After almost 22 years as executive director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, Dr. Luke Gascho will retire June 30. The Merry Lea Team invites the public to a retirement reception from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 15 at the Farmstead Pavilion, 2152 S 425 W, Albion. A short program will take place at 3 p.m.
During his time at the 1,189-acre nature preserve, Gascho led the development of new post-secondary programs in environmental education and sustainability. He also oversaw the design of Indiana’s first platinum-rated LEED® facility, provided ecological leadership in a variety of community settings and mentored students and employees in leadership skills.
Academic Administrator
Merry Lea is one of a handful of nature centers that are operated by colleges or universities. Gascho capitalized on this strength. During his tenure, Merry Lea developed a Master of Arts in Environmental Education (MAEE) and two undergraduate semesters that occur on site: the Agroecology Summer Intensive and the Sustainability Leadership Semester. Faculty with expertise in ecology, sustainable agriculture, policy and environmental education joined the team as a result. The Merry Lea Sustainable Farm was created in tandem with the agroecology program.
In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Gascho taught leadership courses in Merry Lea’s graduate and undergraduate programs. In both venues, he pushed students to identify their core values and the personal strengths they brought to environmental work.
Goshen College’s main campus also benefitted from Gascho’s leadership.
“Beyond Merry Lea, Luke’s fingerprints are on multiple college strategic plans and the formation of campus ‘Institutes,’ Academic Dean Dr. Ann Vendrely said at a dinner in honor of Gascho’s retirement. “Over twenty years, Gascho was able to guide significant growth here at Merry Lea. He developed the talented staff, visionary programing, and diverse lands. As he enjoys his retirement, I’m committed to continuing that legacy with the next generation of leaders here at Merry Lea,” she concluded. Becoming a more visible leader in environmental science and stewardship is one of five strategic directions that the President’s Cabinet has developed this year.
Green building champion
Gascho began researching green building strategies in the early 2000s in response to a strategic plan that called for an undergraduate facility at Merry Lea. Working with Morrison Kattmann Menze, a Fort Wayne architecture firm, Gascho embraced the LEED rating system for green buildings and pursued its highest level of certification. In 2007, the three-building facility known as Rieth Village earned Indiana’s first platinum LEED rating. It showcases strategies such as ground source heat pumps, constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment, water-efficient landscaping and wood siding that was locally and sustainably grown.
The first year after the completion of Rieth Village, Gascho led over 50 tours for community groups ranging from curious homeowners to architecture students. Undergraduates studying at Merry Lea are oriented to the building’s unique features when they arrive. Living sustainably on site is an important part of the academic programs.
Faith Leader
Gascho also developed Merry Lea’s leadership as an institution rooted in the Christian tradition. He has been active in the Mennonite Church USA, frequently speaking at congregations on environmental stewardship. In 2005, Gascho founded the Mennonite Creation Care Network, which is based at Merry Lea and disseminates applied ecological theology and practical know-how to churches across North America. He has authored a Christian education curriculum and a denominational resolution calling Mennonite congregations to study creation care in their own contexts. His knowledge of green building also influenced other major buildings in church contexts.
Gascho forged ties between Merry Lea and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. For multiple years, he helped to plan Rooted and Grounded, the seminary’s conference on land and stewardship. He also enabled future pastors to benefit from Merry Lea’s environmental education through public programs, a course he taught at the seminary, and through enrollment in the Sustainability Leadership Semester.
“Think of how a stone dropped into a lake causes ever-growing ripples. I don’t think it is exaggerating to say that Gascho’s commitments to creation care and the way he has connected those to our faith, have been the primary disturbance in the lake of Mennonite thought about the environment,” Janeen Bertsche Johnson said. Johnson serves as the seminary’s campus pastor and is also one of Merry Lea’s board members.
In retirement, Gascho looks forward to reading in the area of ecological leadership and caring for the gardens and orchards at his home in Goshen, Ind.
