The Royals Athlete of the Week award will go to a student-athlete who is selected weekly by the athletic department.聽 That man or woman will be one who has made a significant contribution to the team athletically, emotionally, spiritually, academically or in leadership.聽 The award will be announced each Tuesday with recognition on the Athletic Bulletin Board in University Commons and on the website, .聽 Award winners receive a certificate.

Look for a complete list of .聽 Each weekly winner will also be posted in the main news rotation on the front page, as well as on their respective sport鈥檚 page.

The Royals All-Academic Team will be announced at the end of each semester and is comprised of student-athletes who have successfully balanced the athletic and academic demands by achieving at least a 3.25 GPA.聽 Team members will receive a certificate and be recognized on the Athletic Bulletin Board and the website.

For the Senior Recognition, senior athletes in all sports will be recognized and honored at halftime of a basketball game.聽 Each senior will be accompanied by a faculty member of their choice who has had a significant impact on their educational experience.

鈥淚 am really excited about these new initiatives that give recognition to our student-athletes,鈥� said King.聽 鈥淭oo often the focus in athletics is on problem areas or results of games, and not about all the good that is happening right in front of us.聽 We often don’t get to hear or understand the student-athlete’s perspective.聽 Our goals have always centered on using the sports experience to help young people develop skills for life beyond college.鈥�

While EMU鈥檚 athletic department honors a few of its top student-athletes at a seniors banquet at the end of each school year, these new awards open avenues to recognize Royals鈥� student-athletes in a more public avenue.

鈥淭hese recognitions and awards remind us of the purpose for athletics and help us celebrate student-athletes,鈥� explained King.聽 鈥淐elebrating student-athletes in theses ways keeps us aligned with the values and philosophy of Division III.鈥�

Conrad Yutzy and Justin Roth, students in the Visual and Communication Arts (VaCA) students at 草莓社区, will open the shows in the Margaret Martin Gehman Art Gallery in University Commons.

Yutzy combines interviews with digital media and stained glass sculpture to provide powerful insight into the nexus of spirituality and sexuality.

Roth’s digital photography and collage on matte paper explores how action impacts identity. “My work visually represents the idea of how our actions form who we are,” says Roth. “Our actions define us, our hands are the tools that create action.”

Admission to the gallery is free.

Full schedule of exhibits

March 17:

Conrad Yutzy,”The Other Side”: Mixed-media installations

Justin Roth, “Formed”: Digitally-collaged portraits

March 24:

Katie Weaver:聽 Photos under the macro lens

Laney Garcia:聽 Underwater photography

March 31:

Katie Landis, cinemagraphs

Kayci Detweiler, collaged illustrations

April 14:

Travis Duerksen: Digital media

Chris Stauffer: “Selah”: A digital animation

Corey Martin: Cinemagraphs

Chelsea Kight, Installation with paintings (in the Hartzler Library Gallery)

April 21:

Kelby Miller: The Consu(M3)d Project – photography and digital media

Erica Lehman: The Consu(M3)d Project – paintings

Susan Alexander: The Consu(M3)d Project – animation

In addition, there will be a group installation drawing.

Front row (L to R): Jennifer Hochstetler, Katherine Nussbaum, Dorine Ndayizigiye, Sarah Roth, Claudette Monroy. Back row (L to R): Jonathan Spicher, Daniel Miller, Jay Michael Harnish, Anastacio Basil Marin, Niclette Kibibi

Ten graduating seniors were honored as this year’s “Cords of Distinction” recipients in an awards ceremony held Saturday, May 1, as part of commencement weekend activities.

The students, nominated by faculty, staff and fellow students, were cited for exemplifying the school’s highest ideals. They wore gold and blue cords as they graduated Sunday afternoon, May 2.

Meaning of the cords

Blue represents the strength of conviction that one person can help to create a better institution or community. Gold represents the love of spirit and yearning towards creating a better university environment or community in which all may take part.

Students embody EMU’s values

The students were selected for their “significant and verifiable impact” on the university and on student life, for their contributions to developing the institution’s positive image, for substantial contributions to the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area and beyond, for their high academic and social standing and their embodiment of EMU’s shared values of Christian discipleship, community, service and peacebuilding.

2010 Cords recipients

• Jay Michael Harnish, bachelor of arts degree in biblical studies with minnor in youth ministries, Lancaster, Pa.
• Jennifer K. (Jenny) Hochstetler, BA degree in justice, peace and conflict studies with minor in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language), Iowa City, Iowa;
• Niclette I. Kibibi, BA in biochemistry and psychology, Lancaster, Pa.
• A. Basil Marin, bachelor of science degree in business administration with minor in church music, Harrisonburg, Va.
• Daniel N. Miller, BA in liberal arts with minor in history, Corning, N.Y.
• Claudette V. Monroy, BA in economics and justice, peace and conflict studies, Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico
• Dorine K. Ndayizigiye, BS in psychology, Bujumbura, Burundi
• Katherine A. (Kate) Nussbaum, BA in peacebuilding and development with minors in Bible and religion, psychology, history and social science, Mahtomedi, Minn.
• Sarah B. Roth, BA in history with minors in pre-law, political studies, Bible and religion and justice, peace and conflict studies, Harrisonburg, Va.
• Jonathan M. Spicher, BA in biology, Mountville, Pa.

