H Esston College, the Two-Year College of Mennonite Church
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Introduction esston College, the two-year college of Mennonite Church USA, educates and nurtures each student within Christ-centered community, integrating thought, life and faith for service to others in the church and the world. H Hesston College Mission Statement A Profile and History of Hesston College Hesston College is a two-year, coeducational, residential liberal arts college, and an organization of Mennonite Church USA. The College campus is located in the city of Hesston, which has approximately 3800 residents and is located 35 miles north of Wichita, Kansas. In the fall of 2010, the College enrolled 448 students. At its founding in 1909, Hesston Academy and Bible School offered Mennonite young people the opportunity to attend a “school in the West” where they could learn in an environment which encouraged faith development, and Mennonite values and principles. In its early years, Hesston served as an academy only and, in 1915, began offering college-level classes. Although it experimented with a four- year college structure for nine years, by 1925 a junior college structure had been adopted. Forty years later, in the mid-1960s, the academy was phased out. The College expanded beyond liberal arts to include career programs. In 1966, the Nursing Program was launched, followed by a number of other career programs. First faculty of Hesston College Today Hesston College offers three associate degrees: Associate of Arts 1909-1910 (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences (AAAS). Within the AAAS degree, students may choose from seven career programs: Aviation, Bible, Business, Computer Information Technology, Early Childhood Education, Nursing, and Pastoral Ministries. An Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences degree is also available in General Studies. Located on 40 acres, the campus has twelve major buildings as well as outdoor athletic facilities for student and community use. College programs stretch beyond the campus. Students also use the college- owned, twenty-nine-acre Dyck Arboretum of the Plains located one block from campus, and the seventeen-acre Stutzman Retreat Center outside of Hesston. The Aviation Program is based at the Newton City-County Airport. Nursing students apply classroom learning in twelve health care agencies in surrounding communities. 1909-2009: 100 Years of “Living the Vision” During the past academic year, Hesston College celebrated its 100-year history. As the anchor event for the 2009-2010 Centennial Celebration, Homecoming Weekend (September 25-27, 2009) welcomed alumni and 1 Introduction friends of Hesston College back to the campus to participate in a wide variety of activities, events, and historical reflections. (ExhibitV) For 100 years, Hesston College has remained an institution of the Mennonite Church, whose basic tenets emphasize the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as well as the expression of those beliefs through adult baptism, separation of church and state, simple lifestyle, service, peacemaking, and justice. In like manner, these Anabaptist tenets set the tone for life and learning in the Christ-centered community of Hesston College. Unique Aspects of Hesston College The behavioral and emotional characteristics of Hesston College have been defined as follows: nurturing, supportive, and friendly. Values that are important to the people in the College and serve as reference points for moral choices include: building relationships, stewardship, integrity, caring, and excellence. As evidenced by responses from the Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI), ACT College Outcomes Survey (COS), Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), and Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA), Hesston College students positively rate their academic experience. In addition, surveys demonstrate continual improvement in the academic quality of the program; however, the largest A School on the Prairie: margin of difference, according to students, is the high level of support, A Centennial History of caring, and superior student life programming in the residence halls. Hesston College 1909- 2009 was premiered Below are excerpts from surveys that show the student-centered approach during Homecoming to teaching and learning that leads to academic excellence, the value of the weekend. residential setting, and the importance of the Christ-centered community for Hesston College. A Student-Centered Approach to Teaching and Learning (resulting in satisfied students and graduates) • At Hesston College, the friendly, person-centered atmosphere helps to create a positive learning environment. Results of the fall 2009 Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory revealed that the following were among the highest student ratings (based on a 7.0 satisfaction scale): o Campus staff are caring and helpful = 6.13 (vs. 5.47 for national four-year private colleges). o Faculty care about students as individuals = 6.03 (vs. 5.39 for national four-year private colleges). o Students are made to feel welcome on this campus = 6.11 (vs. 5.47 for national four-year private colleges). 2 Introduction o Hesston College students rated their satisfaction above the 4-year college mean in all 12 categories on the SSI; percentile rankings for these 12 categories ranged from the 65th percentile to the 75th percentile. (Exhibit IV-A1) • On the ACT College Outcomes Survey given in 2008 to graduating classes of 2003 and 2005, Hesston College graduates were more satisfied with their experience in all 39 categories than their peers at other institutions. The average response to all 39 categories among Hesston graduates was 4.24/5.0 compared to the national 4- year norm of 3.71/5.0. (Exhibit IV-A2) Academic Excellence • Hesston College strives to promote academic excellence through teaching and learning. The College is using assessment data to improve learning. A conscious shift from a teaching college to a learning college is taking place. • The Washington Monthly magazine released its national College Guide and Rankings on August 23, 2010. Hesston College was ranked number two on the list of two-year colleges in terms of results on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement plus graduation rates. The schools ranked in this category are comprised of both private and public two-year institutions. Only two other Kansas colleges were listed among the top 50 schools. Hesston College was (Exhibit XVII-E) ranked 2nd nationally for • Academic excellence can also be observed through the following two-year colleges in fall measures: 2010. o Each semester, Hesston College students rate courses through the Individual Development and Educational Assessment tool, which is used at more than 380 colleges and universities nation-wide (two-year, four-year and universities). IDEA results for fall 2010 showed that 77% of our courses ranked above the IDEA average in the summary of major categories (student progress on relevant objectives, excellent teacher, excellent course, and course summary). IDEA literature states that “when this percentage exceeds 60%, the inference is that the Group’s overall instructional effectiveness was unusually high.” (Exhibit IV-1C) o Five summary benchmark results for Hesston College on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) during the spring of 2009 demonstrated college rankings of the 64th percentile on one benchmark and rankings of either the 97th or 98th percentile on the additional four benchmarks. (Exhibit IV-A4) 3 Introduction o Nursing first-time pass rates averaged 93.3% on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX) for the past five years. (Exhibit IV-B4) o On the 2008 ACT College Outcomes Survey, 54% percent of 56 Hesston College students who transferred to four-year institutions reported that their grade point averages remained similar to what they had been at Hesston College; 27% indicated their GPA went up slightly; 13% reported their GPA went up one or more points. (Exhibit IV-A2) A Residential Setting • Forty-nine percent of Hesston College students are residents of states other than Kansas or countries other than the United States. • International students comprise 8% of the student population. • North American students of color comprise 16% of the student population. • Dormitories are divided into “mods”–groups of eight to fourteen students who live together in community. This setting gives students a primary group of persons with whom to relate. Hesston College “Mod” A Christ-Centered Community • The importance of a Christ-centered community is emphasized in College mission documents. • Approximately one-third of the on-campus students are actively involved in voluntary worship services and programs. • Twice-weekly chapel services, with required attendance, provide additional worship opportunities for the campus community. • Student Ministry Assistants offer small-group worship experiences for residential and commuting students. • The Biblical Literature course is a requirement for all three degrees: AA, AS, and AAAS. The Two-Year College of Mennonite Church USA • Being an organization of Mennonite Church USA contributes to the uniqueness of Hesston College. • The Anabaptist perspective–including the emphases on service, discipleship, and community–differentiates Hesston College from many other institutions of higher education. • Hesston College collaborates with four other Mennonite colleges/ universities: (Bethel College – Kansas; Bluffton University – Ohio; Goshen College – Indiana,