Lancaster Archives - 91��Ƶ News

91��Ƶ at Lancaster celebrates resilience of its graduates at Commencement

Ryan Cornell with photos by Beatrice Zorrilla — Mon, 18 May 2026 14:16:04 +0000

As Angelita Perez told her fellow graduates, each of them has a moment when they chose to keep going, even when it felt impossible.

For her, that moment came during the traumatic birth of her youngest child two years ago. Perez, a graduate of 91��Ƶ at Lancaster’s Leadership and Organizational Management (LOM) program, shared that she failed out of her studies during that experience. But rather than quit, she pushed forward and kept fighting. She came back stronger, enrolling in the next cohort and earning Dean’s List honors throughout her time in the program. The road didn’t become easier, she said, but her resilience grew stronger.

That same resilience, she told the Class of 2026 graduates, lies in every single one of them. Many of them, who are nontraditional adult learners, balanced their coursework with jobs, families, and other responsibilities. “We showed up tired, we showed up overwhelmed and stretched thin, and sometimes we showed up broken,” she said. “Regardless, we still showed up.”

When her mother was hospitalized and passed away in January, Perez said her classmates, who had become a support system, showed up for her. “In one of my hardest seasons,” she said, “it was this community that reminded me I wasn’t alone.”

Graduates recess following the Commencement ceremony.

Angelita Perez (left) was one of three graduates who shared their perspectives at Commencement. Dr. Jamie Mak (right), assistant vice president of academic and program growth for 91��Ƶ at Lancaster, opens the ceremony.

Perez was one of 21 graduates of 91��Ƶ at Lancaster’s degree and graduate certificate programs who walked across the stage and were joyfully sent off into the world during the annual Commencement ceremony at Forest Hills Mennonite Church on Friday, May 8. This year, 91��Ƶ at Lancaster awarded 21 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 13 graduate certificates.

Dr. Jamie Mak, assistant vice president of academic and program growth for 91��Ƶ at Lancaster, welcomed the family members, friends, and guests gathered in celebration and commended the courage and commitment shown by the graduates.

“As you leave today, you carry more than just credentials,” she said. “You carry the values that define this community: peacebuilding, social justice, service, and compassion. You are entering a world that needs those values more than ever.”

91��Ƶ at Lancaster awarded 21 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 13 graduate certificates.

Graduates Will Stover (left) and Alejandro Ulloa (right) share their perspectives.

In addition to Perez, graduates Will Stover and Alejandro Ulloa shared their reflections.

Stover, a graduate of the aviation program, highlighted his cohort’s accomplishments—accumulating over 7,000 hours of flight time in their four years together—and shared some of the lessons they learned in the program. He encouraged graduates to “take the first step” when presented with challenges and opportunities, continue supporting one another and “keep ’em flying,” and find the positive in times of adversity. Echoing the mantra of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight squadron, he called on graduates to embrace being “glad to be here.”

“There are days that are difficult, when we feel defeated, lost, and unsure of what’s next,” he said. “There are also days that feel easy, motivating, and full of hope. The phrase ‘Glad to be here’ is a reminder that, regardless of the day, resiliency ultimately wins.”

When Ulloa was growing up, he often heard his mother say, “cada cabeza un mundo entero.” That phrase, he said, translates to “each head is a whole world.”

“My mom’s words are a consistent reminder that God created each of us with uniqueness and complexity and finds each of us worthy of love,” said Ulloa, who graduated with an MA in education with a concentration in Trauma and Resilience in Educational Environments (TREE).

After teaching at Lancaster Mennonite High School for 11 years, he said God called him to a different setting about four years ago. That’s when he applied to the program at 91��Ƶ at Lancaster to “stay in touch with these faith-infused tenets of education and daily practice.”

“I’m so thankful for this program and its professors, who encouraged us to view our students in their entirety, to approach them with care and empathy first and foremost, and to remember that there’s an entire world in their heads,” he said. Ulloa added that he leaves the program “more committed than ever” to meet his students where they are, get to know them, and support them however he can.

91��Ƶ at Lancaster’s Class of 2026 graduates celebrate after walking across the stage.

Lancaster Mayor Jaime Arroyo (left) delivers the Commencement address. Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus (right) offers welcome remarks during the ceremony.

Lancaster Mayor Jaime Arroyo delivered the Commencement address. A first-generation college graduate and avid runner who became the first Latino mayor in the city’s history, he spoke about the process of training for a marathon and connected it to broader lessons in life.

Preparation, he told the graduates, is both a choice and an ongoing process. “Sometimes that means taking a step back and readjusting your training plan,” he said. “Sometimes it’s just a check-in with yourself that brings you back to the basics. It’s about questioning your choices and making sure you’re on the right path.”

“Think deeply about your choices, find a way to quiet the noise, listen to what truly matters, and make sure the commitments you make are for the greater good,” Arroyo added.

