91����Ƶ honored members of the Class of 2026 at its Graduate Celebration and Sending service on Saturday evening in Lehman Auditorium. The event featured a faculty address by Dr. Tara Kishbaugh, senior class salutations from co-presidents Genesis Figueroa and Arelys Martinez Fabian, and the presentation of the senior class gift, along with prayer, music, and poetry from graduates.

Graduates were joined by family, friends, supporters, and 91����Ƶ faculty, staff, and administrators to celebrate their accomplishments and the unique gifts they bring to their communities and the world.

Formerly known as Baccalaureate, the annual ceremony offers graduates an opportunity to “look back with pride and look forward with courage,” Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said in her welcome. “It’s a space to breathe deeply, reflect on all that has brought you to this moment, and prepare your heart and spirit for what lies ahead.”

Graduates were joined by family, friends, supporters, and 91����Ƶ faculty, staff, and administrators.

Senior class co-presidents Arelys Martinez Fabian and Genesis Figueroa deliver the senior class salutations (left). Dr. Tynisha Willingham welcomes the audience in Lehman Auditorium on Saturday evening (right).

In a shared address highlighting their close partnership, Figueroa and Martinez Fabian reflected on their experiences at 91����Ƶ and encouraged graduates to carry what they’ve learned into every space they enter.

From late-night study sessions at Common Grounds Coffeehouse to “those dreadful group assignments,” campus became not just a place to take classes, but where they discovered who they are, the senior class co-presidents said.

“91����Ƶ has a way of pushing us, not just academically but personally,” they said. “It asks us to think critically, engage with people who are different from us, and consider how we want to show up in the world.”

“91����Ƶ doesn’t just prepare us for what’s next. It challenges us to think about why we do what we do,” they continued. “To consider how we can contribute to something bigger than ourselves, whether in our careers, our communities, or the everyday choices we make.”

Ethan Neufeld, senior class business manager, and Maria Longenecker, senior class secretary, presented the class gift to Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus. Each year, the senior class selects a meaningful gift that reflects their shared experience and leaves a lasting legacy. This year, the Class of 2026 chose to fund improvements to the 91����Ƶ Game Room in the University Commons, expanding options for students, faculty, and staff.

Eli Stoll performs the opening song, “The Lord Lift You Up” (Voices Together 832).

Dr. Tara Kishbaugh (left) delivers the faculty address. Ethan Neufeld, senior class business manager, presents Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus with the senior class gift (right).

In her address titled “Go bravely…but please call,” Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success, urged graduates to keep a firm belief in themselves and hold onto their optimism. The longtime professor drew from her chemistry curriculum, likening the graduates’ situation to molecules in a transition state.

“This transition state is a normal part of transformation,” she said. “Butterflies don’t force it. The struggle is part of the becoming.”

She also reminded graduates that they didn’t arrive at Commencement weekend alone. “Look at the love that has brought you here,” she said. “…You belong to each other, and you belong to us. You’ve left a mark on 91����Ƶ, and hopefully you will see the imprint of 91����Ƶ in your future selves as little ripples.”

Graduate Celebration and Sending featured gathering music from Naomi Kratzer; an opening blessing from Sarah Prroj; an opening song from Eli Stoll; a performance of Stephen Paulus’ “The Road Home” by senior Chamber Singers members Erin Batten, Lauren Kauffman, Naomi Kratzer, Hollyn Miller, Jacob Nissley, Eli Stoll, Joshua Stucky, and Sean Swartley; poetry readings from Miranda Beidler and Emily Suarez Nunez; a sending blessing from Brian Martin Burkholder; sending music from Makinto; and reflections from senior class advisors Mark Metzler Sawin and Jonathan Swartz, who also handed out 91����Ƶ pins.

Graduates received pins representing the wisdom they’ve shared and the investment and commitment they’ve made during their time as students. They were encouraged to wear the pins at Commencement and beyond, honoring how 91����Ƶ has supported them in their learning and growth.

Mark Metzler Sawin and Jonathan Swartz, senior class advisors, offer their reflections.

Miranda Beidler (left) shares original poetry, while Sarah Prroj (right) gives an opening blessing.

During their four years at 91����Ƶ, much has changed, Metzler Sawin told the graduates. Presidents, both nationally and at 91����Ƶ, have changed, as has the power and scope of artificial intelligence. “But most importantly, yourselves,” he said. “You’ve grown in many ways during these same four years.”

Much has also stayed the same: “The significance of human connection, the value of genuine relationships, and the core values that made you the unique and significant person you were when you arrived here and still are today,” he added.

In her opening blessing, Prroj reflected on the moments that have challenged her and the relationships that have shaped her into who she is today. 91����Ƶ didn’t just educate her, she said, but also formed her, teaching her how to lead, listen, care, and become part of something bigger than herself. Sharing the words of pastor Rick Warren, she said that when people take their final breath, no one asks for their trophies, achievements, or diplomas.

“They asked for the people they love,” she said. “Because in the end, it’s not what we accomplish that matters most. It’s who we share our lives with. And that’s what makes 91����Ƶ so special. It’s not just a place of learning, but a place of community where we’re known, supported, and shaped by one another.”

Watch a video recording of the ceremony below!

“These people are my friends and they’re my colleagues and they’re my inspiration,” Flowe told a roomful of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and Harrisonburg residents during a dedication ceremony of the mural on March 27. “I may not know them on a personal level, but every time I see them on the wall of this building, I know that people recognize the work they’ve done.”

That feeling extends beyond just the students at 91����Ƶ. Dr. Tara Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success, said that seeing the mural fills her with joy. “Every time I see it, it makes me happy,” she told the crowd gathered for the ceremony at Suter Science Center 106.

The Inclusivity in Science Mural, completed in summer 2022, celebrates the scholarship and contributions of seven scientists whose identities as women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color), and/or queer individuals have historically been underrepresented in scientific spaces. The mural’s stylized portraits depict chemist Asima Chatterjee, mathematician Gladys West, mathematician Katherine Johnson, arachnologist Lauren Esposito, astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala, eco-philosopher Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd, and ADM (ret.) Rachel Levine.

“[The mural] names the contributions that have too often gone unrecognized,” said Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus in her remarks at the dedication ceremony. “And perhaps most importantly, it offers reflection and invitation to those who walk these halls every day, especially to students who may be asking quietly or aloud, ‘Is there a place for me in this field?’” 

“Together, these figures and all of those represented remind us that excellence in science has never been limited to a single identity, even if recognition has been,” Dycus added. “And we’re affirming something today about 91����Ƶ itself: that we are a place that’s willing to name gaps and then do the work to address them, and that we believe representation is not symbolic alone—it is formative.”

Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus presents her remarks at a dedication ceremony for the Inclusivity in Science Mural.

Dr. Rachel Levine (left) and Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd (right) pose next to their portraits on the mural.

Work on the mural began in spring 2022 and was funded by an Inclusive Excellence Grant made possible by the generous support of Jose Koshy ’76 and Jean Koshy-Hertzler ’79. Learn more about the process behind the project in our article from last month. Veronica Horst ’23, Asha Landes Beck ’22, Grace Harder ’23, Molly Piwonka ’23, Afton Rhodes-Lehman ’24, and Jake Myers ’22 are listed as co-leaders for various stages of the project

A dedication ceremony on March 27 honored the scientists represented on the mural, the artists who brought it to life, and “every person in the arts and sciences who has had to push a little harder against systems that were not built with them in mind,” said event organizer Dawn Neil, coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  

“This mural is both a celebration and a call to continue the work of building a truly inclusive community,” she said. “When more people belong in science, science belongs to all of us.”

