;
• Rebekah Nolt, a seminary student in Harrisonburg;
• Christina Hershey, senior, major and residence hall pastoral assistant;
• Janaya Sachs, senior, major, pastoral assistant;
• Alexa Weeks, junior, elementary education major, pastoral assistant.

Cleveland, the keynote speaker at EMU’s annual faculty/staff conference, is associate professor of the practice of reconciliation at the Duke University Divinity School and author of (InterVarsity Press, 2013).

A sought-after speaker who was named one of “Five online shepherds to follow” by JET magazine, Cleveland remarked that the opportunity to speak at EMU was irresistible.

“As a reconciliation scholar and practitioner, how could I say no to EMU?” she said.

Inclusion, equity can be strengthened

The annual faculty/staff conference brings together approximately 350 members of the campus community at the start of the academic year for fellowship, worship and professional development. The theme of the Aug. 17-18 conference was “Embracing Diversity,” with diversity being defined in its various dimensions as race, faith, socio-economic background, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, physical abilities and other identities.

The topic was also informed by goals within the “to recruit, develop, and retain diverse, effective faculty and staff.”

“This goal goes to heart of our mission and values as a university,” said Provost , who chaired the planning committee. “Development of culturally competent educators and members of the campus community goes hand-in-hand with our mission of educating students to serve and lead in a global context. The conference helped us to continue discussion and assessment utilizing both our own significant resources and those provided by outside experts.”

In 2015, EMU’s traditional undergraduate population included a record-high 37 percent of students who are ethnic minorities or come from other countries. That number is up from 36 percent in 2014 and 29 percent in 2013.

“We have many strengths in this area,” Kniss said, noting the institution’s history of inclusion of African Americans, the required undergraduate cross-cultural experience, and a high percentage of faculty and staff who have lived and worked in other countries. “Our work in global peacebuilding and in restorative justice are a strong foundation to build upon, but we must be proactive in confronting and addressing questions of inequality and equity that challenge us as a community.”

Afternoon sessions included

• Cleveland on “Power and Place: Why Some Students Thrive and Others Don’t on Christian College Campuses”;
• chairs , director of multicultural and international student services, and , ombudsperson, about focus group research conducted in spring 2016;
• Professors and , admissions counselor and graduate student Julian Turner, on “Black Lives Matter and White Fragility”;
• Professors and on teaching and advising diverse students with mental health challenges:
• Professors and on building inclusive organizational cultures;

• EMU Lancaster Provost , on Milton Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity;
• Professor , of James Madison University, on “Difference and Civility: Building Resilient Responses to Intolerance.”

‘Do the work. Leave your turf. Listen.’

Cleveland began her address as a social psychologist, outlining why humans living in a pluralistic and complex world define themselves so fiercely within a group identity, and then moved into the theological realm. She asked how the privileged and the powerful can step away from that hierarchical space.

Cleveland, the daughter of church planters from California, pointed out that only 11 percent of Americans are raised by two college-educated parents. Acknowledging her own privilege — raised in a home committed to higher education and daily enrichment and educational experiences, she attended an elite East Coast boarding school and Dartmouth College. This upbringing led her to examine closely Jesus’s relationship to the oppressed and marginalized in a world that was “rife with inequality.”

She asked: “What would it look for me to empty myself of my power and my privilege in a way that Jesus did?”

Using two parables, she pointed out that Jesus did hard and radical work: he shifted attention, changed narratives and transposed power positions so that marginalized peoples moved into positions of power.

“Jesus didn’t say, ‘Figure it out. Jump up to the Trinity,’” she said, evoking laughter from the audience. “Do the work. Be last. Leave your turf. That will look different for every person. How do you leave your turf at EMU? How will you, the privileged, move from first to last? … So many of us have never been last so we don’t know what that looks like.”

These 10 headlines drew readers’ attention in the past 12 months:

1.

