# Hesston College

Hesston College is a private college in Hesston, Kansas, United States. It is associated with the Mennonite Church USA and has an enrollment of about 400 students who typically come from about 30 states and 15 other countries.

## History

Opening in 1909 as Hesston Academy and Bible School, Heston College has offered collegiate level classes since 1915. Founded by T.M. Erb and A.L. Hess after approval by the Kansas-Nebraska Mennonite Conference and endorsement by the Mennonite Board of Education (MBE). Hesston College was affiliated with Mennonite Church and operated by MBE until 2002 when Mennonite Church merged with other denominations and Mennonite Church USA was formed. High school level classes were offered until 1963.
In 1981, the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains was founded at the college.

## Educational facilities

The main 50 acres (20 ha) Hesston campus consists of 12 buildings, including two residential dormitories (Erb hall and Kaufman Court), an administration building, library, a number of academic buildings, and two gymnasiums. It also has a baseball diamond, a softball field, soccer field, a weight room, and four tennis courts.
The Dyck Arboretum of the Plains is a 25 acres (10 ha) arboretum located 1 block south of the main campus.
The aviation program has facilities at the Newton City-County Airport east of Newton, Kansas.
The Nursing program, in addition to facilities on the main campus, has affiliations with local hospitals, including Newton Medical Center and Prairie View Mental Health Center in Newton, Schowalter Villa in Hesston, and Via Christi-St. Francis Campus, Via Christi-St. Joseph Campus, and Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

## Athletics

The official mascot for the Hesston College athletic teams is the Larks. The Larks have 13 teams: baseball, softball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, track and field, golf and flag football which was added for the academic year 2022–2023. Hesston participates in the NJCAA, and was given full membership in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in 2018.

## Administration

| Presidents | Years Served |
| Daniel Henry Bender | 1909-1930 |
| Edward Yoder, Chair, Administrative Comm. | 1930-1932 |
| Milo Kauffman | 1932-1951 |
| Walter Oswald, Chair, Administrative Comm. | 1951-1953 |
| Roy D. Roth | 1953-1959 |
| Tilman R. Smith | 1959-1968 |
| Laban Peachey | 1968-1980 |
| Jim Mininger (Interim) | 1980-1981 |
| Kirk Alliman | 1981-1992 |
| Jim Mininger (Interim) | 1992-1993 |
| Loren Swartzendruber | 1993-2003 |
| Peter Wiebe (Interim) | 2003-2005 |
| Howard Keim | 2005-2016 |
| Benjamin E. Sprunger (Interim) | 2016-2017 |
| Joseph A. Manickam | 2017-2023 |
| Ross Peterson-Veatch (Interim) | 2023-Present |
| Academic Deans | Years Served |
| John Denlinger Charles | 1909-1923 |
| Noah Oyer | 1923-1924 |
| Edward Yoder, (On leave) | 1924-1928 |
| Paul Erb (Acting) | 1924-1928 |
| Edward Yoder | 1928-1932 |
| Paul Erb | 1932-1941 |
| Ivan R. Lind | 1941-1949 |
| Walter Oswald | 1949-1953 |
| Justus Holsinger | 1953-1959 |
| Paul Bender (Acting) | 1959-1961 |
| Paton Yoder | 1961-1970 |
| Clayton Beyler (Acting) | 1970-1971 |
| Clayton Beyler | 1971-1973 |
| Gerri Lichti | 1973-1978 |
| Jim Mininger | 1978-1995 |
| Paul Keim | 1995-1997 |
| Bonnie Sowers (Interim) | 1997-1998 |
| Marcus Yoder | 1998-2006 |
| Bonnie Sowers (Interim) | 2006-2007 |
| Sandra Zerger | 2007-2014 |
| Brent Yoder | 2014-20?? |
| Dr. Carren Moham | 20??-2021 |
| Joan Griffing | 2021-Present |
as of January 2025

## Notable people
### Alumni

* Theodore Epp, Christian clergyman, writer, and radio evangelist.
* John Hostetler, author, educator, and leading scholar of Amish and Hutterite societies.
* Christmas Kauffman, author of Mennonite Christian literature
* Jesse Martin, Canadian bishop and peace activist
* Katie Sowers, first female coach, and openly LGBTQ coach in the NFL.

### Faculty

* Harold Bender, professor of theology