Their response, by and large, is that 鈥�91短视频 changed my life.鈥�

鈥�91短视频 changed my life in terms of values, in terms of lifelong friends, in terms of where I met my spouse, in terms of how we are raising our children,鈥� Huxman said, echoing those answers.

鈥淚t’s one of the reasons that we get up, even though our days are very, very full, and do what we do,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e have this incredible honor of walking with students on this formative journey in their lives.鈥�

Huxman spoke on the transformative power of higher education and the importance of developing students as 鈥渨hole people鈥� as one of four area college and university presidents at a panel discussion on Thursday, Aug. 22. The annual Presidential Address, hosted by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, also featured remarks from Mr. Charlie King, interim president of James Madison University; Dr. David Bushman, president of Bridgewater College; and Dr. John Downey, president of Blue Ridge Community College. The sold-out event was held at 91短视频鈥檚 Martin Chapel and attended by about 100 guests. This marked the first time it has been held on a college campus, and will rotate between schools in future years.

The quartet of college presidents was given an opportunity to share their goals for the coming year and provide an in-depth update to the crowd of business and community leaders. Huxman is chair-elect of the local chamber of commerce and will officially begin her term as chair in October 2024.

Huxman outlined two evergreen goals at 91短视频. One of those perennial goals is to go 鈥渁ll in鈥� on delivering 鈥渁n exceptional student experience year in and year out,鈥� she said. The other goal is to lean into 91短视频鈥檚 five-year strategic plan, Pathways of Promise, which opens new pathways of access, achievement, action, and alignment for 91短视频 students and employees.

The university is in the second year of its first-ever comprehensive campaign for people, programs, and facilities, and is pivoting to raise more money for financial aid. While the school has seen its graduate enrollment increase by 50%, it has missed its enrollment targets at the undergraduate level.

鈥淎nd so we are doubling down on additional ways in which we can get people to take a second, a third, and a fourth look at 91短视频 because we are not as expensive as you think,鈥� Huxman told those gathered at the Presidential Address (the average net cost for an 91短视频 student in 2022-23 was just $15,309).

Updates

• The university has received a large amount of grant funding. A $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation supports at-risk student success in STEM. 91短视频 has received more than $2.5 million in grant funding for Eastern Mennonite Seminary, which supports a 鈥淭hriving in Ministry鈥� program and Christian caregiving initiative.

• 91短视频 is launching a new Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Peacemaking and Social Change program. The program will become the second doctoral program offered at 91短视频, after the Doctor of Nursing Practice.

• 91短视频 is responding to a growing need in the community by helping teachers who are on a provisional license get the education they need to keep teaching.

• The school was recently recognized for its commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students. Thirty-five percent of undergraduate students at 91短视频 are first-generation college students.

The Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area, with its four colleges and universities, is 鈥渁n educational mecca,鈥� Huxman said. Together, the four institutions boast a combined enrollment of about 32,000 students and a workforce of about 4,800 employees.

鈥淲e don’t take it for granted at all that out of 185 college towns in the nation, we are in the top 10,鈥� Huxman said. 鈥淎nd that doesn’t just happen automatically. It’s because there is support from the community. It is the fact that we get together. We support one another.鈥�

Following the Presidential Address, guests were invited on a campus tour of the University Commons, the new state-of-the-art track and field complex, and the Suter Science Center.

Read WHSV-TV’s coverage of the event .

Running businesses that employ 100-240 people is not the usual career path for accountants, most of whom tend not be to entrepreneurial risk-takers.

But soft-spoken, low-key Anders fits no stereotypes, except for one 鈥� true to his Mennonite upbringing and church affiliation, he doesn鈥檛 flaunt his success. All things considered, he lives simply. Married for 25 years to Teresa (class of 鈥�85), he, Teresa and their three children have lived in the same decent-sized, but not mansion-sized, house near Mt. Clinton since 2001. He drives a Toyota pickup with 85,000 miles on it.