The ceremony included appearances by two special guests whose portraits are on the mural. Sinopoulos-Lloyd, who participated earlier that day in the second annual Mornings with the Mayor Convocation, gave a talk and contributed to a panel conversation. Levine, the former U.S. assistant secretary for health, chatted with 91����Ƶ News and also attended the event. Both Sinopoulos-Lloyd and Levine signed their names on their portraits as part of the dedication.

Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd gives a talk during the mural dedication ceremony at the Suter Science Center on March 27.

Dr. Rachel Levine (left) and Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd (right) sign their portraits on the mural.

Sinopoulos-Lloyd is an Indigiqueer wildlife tracker, writer, and guide whose work bridges Indigenous ecological knowledge, field-based science, multispecies studies, and poetic inquiry. 

In their talk, they recited poetry, shared photos of wildlife tracks—including a rattlesnake, puma, and toad—recounted their experiences following an elk herd, and discussed how their work connects science, art, and sustainability. They also spoke about the importance of representation. 

“This mural we’re honoring today is not just artwork,” Sinopoulos-Lloyd said. “It’s also a constellation. It represents scientists whose work has expanded what is possible, not only through curiosity, but through devotion, imagination, and care.”

Third-year biochemistry major Dante Flowe shares their connection to the mural during the dedication ceremony at Suter Science Center 106 on March 27.

Afton Rhodes-Lehman ’24, who helped design and paint the mural, speaks during a panel conversation (left). Veronica Horst ’23 reflects on the mural (right) while Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd looks on.

A panel conversation following the talk included several alumni who helped bring the mural from concept to creation. Landes Beck, Horst, Piwonka, and Rhodes-Lehman spoke about their roles in the project, the intertwined relationship of art and science, the importance of representation, and their reflections on what the mural means to them. Kishbaugh and Sinopoulos-Lloyd also joined the panel, along with Flowe, who served as a voice for current students. Senior Madelynn Hamm moderated the discussion.

Horst said they hope the mural continues to honor those who haven’t been recognized for their contributions. “One of the names on the mural that people are probably most familiar with is Katherine Johnson’s, because of her story being told through the book and film Hidden Figures,” Horst said. “I think that made us realize how much we don’t know about how women of color and people from minority identities were involved in a lot of influential work. We don’t get to hear about it because it was overshadowed.”

The program included a message from Jenny Burden, executive director of the Arts Council of the Valley, on the role that public art plays in shaping a healthy, thriving, and inclusive community. It also included remarks from Mavalvala, who is depicted on the mural but was unable to attend the ceremony. 

“I am honored to be included with so many wonderful luminaries,” Neil said, reading a statement from the astrophysicist. “Inclusivity in the sciences is critical, and I’m proud that 91����Ƶ continues to strive toward this goal. Ensuring that people feel a sense of belonging strengthens our educational communities and strengthens science itself.”

Watch a video recording of the ceremony below!

According to a , Rogers played a pivotal role in launching a comprehensive redesign that modernized the program’s structure, expanded its reach, and strengthened its position as a leading doctoral pathway for physician associates. “I’m honored by the trust placed in me and deeply grateful to the leaders, mentors, and colleagues who paved the way for my growth,” he said.

He holds a DMSc from the University of Lynchburg, a master of physician assistant studies from James Madison University, and a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental sustainability from 91����Ƶ.

Rogers said 91����Ƶ prepared him by grounding his education in service, perspective, and purpose. “My intercultural experience in Bolivia with Dr. Doug Graber Neufeld expanded my understanding of global health and challenged me to think beyond my own context,” he said. “At the same time, Dr. Carolyn Stauffer‘s Sociology of Health course helped me see how social, cultural, and systemic factors shape patient outcomes. Together, those experiences shaped not only my career path, but how I lead and serve today.”

Dr. Tara Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success, taught Rogers in general chemistry when he was a student at 91����Ƶ. She said he showed a strong sense of civic engagement and confidence in his coursework, along with exceptional leadership and a commitment to service.

“I am thrilled to see him take on this leadership role in an educational setting and look forward to seeing how he inspires others to reach their academic potential while giving back to their communities,” she said. 

Clockwise from top left: Blake Rogers ’14 helps Clover Hill EMTs check inventory in one of their ambulances at the station in 2014. | Rogers speaks during a 2015 workshop for the Shenandoah Valley Soil and Water Conservation District. | Then a physician assistant student at JMU, Rogers receives the 2018 PA Student of the Year Award. | Rogers ’14 and Matt Tieszen ’10, MA ’15 (biomedicine), return from an elective clinical rotation at Shirati KTM Hospital in Tanzania in 2018.

This isn’t the first time Rogers has been featured in 91����Ƶ News. 

While a double major at 91����Ƶ, he volunteered with the Clover Hill Volunteer Fire Co. and interned at the Shenandoah Valley Soil and Water Conservation District, where he was hired after graduation. As a grad student at JMU, he received the 2018 Physician Assistant Student of the Year award and completed a clinical rotation at a hospital in Tanzania. 

Rogers spent his 91����Ƶ intercultural experience studying biology and Spanish in Bolivia and the Galápagos Islands. A medical mission team experience in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, confirmed his desire to enter the medical field. 

At the University of Lynchburg, Rogers said his favorite course to instruct is Ethics and Regulation of AI, where he guides students through modern dilemmas in health care. “I remain deeply influenced by 91����Ƶ’s emphasis on service, community, and global perspective as we prepare clinicians to lead and serve in a rapidly evolving health care landscape,” he said.

Nearly four years after its final brushstroke was applied, the Inclusivity in Science Mural inside the Suter Science Center will get its long-awaited dedication ceremony on Friday, March 27.

The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. in SSC 106 with a 30-minute talk led by Pinar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd, one of the seven people featured on the mural. Sinopoulos-Lloyd (they/them) is an Indigenous eco-philosopher, artist, and wildlife tracker, and will speak about the way their work connects science and art with sustainability.

Following the talk, Nicole Litwiller ’19, MACT ’20 will host a panel conversation with Sinopoulos-Lloyd, mural artist and alumna Veronica Horst ’23, a current 91����Ƶ science student, and Tara Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success. The program will also include reflections from Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus and Jenny Burden, executive director of the Arts Council of the Valley.

A formal dedication of the mural will proceed shortly after 5 p.m., with Sinopoulos-Lloyd signing their portrait. The event is open to the public and will include light refreshments.

91����Ƶ the mural

During the spring of 2022, students involved in 91����Ƶ’s Art Club and the Earthkeepers group wanted to make the Suter Science Center more welcoming and reflective of who contributes to the sciences, said Dawn Neil, coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

“They noticed two things: the space felt visually sterile, and the sciences have historically centered white male voices while overlooking women, scientists of color, and queer scientists,” she said. “They wanted to highlight those hidden figures.”

Work on the mural, funded by an Inclusive Excellence Grant made possible by the generous support of Jose Koshy ’76 and Jean Koshy-Hertzler ’79, began that semester. 91����Ƶ students Veronica Horst ’23, Asha Beck ’22, Grace Harder ’23, Molly Piwonka ’23, Afton Rhodes-Lehman ’24, and Jake Myers ’22 served as co-leaders at various stages of the project.

“STEM is a field in which, historically, gaining recognition and representation has been challenging for non-white, non-male, and non-heteronormative cisgender individuals,” reads an artist statement for the project. “This mural is intended to be a joyful statement of representation, emphasizing that we have, are, and will continue to make a significant impact on the world.”

“We want to recognize and celebrate these individuals and their contributions to the academic world,” the statement continues. “Our hope is that women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color), and LGBTQIA+ individuals at 91����Ƶ will experience a positive impact through increased awareness of successful individuals like themselves in STEM.”

The project leaders distributed a campus-wide survey to students, faculty, and staff asking whom they would like to see depicted on the mural and then took a vote to determine who those seven figures would be.

