Photo by Bailey Unruh

Hesston College announced Mark Landes as its 10th president in January. After a gradual transition into the role, Landes is now at the helm to lead Hesston during this pivotal time. Here’s your opportunity to learn more about our new leader.

Behind the scenes

Tell us about your family and your time together.

My wife DeeDee and I have three children – Kason (16), Taylor (14) and Kellen (11). As a family, we are drawn to adventure and outdoor activities. Our national park road trip this past summer was us at our best – backpacking, tent camping, hiking, fishing, swimming in cold rivers and plenty of camp fires. Our kids are all in a busy phase of life. The Hesston schools allow them to participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, which is something we value about living in a small community.

What are some of your favorite hobbies or ways you like to unwind?

Most days my hobbies become what my kids are doing. I do enjoy golfing, spending quality time with friends, walking with DeeDee and going out to eat.

You left Hesston College in 2019 for a year of service in Colombia, South America. How did that experience shape you?

Our year of service was transformative for our family. Our desire for this experience was geared more toward our children, but I certainly found growth as well. I gained a fresh perspective on the mutuality of service. We went to serve, but also to receive. In the end, I believe we received much more than we gave. It’s important to approach these experiences with an attitude of listening and learning (emphasizing relationships) and less about any solutions we may bring to the table. This concept has broad applications for us all and is where good communication begins. There is so much more I could say about Colombia – we absolutely loved our year there as a family!

Professional journey

What drew you to this position, and how has your background prepared you for this role?

My spiritual gifts assessments always pointed to administration, so this career is probably a good fit. During most of my banking career, I worked in a group focused on client relationships in higher education, health care and other nonprofit entities. I learned quite a bit about these industries from a sector level and was drawn to the impact these industries have on society. I developed a good understanding of the various economic models in higher education, data-informed decision making and overall risk management, which all helped prepare me to join an individual organization.

God opened what felt like a big door in coming to Hesston College, and we gladly walked through it. I was confident the mission and values would be a good fit, but also knew I would need to learn quite a bit about the intricacies of how this small college functioned. Getting to wear many different hats during my six years at Hesston College was critical in my institutional understanding and appreciation. While I will have plenty more to learn, my finance background and prior administrative experiences at Hesston College provide me with a solid foundation as I steward this new leadership role.

What lessons from both the business world and higher education do you bring with you into the Hesston College presidency?

I am process-driven and wired toward learning from our experiences and then applying those learnings to the future. From a leadership perspective, I have likely learned more from seeing things done poorly than when they have been done well. The decision making process is probably the biggest difference I have experienced. In the private sector, decisions are made quickly and sometimes too fast without enough input from stakeholders. In higher education, it can be the opposite. Striking that balance is critical for small organizations like Hesston College. I lean more toward collaborative decision making, but knowing when to speed up and when to slow down is an under-valued leadership quality. Pace is paramount! Another big lesson learned is to assume you do not have all the answers – individually and in groups. Hubris is dangerous within any organization.

What’s a leadership moment from your past that had a lasting impact on how you approach your work today?

Early in my banking career, I was in a meeting with a senior leader responsible for several states in the organization. We were talking through a difficult relationship opportunity. After getting input from the more senior people in the room, he then looked at me and asked for my thoughts. Fortunately, I had an opinion! This was 20 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. This taught me about being inquisitive, seeking broad input, making informed decisions and empowering others.

The Hesston experience and vision

What does “the Hesston experience” mean to you, and how did your time here from 2013 to 2019 shape your view of the college?

I did not have my own Hesston Experience, so mine was lived through my wife’s experience. I’ll admit to having some skepticism about the viability of our two-year model when I arrived in 2013. I quickly grew to appreciate how well we educated and nurtured each student in Christ-centered community during these first two years and how this differentiated us from the market. While our small size can sometimes be a hindrance, it is also our biggest strength in terms of being nimble, fostering authentic community and meeting the needs of our students. As we necessarily shift into our four-year reality, I still believe in the Hesston Experience and its relevance to our future. It will change and be expanded upon, which we should choose to look at optimistically as it continues to be a distinguishing factor in the student experience.