In her remarks to the graduates, Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus expressed appreciation for the ways they have shown up for one another and for the 91��Ƶ community. “You’ve wrestled with hard questions, you’ve listened across differences, and you’ve continued to pursue rigorous learning in a way that reflects both care and conviction,” she said.

Kirk Shisler ’81, vice president for advancement, welcomed the graduates as new members of the 91��Ƶ Alumni Association. “You join some 21,000 fellow alumni who distinguish themselves as people who serve and lead with distinction locally, regionally, nationally, and around the world,” he said.

Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs, presented and commissioned the graduates. Dr. Dycus conferred the degrees and offered the closing blessing. Jess King ’96, an 91��Ƶ parent and member of the 91��Ƶ Board of Trustees, led the opening invocation. Derek Kline, director of the aviation program, and Dr. Mak recognized the graduates.

In addition to King, board members Janet Lind, Gloria Diener ’76, and Jane Hoober Peifer ’74, MDiv ’97, attended the ceremony.

Alumna author to present novel at Lancaster-area reading

Ryan Cornell — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Melodie Miller Davis ’75 will share readings from her latest book, A Place in the Fold, at Landis Homes, a senior living community near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, April 9, at 2 p.m.

The novel is about a pastor and wife who are dealing with family issues, Davis said. It carries a clear faith message.

Copies of the novel will be on sale at the event for $10. Her other books will also be available to purchase for $2 or $3.

91��Ƶ the author

Davis was a dedicated Weather Vane staffer while at 91��Ƶ and graduated with an English degree. She worked for Mennonite Broadcasts Inc., now known as MennoMedia, in Harrisonburg for 43 years before retiring in 2018. She has written 12 books, mostly nonfiction. When her daughter challenged her to “write what people like to read: fiction,” she endeavored to write her first novel. A Place in the Fold released in November 2025.

She is the recipient of 91��Ƶ’s 2005 Distinguished Service Award.

Meet Zainab and Kayden, this year’s Yoder/Webb Scholars

Ryan Cornell — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000

91��Ƶ has announced its two 2025 Yoder/Webb Scholars.

The full-tuition scholarship is ��ѱ�’s highest academic award. Recipients are selected based on academic performance, community and extracurricular involvement, creativity, clarity of thought, and leadership potential.

The Yoder Scholars program was founded by Carol and Paul R. Yoder Jr., both graduates of 1963, with a significant leadership gift to endow the scholarship. Read more about their long legacy of philanthropy here.

The Webb Scholars program honors Ada Webb, one of the first African-American students to attend the university, and Margaret (Peggy) Webb, the first African-American graduate in 1954.

Applicants were tasked with creating a 400-word conceptual response to the prompt, “There are three types of people in the world; which are you?” through the medium of a blank 3”x5” card in whichever way they chose.

Read about the 2025 Yoder/Webb Scholars below:

Zainab Kamran

During her senior year of high school, Zainab Kamran, a psychology major from Lahore, Pakistan, had spent two to three months researching different universities in the U.S. She had come across the Wikipedia pages for James Madison University and the city of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Those pages naturally led her right to 91��Ƶ. “I liked what I read about the school, but then I forgot all about it,” she said.

When her older brother, who graduated from Pacific Lutheran University, mentioned that an economics professor of his (Ryan Swartzendruber ’16) had graduated from 91��Ƶ and “loved the experience,” Kamran resumed her search. “I started to dig deeper and was fascinated by ��ѱ�’s focus on community and service because those were things I was involved in,” said Kamran. The school’s small size, which allows for closer connections and meaningful one-on-one interactions with professors, was also a major draw, she added.

While at International School Lahore, Kamran was president of the Community Building Society club and organized volunteers to serve free meals to those in need. On Christmas, she helped pack and distribute more than 60 gifts for Christian orphans in Lahore. She was also involved as a publication director of events on campus and collaborated with a professor on a research paper. She received the Director’s Award for Community Building and the Director’s Award for Research and Publication.

Kamran said she’s excited to take part in service- and art-related activities and clubs on campus and that she’s found a welcoming home at 91��Ƶ. “The people here are so friendly,” she said. “91��Ƶ has such a diverse international student population. I’ve met students from Ethiopia, Kenya, India, and Afghanistan, and it’s been a lot of fun meeting them.”

Kayden Beidler

Kayden Beidler, a nursing major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is the latest in a long line of family members to attend 91��Ƶ. His older sister, Miranda Beidler, is a senior; his parents, Lyle Beidler, class of ’98, and Melissa Spory Beidler ’98, met and began dating while 91��Ƶ students; and his aunt, Marcy Spory Weaver ’08, graduated from the university’s top-tier nursing program.

With so many personal connections at 91��Ƶ, the school automatically made his list of colleges to consider. But, he still had to decide for himself. When Beidler visited 91��Ƶ during an Admitted Student Day and spoke with a nursing professor, he came away thoroughly impressed with the quality of the program. “The way she described how 91��Ƶ teaches nursing really resonated with me,” he said. “Seeing those values of caring for others reflected not just in the major I want to study, but also across the college, made me think, ‘This is where I want to be.’”

