Frederick is currently library director at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, a post she has held since 2006. Before that she was director of library services for eight years at The King’s University College in Edmonton, Alberta. And previous to that, she was director of library and information services for five years at the Institute for Christian Studies, a graduate school in Toronto.

In addition to her library work over the years, Frederick served on university committees on environmental sustainability, racial/ethnic diversity, gender equality and spiritual formation. She has taught several courses over the years, including “Truth and Falsehood in the Marketplace of Ideas,” centering on information seeking and retrieval.

While in Illinois, Frederick has been active at Community Mennonite Church in Markham. She preaches about once a month and was approved by Illinois Mennonite Conference as a supply preacher. She is currently finishing a three-year non-degree program at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana.

“The search committee was impressed both by her vision for the role of a library in an Anabaptist institution of higher learning and by her breadth of experience in library directorship,” said 91����Ƶ Provost Fred Kniss.

“I’m a librarian because I love bringing people together to create community around ideas, gathering and sharing resources to nurture deep reflection,” said Frederick. “My calling as a library director is to bring a deep focus on institutional mission into ongoing conversations about that community’s information needs.”

A 1982 graduate of Beloit College in Wisconsin, Frederick went on to earn three master’s degrees – a master’s of library science and an M.A. in American history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a master’s of philosophy from the Institute of Christian Studies in Toronto.

Frederick will come to 91����Ƶ with her husband, Paul Cook, a studio artist, and her 11-year-old daughter, Jocelyn Cook.

She will oversee a staff of seven as well as numerous student assistants. The three-story , which includes the , is located near the center of 91����Ƶ’s campus. It was built in 1971 after a student-led fund drive pushed the project over the finish line for a federal matching grant. The student effort attracted national media attention.

Brubaker, who has directed Hartzler Library for six years on what was initially a “temporary” basis, is finally retiring after a life-long career at 91����Ƶ. Starting as a nursing instructor, she later chaired the nursing department, became vice president for enrollment management, was selected as the school’s first provost and even served as interim president.

Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, was awarded a Legislative Leadership Award by the environmental group on Monday at 91����Ƶ.

The award, along with a book of nature photographs, was presented for Hanger’s work on Senate Bill 418, which “eradicate[d] a major tax barrier to solar energy,” according to the group’s announcement.

The bill extended tax exemptions to solar panels so that the equipment cannot be taxed by local governments as “machinery and tools.”

Solar energy equipment is now classified as “pollution control equipment” and exempt from local taxation. The bill was signed into law in March.

Republicans and environmental groups often butt heads over issues ranging from land conservation to funding for alternative sources of energy.

Hanger was honored on the balcony of 91����Ƶ’s Campus Center building, overlooking the . The panels, installed in 2010, are operated by Staunton-based solar development company .

, founder of Secure Futures and professor of at 91����Ƶ, said Monday night that solar power is the “fastest-growing industry in the United States.”

Smith said Hanger’s legislation will help support that growth.

“It’s important to align yourself with a very seasoned and very professional legislator … who can work on both sides of the aisle,” Smith said.

On receiving his award – made out of recycled glass – Hanger said human beings could be resistant to change, but need to be able to adapt.

Hanger noted the importance of coal to Virginia’s history, but said the state has survived similar changes in the past.

“There was life after tobacco,” he said, referring to a former top industry that has declined.

Several of the Sierra Club’s members thanked Hanger for his work and remarked on his “courage” in working with them.

The Sierra Club claims to be the “nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.”

During the 2012 election cycle, the Sierra Club political action committee contributed more than $456,000 to congressional candidates nationwide – 99 percent of which went to Democratic candidates, according to the campaign finance tracking website OpenSecrets.org.

The remaining 1 percent went to independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has described himself as a “democratic socialist.”

In 2013, the state chapter of the Sierra Club spent more than $468,000 in support of Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s successful gubernatorial campaign, according to the , which tracks campaign funds for state elections.

Waving off concerns that some in his party might be upset with him working with the environmental group, Hanger said that the bill removes an impediment to business.

“I see it as leveling the playing field,” he said.

In addition to Hanger, eight other Legislative Leadership awards were given out this year by the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club: four to Republicans and four to Democrats, according to an April press release from the group.

Courtesy of the Daily News Record, July 21, 2014.

The auction, which begins at 1 p.m. on Thomas Plaza in front of the Campus Center, has been organized “in the spirit of the 1969 student library drive,” when the entire campus community, galvanized by student enthusiasm, . By doing so, they protected a major construction grant for the , still in use today, and won glowing national headlines ($111,000 in 1969 would be worth well over $700,000 today).

