Two long-time faculty members delivered words of advice to the 2019 graduating class when McPherson College conferred degrees on 151 students in its 131^st Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19, 2019. The graduating class included 7 students receiving masters of education degrees.

In his introduction, President Michael Schneider said, few people embody the mission and values of McPherson College like Dan Hoffman, associate professor of health and physical education. Hoffman has served the college as a campus leader, teacher, coach and friend for nearly four decades, President Schneider said.

Professor Hoffman, who retired at the end of the semester after 37 years, shared some of his favorite life philosophies with the graduates.

“Make time for play in your life,” he said. “When you drive by a city park, stop and spend some time on the swings. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel. Never discount the benefits of play.”

In the Homily, Dave O’Dell, professor of accounting, congratulated the graduates for climbing mountains that seemed too high, and reminded them that life is about making memories. “And, don’t forget to call your parents,” he said. “They love you and want to hear from you.”

Keisha England, senior class representative, also addressed the class. She reminded the students of all that was offered to them during their four years at McPherson College and hoped they took full advantage.

“There may be some regrets, but I encourage you to remember them in this next stage in life. Use it to push you to take advantage of all the fun that you can, so you can leave knowing you have experienced everything that you wanted to.”

Names of the graduating class of 2019, the Commencement video, and photos of the day can be found at: www.mcpherson.edu/graduation.

Sixth grade students from the McPherson Middle School got the opportunity to see what college-life is like when they visited McPherson College today. The students toured campus, sampled food in the dining hall, visited a residence hall, and got a close look at an academic program.

The college hosted 180 sixth graders as part of the McPherson Middle School’s College and Career Ready program.

“The college visit gets kids out to experience what college is like,” Joan Schieferecke, College and Career Ready advocate at the middle school, said. “I think the visits really open their eyes at an early age to how important grades are to get into the college they want.”

The College and Career Ready program takes students to colleges, community colleges, state universities, and career fairs beginning in sixth grade and continuing through eighth grade, according to Schieferecke. McPherson College has hosted the sixth graders on campus for the past five years.

“It’s a great way for us to help young students picture themselves going to college,” Christi Hopkins, vice president of enrollment management, said. “Middle school is not too early to begin exploring colleges and thinking about careers. We are excited that McPherson College can be the first college visit for many of these students.”

The college visit is just one of the ways the students are encouraged to start discovering what they like and don’t like, what interests them, and what their dreams are for the future, according to Shieferecke.

“It helps the students to start asking questions that they might not have thought about before,” she said. “For example, they might not have considered a career in automotive restoration before touring that program. Especially for some of the girls who noticed the female students in the program last year, they were very excited about the possibilities.”

Eliminating racial boundaries is something Diamond Blaylock-Norris is committed to doing in her lifetime. The McPherson College junior is taking a step in pursuing that goal with an exhibit she helped create at the McPherson Museum, titled “Social Change: Then & Now.” The exhibit is part of several exhibits on display in February at the museum to celebrate Black History Month.

“This museum exhibit has always been a dream of mine,” she said. “I’m pretty spontaneous and I just walked in one day and asked if I could do it.”

Blaylock-Norris, a history major at the college, did most of the research for the exhibit, developed a plan for it, and worked with museum staff to create the concept and build it. Anna Ruxlow, director of the museum, is pleased with the final result.

“It’s a great conversation starter,” Ruxlow said. “We have received really positive feedback from our visitors. I’ve lived in McPherson County my entire life and I have learned a lot from the exhibit.”

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a recreation of a 1950’s drug store counter and represents a real-life event that happened in Wichita, Kansas at Dockhum Drug Store. In July 1958, Dockhum’s was the site of one of America’s first sit-ins, a nonviolent tactic that was pivotal during the Civil Rights Movement. Larger and more well-known sit-ins occurred later in the 1960s. The exhibit features an audio recording of a sit-in to give viewers an interactive experience.

“The recording really puts you in the scene,” Blaylock-Norris said. “I think there is so much about Kansas that people don’t know.”

The exhibit also explores social change closer to home with photos from the All-Schools Day parade depicting change from Ku Klux Klan marchers in the 1920s to how different cultures have been incorporated in more recent years. Another portion of the exhibit includes a story told by a man whose father helped save his neighbor from a potential KKK threat near Galva in 1917 when he recognized the shoes of one of the hooded klansmen.

“My main objective was educational,” Blaylock-Norris said. “It’s really about just letting people see how much we have overcome, but that we still have a way to go.”

The exhibit is a nice companion to the other two exhibits currently on display at the museum. In the front entry, cultural artifacts from the Church of the Brethren missionaries in Africa and China display the work of the church in those countries. Also, a traveling exhibit from the Kauffman Museum in Newton titled, “Sorting Out Race,” examines racial imagery through thrift store donations.

Blaylock-Norris plans to continue her education after she graduates from McPherson College to become a social worker. She participates in track and field, is a student ambassador, an executive board member of the Student Government Association and plans to run for student body president later this spring. She is also considering continuing her work at the museum.

“Maybe, I’d like to volunteer to do tours for third graders,” she said.