Accreditation, Memberships, Campus, Nursing Facilities, Aviation Facilities, Stutzman Retreat Center, Dyck Arboretum of the Plains
Mission and Purposes; Educational Philosophy, General Education, Degrees, and Assessment; Accreditation, Memberships, and Educational Facilities
Accreditation
Hesston College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602-2504; 800-621-7440; www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org). The Higher Learning Commission is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
The Division of Nursing is approved by the Kansas State Board of Nursing (900 SW Jackson, Suite 1051, Topeka, KS 66612-1230; 785-296-4929; www.ksbn.org) and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30326; 800-669-1656; www.nlnac.org).
Memberships
Hesston College is a member of the Kansas Independent College Association, the Kansas Independent College Fund, and the Council of Independent Colleges. Hesston College is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Educational Facilities
Campus
The college is located on a 50-acre campus in the town of Hesston, Kansas. Major campus facilities include the following:/p>
- Alliman Administration Center—administrative offices
- Bontrager Student Center—dining hall, meeting rooms, student post office, Food Service offices.
- Erb Hall—housing for 280 students; offices for vice president of student life, campus pastor, campus activities; and Larks Nest snack shop.
- Friesen Center for the Visual Arts—Art Department studios, faculty offices, computer lab, classroom, and student art gallery.
- J.D. Charles Hall of Science and Arts—faculty offices and classrooms and laboratories for instruction in chemistry, biology, and physics; Lemons Center (part of Charles Hall)—Nursing Department.
- Kauffman Court—housing for 140 students.
- Kropf Center—Bible and Ministry Center, Business Department, faculty offices, computer classroom, Computer Information Technology laboratory, classrooms.
- Laban Peachey Center—Early Childhood Education laboratory/preschool and Campus Facilities Department offices.
- Northlawn—Music and Theater departments, additional classrooms, and faculty offices; Studio Theater (part of Northlawn)—rehearsal and performance space for music groups and Theatre Department productions.
- Smith Center and Mary Miller Library—more than 25,000 volumes, subscriptions to 225 periodicals and newspapers, and access to multiple online databases. Academic Center for College Excellence and Student Success (ACCESS). Classrooms and archives on the lower level.
- Yost Center, Campus Activities Center, Oswald Field, and Soccer Stadium—physical education facilities (walking track and equipment and playing space for baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and racquetball).
- Hesston Mennonite Church—space for chapel and other large campus gatherings.
Nursing Facilities
Nursing students use the following clinical affiliations in their education: Hutchinson Clinic and Promise Regional Medical Center, Hutchinson; Memorial Hospital, McPherson; Hospice Care of Kansas, Harvey County Health Department, DaVita Inc., Fresenius Medical Care, Newton Medical Center, and Prairie View Mental Health Center, Newton; Schowalter Villa, Hesston; Progressive Home Health and Hospice, Via Christi Regional Medical Center, and Wesley Medical Center, Wichita.
Aviation Facilities
Home base for Hesston’s Aviation program is the Newton City-County Airport, a low-density traffic area. Training aircraft include Cessna 172s, a Cessna 172RG, and a Piper Twin Comanche. Training equipment includes the Aviation Simulation Technology 201-Hawk Single-Multi engine FTD and two PC Aircraft Training Devices.
Students fly to a variety of nearby airports for practice. Fifteen airports lie within 35 miles of Newton, ranging from 1,500-foot sod strips to controlled airports such as Wichita Mid-Continent for advanced training, instrument approach, radar, and VORTAC services.
Stutzman Retreat Center
Stutzman Retreat Center is located about six miles from Hesston. The park-like 17-acre setting includes a small lake, a rustic-style log cabin, several picnic areas, and walking paths around the lake.
Dyck Arboretum of the Plains
Dyck Arboretum of the Plains is a setting for educational opportunities for the community and a place where visitors may come to enjoy nature or sit in quiet reflection. It consists of 25 acres and is located one block south of campus. Dyck Arboretum’s Visitor and Education Center houses arboretum offices and an education hall for arboretum and community programs. The arboretum is designed to create an awareness of the natural beauty of Kansas with emphasis on trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses native to Kansas and/or characteristic of the prairie. In addition to dense plantings, open areas are part of the design, reminding the visitor of the vastness of the plains.