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Hesston College

Coordinates: 38°08′05″N 97°26′00″W / 38.1348°N 97.4332°W / 38.1348; -97.4332
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Hesston College
Alliman Administration Center (2007)
TypePrivate college
Established1909 (1909)
Religious affiliation
Mennonite Church USA
Endowment$11.9 million (2016)[1]
PresidentRoss Peterson-Veatch
Academic staff
51
Students442[2]
Location
Hesston
,
Kansas
,
United States

38°08′05″N 97°26′00″W / 38.1348°N 97.4332°W / 38.1348; -97.4332
CampusRural, 40 acres (16 ha)
ColorsRed and Gold
   
NicknameLarks
Websitehesston.edu

Hesston College is a private college in Hesston, Kansas, United States. It is associated with the Mennonite Church USA and has an enrollment of about 400 students who typically come from about 30 states and 15 other countries.

History[edit]

Opening in 1909 as Hesston Academy and Bible School, Heston College has offered collegiate level classes since 1915. Founded by T.M. Erb and A.L. Hess after approval by the Kansas-Nebraska Mennonite Conference and endorsement by the Mennonite Board of Education (MBE). Hesston College was affiliated with Mennonite Church and operated by MBE until 2002 when Mennonite Church merged with other denominations and Mennonite Church USA was formed[3]. High school level classes were offered until 1963[4].

In 1981, the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains was founded at the college.

Educational facilities[edit]

Mary Miller Library (2007)

The main 50 acres (20 ha) Hesston campus consists of 12 buildings, including two residential dormitories (Erb hall and Kaufman Court), an administration building, library, a number of academic buildings, and two gymnasiums[5]. It also has a baseball diamond, a softball field, soccer field, a weight room, and four tennis courts.

The Dyck Arboretum of the Plains is a 25 acres (10 ha) Arboretum located blocks from the main campus.

The aviation program has facilities at the Newton City-County Airport east of Newton, Kansas.

The Nursing program, in addition to facilities on the main campus, has affiliations with local hospitals, including Newton Medical Center and Prairie View Mental Health Center in Newton, Schowalter Villa in Hesston, and Via Christi-St. Francis Campus, Via Christi-St. Joseph Campus, and Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

Athletics[edit]

The official mascot for the Hesston College athletic teams is the Larks. The Larks have 13 teams: baseball, softball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, track and field, golf and flag football which was added for the academic year 2022–2023.[6] Hesston participates in the NJCAA, and was given full membership in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in 2018.[7]

Presidents[edit]

Presidents Years Served
Daniel Henry Bender 1909-1930
Edward Yoder, Chair, Administrative Comm. 1930-1932
Milo Kauffman 1932-1951
Walter Oswald, Chair, Administrative Comm. 1951-1953
Roy D. Roth 1953-1959
Tilman R. Smith 1959-1968
Laban Peachey 1968-1980
Jim Mininger (Interim) 1980-1981
Kirk Alliman 1981-1992
Jim Mininger (Interim) 1992-1993
Loren Swartzendruber 1993-2003
Peter Wiebe (Interim) 2003-2005
Howard Keim 2005-2016
Benjamin E. Sprunger (Interim) 2016-2017
Joseph A. Manickam 2017-2023
Ross Peterson-Veatch (Interim) 2023-Present

as of July 2024[4][8]

Notable people[edit]

Alumni
Faculty

References[edit]

  1. ^ "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2016 Endowment Market Value and Change* in Endowment Market Value from FY2015 to FY2016" (PDF). NACUBO.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-15. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  2. ^ McMaster, Rachel (2014-09-29). "Campus welcomes an increase in new students for 2014–15 – Hesston College". Hesston.edu. Retrieved 2015-08-08.
  3. ^ Bender, Harold S. (1957). Mennonite Board of Education (Mennonite Church). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 14 July 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Board_of_Education_(Mennonite_Church)&oldid=89665
  4. ^ a b Sharp, John E. and Rachel McMaster. (August 2018). Hesston College (Hesston, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 13 July 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hesston_College_(Hesston,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=170106
  5. ^ "Housing". Hesston College. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
  6. ^ Lark Athletics
  7. ^ KJCCC Members Archived 2010-06-13 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Bartel, Larry (2023-11-07). "Hesston College announces institutional shifts". Hesston College. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
  9. ^ Josephson, Harold (1985). Biographical Dictionary of Modern Peace Leaders. Connecticut: Greenwood. pp. 607-8. ISBN 0-313-22565-6.

Further reading[edit]

  • A School on the Prairie: A Centennial History of Hesston College, 1909–2009; John Sharp; 2009; ISBN 978-1931038645.
  • A Pillar of Cloud the Story of Hesston College; Mary Miller; 1959; ASIN B000JEMKR8.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hesston College.
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