The mural features seven professionals who have made and/or are making an impact in STEM-related fields and are queer and/or BIPOC women. In addition to Sinopoulos-Lloyd, the portraits depict chemist Asima Chatterjee, mathematician Gladys West, mathematician Katherine Johnson, arachnologist Lauren Esposito, astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala, and admiral Rachel Levine.

For bios of each of these professionals, scroll to the bottom of this article.

Students from the Visual and Communication Arts (VACA) department designed and painted the mural. Although the project was completed during the summer of 2022, this is the first time it’s officially been dedicated, said Neil.

With sustainability serving as the university theme for the 2025-26 academic year, it seemed like the perfect time and Sinopoulos-Lloyd the ideal guest to help make it happen.

“Their work challenges the idea of what science is,” said Neil. “They’re exploring how the environment connects with things visually, artistically, and also scientifically. It’s a different side of science, one rooted in global and community contexts rather than a strictly data-driven one.”

“They would fit in perfectly as a student here,” she added. “What’s exciting is that their values really align with ours.”

91����Ƶ the speaker

Sinopoulos-Lloyd is an artist and scientist known for their powerful work at the intersection of sustainability, science, and art. They are the co-founder of Queer Nature, an interdisciplinary project focused on ecology, identity, and decolonization. Their work has been featured in The Guardian and The New York Times and archived by the Library of Congress. They lecture nationally at institutions including Stanford University, Colorado College, and the Guggenheim Museum.

In 2020, they were honored with the Audubon National Society’s National Environmental Champion award, as well as the R.I.S.E. Indigenous 2020 Art & Poetry Fellowship.

For more information, visit their website at . 

Sinopoulos-Lloyd will participate in several events throughout the day on Friday, March 27. In addition to the mural dedication, they will serve as a panelist at the second annual Mornings with the Mayor, a special edition of Convocation hosted by Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, director of alumni engagement and community connections, at 10:15 a.m. in the University Commons Student Union. 

They will also meet with students, faculty, and staff for a lunchtime discussion in the West Dining Room of Northlawn Dining Hall at noon.

Sinopoulos-Lloyd is one of seven people featured on the Inclusivity in Science Mural, located on the second floor of the Suter Science Center south of SSC 106 (Swartzendruber Hall). Biographies of each of the people featured on the mural are included below.

On Friday, Nov. 7, outside the University Commons, 91����Ƶ staff members handed out hot cider, fresh doughnuts from Strite’s, and raffled off a colossal 12-inch doughnut. 91����Ƶ students who identify as first-generation, meaning neither parent nor guardian earned a four-year college degree from a U.S. institution, could pick up free First-Gen T-shirts and keychains. 

The annual , held on and around Nov. 8, brings together hundreds of colleges and universities across the country to recognize the achievements of the first-generation community and raise awareness of the unique challenges first-gen students face. The day commemorates the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965 by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson, which created federal financial aid programs to fund students’ educations and made key investments in colleges and universities.

91����Ƶ is a member of the FirstGen Forward Network, which recognizes schools that display a demonstrated commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students. According to 91����Ƶ’s annual fall census numbers from Sept. 8, 48% of first-year undergraduate students identify as first-generation college students. That figure is a 13% increase from last fall’s numbers.

Tara Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success at 91����Ƶ and a first-generation college alumna herself, said the celebration aims to elevate the experience of first-gen students. “They’re highly capable, highly driven, super courageous, and don’t necessarily know who to ask for advice or insight,” she said. “We want to remove that stigma about seeking help and show them they’re not alone.” 

91����Ƶ’s First Generation Working Group includes Tara Kishbaugh, Jonathan Swartz, Yeimarie Lopez, Trina Nussbaum, Tyler Goss, Luke Litwiller, Dawn Neil, Deanna Reed, Celeste Thomas, and Annalise Livingston.

Tara Kishbaugh, chemistry professor and dean of the School of School of Sciences, Engineering, Art and Nursing—along with math professor Owen Byer, engineering professor Esther Tian and biology professor Jim Yoder—modeled the program off of one in the engineering program at Ohio State University. The four leveraged personal connections and LinkedIn to find mentors.

“It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that gives students a safe space to practice their networking skills, learn to ask good questions and listen well, hear professional perspectives, and develop long-term mentoring relationships,” said Kishbaugh. “It also gives mentors the opportunity to impart their skills and knowledge for students’ personal and professional growth.”

Luke Wheeler is a mechanical engineering major from Hudson, Michigan, whose mentor is Ashley Driver, president and owner of AD Engineering LLC based out of Timberville, Virginia. Wheeler is working part-time for Kawneer in Harrisonburg while finishing up his classes and will begin as an associate process engineer with Merck in Elton, Virginia, after graduation. Wheeler says it has been nice to have a resource to reach out to for advice and that he sees the STEM Mentorship Program as a gateway for internships and jobs for students in the years to come.

Ethan Spicher is a mechanical engineering major from Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose mentor is Gil Colman, civil engineer, owner and principal at Colman Engineering, PLC in Harrisonburg. Spicher says he and Colman have talked at length about his resume, engineering projects, and what it’s like to own a firm. Upon graduating, Spicher will work for JZ Engineering, a structural engineering company based in Harrisonburg.

Ben Bontrager-Singer is a mechanical engineering major from Goshen, Indiana, whose mentor is Kevin Nufer, an aerospace structural engineer at Leidos in Manassas, Virginia. Bontrager-Singer says Nufer looked at this resume and helped him to prepare for his job interview with Seattle-based Blue Origin, where Bontrager-Singer landed a job as a propulsion engineer starting after graduation. “It’s valuable to provide connections between students and the workforce and also a good opportunity for engineers to see what education looks like these days,” said Bontrager-Singer.

Interested in participating as an 91����Ƶ student or community-based mentor in the STEM Mentorship Program? Email Tara Kishbaugh at tara.kishbaugh@emu.edu.

Read more about Bontrager-Singer’s internship at Tesla and all three seniors’ work with Engineers in Action.

One of the things that most motivates Vincent Morra MS ’15 (biomedicine) is interpersonal connection. It’s what first attracted him to the field of osteopathic medicine, and what told him that 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ) and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) were the right schools for him.

“The culture there, at 91����Ƶ, was very different from what I was used to,” he said. It’s “a tight knit community. It’s much more supportive than other educational settings I was used to … all the professors have very open door policies.” 

He then chose to attend WVSOM in Lewisburg because “the people there were very genuine.” 

It should come as no surprise that someone who places such value on relationships and compassion would enter the field of osteopathic medicine.

Doctors of osteopathic medicine are fully licensed physicians, like those with a doctor of medicine, or M.D. degree. But in addition to the usual gamut of medical school courses, osteopathic medicine schools include special training in the musculoskeletal system and “manipulations,” a set of hands-on techniques used to prevent, diagnose, and treat injuries and illnesses. These treatments can help a patient in place of or in addition to traditional medical therapies. 

Morra explained that osteopathic medicine also emphasizes looking at a patient “holistically,” including the person’s “body, mind and spirit, and treating the patient as a whole, and not just as whatever their diagnosis might be.”

Morra earned his doctor of osteopathic medicine degree in May, and recently began his residency in family medicine at Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, W.Va. The three-year residency will give him plenty of opportunities to serve people from rural areas, reminiscent of his hometown in Bridgewater, Virginia.

“There’s a huge population here that is lacking in medical care,” Morra said.

The first year of his residency will include a “smattering of everything,” from outpatient to inpatient medicine to obstetrics. In his second and third years, he’ll have the chance to study various specialties firsthand, such as cardiology, neurology, or nephrology.

