August 29, 2005
Hesston College has announced the following roster of new faculty and staff for the fall semester of the 2004-05 school year. Fall semester classes began Monday, August 22.
Faculty
Amy Birdsell, Derby, Kan., serves as an aviation instructor specialist in the college's aviation program. Birdsell graduated from Hesston College and the aviation program in 2001. She received a bachelor's degree in 2003 from Mid-America Nazarene University, Olathe, Kan. For the past four years, Birdsell was a flight instructor at Executive Airport, Olathe. She and her husband, Derrick, recently moved from Lawrence.
Larisa Miller, Greeley, Colo., is the new director of and teacher at the Early Childhood Center, a part-time position. Miller graduated from Hesston College in 1993, and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, with an emphasis in family studies and a minor in early childhood education. She has held several positions related to early childhood education in the Greeley area, and just completed a year as children’s program coordinator at Child Advocacy Resource and Education. Tami Keim continues to direct the Early Childhood Education program, but will not direct the center.
Other new faculty include:
Russ Gaeddert,
from Hutchinson, Kan., the new director of the new Disaster Management
program [see July 1
news release]. For the past five years, Gaeddert was an elementary
school teacher in Hutchinson.
John Sharp, Goshen,
Ind., researcher and writer of the college's centennial history book
[see August 24 news release]. He will
also teach one World Civilizations class each semester. For the past
ten years, he was director of the Mennonite Church USA Historical
Committee and Archives in Goshen, Ind.
Michelle Wade,
Wayland, Iowa, women's softball coach [see
August 15 news release]. She will also advise the yearbook staff,
co-direct campus activities for students, and serve as academic assistant
for Dave Osborne, director of international admissions.
Staff
Brent Brockmueller, Hesston, Kan., began August 8 as men's resident director in Erb Hall. He also serves as co-director of campus activities for the students. He is employed three-quarters time. Brockmueller graduated from Hesston College in 2001 and from Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kan., in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. Most recently, he served a para-educator for Marion County Special Education Cooperative.
Ami Miller, Hesston, joined the admissions department July 1 as an admissions counselor. She will spend half-time recruiting students of color, and the other half-time recruiting students in the southeastern United States. A 2003 Hesston College graduate, she received a bachelor's degree in family studies from Bluffton (Ohio) University last spring.
Nora Miller, Newton, Kan., has been employed as a library assistant, a half-time position, beginning August 10. She continues working part-time with Mennonite Church USA in the Newton office. Earlier, she served as an administrative assistant for Mennonite Mission Network, and in the same capacity for Mennonite Voluntary Service of the General Conference Mennonite Church. She and her husband, Forrest, who works full-time for the college's Campus Facilities department, have two daughters, Olivia and Sophia.
Christine Schweitzer, Salem, Ore., began August
8 as full-time women's resident director in Erb Hall. Schweitzer is
a 1994 graduate of Hesston College, as is her husband Brad. She then
received a bachelor's degree in nursing from Goshen (Ind.) College
in 1997. Schweitzer grew up in rural Hutchinson, Kan. She and Brad
recently moved from Salem, Ore., where she worked for the past two
and one-half years as an obstetrical nurse at Silverton (Ore.) Hospital.
Andrea Unruh, Hesston, began as alumni assistant
at Hesston College on August 8. For the past two years, she served
as administrative assistant at First Mennonite Church in Newton. Unruh
has college work experience, having served as a student in the Hesston
College admissions office 1997-99, and in Kansas State University
admissions 2000-03.
Unruh and her husband, Matt Unruh,
are 1999 graduates of Hesston College.
Other new full-time staff include
Cindy Loucks, Hesston, Kan., administrative assistant
to the president [see August 1 news release].
Loucks worked the past 10 years at Hesston Public Schools, mostly
recently serving as secretary at Hesston Elementary School.
Working part-time in Food Service
will be Marie Koehn, Hesston, Kan., Carolyn
Kauffman, Newton, Kan., and Tammy Miller,
Hesston.