By far the most viewed story of the year, with 15,000 reads and nearly 600 Facebook likes, was President Swartzendruber’s December reflections on attacks in San Bernardino, Paris, South Carolina, and elsewhere. “Our campus community continues to prayerfully discern what the peace position means to us in a world beset by violence,” Swartzendruber said. He called everyone to practice Jesus’ command to love one’s enemies and to engage in dialogue with those who come from different backgrounds, while pledging that EMU would work locally and regionally at Muslim-Christian dialogue and continue to train students and others with world-changing tools and principles.

2. Amish teacher, 98, returns to alma mater

Amos Yoder ’54 waited a long time for this trip. Yoder, who is Amish and lives in Minnesota, spent his career teaching and farming in the Midwest and Great Plains and never returned to Virginia—until daughter Rebecca Barbo brought him to campus last year. A group of former classmates and EMU alumni relations representatives greeted Yoder on his visit. Yoder said the campus looked very different, but he treasured the opportunity to return to a place so important to him, calling his years at then-Eastern Mennonite College “one of the high points of my life.”

3. Jackson and Katie Maust with the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad

Titled “Married alumni couple spends spare time saving lives,” the story of Jackson and Katie (Lehman) Maust was one of the top five most-read of the year. They work as a physical therapist and emergency room nurse, respectively, but spend much time away from work among the ranks of the 160 HRS volunteers (including many other EMU alumni). Katie says it’s a calling. “It’s a way that we serve God,” she says.

4.

Loren Swartzendruber began the end of an era in April when he announced he would retire at the end of the 2015-2016 academic year. EMU’s eighth president, Swartzendruber will have served for 13 years in the role and 33 years total in Mennonite higher education. A national search for EMU’s next president began in June.

5. The Yutzy family and their dairy’s new solar installation

Sustainability on campus and off are always popular reads. The Yutzy family, which includes several EMU alumni, was featured by the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record for innovations at their Windcrest Holsteins farm in Timberville, Va. This past year the farm’s barn and milking parlor were covered with nearly 1,800 solar panels. The $1.3 million system, made possible via a grant, tax credits, and depreciation allowances, is expected to pay for itself within five years and eliminate the farm’s power bill. It is Virginia’s largest privately owned solar installation.

6. Articles honoring faculty of note and moments of historic importance

As we approach the Centennial celebration of 2017, EMU readers enjoyed and shared articles about former faculty members Abraham Davis, who started what is today Multicultural Student Services, and ’59, who spent a quarter-century teaching at EMU before retiring in 2001.  Articles on Park Woods Cabin and the Bard’s Nest, as well as the radio station garnered a good number of hits. The celebrated 25 years in March.

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Good news abounded in EMU’s student numbers in 2015. The incoming traditional undergraduate class included 257 students—up from an average of 205 in the previous decade and increasing in diversity, as well. Graduate enrollment jumped, with the master’s in education program showed the most growth. A total of 1,908 students were registered across all EMU programs, including EMU Lancaster, at the beginning of the fall semester.

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If you missed Konrad Wert ’01, this photo alone will make you wish you’d caught the show. Wert, performing as the one-man band Possessed by Paul James, returned to EMU. His album There Will Be Nights When I’m Lonely hit No. 12 on the November 2013 Americana/Bluegrass Billboard charts. Wert graduated with a degree in liberal arts and now teaches special education in Texas — when he’s not on the road.

9. Harrisonburg’s new restorative justice initiative

Restorative justice articles always draw excellent reader numbers, but this article about the new Harrisonburg initiative garnered a record number of hits and Facebook shares. The new program, the first of its kind in Virginia and more than two years in the creation, involved restorative justice practitioners from EMU and James Madison University, Harrisonburg Police Deparetment, representatives of local law practices, the Commonwealth’s attorney and the Fairfield Center.

10. Any sports story!

EMU news blog readers love their sports! There’s always great coverage available at , but sometimes EMU news and your former sports-writer editor can’t resist the urge (with permission from Sports Information Director James De Boer) to “break” a sports story.