A National Merit Scholarship finalist this year, Beidler received National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for his story submissions in 2022 (Honorable Mention) and 2023 (Gold Key Award, American Voices nominee). He was also selected to participate in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Regional Chorus Festival. Beidler, who has joined the 91��Ƶ University Choir, was involved in all 12 of his high school’s theater productions during his four years at Lancaster Mennonite High School, and served as editor of the school’s literary arts magazine.

Beidler said he wanted to attend a college that aligned with his values of community, living intentionally, caring for others, and caring for the world. “91��Ƶ checked all those boxes,” he said. “Visiting those other schools only made me more certain that 91��Ƶ was the right fit for me.”

Eastern Mennonite Missions president discusses challenges of global mission engagement in Augsburger Lecture series

Lauren Jefferson — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 20:03:15 +0000

To explain the dramatic changes in missions engagement over the last half-century, Nelson Okanya, MDiv ’03, president of Eastern Mennonite Missions, utilizes a stark image: a sturdy bridge, spanning a flat plain of dirt while the river courses hundreds of feet away.

This bridge actually exists in Honduras: it was built in the 1930s by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Pan-American Highway, but was abandoned in 1998 when the river changed its course after a hurricane.

“It is still beautiful and it still stands,” said Okanya, during a lecture at 91��Ƶ, “but the river is not there. The river has moved.”

Similarly, Okanya said, the historical, traditional model of mission engagement – with churches of the global north “sending” missionaries into the “receiving” global south – must be restructured to accommodate changing flows of worldwide Anabaptist faith.

Okanya’s visit to campus, in which he also spoke at two worship services, is part of the annual , originally funded by Myron S. and Esther Augsburger to address “topics in the area of Christian evangelism and mission for the stimulation and development of a vision for evangelism and missions for the 91��Ƶ community.”

The first mission took place in the 1930s, Okanya reminded the audience during his chapel sermon, and those who were called, and those who sent them, were compelled by the powerful story of Jesus Christ. Like the early martyrs of the Anabaptist faith, they suffered for their faith. “You can see their graves,” Okanya said, recalling Elam Stauffer ’64, one of the first missionaries to be sent by EMM. Stauffer suffered for his convictions, losing an infant and then his wife, Elizabeth, after arriving in Tanzania.

Young people seeking purpose are often confronted with the popular narrative of “moving towards something we will get for doing things right,” Okanya said, adding that he too went to college for this reason. Yet there is an alternative narrative: the one followed by missionaries.

Think about “the difference that you can make in life because you are completed not by what you can get but in response to the One who loves you and gave you life,” he urged.

Okanya, who was born and raised in Kenya, pointed as evidence of this compelling narrative and the power of missions to the rapidly growing numbers of Mennonites in Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia have the, behind the United States.

In his youth, Okanya interacted with the Kenya Mennonite Church and the EMM mission community in Nairobi. (When he preaches, he wanders away from the microphone, Okanya joked, because he is still a “Kenyan shepherd boy” at heart.) After graduating from university in Nairobi, Okanya came to the Baltimore area with the YES (Youth Evangelism Service) program and eventually attended seminary at 91��Ƶ, where he met his wife Jessica Lawrence Okanya ’01.

Okanya has served as president of EMM since 2011, following years of mission work and also six years as lead pastor of Capital Christian Fellowship in Lanham, Maryland.

In his lecture titled “What Needs to Change? A Paradigm Shift in Missions Engagement and Implications for Western Mission Agencies,” Okanya shared some of the challenges affecting mission work today. He and his staff continue to grapple with the question of “what it means to be missional in today’s environment,” considering the issues of sustainable funding mechanisms, human resources, increasing hostility toward Westerners, changing stakeholders and globalization.

“There is a lot the church in North America can offer the world,” he said, “but there is much that the churches in the global South can offer us here. I’ve met with Lancaster Conference bishops asking about receiving missionaries here. What does that mean? What are the benefits? They want to know this and we want to help them.”

The way to engage youth in missions, and in church itself, is sharing and teaching with authenticity, Okanya said, just as the prophets, disciples and Jesus himself did.

“Are we ‘almost Christian’?” he asked, using a term coined by author Kendra Dean Creasy. “Are we not serious enough about our faith and not taking seriously what He said and what He meant? We lack the strength to tell the story, and if we do not have it, then we cannot pass it on. We must be passionate.”

Eastern Mennonite Seminary prepares alumna to pursue a PhD

Fri, 27 Jun 2014 14:48:46 +0000

After getting her master’s from EMS and loving it, Emily Ralph ’13 talks about where this education pathway is leading her.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary student serves Indonesian community

Fri, 27 Jun 2014 14:37:18 +0000

Beny Krisbianto uses his Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) education to serve his urban Indonesian community in Philadelphia. At EMS, Krisbianto learned the Anabaptist principles of serving and loving others as God’s people.