Equipment from the Science Center, including eight microscopes (both full-size and miniature; most in their original wooden cases), will headline the auction, led by local auctioneer John Bowman.

One unique item will entitle the new owner to tell a funny story: Years ago, the planners of a donor appreciation dinner purchased what they assumed were “rosebud glasses” to garnish each table, emblazed with the blue seal of Eastern Mennonite College and Seminary. As it turned out, they had actually bought shot glasses.

Other items up for auction from the science center include ten of the greenhouse’s best plants, assorted science glassware (perfect for flower vases), two Margaret Gehman paintings, a hand thrown ceramic bowl by Jerry Lapp, an Esther Augsburger statue entiteld Robe of God and an astronomy course packet, including star charts, from the M.T. Brackbill era.

“It’s been great having the support of the development office, Science Center faculty and staff,” said SGA co-president Christine Baer, one of the auction’s organizers.

Organizers hope drive becomes template for future

Co-president Carissa Harnish said planners have been inspired by the 1969 campus-wide library fund drive since last fall.

“Organizing this drive has been a learning process,” Harnish said. “We’ve never done an auction on this scale before. Hopefully, this can be a template for student campaigns of the future.”

Also to be auctioned are donated items, including two nights’ lodging at a “tranquility guest suite” east of Harrisonburg and a copy of professor ’s recent book, Pickups, a Love Story. A “marketplace” of other items, including baked goods, will be for sale as well.

A matching grant will magnify the SGA’s fundraising efforts. For every $2 raised, an additional $1 will be added by the Marietta McNeill Morgan and Samuel Tate Morgan Foundation. A personalized letter has been sent to parents and families of students, announcing the student-initiated campaign and the matching grant.

“We’re delighted that SGA has taken the lead in mobilizing student support for the Suter Science Campaign,” says , vice president for advancement. “Students have expressed keen interest in this campaign since its inception, and it’s great that the student government leaders have stepped up to engage the larger student body in the effort.”

Fundraising efforts focus on west wing of science center

The has reached and exceeded its initial $7 million goal to modernize the laboratory section of the building, built in the late 1960s.

Bringing the west wing into the 21st century is the focus of current fundraising efforts. This involves demolishing and replacing S-104 (known as the “head room” for its array of antlered trophies) and upgrading ancient HVAC systems.

“During our student years, this is our home,” says Baer. “When we learned from development that we could designate how the funds are used, that really injected additional energy into the campaign.”

Replacing all the chairs in the large auditorium S-106 with more comfortable seating is one idea, albeit an ambitious one. Other possibilities have been discussed, including an outdoor amphitheater classroom, equipment purchase or front entrance landscaping.

As part of this discussion, “the students are interested in how buildings change the campus,” Harnish says. “We’re here for a few short years. It’s good to know that people are thinking and planning for the future.”

In the ramp-up for the auction weekend, SGA launched several student awareness events. Before the latest Hunger Games movie screened in S-106 in early March, students were treated to a “fun science” culinary experiment – ice cream made using liquid nitrogen instead of ice.

Updates on the student science center campaign can be found on its , as well as a link to a secure online form for making a financial gift to the student campaign. For more information on remote bidding on the day of the auction, call Phil Helmuth, executive director of development, at 540-746-2068.

If it rains, the auction will move inside to the upper level of University Commons.

91����Ƶ and its site in Lancaster, Pa., have earned a Silver rating from the . The standardized rating system, created by the Association for the , recognizes sustainability efforts by colleges and universities around the world in the areas of curriculum and research; operations; and planning, diversity and engagement. AASHE defines sustainability as “encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations.”

Sustainability coordinator led the months-long project, which culminated in the award received in early 2014. The data collection involved 18 contributors from various departments and frequent consultations with a 300-page technical manual that provided guidelines and formulas to compute scores for everything from greenhouse gas emissions to building energy consumption. Credits are awarded based on a variety of performance- or strategy-based indicators, each of which requires specific and unique input from a “responsible party.”

That explains why, when he clicked the final “submit” button, Lantz-Trissel reported feeling like an Olympic athlete at the end of a long quest. He relished the sight of the silver medal that appeared shortly on the screen, and then another feeling took over.

“Actually, I’m really tired,” he said with a laugh during an interview a week later. “It is a little like winning a championship. This rating was something we had earned and worked hard on for a long time. It represents many of our sustainability efforts that have been going on for the past seven years and I’m so pleased that people within the 91����Ƶ community are getting the recognition they deserve.”