Whether finding articles at EMURoyals.com or EMU News, sports fans read, like and share them, from profiles of former athletes like pitcher-turned-Mets group sales director Kirk King ’07 to features on athletes in action, such as , Hannah Chappell-Dick and Kat Lehman at the indoor track NCAA championships, and a history-making baseball trio.

The editor’s favorite in this category was coverage of a charity basketball game that resulted in the photo above and the following headline: “Black Student Union fundraiser game pits the (victorious) Streetball Kingz against the hometown Wreckin’ Royals.”

Here’s wishing you happy reading in 2016. Send news tips to editor Lauren Jefferson at lauren.jefferson@emu.edu.

The first to fill this new position, Jensen will focus on organizational leadership and program development beginning July 1, 2015. She is currently associate dean for academic affairs at Bethel Seminary, associated with Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“I am honored to be chosen for this position,” Jensen says. “EMU is a gem of a university with a wonderful history and legacy that is firmly rooted in its Anabaptist Mennonite commitments and which provides a strong foundation for moving forward into its second century. The Lancaster site already contributes greatly to the influence and visibility of EMU. I’m looking forward to expanding on that.”

Creation of the associate provost’s position was recommended by a five-member task force formed in the fall of 2013 to research new administrative structures for the growing site and its programs. The task force included two representatives of the Harrisonburg and Lancaster administrative staff, and three additional members appointed by each of the academic programs in Lancaster. , professor of organizational studies at EMU’s , served as a non-voting facilitator.

“This new position will allow EMU to enhance its presence in the region and strengthen collaborative ties between Lancaster-based offices and the main campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia,” said .

Siegfried named director of operations

A second administrative position, created on the recommendation of the task force, has also been filled. , MA ’15 (organizational leadership), former office manager for EMU at Lancaster, moves into revised and expanded duties as director of operations. She will oversee the office and physical plant, technology, human resources and finances at the site, located in the Greenfield Corporate Center, off U.S. Route 30 in Lancaster.

“Any of the thousands of students who have taken a class through EMU Lancaster will remember Julie’s significant behind-the-scenes work,” Kniss said.

In her present position at Bethel Seminary since 2013, Jensen has been responsible for a wide variety of administrative tasks associated with the seminary’s St. Paul and San Diego, California, campuses, and distance learning programs, including academic affairs, faculty hiring and supervision, curriculum alignment, assessment and improvement, and budget planning.

“Her experience and expertise in grant writing and program development, as well as in managing organizational relationships at a distance will serve EMU at Lancaster well,” said Kniss.

At Lancaster, Jensen will provide strategic leadership and enhance collaborative support processes for programming; pursue growth opportunities by growing enrollment in current programs and developing new programs to serve regional needs; and strengthen the communication and supportive relationships between EMU Lancaster and the main campus in Harrisonburg.

Jenson in higher education since ’90

Jensen earned an EdD in organization learning and development from the University of St. Thomas in 2010. She entered higher education in 1990, working at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, as a coordinator of residence life. She then entered their master’s in counseling education program, working as a therapist in the university’s counseling center while earning her degree.

In 1997, she moved to Minnesota to become associate dean for relationship education at Bethel University. From 2000 to 2013, she was the program director for marriage and family therapy at Bethel Seminary.

In 2007, Jensen was a visiting professor at the Kiev Mohyla Business School, Kiev, Ukraine, which offers MBA and master’s programs in leadership, banking and finance, as well as corporate training. As a consultant, she also conducted a needs assessment and provided recommendations which resulted in the establishment of a grant development department at the school.

Jensen has considerable teaching experience in psychology, psychotherapy, and spiritual formation, as well as several years of academic consulting in non-profit, K-12, and higher education on the topics of leadership coaching, faith-work integration, organizational change, and cultural competency.

She has conducted more than 40 invited presentations in academic, professional, community, and church settings on range of topics including leadership, intercultural competency, relationships, parenting, communication, sexuality, work-life effectiveness, and formation.

A native of Minnesota, Jensen earned her bachelor’s degree in music education at Northwestern College in 1984 and taught for four years at Waukegan Christian School in Zion, Illinois.