‘Miracle Worker’ Elicits Joy in This Pennsylvania Middle School

Bonnie Price Lofton — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 23:52:08 +0000

Familiar with the true story of Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf from early childhood, yet became a famous author, political activist and lecturer in the early 20^th century?

Recall the role of her gifted, devoted teacher Anne Sullivan, depicted in the drama The Miracle Worker?

Not to minimize the amazing role of “Annie” Sullivan, but there’s a 36-year-old teacher in a semi-rural school district of southeastern Pennsylvania who is working miracles with six children with disabilities as severe as Keller’s. She has also transformed the culture of an entire middle school of 900-plus “normal” students.

Today’s version of a miracle worker, Joni Hilbert-Hess, could be found before a packed auditorium of Manheim Central Middle School on Dec. 20, enthusiastically directing a pageant called “The Littlest Elf” in which her six students in wheelchairs had starring roles, assisted by 40 other students. At 4’9″, Hilbert-Hess too might be the littlest, but surely one of the most energetic, of the teachers at her school.

None of her six students was able to verbalize his or her lines, but Hilbert-Hess had found ways for each to communicate to the audience, helped by attentive schoolmates.

Tyler Brandt poked a device, held by his student helpers, to start a recorded version of the lines for his roles as Olly the Elf and Rudolph.

Tyler Brandt is surrounded at the post-play party by his mother Jennifer (back to camera), sister Kylie (center) and sister’s best friend, Sydney Smith. Photo by Bonnie Price Lofton.

Another, playing Mrs. Claus, sang without forming words, in good pitch.

The student cast as “The Littlest Elf” was able to reach out and touch. And so on.

The students without obvious disabilities leaned comfortably over their friends who needed help, encouraging them to gesture at the right time or holding their hands as they together kept beat with the music.

“Joni works for us in multiple disabilities support,” said Brian Barnhart, a top administrator from the central office that employs Hilbert-Hess, by way of explaining why he left his office on the morning of Dec. 20 and drove 12 miles to see her holiday production for the sixth time in as many years.

“This is what it’s all about,” Barnhart said. “I wish I could get legislative folks and more educational leaders [to to be] here.”

Barnhart is assistant executive director of Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13, a nonprofit with nearly 1,600 employees who provide special services to 22 school districts serving 100,000 students in Lancaster and Lebanon counties.

That organization, called IU 13 for short, picked Joni Hilbert-Hess out of 400 peers to receive its top annual award for special education teachers. It’s called the 2012 Annie Sullivan Award.

“Joni’s students are part of this community,” explained Barnhart. “This community is united. No one is left out. Joni has worked hard to make this happen, and she has succeeded.”

For Hilbert-Hess’ part, she sees the possibilities within her students, rather than focusing on their limitations. “There is a lot inside of them, but physically they can’t get it out,” Hilbert-Hess said during the joyous after-play party held in her classroom. It was attended by students of all kinds, family members, former parents, and even an alumnus who was in the play four years ago. Hilbert-Hess was joined by her husband, David, and their 3-year-old son. They’re expecting their third child in February.

Teacher Joni Hilbert-Hess (foreground) developed close relations over nine years with the parents of Alexandra Nikolaus, who died in August. Alexandra’s mother, Roseann (behind), and father, Paul, returned to see the play dedicated to the memory of their daughter. Photo by Bonnie Price Lofton.

“You have to be creative to allow them to communicate,” said Hilbert-Hess, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Millersville University and a master’s in special education from 91��Ƶ, earned during summer sessions at ��ѱ�’s Lancaster campus. “But once they can communicate and express their needs, their behavior problems tend to go away.”

Olly the Elf’s 13-year-old sister, Kylie Brandt, said Hilbert-Hess was “awesome” in finding out what works best for each of her students. Her brother Tyler comes home with a recorded message from Hilbert-Hess on his activities of the day. He returns to school with a recorded message from his family.

“She makes students really feel like they are part of the school – not outsiders – but exactly the same as everybody,” said Kylie, as her best friend Sydney Smith nodded emphatically.

Every line in “The Littlest Elf,” written by Hilbert-Hess for her students, was signed for deaf students in the audience. The full-time nurses and personal-care assistants assigned to four of the students with severe health issues hovered in the wings, ready for suctioning mucus or addressing seizures.

Three of the helper-students – 13-year-old Sam Maddox, Amanda Burrichter and Jess Ober – spoke of the death of a friend they had made the previous year, 19-year-old Alexandra Nikolaus, whose health had long been fragile. “It was such an honor meeting Alexandra last year,” said Maddox, with the composure of a TV announcer. “She was such a social butterfly – I loved the way she wore a different color nail polish every week.”

The three girls were among a group of students who attended Alexandra’s funeral on Aug. 3, during a month when school was not in session. The girls then organized a fundraiser in Alexandra’s name in October and early November, collecting over 200 items, such as pencils, markers, and play dough, to be used by Schreiber Pediatric, whose physical therapists had assisted Alexandra throughout her life.