While recognizing a history of grass-roots activism on campus, Lantz-Trissel traces 91����Ƶ’s formal embrace of the sustainability effort to the 2007 adoption of education for sustainability as a re-accreditation requirement (91����Ƶ is accredited by the ). The resulting five-year Quality Enhancement Plan infused the topic into the undergraduate curriculum and focused community discussion on its diverse goals.

So when Lantz-Trissel began gathering the necessary data for the STARS report, he wasn’t surprised that curriculum and research was one of 91����Ƶ’s strengths. More than 170 of 91����Ƶ’s courses concentrate on or incorporate aspects of sustainability, and 12 faculty members from diverse departments are currently engaged in related research. 91����Ƶ also earned credits for its student-led organizations and outreach campaigns, new student orientation tour, the annual Recyclemania event, organic garden, and outdoors program.

The most labor-intensive section of the STARS assessment surveyed 91����Ƶ operations, including buildings, dining services, energy consumption, grounds, purchasing, waste and water. Gathering information to complete the greenhouse gas inventory alone took Lantz-Trissel nearly a year, requiring calculation of “our whole carbon footprint, everything from people driving to and from the university to air travel for all the student cross-culturals to electric, water and paper use.”

In the final category of Planning, Administration and Engagement, 91����Ƶ earned credits for its strategic planning; diversity, opportunity and equity programs for students and faculty; and responsible investing. This category also evaluated 91����Ƶ’s sustainable workplace environment and its outreach into the local community and within other academic institutions.

The Silver rating, reported in the Version 1.2 system, is valid for three years. With its first-time honor, 91����Ƶ joins 22 STARS-rated colleges, universities, and community colleges in Virginia, including Bridgewater College (Bronze) and James Madison University (Silver).

An updated reporting system with more definitive guidelines, Version 2.0, was released in the fall of 2013 (Goshen College was one of the first to earn a Silver rating using this reporting system).

The updates “require institutions to keep improving on their sustainability work,” Lantz-Trissel said. But because 91����Ƶ opted for conservative reporting of its achievements this first time around, he anticipates plenty of opportunity for an improved rating in the future, even considering the more stringent guidelines.

Dubina, who has studied part-time since 2011 in , laughs ruefully as she gropes for words to explain the personal feeling behind her chosen setting of flowers and springtime. It has to do with the campus signifying hope and new options in her life. She arrived four years ago from her home at Brest, in Belarus.

The oil painting, unveiled in June, portrays Swartzendruber’s face as recognizably as any photograph. Yet perhaps inspired by a favorite artist she names – Ilya Yefimovich Repin (1844-1930) – Dubina’s seemingly lifelike works incorporate personal selection and creativity.

Getting to know Swartzendruber during the portrait process, Dubina found him down-to-earth and unassuming: “He is very polite; very happy. I felt very comfortable with him.” In portraiture, she considers it most helpful “to see the real person.” It also helped that Swartzendruber supplied her with numerous photographs – aids, she feels, to acquiring a sense of a subject’s personality.

She has worked without such help. In 2007, Dubina created a commissioned portrait gallery of the 12 presidents of Brest State University (founded in 1945), where she had received undergraduate and masters’ degrees and taught art. To depict one early administrator, she had to work from only a “tiny little black and white photograph.”

Dubina’s current portfolio includes floral still lifes, Belarussian and Shenandoah Valley landscapes, portraits of family, friends and historic figures, and a self-portrait in elegant 18th Century dress.

In 2009, after winning a U.S. Green Card Lottery (i.e., a Diversity Immigrant Visa), Dubina came to live with her sister in Harrisonburg near their brother and his children – a move undertaken “to help my parents [living in Brest]. They are getting old.” She shares earnings with them from her food-services job at James Madison University, telephones them daily, and returned to Belarus to visit them this summer.

“When I came to America I didn’t have a dream,” she says. Yet recently she began to dream again of a future full of creativity, having received a written evaluation of her Brest education, certifying that she holds the equivalent of a master’s degree.

Now, she says, “I just need English.”

Four years ago, Dubina knew no English – she was embarrassed to be asked “How are you?” and be unable to answer. She was, however, fluent in Russian and Belarussian (her country’s official languages), plus Ukrainian, and knew some Polish and German. She came to 91����Ƶ because friends said “this is the best place for learning English.” IEP draws students from around the world, mostly seeking educational or career advancement.

Dubina teaches art to children and adults at her church, near Bridgewater. Comparing American education with that in her homeland, she says “I am interested in seeing how the schools are different.”