Throughout the residency, though, “you’re always spending time in the clinic with your patients, in order to keep continuity of care with them,” said Morra.

Morra knew a bit about osteopathic medicine as an undergraduate economics student at the University of Virginia. But he found certainty in this calling while earning his master’s degree in biomedicine at 91����Ƶ, as professors and peers in the program all valued “treating the whole patient.”

“Students take a few classes – interdisciplinary seminar, cross-cultural healthcare, and faith and ethics – that allow them to see health from varied aspects,” said Professor Kristopher Schmidt. 

91����Ƶ’s biomedicine program has an 80% acceptance rate among students who apply to medical schools.

Because Morra’s undergraduate degree was in economics, he said the biomedicine program gave him an opportunity to dig deeper into the medical field before he applied to medical schools, as well as “the opportunity to become more confident in myself before applying.”

Professor Tara Kishbaugh, interim director of the biomedicine program, said Morra was a “great addition” to the program. 

“He is such a quiet, gentle person,” she said. “He consistently was working with his peers to support their learning in organic chemistry – which typically is one of the more frustrating prerequisites for students. He always went above and beyond in the class, carefully figuring out each bonus question, turning in work early, even when there were reasons for his work to be late.”

Balloons, flowers, cheers, caps and gowns, and big smiles…

Pageantry and “Pomp and Circumstance”…

Saturday’s sun-filled celebrations were a semblance of normalcy in pandemic times, as more than 1,300 guests attended three separate “walking ceremonies” hosted by 91����Ƶ for the graduates of 2020 and 2021.

The opportunity was particularly poignant from the 2020 grads, who lost their in-person celebration to the pandemic last year. Ninety-nine, some with family and friends in attendance, returned for the opportunity to don their caps and gowns and other academic regalia to walk across the stage.

91����Ƶ awarded 351 total degrees, including 209 undergraduate degrees, 104 master’s degrees, 37 graduate certificates, and one doctorate.

Graduates will have another opportunity to celebrate this weekend, when the formal Commencement ceremonies for both classes happen in a virtual format — on Saturday, May 8, at 1 p.m., for the class of 2020, and on Sunday, May 9,at 1 p.m., for the class of 2021. 91����Ƶ’s site in Lancaster, Pa., will host a graduation ceremony Friday, May 14. [See 91����Ƶ’s Commencement website for more information.]

The ceremonies were organized by academic schools, with the School of Theology, Humanities, and the Performing Arts getting the day started at 9 a.m. (blankets and coffee were favorite spectator accessories). By the 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies for the School of Science, Engineering, Art and Nursing and the School of Social Science and Professions, respectively, sunscreen, hats and sunglasses were de rigueur (seating protocols and seat followed social distancing requirements).

Each ceremony included words from President Susan Schultz Huxman and the school dean, as well as a blessing from a faculty member. Huxman congratulated the gathered graduates on their resilience and perseverance and urged them to stay connected to 91����Ƶ as they chart their paths and impact the world.

The smaller ceremonies allowed deans to share special messages with grads from shared academic discipline. Dean Sue Cockley of the School of Theology, Humanities and the Performing Arts offered this: “This tremendous upheaval… calls up existential questions that we in the West prefer to ignore in quieter times. What is the meaning of all of this? Have we ever learned anything from history? What will happen to us? Is there hope for justice? Is there hope for faith? How can we learn to pray again. ..You may not have all the answers yet, no one expects that of you at this moment, but you are not afraid to struggle with the questions and that is crucial!”

Dean Tara Tishbaugh of the School of Science, Engineering, Art and Nursing noted that all of these graduates shared the common experience of the need for “hands-on” learning: “Labs online, labs on campus, where is lab today? Labs distanced and spread across multiple rooms, student leaders supporting the faculty as tech assistants, as learning assistants, as tutors. We learned alongside each other. Studio and digital arts moved locations, adapted to challenges of mixed modalities-I loved the story of  continuing ceramics using clay found in your backyards and beyond. The natural history (and other) solo field trips. The tremendous work achieved by our nursing faculty, staff, and students to continue clinicals, to create new simulations, to adapt to restrictions on clinical experiences.”

Dean David Brubaker shared the incalculable need for the uniquely educated graduates from the School of Social Sciences and Professions: “These last 15 months have been among the most innovative I’ve experienced in my 17 years at 91����Ƶ… Within our school, we launched one new master’s degree (in transformational leadership) last August, are preparing to roll out a second (in school counseling) this August, and have approved a third (in human resource leadership) for fall 2022… The  Teacher Education program sailed through its reaccreditation process with high praise from the visiting accreditation team. We consolidated a new major in global studies…and our Business and Leadership program continued to prepare outstanding graduates in fields such as accounting, business administration, recreation and sports management, and international business. I can’t imagine a time when the world needed gifted teachers, collaborative leaders, empathetic counselors and skilled conflict transformers and justice advocates more than now. You truly are the ones we have been waiting for.”

Hannah Daley ’17 has made scientific waves in the 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ) community for years — investigating water quality in the Bergton area watershed, researching caffeinated athletes with James Madison University’s chemistry department, and studying atmospheric chemistry at the University of Michigan Biological Station. 

That last experience inspired her to enroll in the University of Maryland’s atmospheric and oceanic science doctoral program. Now, she’s making waves in the sky – measuring aerosols and greenhouse gases by plane. Her two current research projects are focused on the pandemic’s effect on airborne pollutants and a smoke plume that made its way to Maryland all the way from a West Coast wildfire. 

Daley spoke with 91����Ƶ News about her work below.

What led you to the atmospheric and oceanic science program? 

I knew I wanted to study atmospheric science in the 8th grade. I went to 91����Ƶ for its environmental sustainability program and its general sustainability campus culture. After my first year as an environmental sustainability major, I added a chemistry major. Throughout my time at 91����Ƶ, I was fortunate to gain an exceptional amount of research experience, an opportunity I don’t think I would have had if I went to a larger university. My research experience and recommendations from exemplary faculty mentors like Professors Jim Yoder, Tara Kishbaugh, and Doug Graber Neufeld led to further research experience outside of 91����Ƶ.

I was drawn to the University of Maryland (UMD) for a few key reasons. First, UMD is located within an hour of major government research agencies – including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — many of which are housed on campus in conjunction with the graduate department. The majority of graduate students actually hold their offices at these sites. 

Second, I am from Maryland, and it gave me the opportunity to be closer to my parents and many siblings — I am the youngest of six. Third, UMD is ranked ninth in the world for our geoscience programs. And fourth, I was drawn to the interesting research opportunity to perform fun, hands-on science.

Do you actually get to fly the planes that are collecting the data? 

I do not get to fly the plane! That would be fun, but the types of flights we do requires years of experience. We often fly low to the ground or at night through cities which can be dangerous for an inexperienced pilot. Our pilot Nizar is amazing! He has been flying for decades and now teaches people to fly. When I am on the flights I typically sit in the back and monitor the instruments to make sure everything is reading right.

What kinds of applications could come out of your assessments of carbon monoxide and carbon concentrations during Maryland’s lockdown?

When we talk about future climate or air quality, these are forecast assessments based on computer models. Many scientists spend their whole career tweaking these models for even the slightest improvement. And the accuracy of these models is based on how well models predict particular events. 

For example, how well do models predict hurricane track and intensity, or pollution transported from a smoke fire plume. During Maryland’s lockdown, how does a drastic decrease in traffic impact local air quality? This provided a unique event in which scientists can test how well models performed, and then improve them to be more robust. Air quality assessments could also lead to more informed policy decisions, which could potentially impact vehicle emission standards. 

