91����Ƶ held its ninth annual Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival on Wednesday and Thursday. The campuswide event, hosted by the Provost’s Office and organized by its Intellectual Life Committee, offered students opportunities to learn and engage with one another and to showcase their research, creative projects and papers.

In her opening remarks before the festival’s keynote address on Wednesday, Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus described the ACE Festival as a “celebration of student scholarship.”

“It’s where ideas take shape, not only in papers and research, but also in art, performance, and creative expression, and in the courage it takes to share one’s thinking with others,” she said.

“Here, students learn from one another,” she added. “We engage perspectives across our fields and practice the kind of communication and collaboration that will shape our lives beyond today and this semester.”

Career fair

Students connect with local employers at a career fair in the Hall of Nations on Thursday.

A new addition to this year’s ACE Festival was a career fair held Thursday inside the University Commons Hall of Nations. The event, hosted by the Alumni Engagement Office, gave students a chance to interact directly with employers, connect with alumni professionals, explore career options, and pursue internships or jobs.

Employers represented a range of industries, including Augusta Health, Merck, Park View Federal Credit Union, and Momentum Earthworks. 

One of those employers was Kirby Dean ’92, director of parks and recreation for Rockingham County. He previously served as head coach of the 91����Ƶ men’s basketball team for 15 years, leading the “Runnin’ Royals” to the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Although his department didn’t have any full-time job openings, he said he’s always hiring part-time workers to staff the rec center desk, rake fields during baseball tournaments, or mow grass. He said the career fair was a great way to build relationships and connect with students.

“I feel like there are just good kids here,” Dean said. “They were good when I went here from 1988 to 1992, they were good when I coached here from 2003 to 2018, and they’re good now. They’re the kind of people I’m generally looking for.”

Another employer at the career fair represented the local school division. Jeron Baker, assistant director of human resources for Harrisonburg City Public Schools, said the division typically looks to fill between 50 and 60 jobs each year, mostly teaching positions in math, science, elementary education, and English Language Learner (ELL) classes.

The former associate director of 91����Ƶ admissions said 91����Ƶ graduates have a natural understanding of the diversity and complexity within Harrisonburg’s student community.

“They sense the nuances of the human component and understand that education is not just about outcomes, but about process,” he said. “The process of knowing our students more deeply and understanding their systems more fully—it’s just something that comes naturally to 91����Ƶ students.”

91����Ƶ 60% of students in the city’s public schools speak Spanish at home, Baker said, and 50 to 60 languages are spoken by students across its two high schools. 

“91����Ƶ’s ability to create cross-cultural experiences for its students while also bringing in international populations helps students develop cultural competency in ways that are unique to 91����Ƶ,” he said. “That supports our populations, our students, our families, and the broader vision HCPS has for its students.”

In an last week, 91����Ƶ sophomore Francisco Rodriguez said the event offered him a chance to look at a lot of different career paths.

“Sales is a big passion of mine,” he told the newspaper, “but understanding there are other options available here, it’s really nice to be able to check it all out.”

Presentations

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP PHOTO: Senior nursing majors Emily Guin, Kristina Suslaev, and Reina Landa give a presentation on the effects of social media use on mental health in children and adolescents. | Senior engineering major Levi Stutzman discusses gentrification trends in Washington D.C. and Denver during a poster session at the Suter Science Center. | Chase Comer, a senior majoring in political science and history, presents research on shifting voting patterns in Virginia’s Buchanan and Rockingham counties. 

Students from a wide range of majors presented their academic research Thursday in oral presentations and poster sessions across campus. Topics included the concentration of antioxidants in cinnamon bark, the effect of data centers on surrounding infrastructure and resources, the relationship between trauma and homelessness, and the impact of immigration enforcement on local communities.

Senior Emily Guin, part of a group of nursing majors presenting at Martin Chapel early Thursday morning, said her favorite thing about the ACE Festival was attending other presentations and supporting her peers. “I feel like I learn something new at every presentation,” she said. For instance, she said that last year she learned childhood obesity rates in Harrisonburg were higher than the national average.

Guin will work at Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Emergency Department after graduation. Her group presented on the relationship between social media use among children and adolescents and their emotional well-being and mental health. She said they researched the topic because of how relevant and new it is. 

“I think it’s crazy how impactful social media is, both positive and negative,” Guin said. “I can’t imagine growing up in such a digital time now. It makes me feel so old to say that, but I can’t fathom having everything posted on social media.”

Like many students on campus, engineering senior Levi Stutzman had a busy day of presentations. He was part of a cohort that tracked 91����Ƶ’s carbon emissions and presented findings showing the university is not on track to reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2035 (as outlined in its Climate Action Plan).