Alexandra’s parents, Roseann and Paul Nikolaus, returned to see this year’s Christmas pageant, recalling that their daughter, an only child who had an infectiously buoyant spirit, had been in seven shows during the nine years she was in Hilbert-Hess’ classroom – she missed two shows due to health problems. “Once she gets them [her students] to communicate, their world opens up,” said Paul. “She got Alexandra to come out of herself,” added Roseann.

Three enthusiastic helpers – Sam Maddox, Amanda Burrichter and Jess Ober – with Joni Hilbert-Hess, recipient of the 2012 Annie Sullivan Award. Photo by Bonnie Price Lofton.

As importantly, said Roseann, “Joni works with the whole school. She’s influencing lots and lots of lives.”

Maddox and Burrichter said they know what they will be when they grow up: special education teachers, who graduate from the same colleges as Hilbert-Hess. Both plan to be volunteer buddies in a camp this summer for young people with multiple disabilities. “It’s so much fun!” said Burrichter.

Seventy middle-schoolers signed up to be buddies for the 2012-13 school year, said Hilbert-Hess. Typically, they meet their friends as they arrive at school and help them get to their second-floor classroom via an elevator. They join them at lunch and help them eat or simply hang out with them. They take them to their rides after school. Sometimes they meet at a shopping mall for fun outside of school.

“Joni’s kids take on a rock-star profile in the school,” said Scott Richardson, the principal. “These kiddos have their own little fan club.”

All of the students in grades 5 through 8 pass by Hilbert-Hess’ classroom on their way to lunch, passing equipment for physical therapy in the hallway and hearing music by the likes of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift blowing through the open doors.

Richardson points out that it is common for people unaccustomed to being around people with disabilities to feel pity for them. “But our students have gone beyond pity to recognizing that there are things some can do and some can’t do, but everyone can do something. It’s become our ‘normal’ to appreciate what can be done.”

The annual holiday play – with its painted scenery and custom-made costumes and rotating scripts, all initiated by Hilbert-Hess helped by volunteers – “gives them [students with multiple disabilities] a chance to do something no one expects them to do,” Hilbert-Hess told a Lancaster newspaper reporter. “I love seeing the look on their faces – and their parents’ faces – when they are on that stage. That’s what it’s all about.”

Alumnus Remains Leading Researcher Into Bipolar Disorder

Steve Shenk — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:34:21 +0000

The link between genetics and mental illness continues to engage Abram Hostetter, a psychiatrist who is in his fourth decade of world-recognized research into why Old Order Amish are more susceptible to bipolar disorder than the general population.

Hostetter, an alumnus of two Mennonite colleges, is part of a University of Miami team that has been researching mental illness among generations of Amish families in Lancaster County since 1976.

He and project leader Janice Egeland, professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences, epidemiology and public health at the University of Miami, worked for years together out of an office in Hershey, Pa. They assembled a team of about a dozen others to assist them.

“The Old Order Amish of Lancaster County have a lower incidence of mental illness than the general population, but a much higher incidence of bipolar disorder, “ said Hostetter.

Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, often leads to suicide. “It’s in the blood,” said an Amish grandmother—or siss im blut, in Pennsylvania German—when Egeland began her research.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of mania or depression that typically recur and often become more frequent and severe during a lifetime. It’s estimated that about 1 percent of the U.S. population has a major mood disorder.

Over the years, scientists discovered an association between mood disorders and two known genetic markers. In other words, people suffering from bipolar disorder have inherited it from their parents.

Hostetter and Egeland found that Old Order Amish families are ideal subjects for genetic studies for a number of reasons:

They descend from a limited number of pioneer couples who came to America in the 18^th century.
There is little marriage to outsiders or other forms of in-migration, causing the Old Order Amish of Lancaster to form a closed gene pool
They have large families and keep extensive genealogical records.
They prohibit the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs, which often mask the symptoms of bipolar disorder.

“We have a total pedigree of the Old Order Amish community in a computer from the original 32 adults who came in the 1760s until in the 1970s,” said Hostetter, “so we can determine what percentage of genetic endowment any two people share.”

The research team focuses on the original “pedigrees,” or cohort. 91��Ƶ 65 percent of the families are named Stoltzfus. Other names are King, Zook, Lapp, Beiler, Petersheim, Blank, Fisher, Miller, Glick, Esch and Smoker.

Hostetter grew up in Lancaster County in a Mennonite family and knew some Amish families with bipolar disorder. His grandfather, who was longtime moderator of , often consulted with Amish ministers. Hostetter’s father was a farmer and tobacco broker and also had much interaction with the Amish.

“My best friend, an Amish boy, in elementary school had bipolar disorder, as did his mother and grandmother,” said Hostetter. “He committed suicide at age 18 and his sister committed suicide in the 1990s.”

Hostetter was a at 91��Ƶ for two years in the late 1940s. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Goshen College in 1953. He graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and trained in psychiatry at Norristown State Hospital.