For instance, Maryland recently released their greenhouse gas reduction plan, which aims to reduce carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by 50% by 2030. During lockdown, traffic was roughly reduced by 50%. This gave us a unique opportunity to research how close Maryland would be to this goal if legislative and consumer decisions consistently reduced traffic by 50%, or if half of drivers switch to electric vehicles.

What’s interesting about the smoke plume? 

I am studying a smoke plume that originated over the US West Coast and reached Maryland on September 16, 2020. This plume was aged about 10 days and travelled thousands of miles to get to Maryland. That in itself is interesting to me! It’s just another fascinating reminder that we are all connected! 

I was the research scientist on board the aircraft as we were spiraling up to our planned peak height of 10,000 feet. I was stunned when I saw the instruments reading carbon monoxide and black carbon values two orders of magnitude higher than usual! I knew it would be an amazing data set if we could just fly vertically through the rest of the plume. Excited, I told the pilot what I was seeing, and he decided to keep flying up. We normally don’t fly higher than 10,000 feet because the aircraft is not pressurized, and we don’t want to be deprived of oxygen. Despite the drop in pressure, I stayed alert. We ended up reaching 15,000 feet above ground level and captured the whole plume’s vertical profile — 8,500 to 14,000 feet.

Smoke plumes can transport carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and ozone, making air quality dangerous for many humans, animals, and plants. Fortunately, in this case study, the plume stayed high in the atmosphere and did not negatively impact the air we breathed at the surface. This smoke plume was unique in that the particles were very large and reflective. There was black, brown and organic carbon present. 

When analyzing the plume, I am looking to validate other instruments that monitor smoke plumes and to assess the unique chemical and physical properties of this plume. For instance, did the ground-based instruments accurately capture the plume’s height and density, and did our air quality models predict its composition? 

Do you know what kind of work you’d like to do after graduation?

One of my favorite parts of our group is how close we work with local and regional government agencies. We have quarterly meetings with the Maryland Department of the Environment where we share what we’ve been working on and what we’ve learned. The policy impacts our research has is very tangible, especially with ozone-based regulations. It satisfies my drive to help people. After I graduate, that aspect is something I really want to continue. I am heavily considering working with NOAA, EPA, NIST, or as a contractor for nonprofit environmental organizations. Most students in my program take the government agency route.

Jerry Holsopple, professor of visual and communication arts at 91����Ƶ, was recently awarded a from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. He and co-applicant Rebecca Slough, academic dean emerita at the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), will use the funds for a collaborative project that looks at visual forms of Anabaptist worship. 

The Vital Worship Grants are awarded to “teacher-scholars” that “strengthen Christian public worship practices” through theology, music, aesthetics, dance, history, or sociology, according to a press release from the institute.

“The chance to interact with six congregations, work closely with students and  investigate how the visual functions in worship combines many of my life passions,” Holsopple said. “I can’t wait to see what we discover and how this will empower the church to enlarge their vision for the visual within their worship practice.”

Holsopple and Slough plan to assemble a team of art students from 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ), graduate students from AMBS, and congregational leaders from six different Anabaptist churches from a variety of cultures and ethnicities. 

“The overarching goal is to learn how the visual aspects of worship, including specific forms of visual art, function in Anabaptist and Mennonite congregations to support the theology and practice of worship,” said Holsopple. He teaches photography and digital media at 91����Ƶ.

Another piece of the project will be a documentary video, created by the 91����Ƶ students, about this collaborative research process.

The team will also collect images created by Anabaptist artists that other congregations can access through a website called Holsopple and Slough recently launched the site along with a bi-national team led by Together in Worship chair Sarah Kathleen Johnson. The site’s logo and color design was created by digital media graduate Missy Muterspaugh ’19.

Holsopple brings an abundance of experience in this unique field. In 2009-10, he was a Fulbright scholar in Lithuania, where he studied icon painting under the tutelage of a Russian Orthodox priest. His own icon paintings were exhibited at 91����Ƶ in 2010. The following year, Holsopple spoke on communicating values in visual form as the plenary speaker at the Anabaptist Communicators Conference.

“Jerry’s creation of icons is one example of his passion for understanding how Anabaptists engage the visual arts within worship spaces,” said Tara Kishbaugh, dean of the school of sciences, engineering, art and nursing. 

“I think another strength of this project are the multiple layers of collaboration possible,” Kishbaugh said. “First the project was designed by a team of faculty, then they will involve both visual arts undergraduates and theology graduate students, and these teams will also build relationships with the congregations and gather their stories and reflections.”

Holsopple and Slough’s project is one of 17 that the institute will fund in the 2021-2022 grant cycle.

“Teacher-Scholars from a wide variety of disciplines have so much to contribute to congregations and parishes – helping us all see things we otherwise might miss, offering access to essential wisdom for ministry,” said John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on educational institutions across the country – with students, instructors, and families seemingly in limbo as they try to navigate public health precautions and an increased migration to virtual learning. At 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ), faculty have had to adapt their curricula to a semester that will begin and end online and accommodate in-person instruction in the middle. And fields that rely on practicum study have added challenges to face.

Some professors are finding this an exciting challenge.

“In many ways, this is an incredible time to be teaching students about public health and how medical and nursing research should influence practice,” said Professor Kate Clark. She’d normally be setting up clinical experiences with families and in other community health settings. Instead, a partnership with Harrisonburg City Public Schools will have student nurses assist with COVID-19 screening. The students will also perform a variety of nursing tasks at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic and at the Purdue poultry plant’s wellness center in Bridgewater.

These opportunities are the result of many years of relationship- and trust-building between the 91����Ƶ nursing department and local agencies. Clark said she often hears from area healthcare providers “how ‘different’ our nursing students are – how professional, caring, broad-minded, culturally competent, et cetera. This is why they allow us to help in their work – because they trust our students to do this difficult work well and with great care and compassion.”

[Read more how spring 2020 nursing students gained unique experiences during the COVID-19 here and here.]

Future teachers also have a practicum-heavy course load. This semester, they’ll be learning through the same trial-by-fire as established educators, as they’re paired with local middle and high school teachers leading virtual classes for Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County Public Schools . 

“With local public schools providing primarily virtual instruction, our 91����Ƶ students will have important opportunities to learn and apply new strategies in the context of online education,” said Professor Paul Yoder. “As a professor, I will similarly have opportunities to engage new technology and instructional platforms like VoiceThread as part of classes I am teaching.”

VoiceThread is a software platform that allows users to interact with video clips and voice and text comments for a multi-media forum experience. It’s one of the many new technologies emerging as prominent teaching tools in the era of COVID-19, and one that was introduced in a summer course for 91����Ƶ faculty titled “For Our Students: Fall 2020.” Professor Daniel Showalter helped design the course along with professors Mark Sawin, Tara Kishbaugh, Barbara Wheatley, and Steve Cessna.

“The primary motivation for the course was to equip faculty to provide positive learning experiences during the challenges and unpredictability of the pandemic,” said Showalter.

The course included a four-week module in course development, safe classroom configurations, resources for effective online teaching, and examples of creative solutions 91����Ƶ faculty are employing this semester – like this introduction video Sawin made for his History 101 and 102 classes – which students can attend in person, via Zoom, or just complete the coursework asynchronously.

Kishbaugh led the module on course development. She said one of the biggest challenges this semester is the “cognitive load” of having to re-do, or at least reevaluate, every element of a class to make sure it fits in the new normal of COVID-19.

“It feels like nothing is on auto-pilot. This is true in other areas of our lives as well which leaves all of us with less energy,” said Kishbaugh. 

She drew inspiration for this semester from a training she took years ago on institutional transformation work to improve the retention of students in STEM. The training, which came as part of a National Science Foundation grant, focused on “increasing our teaching efficacy and learning to be more responsive in our classrooms,” Kishbaugh explained. “The principles we focused on in this training were the ones that we highlighted this summer. Empathy and checking our assumptions are key to the rest of the pedagogical tools being effective.”