The transition from engaging in audits to running a business happened toward the end of Anders鈥� seventh year as an accountant at PBGH, one of the three companies that became , the largest CPA firm in Virginia. A pair of his clients 鈥� Jerry Morris and Wayne Ruck, owners of 鈥� asked if he would join their management team as their in-house accountant. Soon after Anders joined the team in 1993, Packaging Services started a warehousing division. This has grown to be the core of several intersecting businesses that Anders now oversees, minus the original Packaging Services, which was sold in 2000.

Today Anders is the president of , which provides storage, transport, logistics and land-development services from its base on the southern edge of Harrisonburg, right beside I-81, to companies operating throughout the East Coast. InterChange has about 100 employees. In addition, Anders is on the executive management team of Classic Distribution (doing business as ), which has about 50 employees, and of , which has about 90 on its payroll.

Given his background as a CPA, Anders remained the de facto controller of InterChange, as he gradually hired managers in operations, sales, and transportation to meet operational needs. Finally the day came 鈥� it was Nov. 1, 2005, to be exact 鈥� when he brought in Kevin Longenecker 鈥�91 to manage the company鈥檚 finances. (Longenecker had been 91短视频鈥檚 controller and director of finance for the previous seven years.)

Anders was raised in Souderton, Pa., the son of a banker, whose other son has developmental disabilities. Familiar with his brother鈥檚 needs for familial and community support, Anders has found ways of partnering with , a Harrisonburg non-profit employing persons with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Several years ago, after about five years on Friendship鈥檚 board, Anders arranged for InterChange to work collaboratively with Friendship Industries, using Friendship personnel to do food repackaging for InterChange clients.

鈥淚 believe if you鈥檙e successful, you need to help those around you,鈥� says Anders. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 wake up in the morning thinking of my next deal or bigger bonuses. I wake up thinking about ways to sustain our workforce 鈥� I wake up aware of many mouths to feed. 鈥楬ow do we make this work?鈥� That鈥檚 what鈥檚 on my mind.鈥�

His parents and his Mennonite heritage inculcated a strong work ethic in him 鈥� 鈥減erhaps too strong,鈥� he says with a smile. Anders appreciates having the same underlying ethical values as his business partners, along with an interest in keeping InterChange privately held 鈥� all of which permits Anders and his management team to take the longer view in building their business, absent the pressure to deliver quarterly performance on the stock market.

One of their ventures is developing small office parks around Harrisonburg, such as the one that houses on Route 33 in McGaheysville.

Anders adopted Harrisonburg as his hometown in the late 1980s after heading south from Pennsylvania to enroll in what was then Eastern Mennonite College, where he says Del Snyder and Ron Stoltzfus gave him a solid foundation in accounting. Anders satisfied his cross-cultural requirement by spending nine weeks in China with the first group that 91短视频 sent to that country. 鈥淚 was excited about聽it 鈥� it changed聽my world perspective,鈥� he says.

It also did something that he could not have foreseen then: it enabled him to feel comfortable about venturing back to China as a businessman in 2009, and to return every year since then, as he considers deals involving the importation of cabinetry and other products. His most recent trip to Asia, in November 2013, lasted for 16 days, with stops in China, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam.

His biggest challenge? 鈥淎nticipating the market.鈥�

Anders was not the only alumnus in the spotlight at the annual award ceremony held by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 9. The Farm Family Stewardship Award went to Riverhill Farms of Port Republic, owned by the Rodes family. Glenn Rodes, featured in a short film on the farm, is married to Sheri Beth (Petersheim) Rodes, a 1988 91短视频 graduate who majored in early education. Their family raises 270,000 turkeys annually, operates a 150-cow dairy, and cultivates 600 acres, using conservation practices designed to protect the adjoining Shenandoah River.

Edgar Miller, general manager of ., gave a presentation on emotional intelligence with staffing issues, marketplace competition, budgeting, strategic planning and team development.

“People have become too busy with text and words,” said Miller. “[The decrease] of face-to-face interaction can lead to oversensitivity and self doubt in the workplace.”

A panel discussion delved into emotional intelligence’s impact on transactions, affirmation of employees and being an emotional leader. Panelists included Keith May of , Randy Seitz of , Carole Persinger of , and Brent Trumbo of .

Representatives in attendance

Individuals and businesses in attendance included , , , ., , , ., , ., , , ., , , , , ., and .