He joined a private practice in his home area and later formed a group practice in Hershey, where he met Egeland, who was on the faculty of . “We first spoke about using the Amish population in Lancaster County to solve the medical puzzle about inheritance of bipolar disorder in 1970,” he said.

Egeland and Hostetter both joined the faculty of the University of Miami but worked out of what they called “University of Miami, North Office” in Hershey.

Nine years ago Hostetter retired from his psychiatry practice at age 74 and moved with his wife to Charlottesville, Va. He returns to Pennsylvania about five times a year, though, to pursue his research. In December 2012 he joined Egeland there.

“We worked on ‘coding’ cases to detect particular characteristics of each of their manifestations of illness,” he said. “We have very detailed medical histories and DNA samples on over 100 bipolar patients.”

“At this point,” Hostetter continued, “we are on the verge of whole genome sequencing for 80 subjects, still attempting to locate all the specific genes involved.”

Hostetter noted that bipolar disorder is treatable and that persons with the illness can lead normal lives. “However, untreated or inadequately treated, there is still a 15 percent suicide rate, to say nothing of the suffering and turmoil these people have and put their families through,” he said.

Hurricane Sandy and 91��Ƶ

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 01:59:03 +0000

Posted Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, 9:06 p.m.

At this point, the plan is for 91��Ƶ in Harrisonburg to operate on a normal schedule on Tuesday, Oct. 30 since there are no major power outages in the area. The Crisis Management Preparedness Team will review the decision in the early morning on Tuesday, Oct. 30 and make an announcement by 7 a.m. if classes are cancelled.

Commuter students and nonessential faculty and staff should exercise appropriate caution and make prudent decisions based on their particular circumstances regarding travel to and from campus. Any absences due to storm-related conditions will be considered excused absences.

Prayers continue for people in areas harder hit by Hurricane Sandy.

Posted Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, 11:14 a.m.

��ѱ�’s continues to monitor Hurricane Sandy’s track and potential impact on the campus community.

Classes for the 91��Ƶ Harrisonburg campus on Monday, Oct. 29 are cancelled effective 12:30 p.m. A decision about Tuesday classes will be made by 9 p.m.

In preparation for possible power outages, those who live on campus are encouraged to keep their mobile devices fully charged and have access to a working flashlight.

In the event that campus loses power for an extended period of time, keep in mind:

Elmwood and Cedarwood will have generator back up power.
University Commons and Maplewood will have limited backup generator power.
Heating systems in other campus buildings will be offline and night time may be chilly. Get warm clothing and layers ready. If you don’t have access to warm clothing and blankets contact your CA or RD to assist you in getting needed supplies.
As always, candles will not be permitted to be burned in residence halls, even if power is out.
CAs and RDs will be your first line of communication and will be ready to assist you with any needs.
The dining hall in Northlawn will continue to serve food during daylight hours in the event of a power failure. Food options may be limited. Your spirit of cooperation will be appreciated!
Key cards would no longer work in residence hall doors. The main entrance of each building will be unlocked and covered by Residence Life staff. Please do not prop open any doors.

Find more information on emergency preparedness at the .

Posted Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, 10:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service is predicting severe weather for the Harrisonburg, Va., and Lancaster, Pa., areas as Hurricane Sandy approaches. High winds and heavy rains are predicted all day Monday and Tuesday, October 29 and 30, 2012.

91��Ƶ is planning to operate on a normal schedule on Monday. Changes to the university’s operating status will be communicated via the 91��Ƶ campus alert system.

As with all inclement weather situations, commuter students and nonessential faculty and staff should exercise appropriate caution and make prudent decisions about travel to and from campus. Any absences due to storm-related conditions will be considered excused absences.

Emergency preparedness

During this severe weather, members of the 91��Ƶ community in Harrisonburg, Va., and Lancaster, Pa., are encouraged to:

• Follow the instructions of local and state officials.
• Listen to local radio and TV stations for updated emergency information.
• Remove items from exterior housing that may be affected by wind.
• Secure bikes in a safe location inside if possible.
• Close and secure all windows and sliding glass doors.
• Remove personal items from the floor, especially in basement apartments, in case of flooding.
• Do not drive or walk through floodwater. Drowning is the number one cause of flood deaths. Turn around and find another route if a road is flooded – it is almost always more dangerous than it appears.
• Have a flashlight and extra batteries in case the power goes out; fully charge your cell phone or laptop as a means of communication in case there is not power.

For more information on being prepared for an emergency, check out the Virginia Department of Emergency Management website: http://www.vaemergency.gov/ReadyVirginia

Campus communication

In the event of an emergency on campus in Harrisonburg, contact 91��Ƶ Security at 540-432-4911. Off campus emergencies should be reported to the appropriate public safety agency by dialing 911.