Showalter said this summer’s course participants came with a number of concerns and anxieties. How would they build relationships with their students in an online setting? What if they encounter technical difficulties? Will important conversations on racial justice, microaggressions, and disabilities be lost in the chaos of COVID-19? Showalter and his team tried to address each of these questions with digital resources, knowledgeable guest speakers, and small-group troubleshooting. 

At the end of the day, everything we do, teaching college classes included, is “winging it” this fall – but in 91����Ƶ’s classrooms, it’s done with particular care. 

“The main idea here is that this semester will probably be stressful and there will be plenty of mistakes, but amidst it all, the goal is to center ourselves on the students’ needs and those relationships,” Showalter said. 

This was neither the end of the semester we anticipated nor the graduation we expected, but it is the semester we have completed and the graduation we celebrate, said Dean David Brubaker this past weekend to a virtual celebration for graduates from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

Those words encapsulate the whirlwind experience of the last nine weeks, as our semester was completely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This was not the semester we anticipated, but it was the semester we completed.

And what choice did we have but to persevere, adapt, be flexible and patient, flatten one curve as we were being slung faster on an accompanying learning curve of what exactly to do with ourselves, our bodies and minds in this strange new world.

The following collection of photos and text is a snapshot of the semester, collected in real time and revisited now, for those of you who are more peripheral to 91����Ƶ. It might help to give a sense of how faculty, staff and students responded in and out of classroom — in true 91����Ƶ fashion, with resilience, empathy and commitment.

Here we go (online)!

Some of the first on campus to sense an impending switch were employees in Information Systems. They began thinking about remote learning during 91����Ƶ’s spring break the first week in March, and in anticipation, beefed up their HelpZone articles on a variety of relevant topics.

By March 12, when 91����Ƶ announced a move to online learning, IS had reviewed and increased capacity of all systems and equipment (including webcams, laptops and Chromebooks) necessary for online teaching and campus operations. Needless to say, they were busy.

Two graphs from Jenni Piper, director of User Services, tell the story:

First Helpdesk Tickets. The green line shows last year’s demand and the blue line this year’s.

And second, the number of daily Zoom meetings hosted through the campus account, beginning in early March.

After hosting a training for faculty March 13 and the shift to online the classes the next week, IS handled 64 tickets on March 16, something of a watermark that shows when faculty and staff began to engage with the reality of a move to remote work.

Pedagogues thinking positively

91����Ƶ 10 days into the online shift, I asked a few professors how things were going. Some of their answers are included below. I was particularly struck by the positive perspective of veteran educator Carolyn Stauffer, professor of applied social sciences:

In reality, what we’re experiencing now is the presence of hybrid education. We’ve had the chance to meet in-person for the first part of the semester and now I get to know each participant’s online presence as well. It’s wonderful to be able to build on the assets of both sides of that equation!

Solo field trips

Professor Doug Graber Neufeld‘s “Natural History of the Shenandoah Valley” course syllabus was packed full of fantastic field trips to local natural wonders and lab experiences (like taxidermy practice below).

With his students scattered in mid-March, the field trips turned into independent explorations, such as Katelyn Dean‘s below. Here she holds morel mushrooms she and her dad found in the George Washington National Forest, just one find shared during class time.

“It’s the highlight of my day to hear students who daily recount the joy they find in now recognizing the animals, plants and rocks around them,” Neufeld said. “In such unusual times, experiencing the beauty and complexity of the natural world together has been a unique source of hope for us.” Read more about this class.

Conversations continue

In Professor Marti Eads’ class “Ways of War and Peace,” students met virtually with Reverend Masayuki Sawa, the pastor of a Reformed (Calvinist) congregation in Japan. He spoke of his perception of contemporary Japanese attitudes toward World War II and Japanese perceptions of the US and our own military actions, then and now, among other topics.

The class was slated to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. Instead, guest speaker Gillian Steinberg, an educator at the Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy in the Bronx, and her students from the Modern Orthodox Jewish tradition met online with 91����Ƶ students.

This conversation and the de-brief afterwards held richness and nuance, Eads said, with several classmates opening up about their own religious experiences, choices and identities. Recognizing the common humanity, despite labels — “just the idea of all of us sitting together talking and all of us from different groups” was a moving experience, said one of her students. []

Creating community with virtual high fives

Engineering professor Esther Tian (pictured above at top right) continued teaching synchronous classes, preferring the structure and the presence of students. “It is also good for students to see each other and talk to each other before class as they would in a classroom.

We do high fives, thumb-ups (and downs) during class, we find out new features of Zoom and use them right away. It has been fun. I also found that one-on-one and small group Zoom sessions were working really well in answering students’ questions as well as advising..”

Senior Collin Longenecker, visible below Tian in the photo above and also at right, was an embedded tutor with a first-year engineering course. Though initially he wasn’t sure how Zoom sessions would work, he adapted well: “The students pop in and out and they can share their screen with me. It is almost like I am in the engineering lab looking over their shoulder trying to help them troubleshoot the problem. I have been helping a few students that I had not helped before we went to online school which is cool.”

Read more about 91����Ƶ tutors at work during online classes.

The power of community to enhance learning was the top tip in a blog post titled ” by Dean (and chem prof) Tara Kishbaugh for fellow organic chemistry teachers using the same texbook. “Community Matters,” she began. Use the relationships that have already been built to help students continue asking questions and learning in small peer groups. And she reminded readers, you can still greet each student individually when they enter your Zoom classroom.

Tech fails/wins: ‘chipmunky’-ness and new relationships

Professor Mark Sawin teaches U.S. History 103, from World War I to the present, with a focus on “power and paradox.” Sawin tried to do a synchronous class on Zoom and “it rather hilariously and spectularly failed,” he reported.

“So, since then, I’ve been pre-recording all my lectures on Panopto so students can watch them asynchronously, and with that program, you can adjust my speed. At 1.5 speed, I start to get rather chipmunky… at .5 speed I sound like the television show ‘Drunk History.’ I’m not sure if that amuses students, but it certainly amuses me.”

With the lectures available at any time, he began using normal class time as an open forum where students could drop in and ask questions.

“I’ve had some wonderful 1-on-1 conversations with students that I would never have had in our normal class setting. In this sense, our ‘social distancing’ has actually provided some closeness that wasn’t there before, and for that I’m grateful,” Sawin said. “I’ve also been pleased and touched by the grace that students have extended to us as we struggle to move our classes online. And I believe we, too, are showing that grace, focusing on the learning objectives and the big important ideas, and allowing a lot of latitude when it comes to the many wifi issues, isolation stresses, and general quarantine chaos we’re all learning to live with.”

Grace and connection

That grace is something education professor Paul Yoder has also experienced. Students in his classes are pre-service teachers and as a pedagogical specialist himself, the shift to online classes provided ample room for discussions around topics related to the digital classroom.

He wrote: “The key word in my planning for weekly class sessions via Zoom has been connection. We have taken time for each of the 18 students to rate how they are doing on a scale of 1-10 and then share with the group. Last week I sent individual emails as a follow up to the few students who placed themselves on the low end of the scale. I have also been excited to hear from some of my advisees who have shared their affirmations of how professors are providing flexibility as needed.  Particularly as we recognize that not all of us have the same level of internet access, I know that living into an ethic of care is essential.”

Nancy Heisey, seminary dean, also used check-ins with her classes, which often included adult students who juggled many responsibiliities, including pastors working in ministry settings.