The Swartzendruber portrait hangs in the President’s Room on the 3rd floor of , available for viewing except for times when the room is being used for classes or meetings.

The exhibit, “Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible,” celebrates the anniversary of the 400-year-old holy book. The 91����Ƶ library is one of 40 in the nation, and the only library in the state of Virginia, chosen to host the exhibit.

91����Ƶ will host an opening reception and lecture on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m.

“We are emphasizing the variety of ways the King James Bible influenced American society, literature and culture,” said Stephanie Bush, 91����Ƶ instructional services librarian. “This is a unique opportunity to bring the Harrisonburg community together to discuss one of the most widely read books in the world.”

Bush says the 91����Ƶ library, which is partnering with the Massanutten Regional Library, is offering a series of programs to appeal to Bible scholars in addition to the general public. Presenters include professors from 91����Ƶ, James Madison University and the University of Virginia.

A can be found on the .

The exhibit includes fourteen graphic panels that combine narrative text with images of rare books, manuscripts and art that are printed on double-sided banners.

Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible, a traveling exhibition for libraries, was organized by the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C., and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. It is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, with assistance from the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Texas, to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible. The traveling exhibition was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Admission to the exhibition is free.  For more information visit the or contact Stephanie Bush at 540-432-4170; or stephanie.bush@emu.edu.

During the first six months of 2012, the 126,000-kilowatt-hour system performed 18 percent over target, meaning it actually brought in closer to 150,000 kilowatt-hours of energy, according to officials.

The system, located atop the , provides about 2.5 percent of the energy the Harrisonburg campus and its approximately 1,500 students consume.

The 126,000 kilowatt-hours the system produces is equivalent to 1.26 million 100-watt light bulbs burning for one hour, said , an assistant professor of at 91����Ƶ and CEO of the company that owns the solar array, .

But, since being installed in November 2010, the nearly $1 million system has consistently overshot its 126,000-kilowatt-hour annual target, meaning the university will help Secure Futures pay off its purchase of the system more quickly.

“We’ve been pleasantly surprised how much better than expected the system has done,” Smith said. “This is because we’ve been blessed with much more sunshine this year. Harrisonburg tends to be a drier area than other parts of the state.”

91����Ƶ was able to install the system on campus as part of a 20-year power-performance contract with Secure Futures, a Staunton-based solar energy development company. The company owns and operates the system and 91����Ƶ pays the company for the energy produced at a price equivalent to the rate the university pays its traditional energy provider, .

According to , vice president for finance at 91����Ƶ, the university spent about $460,000 on energy during the fiscal year that ended June 30, about $18,400 of which went toward solar energy.

91����Ƶ paid in advance for 10 years of the guaranteed output of the system. The university will pay for additional kilowatt hours produced by the system; if the system underperforms, Secure Futures pays 91����Ƶ for the difference between what had been projected and what’s actually produced.

The partnership is beneficial to 91����Ƶ, Smith said, because it helps the university increase campus sustainability efforts. Secure Futures will make money from the partnership after the initial setup costs are paid off in 10 to 12 years.

Because 91����Ƶ is locked in at a certain kilowatt-hour rate with Secure Futures, a cost savings can be realized if utility rates climb in the future.

“We expect that the utility rates will increase at a more rapid rate than what we’re selling power to the university,” said Smith, who declined to provide the agreed rate between Secure Futures and 91����Ƶ, saying it is a confidential contract.

The opposite statement could also be true, however, if utility rates dropped.

For 2011-12, based on 91����Ƶ’s 5.7 million kilowatt- hours used and total energy costs, the university paid approximately 7.9 cents per kilowatt-hour for the campus’ energy.

Although the university would be relieved from regular utility rate increases, the contract between 91����Ƶ and Secure Futures does have an “escalator clause,” meaning the rate charged will increase at a predetermined rate.

That clause is typical of power-purchase agreements, Smith said.

Installing the system, which was the largest in Virginia when it debuted in 2010, was a forward step for 91����Ƶ, Smith says, in a state not known for having the most solar-friendly policies.

“If we weren’t working with an institution who wanted to be a leader in energy efficiency, it would have been a much more difficult sell,” he said.

The city also has taken steps to encourage more solar energy projects. In 2011, approved a 100 percent tax break for 20 years on tangible personal property related to the development of solar energy.

The exemption, retroactive to July 1, 2010, was designed to encourage more solar-energy development.

“Students today are increasingly looking for colleges and universities that integrate sustainability into the way of doing things,” Smith said. “[The solar array] helps make that sustainability leadership even more visible.”

