Barbie and me
My thoughts have been circling around issues of gender for a while: a recent essay on masculinity, Haitian women competing in the World Cup, Barbie becoming human, Lionel Messi in pink.
President Rebecca J. Stoltzfus
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Distinctively Goshen
Reflections from President Stoltzfus
Happy 100th birthday, Mary!
One of my favorite questions to ask alumni is: “Who is the person who was most influential to you from your time at Goshen?” For our older alums, the most common answer is Mary Oyer, professor emerita of music, who taught from 1945 to 1987. For many first-generation students who came to GC from rural communities, taking ‘The Arts with Mary Oyer’ opened their minds and hearts to the world — not only the world of music and art, but also civilizations and history.
My word for 2023
That’s when it struck me: Clear is my word. Clear in the ancient faith . . . and in eye, clear. May our clearness be gentle or fierce, as needed.
The world is about to turn!
Christmas, for us northern-dwellers, is the co-incidence of an astronomical event and the incarnation of God as a baby. Two truths, of very different sorts. When darkness is at its longest, the world turns, but almost imperceptibly. In a world captivated by the powers of domination, God enters, but as a human baby.
Thin spaces of Advent
I am experiencing Advent this year as a thin season. I love the image of heaven whispering. And that makes me think about all the angels at work in the Christmas stories. Angels with Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, the shepherds – and maybe with us.
Holding grief in community
Our campus and our broader community have been dealing with an unusual amount of grief this fall. This blog is adapted from comments I made in the special convocation on campus, “Holding Grief in Community,” on Oct. 26, 2022.
Thoughts from a moderately anxious woman of faith
Anxiety has become a national crisis. This is the conclusion of a U.S. panel of experts, and it is also the manifest reality for many of us who are parents, community members, pastors, teachers, employers – let’s just say for all of us who are humans.
A new way to celebrate our students and our core values
In a time when student and family values nationally around higher education are shifting toward making a lot of money, Goshen College stands for something different. We do want our students to get good jobs. ... But we also offer a life oriented toward values that transcend financial wealth.
Where everything connects…in Indonesia
As Goshen’s president, it is a continual pleasure to see our students make new connections – academically, socially, spiritually and professionally. In Indonesia this summer, I had the opportunity to experience this personally and deeply for myself.
Abortion policy: Six commitments for this time
Abortion policy matters to me as a Christian advocate for human dignity and nonviolence, a global health professional, a woman, a close friend of people on both sides of the political divide, and a college president committed to supporting our students and employees through this transition. As I process the new realities, and my own words and actions, several commitments arise for me.