“We take time every period to share ‘how it’s going’ and encourage one another. Some students are struggling with a household where everyone is working on line in a crowded space—spouse tele-working, children trying to do homework, and seminary student worrying about class work and how to get a video service up for their congregation’s Sunday service.

“I’ve been amazed, though, at the depth of engagement—this morning, my New Testament students each did a creative rendering of a parable of Jesus. They were funny, sobering, and encouraging!”

Hearing some of those needs led seminary professor Sarah Bixler to host an April 1 online gathering that drew 32 pastors, including 22 alumni, from four denominations and eight states. This has led to a free online series for pastors. Check it out here.

A wider global market for CJP

Innovation happened quickly during the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding’s facilitation class, co-taught by Professor Catherine Barnes and Amy Knorr. Students usually practice skills they’ve learned in person by helping clients with a planned discussion, strategic visioning or group dialogue. With face-to-face options limited and practice still required, students moved online.

Above, one group produced an online strategic planning for Shenandoah Green, a local environmental group, including a circle process, a historical reflection using a digital timeline that folks could fill in, and a card sort, a way of getting ideas out into the open and then grouping them together. “Board members at Shenandoah Green were delighted,” said Knorr, who helps coordinate practice settings for CJP students.

In the midst of the pandemic, CJP also hosted several online gatherings for alumni to connect and share resources.

And significantly, center staff moved quickly to adapt the Summer Peacebuilding Institute to online classes, expedite a new hybrid graduate degree program in transformational leadership, and prepare upcoming semester classes for online delivery.

The massive disruption and accompanying move towards online learning and programs have created new opportunities, said Executive Director Jayne Docherty, especially in a previously untapped market of prospective participants who could not have afforded to travel or would not have been issued a visa in the current environment.

“In the face of the pandemic, many people are waking up to the fact that our societies have become more unequal and unjust and that we are teetering on the edge of violent confrontations between social subgroups. Some of those people are saying, ‘This can’t continue. This is just wrong. What can I do? I want to be part of the solution.’ By moving our programs online quickly, we have helped channel their energy and impulse to help others in ways that prevent violence and address injustices.”

’12 hours ahead of our students’

As daily reports arrived into faculty in-boxes about the closure of practicum and internship placements to students, the nursing department focused on making sure their seniors could graduate on time and join the fight against covid-19.

For one cohort, that meant three 12-hour shifts at a local hospital. For others, they logged clinical hours (and their supervising professor also took calls) at a special covid-19 public health hotline.

“The faculty were meeting hour to hour, staying 12 hours ahead of the students as we were making decisions,” said Professor Melody Cash.

Eventually, a waiver allowed faculty to substitute simulation hours for live clinicals and all 16 seniors finished out the semester in good standing, ready to join the workforce.

It’s the small things…

Marci Frederick (above), director of Sadie Hartzler Library, and Professor Kevin Seidel dressed in academic regalia in honor of their senior seminar students for their last Zoom class meeting.

Congratulations, 91����Ƶ family, on the end of the semester we did not anticipate.

We celebrate.

Words of prayer, poetry, thanksgiving and anecdotes both humorous and moving lifted up the life and work of three former faculty members during last week’s Advanced Chemistry Lab dedication ceremony. The renovated lab — where former faculty members Dr. Glenn Kauffman, Dr. Gary Stucky and Robert Yoder worked, taught and mentored in more than 90 years of collective exemplary service — was filled with several generations of family members, grateful alumni, current and former faculty and donors to hear reflections on their powerful legacies.

In the words of Dr. Ed Sandy ‘81, who thanked all three men for helping him to fulfill a childhood dream of becoming a doctor, “the words and deeds of these three mentors, living amongst so many young people like me, created a generation of scientific leaders and their works that have bettered the world around the world. Thank you, Robert Yoder. Thank you, Glenn Kauffman, and thank you, Gary Stucky, for all you have done for so many of us. Your legacy of mentorship continues to inspire us all.”

The lab renovation and dedication was one of the final projects of the larger Suter Science Center transformation, accomplished with nearly $12 million in philanthropic support from more than 600 alumni and donors, said Kirk Shisler ‘83, vice president for advancement, in his welcome. 

A final, larger scale dedication of Phase II or “Suter West,” is being planned for Oct. 17 during Homecoming and Family Weekend.

The event was followed by a reception and a Suter Science Seminar by Dr. Brian Stauffer ‘91, professor of medicine and cardiology at the University of Colorado.

In a short speech, Dr. Glenn Kauffman ‘60, with daughter Keri Kauffman ‘00 and wife Mary Kauffman, paid special tributes: to his former colleagues at 91����Ƶ  and former dean Dr. Lee Snyder for their support in helping to grow the chemistry program and expand research opportunities; to colleagues at James Madison University for collaboration on faculty and student research; and to 91����Ƶ’s chemistry graduates, who have supported the program through their own work and through equipment donations like that of Dr. Shawn Ramer ‘83, who arranged for 91����Ƶ to be gifted an electron microscope from MIT during his postdoctoral at Harvard.

Science, Kauffman concluded, is action and activity: “I have always believed and thought that science is a verb, not a noun, not an encyclopedia of facts and numbers, but then the answering of questions, solving of problems and puzzles and creation of the language that extends our understanding of our planet and its place in the cosmos.”

The family of Robert Yoder represents four generations at the dedication ceremony. Lois Yoder (front), Robert’s wife, is flanked by their daughters Kim Yoder (left) and Karen Dean ’84 (right). Robert’s son Kent is in the far left of the back row with his wife Diane to his left. Behind Karen Dean is her husband Bill. Grandson Justin Yoder was unable to attend; his wife Heather Bauman Yoder ‘04 (left) brought her sons, and Robert’s great-grandsons Judah and Ellis. Robert’s son, Doug, was unable to attend. 

Yoder brought years of expertise (and many stories, remembered Dr. Ed Sandy ‘81) of “that secondary temple, the hospital.” He and other aspiring pre-med students listened avidly “to what it was actually like to be in a clinical lab.”

Janet Harder Stucky, widow of Gary Stucky, with Dr. Ed Sandy ‘81, a special guest who has fond memories of all three professors. Sandy is executive director of Speciality Services Provider Solutions, Blue Ridge region, for Sentara Healthcare, and past president of Sentara RMH Medical Group. 

Sandy’s first experience in the chemistry lab years ago was “a little scary,” he remembered, to the laughter of the crowd. It was Gary Stucky’s class that first caused his boyhood dream of becoming a doctor to begin fading away, but it was the same professor’s invitation to return the next semester and take an even more difficult chemistry class that eventually changed his life.  “I said, yes, I’ll do it. I took that advice…it eventually became the spark to my learning and it changed my trajectory, changed me from biology to chemistry, gave me the desire to work and learn. And it truly gave me my career.”

When Dr. Tara Kishbaugh, now dean of the School of Sciences, Engineering, Art and Nursing, joined the chemistry faculty in 2004, she often was called “the new Glenn.” Kishbaugh heard that metaphor as a way of asking what traditions and values would be carried by the new generation of educators. As much has changed, she says, much of the values of the Kauffman-Yoder-Stucky generation remains. Practical rigor in the classroom and student-led research, she said, is highly valued. “Our students learn to think and act and be scientists.” And the community of care fostered by all three professors, so apparent when Kishbaugh first arrived on campus, lives on as well:  “Students repeatedly say, you listened to me, you believed in me … The emphasis on caring and education for the whole person is just central to who we are.”

Professor Matt Siderhurst, who teaches in the Advanced Chemistry Lab, with Kirk Shisler ‘81 (right), vice president of advancement. Siderhurst is among the many faculty who continue to support the culture of student-led research that Kauffman and his colleagues began. Also present at the dedication was Professor Emeriti Joe Mast and Kenton Brubaker, former chemistry lab hygiene officer John Spicher ‘58, and Professor Emeritus Roman Miller, who is honored each spring, along with Kauffman, when the Kauffman-Miller Research Awards are made to support undergraduate students in summer research projects.