He also delivered a poster presentation analyzing census data from 2000 and 2020 for areas of Washington D.C. and Denver to chart gentrification in those cities. Later that afternoon, he and three other students gave an engineering capstone presentation on a “single-axis shake table” they designed to simulate sesmic movement and its impact on structures. 

“It’s exciting to show off your projects and see what everyone else is working on,” Stutzman said. “It’s a special time of the year.”

Another engineering major, junior Micah Mast, presented a 3D printer he revived and upgraded. 91����Ƶ purchased the printer, a Makerbot Replicator+, in 2018. Because the machine’s parts and software were discontinued, it had largely been unused for several years. 

“It was always the printer nobody wanted to use because the prints were low quality,” Mast said. “It just kind of sat there.”

For his project, he replaced the printer’s proprietary control system with modern open-source electronics, resulting in improved print quality, a faster workflow, and long-term serviceability, all for about $150. The upgraded MakerBot adds a fourth working printer to 91����Ƶ’s collection. 

“This goes along with sustainability, using things that otherwise would’ve essentially been thrown in the trash,” he said. 

Mast said his favorite thing about the ACE Festival is showing the rest of the school what he spent an entire semester working toward.

“There were countless hours of trying to get it to do what it’s doing right now,” he said, pointing to the machine, which was successfully printing tugboats known as the “3DBenchy” test print.

Art exhibition

Senior art students Donovan Arnason, Daisy Buller, Hollyn Miller, Jasmin Ruiz, and Allie Watkins presented their capstone projects during an opening reception Thursday afternoon at the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery. The exhibition will remain on display through May 1.

Student recital

A student recital at Lehman Auditorium featured performances by vocalists Mac Rhodes-Lehman (bass) and Eli Stoll (baritone), pianists Rafael de Tablan and Micah Wenger, violinist Miriam Rhodes, violist Monica Ehrenfels, flautist Nina Dunsmore, and guitarist and vocalist Erin Yoder (alto). The musicians were accompanied by Harold Bailey and Dominic Baldoni on piano.

A wind ensemble concert was held that evening, followed by a university choir concert on Friday as part of the weeklong ACE Festival lineup. View recordings of those concerts on the .

Authors’ Reception and Award Presentation

The 17th annual Authors’ Reception and Award Presentation recognized and celebrated the winners of 91����Ƶ’s Excellence in Teaching Awards. Faculty members Dr. Ryan Good, Dr. Kathryn Howard-Ligas, and Kevin Carini were announced as this year’s recipients. 

Click the post below for testimonials about each recipient, the winners of the student writing and academic awards, and the faculty and student authors recognized for their published scholarly works.

Keynote address

A keynote address by Dr. Deborah Lawrence, chief scientist at Calyx Global, opened the ACE Festival on Wednesday morning. Lawrence, who taught at the University of Virginia as an environmental sciences professor for more than 25 years, reflected on Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 91����Ƶ’s Common Read this year, and spoke about her research on forests in Borneo, Mexico, and around the world. 

Read our recap of her address below:

The ACE Festival is hosted by the Provost’s Office and made possible by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Center for Interfaith Engagement; and the Daniel B. Suter Endowment, which supports 91����Ƶ’s commitment to fostering curiosity, discovery, and scientific learning. 

For a full schedule of ACE Festival events, visit .

Photos by Aric Berg and Jon Styer/At Ease Consulting

The Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship (ICPF) Conference returned to 91����Ƶ on March 13-15 for another year of examining issues of peace and justice. The student-led conference invites students and faculty from historic peace colleges across the U.S., including Mennonite, Brethren, and Quaker colleges, to connect, learn, and grow in solidarity together.

It was the second consecutive year 91����Ƶ has hosted the once-annual conference. The university previously hosted the ICPF in 2020 before it was indefinitely put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of the conference was to create a space where students from different campuses could come together, connect, and share the work they’re doing in their own communities, said Shawna Hurst, a sophomore elementary education major at 91����Ƶ and member of the ICPF 2026 Planning Committee.

“I wanted people to leave feeling energized, supported, and equipped with new relationships and resources to continue work moving forward,” Hurst said.

“I think the conference was a success because I saw a real shift in people over the course of the weekend,” she added. “Many attendees arrived feeling defeated and discouraged by the state of the world, and while those feelings didn’t completely disappear, people left feeling less alone. There was a stronger sense of community, and many felt encouraged and re-energized by both the connections they made and the messages shared by our keynote speakers.”