Updates to 91��Ƶ’s campus alert system will be posted periodically if there are any changes to the university’s operating status. Emergency alerts will be clearly posted on , and sent via text to those who have registered with the E2Campus alert system found at

RN to BS in Nursing program – 91��Ƶ at Lancaster

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:28:17 +0000

If you have completed an accredited nursing diploma program/RN licensure, you may qualify to enroll. 91��Ƶ at Lancaster’s RN to Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing Adult Degree Completion Program is fully accredited, reasonably priced and accelerated. Dedicated program staff will help you combine stimulating courses, credit for your work experience and a project to finish what you started: your nursing degree!

http://www.emu.edu/lancaster/rn-bsn

Pastoral Studies in Pennsylvania

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:04:10 +0000

Mark Wenger, PhD, director of Pastoral Studies, talks about the unique characteristics of Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Pennsylvania. Eastern Mennonite Seminary has a strong record of preparing pastors, mission workers and church leaders. EMS in Pennsylvania is flexible. You can choose what is right for you from among several programs of study, depending on your level of education, experience, interest and goals.

http://www.emu.edu/lancaster/seminary

Study and Training for Effective Pastoral ministry (STEP) program highlights

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:17:04 +0000

STEP is a partnership between Lancaster Mennonite Conference and 91��Ƶ in Pennsylvania. STEP provides training for people who are licensed for pastoral ministry- or have been encouraged to consider pastoral ministry- who may not have college, Bible school, or seminary training. STEP combines spiritual and personal formation with content-based learning in Bible, theology, leadership, and ministry skills in a very practical way. The STEP curriculum is specifically designed for adult learners. Much of the in-class time is devoted to reflection on actual ministry experience based on the readings and the teaching content for the day.

http://emu.edu/lancaster/seminary/step

Who Am I Becoming? An Address from Andy Dula

Patty Eckard — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0000

By Andy Dula

This article is adapted from an address to the Lancaster MEDA Chapter. Andy Dula, a 1991 91��Ƶ graduate, is chief financial officer at EG Stoltzfus Construction, Lancaster, Pa. In June 2010 he began a three-year term as 91��Ƶ board of trustees chair.

Andy Dula, a 1991 91��Ƶ graduate and current 91��Ƶ board of trustees chair, is chief financial officer at EG Stoltzfus Construction of Lancaster, Pa.

Like many people in business, I live in a world of doing, producing, constructing, expanding and sometimes just surviving. We are often judged by financial metrics and measurable results, as in, "What have you done for me lately?"

In the larger scheme of things, however, a more important question is, "Who am I becoming?"

And to answer it I need to take account of all the influences that have shaped me. Each of the acts and scenes of my personal narrative impact who I am becoming in this theatre we call life.

Born across the globe

I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My mother, a missionary nurse, met and married my dad, an Ethiopian – no small feat in the 60s. My early years were spent in Indiana where my father attended Goshen College.

After he graduated we moved to Philadelphia and spent four years living next door to Germantown Mennonite Church while he attended pharmacy school.

My formative years were shaped by the overwhelming generosity of that community. People cared for my brother and me while my dad studied by day and my mom worked the night shift as a nurse.

Generosity of the church

In 1975 we moved to Lancaster, Pa., where my father accepted a job as a pharmacist at the St. Joseph Hospital. Here too I experienced the generosity of the church, first at North End Mennonite and later Blossom Hill.

I have been fortunate to spend all of my life in a church setting that has been life giving and faith infusing, and has included the witness of people from a wide array of professions and life experiences.

The generosity I received had very little to do with anything I had done, but remains a part of who I am becoming. I am who I am today because people along the way have mentored me in word and deed.

Foray into business

In 1991, fresh out of 91��Ƶ, I helped to start an Ethiopian restaurant with my father and another partner. My first foray into the real world of business was an adventure in finding my own way. No boss to learn from, no previous knowledge, no experiences of best practices for running a restaurant, no established policies for accounting, managing costs or handling employees.

All I had was an education in business and the liberal arts. It was my first true immersion into doing whatever it took to keep a business alive.

I had come out of college wanting to be a mover and a shaker in the world of business; instead I was washing dishes one night and waiting tables the next. One moment I was performing payroll and the next I was dealing with an angry customer.

But learning to do whatever was needed was shaping who I am becoming.

Business can be a noble enterprise

My restaurant experience stripped me of any notion that business was a glamourous adventure in self-serving motivations and profit-seeking indulgence.

Rather, it showed me how business can be a noble enterprise of service and teamwork to develop communities that are life giving to customers, employees and society in general.

My next career move was as improbable as my first. I took a position in the drafting and design department of Elam G Stoltzfus Jr Inc. Again a real logical move – business degree, restaurateur, construction.

I spent my first spring working on a framing crew carrying 4×8 sheets of plywood one day and sitting at a drafting table the next.

‘Doing’ but also ‘becoming’

Once again I was "doing" but at the same time I was more importantly "becoming." I had no idea then how having a broad understanding of the construction industry would benefit me in the years to come.

By 1994 I was doing estimating and project management, and in 1996 started running our accounting department.

Today I carry the title of Chief Financial Officer of EG Stoltzfus and along with four others provide leadership to EG and its 25 subsidiary companies.