President Susan Schultz Huxman shares remembrances from Dr. Shawn Ramer ‘83, who was unable to attend. Ramer earned a PhD in organic chemistry and did a postdoc at Harvard Medical School after graduating from 91����Ƶ. He served in a variety of roles as senior executive and information technology, science and healthcare and is a member of the President’s Second Century Advisors.

Ramer thanked Glenn Kauffman for creating a nurturing environment that supported his interests and held him to high scholarly standards. “  I am forever grateful for the mentorship, instruction and friendship, which you provided during my time at 91����Ƶ … please know that I think of you frequently and always with much gratitude. I’m delighted to be part of honoring your contributions to 91����Ƶ and the gifts you gave to those of us who had the privilege of being your students.”

Huxman also offered a blessing to the space, beginning her prayer with this invocation:

Here in this space, our Suter Science Center, our faculty and students do not shy away from but readily embrace the wonders of God’s vast kingdom even as they study the laws of nature and what is humanly observable. The distinction of Mennonite education as practiced by 91����Ƶ faculty is Testament to the idea that knowledge is not sufficient.

Practice is not sufficient unless this is connected to a witness grounded in Christ, committed to peace and practiced in community. We thank professors Kauffman, Stucky and Yoder for practicing this rare and beautiful distinctive of Mennonite higher education and I thank all of you for being the great cloud of witnesses that blesses this space in honor of these three devoted and selfless educators. 

From laboratory experiments to quantitative research gathered on campus and in communities far away — 12 graduate students in 91����Ƶ’s MS in Biomedicine program participated in an oral defense of their research projects at the end of the fall 2019 semester.

The research “helps students not only to develop mastery in the natural sciences but also to incorporate other disciplines such as social science and ethics. They are able to connect their personal interests with academic studies and other networks beyond 91����Ƶ,” said Professor Laurie Yoder, who provided research oversight.

For students applying to medical school or other professional health schools, such research projects provide “an important and unique experience that sets them apart from other applicants,” said Dr., program director. “Students learn an incredible amount by taking an original research project from start to finish.”

Since 2013, the master’s in biomedicine program has helped graduates prepare for careers as health professionals. The research component is just one unique curricular offering. Students also benefit from a unique approach to cadaver dissection, which many alumni say has provided optimal preparation and a strong background for the rigors of medical school. Several articulation agreements with professional health schools enhance opportunities to matriculate and continue with career goals.

Each oral defense is evaluated by professors in the MS in biomedicine program, committee members, other faculty and other graduate students. Family members, invited professionals and alumni, and other students also attend, Yoder said.

The research component brings graduate students into mentoring relationships with faculty, alumni and other professionals across many disciplines. Committee members for this round of research projects included Esther Tian, professor of engineering; Carolyn Stauffer, professor of social work; Tara Kishbaugh, professor of chemistry; Ryan Thompson and Gregory Koop, professors of psychology; Kristopher Schmidt, professor of biology; Laura Yoder, professor of nursing; and Julia Halterman, director of the biomedicine program.

Master’s candidates and their research topics include:

Adeola Adesuyi, An exploration of the factors that contribute to patient perception of branded and generic drugs;

Donatine Afful, The UNC-53 gene negatively regulates levels of RAC BTPase CED-10;

Heidi Byron, Associations between personality types and their responsiveness to gamification in mobile applications amongst faculty and staff at 91����Ƶ;

Hosam Hadid, Acute and post-traumatic stress symptoms may depend on burn injury type;

Alexus Holbert, The psychological impact of genetic testing;

Anna Jemi-Alade, The erosive potential of kombucha, Coke and apple juice on bovine teeth;

Cyndra Jones, Investigating attitudes of first responders toward individuals with opioid use disorders and cocaine use disorder: a survey of police officers and emergency medical technicians in an urban city in central Virginia.  

Bowen Lian, Assessing the need for a mild cognitive impairment screening tool in medical and surgical patients at Sentara Rockingham Memorial Hospital;

Claire Reilly, Linking dentists’ education level to their recognition of patients with dental anxiety;

Krystalee Revanna, Gene expression of BAX and BCL-2 in liver and kidney medulla Sprague Dawley rat tissues in response to high salt and high fructose diets;

Nathan Ropelewski, The effects of short-term diets on cognitive function in Mus musculus;

Michelle Van Horn, Comparison of virtues reflection vs. mindfulness-based stress reduction in undergraduate students at 91����Ƶ.

(VCOM) has created new opportunities for 91����Ƶ pre-med students in recognition of their academic preparation, commitment to community service, and aptitude to succeed and serve in the medical field.

The Rocovich Scholar Early Admissions Program grants selected 91����Ƶ scholars with early acceptance to VCOM in their third year of undergraduate studies and guaranteed admission upon satisfactory completion of the undergraduate degree. 

Additionally, qualified graduates of 91����Ƶ’s undergraduate programs and of the MS in Biomedicine program are also eligible for the Guaranteed Admissions Interview Program.

“VCOM values candidates from 91����Ƶ who perform well and anticipates they will be well-prepared to succeed in the rigorous medical curriculum at VCOM,” said John Rocovich Jr., VCOM founder and board chair.

Established in 2002 to alleviate the critical shortage of physicians in the Appalachian region, VCOM’s mission is to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations and promote research to improve human health. The institution has campuses in Blacksburg,Virginia; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Auburn, Alabama; and a new campus currently under construction in Monroe, Louisiana. 

“91����Ƶ students preparing for medical careers are exposed to a rigorous curriculum and equipped with the skills to serve diverse populations,” said Dean Tara Kishbaugh, of 91����Ƶ’s School for Science, Education, Arts and Nursing. “VCOM has collaborated on similar agreements with 91����Ƶ for many years and we’re honored that these new partnerships will continue to open pathways for our graduates to serve in the medical field.”

The new admissions agreements expand an 11-year partnership between the two institutions. Several 91����Ƶ graduates have graduated from VCOM. Two graduates of the MS in Biomedicine program are current students.

Anca Chirvasuta Dauer, who graduated from 91����Ƶ in 2012 with a degree in biology, said of her education at VCOM: “Studying at VCOM has been everything I expected and more. I expected an academically rigorous program, which VCOM definitely provided, but I did not necessarily expect the atmosphere of support and camaraderie that I have experienced from fellow students and staff like the kind I enjoyed as an undergraduate at 91����Ƶ. From daily classroom interactions, to anatomy labs and outreach projects, I have become close to many of my classmates and will feel honored to one day work as colleagues with such well-rounded, smart, and genuine people.”

More on VCOM

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is a four-year private osteopathic medical school offering the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. VCOM provides state-of-the-art medical education and research that prepares globally minded, community-focused physicians who improve the health of those most in need. 

With campuses in Blacksburg, VA, Spartanburg, SC, and Auburn, AL, VCOM has graduated over 3,100 new physicians since its founding in 2001, with over 65% going into primary care specialties such as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology. The fourth campus in Monroe, LA, will open in the summer of 2020.

VCOM has become one of the largest medical schools in the country, yet each campus maintains the nurturing small private college atmosphere for the student. VCOM partners with many community-based hospitals throughout Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama for clinical rotations. The College is known for its national award-winning programs in primary care and global medical outreach, as well as a sports medicine department that cares for athletes at Virginia Tech, Auburn University, and Radford University. The College sustains an environment for innovative, impactful research that is well-positioned for long-term success. VCOM and its partners collaborate on research that will improve the quality of healthcare in its communities and throughout the world.