Lauren M. Blintz

Ms. Blitz, a soprano, will perform a program of sacred works by Felix Mendessohn, Cesar Franck, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gabriel Faure and other composers.

Benjamin Bergey, a sophomore church music and vocal performance major from Perkasie, Pa., will accompany her on piano.

Blitz, a soprano, is from Fairfax, Va. She wants to attend seminary after gaining some professional experience in the field of church music.

Admission to the recital is free.

Read more…

Kristen M. Swartley, a music and liberal arts major, will give a senior recital 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21 in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at EMU.

Ms. Swartley, a flutist, will perform “Nocturne” by Lili Boulanger; “Partita in A Minor for Solo Flute, BWV 1013” by Johann Sebastian Bach; “Orange Dawn” by Ian Clarke; “Rondo” from “Flute Quartet in D, K.285” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; “Four Renaissance Motets” by Tomas Luis de Victoria, arranged by Phyllis Avidan Louke; and “Sonata for Flute and Piano in D Major, Op. 94” by Sergei Prokofiev.

Assisting her on the selections are: Jim Clemens, piano; Bebhinn Egger, violin; Ben Bergey, viola; Emily Sims, cello; Kelsie Adams, flute; Jenny Hochstetler, flute; and Amanda Styer, alto-flute.

Swartley is a member of the EMU Chamber Singers, EMU Wind Ensemble, Flute Quartet and Peace Fellowship. An honors student, she is active in drama, intramurals and The Table, a local house church.

She is the daughter of Emily and Kenton Swartley of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and a member of Cedar Falls Mennonite Church.

The program is open to everyone, and admission is free.

Lena Risser

Ms. Risser, a soprano, will perform selections by Mozart, Donizetti and Brahms as well as some Broadway favorites, accompanied by senior Eojin Lee. She will sing three duets with students Leah Risser, Eojin Lee and Ben Bergey.

Risser, from Greencastle, Pa., is a member of the EMU Chamber Singers, an octet and Hanha, a student quartet. She is a member of Marion (PA) Mennonite Church.

Admission to the program is free. Learn more about EMU’s music programs.

Eojin Lee. Photo by Lindsey Roeschley

Ms. Lee will perform hymn arrangements by Sedio and Burkhardt, “Trumpeting” by Wood and “Prelude and Fugue in C minor” by Bach on organ. Piano selections will include “32 Variations on Original Teme, WoO 80,” by Beethoven, “Klavierst

Ten EMU seniors were honored as this year’s “Cords of Distinction” recipients in an awards ceremony held at the close of university chapel Monday, Apr. 21.

The students, nominated by faculty, staff and fellow students, were cited for exemplifying the school’s highest ideals. They will wear gold and blue cords as they graduate on Apr. 27, 2008.

Blue represents the strength of conviction that one person can help to create a better institution or community. Gold represents the love of spirit and yearning towards creating a better university environment or community in which all may take part.

The students were selected for their “significant and verifiable impact” on the university and on student life, for their contributions to developing the institution’s positive image, for substantial contributions to the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area and beyond, for their high academic and social standing and their embodiment of EMU’s shared values of Christian discipleship, community, service and peacebuilding.

“Cords of Distinction” Recipients

• Lars A. Akerson, Harrisonburg, major in mathematics and liberal arts with minor in Spanish
• Benjamin W. Beitzel, Springs, Pa., major in nursing with minor in business administration
• Matthew R. Garber, Elizabethtown, Pa., major in nursing with minor in Bible and religion
• Lisa N. King, Harrisonburg, major in nursing
• Ho-Hyun Lee, Republic of Korea, major in biochemistry with minor in business administration
• Jered C. Lyons, Frederick, Md., major in communication
• Ral E. Nwankwo, Silver Spring, Md., major in history and psychology
• Emi K. Oda, Sapporo, Japan, major in justice, peace and conflict studies with minor in psychology
• Joanne E. Smucker, Lancaster, Pa., major in biology with minors in business administration and chemistry
• Matthew D. Swartley, Harrisonburg, major in business administration and computer information systems and minor in accounting.

President Loren E. Swartzendruber will confer 403 degrees – 302 undergraduate, 87 graduate, 3 associate degrees and 11 graduate certificates – on members of the graduating class of 2007. Last year, EMU awarded 405 degrees.

Lee F. Snyder

The former president of Bluffton (Ohio) University, Lee F. Snyder, will give the commencement address on the theme, “A Road or a Path?” Dr. Snyder was vice president and academic dean of EMU for 12 years before accepting the Bluffton presidency in 1996 and serving there until retiring on July 31, 2006.