91��Ƶ EG Stoltzfus

Our companies are involved primarily in residential home building and renovations, general commercial construction, historic adaptive re-use of under utilized buildings, work force housing, land acquisition and development, mortgage brokering, and title insurance services.

Each year we build 200-300 homes, renovate 75 residential properties, and construct and renovate 20-30 commercial projects.

Titles mean nothing to us. Our founder never liked them, nor do I or the rest of the senior management staff. Titles merely identify our structure to those outside of the organization.

We believe in a flat non hierarchical structure, which empowers persons to unleash their own entrepreneurial spirit at all levels of the operation. It is one of the mechanisms by which we affirm each individual’s unique contribution and gifts.

My daily work involves providing leadership and support to staff, leading and participating in senior management team meetings, acquiring capital for our multiple companies from banks and individuals, starting and monitoring individual land development companies, assessing the viability of various land projects from both a marketing and financial standpoint, and providing counsel to fellow team members both at the work and personal level.

The social opportunities of business

Business truly is a social science and there are few things more draining and more rewarding than dealing with the human spirit on a daily basis. You have countless opportunities to practice Christian virtues at times when it is least expected and may even seem stupid to do so.

Why would anyone extend grace and forgiveness when someone at best has had a lapse in judgement and at worst has been deceitful in a way that wastes significant resources. It happens, and has happened to us.

Recently our company’s entire staff and spouses had the opportunity to go away to a beautiful historic resort to celebrate our 40 years in business. As we were eating dinner one evening, Colleen, who handles our Human Resources, told us about the process leading up to the retreat.

The resort had given her a list of the best rooms and asked which people from the guest list were senior managers. He wanted to make sure that we got the best rooms.

"No, no," Colleen told him. "Give the senior management team the smallest, least desirable rooms."

There was a pause and the dismayed resort representative said, "You want to give your top management team the worst rooms?"

Colleen explained that some of the people coming on this trip would never again have the opportunity to stay at a place like this. "We want them to have the best rooms," she said.

The manager later told Colleen that his staff had been impressed by the unusual room arrangements. "No one has ever requested that before," he said. "Your company understands what makes a really good company."

Contrast that with some executives who send pictures of themselves in advance so the resort staff will recognize them and give them special service.

Not ‘business as usual’

This isn’t business as usual. The ongoing opportunities I have had to be part of discussions and ultimately make decisions that are at times counter-cultural have had a profound effect on me.

Stories of making just choices, going the extra mile, treating employees as partners, emphasizing our interconnectedness instead of untamed individualism, and practicing moderation instead of excess are part of who I am becoming rather than anything I am doing.

Any so-called success I may achieve will always be more attributable to what I am becoming than to what I am doing.

The particular lens that I have been given via my childhood, my faith and my work experience, continues to shape my inner journey.

‘Vocation is a calling’

Parker Palmer in his book Let Your Life Speak says, "Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am."

That thought undergirds my daily work. Truly the integration of work, faith and life has to come from a place of truly knowing who you are. And upon knowing who I am, I can ultimately do and eventually become who God intends for me to be.

Andy Dula, a 1991 91��Ƶ graduate, is chief financial officer at EG Stoltzfus Construction, Lancaster, Pa. In June 2010 he began a three-year term as 91��Ƶ board of trustees chair.

Seminary offers evening and weekend classes

Jim Bishop — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Want to learn more about theology, the Old Testament, Anabaptist history or spiritual warfare? Eastern Mennonite Seminary at Lancaster is offering evening and weekend courses on these topics.

The following classes will be taught at the Lancaster site of 91��Ƶ, 1846 Charter Lane. (Map and directions)

Brinton L. Rutherford, seminary instructor, will teach "Systematic Theology II" on Tuesday evenings, 6:30-9:30, Sept. 8-Dec. 15.
Mark J. H. Fretz, seminary instructor, will teach "Old Testament: Text in Context," 6:30-9:30 Thursday evenings, Sept. 10-Dec. 15.
Nelson J. Assis, director of the Katartizo Healing and Discipleship Center, Reinholds, will teach "Spiritual Warfare for a Peaceful World," bi-weekly on Monday evenings, 6:30

Lancaster Program Holds Second Commencement

Laura Amstutz — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Dr. Beryl Brubaker STEP graduation speaker

91��Ƶ’s Study and Training in Effective Pastoral Ministry (STEP) program will hold its second annual graduation at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 24, in the West Bethany Chapel at Landis Homes, 1001 E. Oregon Rd., Lititz, Pa.

University Provost Beryl H. Brubaker will address the graduates on the topic, “Lessons Learned.”

Mark R. Wenger, director of the STEP program, will preside and confer certificates on the seven members of the STEP class of 2008. STEP graduates receive a certificate in pastoral ministry from 91��Ƶ.

The STEP program is intended to train leaders for congregational ministry. Most of the students are bi-vocational pastors without a college degree. The program meets in cohort format, with groups meeting one Saturday a month, September-May for three years.

The commencement service is open to the public.

For more information call Julie Siegfried at (717) 397-5190.