This year’s conference centered around the theme, “Solidarity, Community, and Resistance in This Political Moment,” with a focus on practical campus organizing. “In a time of extreme political division, rising fascism, and anti-intellectualism, what does campus organizing look like?” reads a description of the theme. “How can we leverage our unique heritages and cultures to better serve the broader culture and nation?”

Hurst said it was challenging to narrow down a theme because “it felt like there was so much we wanted to talk about and focus on.”

“Despite everything going on, our main goal was to bring the community, and specifically college students, together to learn ways to practice resistance and show solidarity on college campuses,” she said.

Emily Welty (left) and Nadia Dames (right) delivered keynote addresses during the conference.

The conference featured keynotes by Emily Welty and Nadia Dames.

Welty, an author and theatre-maker living in the Rockaway Beach neighborhood of Queens, New York, teaches and directs the peace and justice studies program at Pace University. She is also part of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons team that won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. Her keynote was titled, “All We Have is Each Other.”

Dames is a local business owner and community advocate in Harrisonburg who believes in the power of community, togetherness, and collective action. She delivered a keynote titled, “From Home in Harrisonburg to Roots in Palestine: Finding Your Why in the Work of Resistance.”

Participants share a meal (top photo) and engage in a drum circle (above right) at ICPF 2026. Alicia Maldonado-Zahra leads a workshop (above left).

Workshops were held throughout the day on March 14 in various locations around the 91����Ƶ Seminary Building. Topics ranged from the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous people in North America to the colonization of Puerto Rico as rooted in Indigenous genocide. Other sessions offered information on careers in peacebuilding and explored how Anabaptist understandings of peace have evolved over the past several generations.

The conference also included a prayer vigil in response to the war in Iran and genocide in Gaza, an Amahoro Drumming for Peace circle led by Seminary student Makinto, and a potluck with Harrisonburg-area organizations.

“One of my favorite highlights was the Saturday lunch potluck,” Hurst said. “It was such a meaningful moment to see community members continually show up, bringing crockpots full of food to share. It created a tangible sense of care and connection that felt really special.”

Hurst said that one moment that stuck with her happened on Saturday evening when an attendee told her this was their first experience with Mennonites. “They shared how meaningful it was to see people who care about both Jesus and justice at the same time,” she said. “Hearing that was incredibly encouraging.”

The ICPF 2026 Planning Committee included students from 91����Ƶ, Goshen College, and Bluffton University: Ben Koop, Ciela Acosta, Ellie Shemenski, Logan Daugherty, Mackenzie Miller, Monica Ehrenfels, Micah Wenger, Shawna Hurst, and Dr. Timothy Seidel.

Thanks to everyone who supported and volunteered to assist with the conference, including Eastern Mennonite Seminary, the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, the Orie O. Miller Center at 91����Ƶ, Mennonite Mission Network, and the Mennonite Church USA’s Church Peace Tax Fund for significant monetary support.

Just before wrapping up her speech at the annual Rally in the Valley conference late last month, Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed invited the ballroom full of students to pull out their phones and add her cell phone number to their contacts. 

“I’ve always said I would use my platform to provide endless opportunities for those who need me,” said Reed, who serves as director of alumni engagement and community connections at 91����Ƶ. “Some of you are going to need jobs. Text me. Let me know your name and where you’re from. I’ll make sure to get back to you.”

The two-day event, held from March 27-28 at the Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center in Harrisonburg, brought together about 200 undergraduate students, faculty and staff from a dozen accredited social work programs across the state. The annual conference is sponsored by the Virginia Social Work Education Consortium (VSWEC) and provides a place for bachelor of social work (BSW) students to network and connect, share resources and ideas, and learn about graduate school and career opportunities in a professional conference milieu. 

Fifteen students and four faculty members from 91����Ƶ’s social work program attended the conference. Among them were three students who collaborated with peers from James Madison University and Virginia Union University to plan and organize the event. The theme of Rally in the Valley 2025 was “Learning Beyond the Classroom.”

In addition to her role as mayor, Reed co-founded On the Road Collaborative, an afterschool program that empowers middle and high school students with educational opportunities and hands-on career experiences. The Harrisonburg-based nonprofit has also provided internships to many social work students over the years. “Social work is not just a profession,” Reed said in her speech welcoming students, faculty, and staff to Harrisonburg. “It is a calling to build and strengthen communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.” 

Reed, recently named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Virginia for 2025, was introduced on stage by 91����Ƶ Social Work juniors Abadit Desta and Ekram Siraj, who served on the conference planning committee. The two students participated in On the Road Collaborative as middle schoolers and credited the program with helping them succeed. 