Snyder’s work with the Mennonite Church has ranged from congregational involvements to a term of service in Nigeria to denominational leadership assignments, including serving as moderator of Mennonite Church USA, 1999-2001. International assignments in Africa, Asia and Latin America have contributed to her interest in global issues and international education.

Back in Harrisonburg

A native of Harrisburg, Ore., Snyder attended EMU for one year and earned a B.A. degree from the University of Oregon. Later she received an MA in English literature and linguistics from James Madison University and a PhD in American and Victorian literature from the University of Oregon. Her doctoral work focused on the writings of contemporary California writer Joan Didion.

Snyder and her husband Delbert W. Snyder again reside in Harrisonburg, Va.

During the ceremony, “graduates’ perspectives” will be given by Timothy Shenk, a liberal arts major from Harrisonburg, and Elizabeth Heavener, a liberal arts major from Telford, Pa.

More Information

Jay B. Landis

The seniors have elected Jay B. Landis, professor of English, to be speaker for the baccalaureate service to be held 7 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 28, in Lehman Auditorium. Dr. Landis plans to retire this summer after teaching several generations of students for 50 years.

Undergraduate senior class co-presidents Joy Shaiebly, a health and physical education major from Lancaster, Pa., and Kendal Swartzendruber, a liberal arts and special education major from Keezletown, Va., will give the class salutation.

EMU music students will give a short concert in Lehman Auditorium immediately following the baccalaureate service.

President and Mrs. Swartzendruber will host a reception for the graduates and their families at 9 p.m. Apr. 28 in the Campus Center Greeting Hall.

In case of rain, commencement exercises will be held in the Yoder Arena of University Commons, which can accommodate 3,600 people. An announcement to that effect will be made by 11 a.m. that day on WEMC, 91.7 FM, and other area radio stations.

Kendra J. Martin

Wendy A. Driver

Jason L. Good

EMU presented awards to its top student-athletes and honored 32 senior athletes and support staff members as part of the 2005 Athletic Honors Banquet held Apr. 19.

The most prestigious awards given out during the evening were the President

How well-prepared are today’s college graduates to survive and thrive in the marketplace and larger society?

On one hand, I get the feeling that most are street-wise, savvy and possess both the skills and motivation they’ll need to make a difference in the world. When I see the incredibly diverse learning opportunities afforded them over four (or more) years both inside and outside the classroom, I yearn for the chance to go back and do it again myself – but not at my age.

On the other, the class of 2004 will face challenges, demands and obstacles that we baby boomers couldn’t even dream or have nightmares about – the spiraling costs of food, clothing and shelter; ever-mounting feelings of vulnerability from sinister forces even as we build more intricate security networks to supposedly shelter us from those who would do us harm; a general malaise that infects and drains people of their resolve and desire to aim for the highest ethical/moral standards in all their dealings.

These mixed emotions surface for me each year this time as another freshly-mind crop of undergraduate, graduate and seminary students conclude their years of tears, toil and sweat and reach for their diplomas (except for those who will only receive the cover that holds the document, with the longed-for sheepskin to follow once all graduation requirements have been met).

And then, diploma in hand, tassel moved from right to left and the final commissioning charge given, what’s next?

For some, those endless hours of study, research, writing are test-taking are history. They’ve actively pursued and secured good jobs, often directly related to their major. But if not, their strong liberal arts training, coupled to cross-cultural work and study, will serve them well, whatever their vocational calling.

A goodly number may not have specific plans neatly in place, but are actively pursuing possibilities. For others, graduate school looms ahead with more long hours spent in lonely study rooms.

One reality, however, will quickly settle in for most: man, I’m out of school, I’ve got a steady job with lots of responsibility, the bills are already coming in, my car needs an overhaul, and I can’t hit that alarm clock and sleep another two hours.

Welcome to the real world, that which was placed on hold for a period but must again be squarely faced. The learning process, shaped and molded by that wild and life-altering academic whirl, is really just beginning.

As countless other students walk their respective platforms at numerous institutions of higher learning across the country in the weeks ahead, my wish for each graduate is that they recognize what a privilege it has been to drink deep at the fountain of knowledge and now to offer that life-giving, refreshing cup of cold water to others, hopefully rising from a deep sense of calling, care and compassion.

Not everyone has such an opportunity, and to whom much is given, much will be required.

For myself, I can’t repeat my college experience of 1963-67, nor am I certain I’d want to, but I can resolve to keep drawing from the precious resources received during my college sojourn that played such a vital role in challenging my assumptions, shifting my priorities and generally rearranging my life.

I can’t cite the source of this musing, but I resonate with it and commend it to each and every person who matriculates in the days ahead: “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘”WOW–What a Ride!'”

Congratulations and blessings, class of 2004!

Presiding at his first graduation as EMU