Courtesy Daily News Record, Sept. 6, 2012

In addition, the solar photovoltaic system has outperformed projections for the entire period since it began operation in November 2010. The university hosts the solar panels, which are owned and operated by Secure Futures, a solar energy development company based in Staunton, Va.

“Solar energy operators project performance of a system based on how much sun they expect to shine on the geographical area where the system is installed,” said Anthony (Tony) Smith, CEO of Secure Futures and assistant professor of business at 91����Ƶ.

A combination of a mild winter and particularly sunny weather in the Harrisonburg area from February through June contributed to high levels of solar irradiance. Higher than expected sunshine remains a key factor for the strong output of electric power from 91����Ƶ’s on-campus solar array.

“Many people may not realize that solar irradiance actually varies from one year to the next, based on local weather. Given the amount of sun that the solar panels at Eastern Mennonite received during the first six months of 2012, the system performed significantly better than expected.”

The solar array on campus was the first in Virginia to exceed 100 kilowatts in capacity. Solar energy is a key component of the university’s program to save energy and promote sustainability.

91����Ƶ Secure Futures

Secure Futures L.L.C. offers clean and affordable solar energy generated on-site to colleges and universities, local governments and other institutions operating in the public interest.

Through service agreements, customers can reduce their electricity costs and protect themselves against future price increases from electric utilities without the high up-front cost of installing their own solar power equipment.  Secure Futures is based in Staunton, Va., and may be found online at .

Secure Futures guaranteed an annual output of 126,783 kilowatt hours of electricity from the solar photovoltaic array installed in November, 2010, on the roof of 91����Ƶ’s Sadie Hartzler Library.  The solar panels achieved this milestone earlier this week, a full six weeks ahead of schedule, in time for the autumnal equinox

“The solar panels surpassed all our expectations,” said Loren Swartzendruber, president of 91����Ƶ. “Not only have they delivered more renewable energy than we anticipated—cutting the university’s power cost—the solar panels have also become a tangible symbol of our commitment to clean energy and a powerful educational tool to encourage our students to become environmental stewards.”

Since beginning operation, the system has offset more than 105,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the carbon reduction of 85 mature white pine trees—or enough energy to brew 2.6 million cups of coffee.

The system consists of 328 high-efficiency photovoltaic panels manufactured by the SunPower Corporation.  Southern Energy Management installed the panels for Secure Futures. At capacity, the system can generate 104.3 kilowatts of electricity, making it the largest solar project in Virginia with enough power to supply two percent of 91����Ƶ’s average annual energy demand.

“Traditionally, cultures around the world have marked the end of summer with the autumnal equinox. This year, we are fortunate that we can follow their example with a modern twist, capping off the sunny season with a celebration of the exceptional power of solar energy in action,” said Secure Futures CEO Dr. Tony Smith, who also co-directs 91����Ƶ’s Steward-Leadership MBA Program.

91����Ƶ Secure Futures

Secure Futures L.L.C. offers clean and affordable solar energy generated on-site to colleges and universities, local governments and other institutions operating in the public interest. Through Solar Power Purchase Agreements (SPPAs), customers can reduce their electricity costs and protect themselves against future price increases from electric utilities without the high up-front cost of installing their own solar power equipment.  Secure Futures is based in Staunton, Va., and may be found online at www.securefutures.us.

Sculptures and monoprints by Allison Luce will be on display November 14 – December 13 in the third floor art gallery of Hartzler Library.

A reception for the artist will be held 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, in the gallery.

Ms. Luce teaches ceramics at Mitchell Community College, Statesville, N.C., and is studio artist at Clayworks Studio and Gallery in Charlotte, N.C. She is also affiliate artist at McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte.

The exhibit will include prints, wall sculptures, pedestal pieces and three-dimensional artwork.

“Conceptionally, this work is based upon the notion of the human body being a shelter for the soul,” said Luce. “Beginning with the concept of clay as a metaphor for the body, these pieces are hand built and are hollow inside while mostly appearing to be solid. The hollow interiors of these pieces are symbolic of the soul, while the clay exterior references the delicate and ephemeral nature of life.

“Most recently, I am interested in the frailty of the body and the fallibility of man,” Luce stated. “This work explores concerns about my own fragility and femininity and its relation to my constant struggles with the concept of eternity.”

The artist graduated with honors with a BFA degree in painting and history from Ohio University at Athens and earned an MFA degree in painting from Hunter College, New York City.

The exhibit is open for viewing every day during regular library hours, and admission to 91����Ƶ’s art gallery is free.