This year marked the first time that students from Blue Ridge Community College attended Rally in the Valley. Students graduating from a community college with an associate’s degree in human services can easily transfer to a school like 91����Ƶ and earn their BSW in two years, said Professor Deanna Durham, director of the social work program at 91����Ƶ. 

A job fair at the conference, featuring representatives from local community service boards, hospitals, the state Department of Corrections, and other employers, gave students an opportunity to learn more about available positions in the workforce. “There are a lot of job openings in mental health right now,” Durham said. “The demand is greater than the supply. What I love is that some corrections programs are leaning into restorative justice, which aligns with the ethics and philosophy of our 91����Ƶ students.”

Students could also meet with admissions counselors from several schools to explore graduate programs. At a table stocked with brochures and resources, Merry Yirga and Lexi Brown from undergraduate admissions worked to spread the word about 91����Ƶ’s offerings. “The conflict transformation program has really been a draw for people looking at master’s degrees,” Brown said.

Through what is called an accelerated or advanced study, BSW graduates from 91����Ƶ can earn their master of social work in just one year if they meet GPA requirements. That’s the result of 91����Ƶ’s full accreditation with the Council on Social Work Education.

91����Ƶ senior Cecilia Rafael Castelan said she was looking forward to attending a pair of workshops, including one focused on budgeting skills for new social workers. Castelan said the conference helps her connect not only with other BSW students from around the state, but also with her own 91����Ƶ classmates. “Since we’re all busy with our practicums, we haven’t had time this semester to debrief as much as we usually do,” she said. “It’ll be nice to spend time with them.”

First held in 1980 at Massanetta Springs in Harrisonburg, Rally in the Valley was created by faculty from JMU and 91����Ƶ. Today, the 13 colleges and universities in the Virginia Social Work Education Consortium take turns planning and hosting the statewide conference. Students attended the 2025 conference from: Blue Ridge Community College, 91����Ƶ, Ferrum College, George Mason University, JMU, Longwood University, Mary Baldwin University, Norfolk State University, Radford University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University.

From Feb. 21-23, 2025, the 91����Ƶ Peace Fellowship club will host the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship (ICPF) conference. This student-led weekend conference brings together students and faculty from Mennonite, Brethren, and Quaker colleges across the U.S. and Canada to examine issues of peace and justice.

The theme for the 2025 ICPF is “Building Solidarity: From Turtle Island to Palestine.” Many students from the schools represented at the conference participate in organizations such as  and the —organizations that are working to build Palestine and Indigenous solidarities, respectively. The 2025 ICPF will give students an opportunity to learn more about these movements, educate students about organizing and movement-building, and foster connections to encourage activism on home campuses and in home communities.

Keynote speakers at this event include the co-founders and organizers of Mennonite Action, Nick Martin and Adam Ramer, as well as a longtime member of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, Lars Åkerson. Their keynote addresses will be held in Martin Chapel at 91����Ƶ’s Seminary Building, with different sessions taking place throughout the building.

The conference workshops will provide space for more in-depth conversations with Mennonite Action and the Coalition, as well as a time to hear from other practitioners about the solidarity work they engage in. Some of the workshops include creative approaches to decolonial peacebuilding in South America, Palestine solidarity work in Harrisonburg, and a student panel with a mix of justice-related topics.

Renae Benner, one of the 91����Ƶ students helping organize the ICPF, looks forward to meeting other students who “care deeply about peace and justice issues.” She hopes those who attend the conference will “leave feeling inspired to take action for peace and be informed about how to do that.” Many faculty and students at 91����Ƶ care deeply about seeking peace and justice, she added, making the university well-suited to host this conference.

91����Ƶ last hosted the ICPF in February 2020 and before that in 2014. Generally, participating institutions take turns hosting the conference every year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference has not been held since 2020. The conference planning committee is excited about restarting the conference and looks forward to building new connections during this time.

Visit the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship webpage to find more information about the schedule or register for the conference.

Participants at ICPF are expected to come from Mennonite colleges and universities including Hesston College, Bluffton University, Goshen College, Bethel College, Canadian Mennonite University, and Conrad Grebel University; other Anabaptist, Quaker, and Brethren universities such as Messiah College, Elizabethtown College, and Manchester University; and other colleges in the Harrisonburg area such as James Madison University and Bridgewater College.

This event reflects 91����Ƶ’s commitment to its core value of peace and justice by providing a platform for students and faculty to engage in critical conversations, build meaningful connections, and take tangible steps toward transformative change in their communities and beyond.

Read a preview of the event in the Daily News-Record .