Goshen College prepares to inaugurate President James E.
Brenneman on Sept. 10
GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College is preparing for festivities
to inaugurate President James E. Brenneman, culminating with a
public installation ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. in
Sauder Concert Hall.
The ceremony will feature music performed by Goshen College
students and faculty, local choir Voices-n-Harmony, an instrumental
group from Iglesia Menonita El Buen Pastor in Goshen and by the
international recording artist Makinto. The processional will
include more than 30 delegates from other colleges and
universities, and current and retired Goshen College faculty. The
investiture will be led by the Goshen College Board of Directors,
followed by a litany of welcome. President Brenneman will also give
his inaugural address.
The inaugural ceremony is open to the public; most seating is
not reserved. Doors to Sauder Concert Hall will open at 1:15 p.m.
and pre-service music will begin at 1:25 p.m. Overflow seating,
with televised viewing of the ceremony, will be available in room
153 of the Music Center. A public reception in the Music Center
courtyard will follow the service.
The inaugural theme, “Growing Wisdom and Wonder,”
relates to the Scriptural passage from Isaiah (chapter 11, verses
1-2) and was selected by Brenneman to guide the weekend’s
events and his inaugural address. President Brenneman said that the
text is inspiring his leadership of Goshen College and sharing its
mission and core values.
In addition to the formal installation service, other events are
planned for the inauguration, beginning on Friday, Sept. 8. These
events include a campus chapel, gatherings and meals with local
community leaders and Goshen College donors, a tree planting
ceremony.
An informal campus celebration called the “Brenneman
Bash” will be held on Saturday night in the Roman Gingerich
Recreation-Fitness Center from 7 to 11 p.m. Goshen College
students, current and retired faculty, staff and their families,
directors of the board and other friends are invited to celebrate
President Brenneman and his family’s years in California and
their move to Indiana. The event will include activities for
children; live music by the Goldmine Pickers, Lavender Jazz,
Makinto, a GC faculty-staff band and a college student band; videos
about President Brenneman and his family; and food from California
and the Midwest.
Though Brenneman – an educator, biblical scholar and
church leader – has occupied the president’s office in
the college’s Administration Building since July 1, the
inaugural events will serve as an opportunity for the campus,
community, colleagues from other academic institutions and others
to formally acknowledge his leadership and welcome him. He, in
turn, has had the opportunity to welcome new and returning students
to campus during the Aug. 26-27 opening weekend, and has been
involved in beginning-of-the-year faculty and administrative
organizational activities.
Brenneman moved with his family – wife Terri J. Plank
Brenneman, a clinical psychologist, and their 10-year-old son Quinn
– to Goshen in June from their home in South Pasadena, Calif.
Brenneman was named to the post in December and formally began his
term July 1, 2006. Provost John D. Yordy served in the role as
Interim President upon the resignation and departure of former
Goshen College President Shirley H. Showalter in October
2004.
A 1977 Goshen College graduate, Brenneman was the founding and
lead pastor of Pasadena (Calif.) Mennonite Church, where he was
ordained in 1986. He attended Associated Mennonite Biblical
Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., and finished his master of divinity
degree at Fuller Theological Seminary. He also holds a master of
arts degree in religious studies, and a doctorate in Hebrew Bible
and Old Testament studies from Claremont Graduate University.
Brenneman’s teaching and scholarship led him to posts on the
faculty in Old Testament studies at Episcopal Theological School
and as an adjunct professor at both Fuller Theological Seminary and
Claremont School of
Theology.
In becoming the 16th president of 112-year-old Goshen
College, Brenneman joins a list of recent leaders that includes:
John D. Yordy (interim president), 2004-2006; Shirley H. Showalter,
1997-2004; Henry D. Weaver (interim president), 1996; Victor E.
Stoltzfus, 1984-1995; J. Lawrence Burkholder, 1971-1984; and Paul
E. Mininger, 1954-1970.
Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an
interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau
Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.
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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential
Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite
tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values –
passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking
and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the
church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term
program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of
Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide”
and U.S.News & World Report’s
“America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named
Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.
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