What excites you most about leading Hesston College at this time?

We all know of the many headwinds facing small faith-based colleges. They are fierce and might even intensify. I believe our mission and Anabaptist values remain relevant, so it is easy for me to get excited about facing these challenges. It is clearly meaningful work at a critical juncture in our history. All of us who work at Hesston College are, in our own way, stewards of the Hesston Experience. Doing my part to ensure the Hesston College story continues gives me purpose and energy.

What are some of the key challenges you see facing small colleges today, and how do you think Hesston College can navigate them?

Some key challenges include increased competition from state universities, declining denominational loyalty for faith-based schools, increased price sensitivity (sometimes valuing speed to graduation over student experience), decreasing number of high school graduates, low endowment levels and increased governmental and regulatory uncertainty. Most all of these connect to enrollment pressure and financial instability. These all impact Hesston College and most small private schools around the country, certainly those around us in Kansas. We want to navigate these challenges from a position of operational stability, so improving our financial standing and minimizing employee turnover is critical.

How will you balance honoring Hesston’s rich history with positioning the college for future growth and innovation?

Whitestone Mennonite Church, my home church, has embraced this theme of “looking back, living forward” as part of the Anabaptism at Five Hundred celebration. Recently, I have found myself wandering back and forth over the hermeneutical bridge (my shout out to Bib Lit!) thinking about where we have been, the relevance to where we are today and, ultimately, where we must go in the future. Yes, we are operating in uncertain times, but we must remain faithful to our mission and to our Anabaptist identity. This sense of purpose must continue to guide us on the journey. Our creative spirit, which I saw and felt during my time at Hesston College, must continue to shape us. And our foundation in Christ-centered community will continue to be our rock as we navigate the path ahead.

Community and connection

What role do alumni and friends of the college play in shaping Hesston’s future?

Our broader constituency (alumni, donors, friends, local community, former faculty and staff) all play an important role in helping shape our future. In the broader sense, we need support. Certainly we will need financial support, but many other ways as well. Prayer, ideas, feedback, encouragement and general engagement are all necessary. To my earlier comment, we do not have all of the answers. Some of our future will clearly be shaped through external engagement. Our leaders must be open to seeking creative solutions, and to do that well, we will need our partners to engage with us.

How can alumni and partners best support you and Hesston College during this leadership transition?

I would primarily ask for prayer and encouragement. Having a good plan is meaningless without good people who care about our mission to help execute the plan. I have sensed an excitement from faculty and staff about our improved enrollment and the general opportunity that lies ahead. We also have some hesitation and worry, which is understandable. One phrase I continue to use referring to our path ahead is that it will require the best work from all of our people. With that, prayers are much appreciated for stability, energy, a sense of purpose and belonging for students and employees, and finally some excitement for the journey ahead.

Are there particular ways you hope to engage with the Hesston community — on campus and beyond — during your first year?

I will spend a considerable amount of time meeting with people internally and externally during my first year. While many processes must continue and new initiatives started, I also need to ground myself in listening to a variety of perspectives from a variety of stakeholders.

Did you know…

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?

I enjoy participating in practical jokes. I may present as more serious to people initially, but that changes once group dynamics become more comfortable. I enjoy having fun in groups and practical joking is one way I do that. So be on guard – you’ve been warned!

If you had a Saturday with no obligations, how would you spend it?

Shopping. Just kidding, that would be my last choice. I don’t enjoy time alone or too much time relaxing either. I would start with eating breakfast out at some cafe, maybe an additional cup of coffee somewhere, and then doing anything active with friends or family.

Do you have a favorite Hesston tradition or campus memory from your previous time here?

Several things come to mind. The fall semester is more engagement heavy, so I would start there. Opening weekend and homecoming always had a good energy. We also had great times going to the cultures fair with our family. The international student program is a special part of our history and an important part of who we are today.