Folks who live in Hills?boro, and the guests who visit, probably judge progress at Tabor College by what they see as they drive by or walk through the campus.
If that?s true, 2013 was a pretty good year. The college completed several more campus improvement projects over the past 12 months.
During the summer, the college invested around $2 million to fix the walkway at the women?s residential quad, pour a new concrete parking lot behind the Campus Recreation Center and upgrade and expand the campus cafeteria.
Later in the year, the college turned its attention to developing new parking spaces along B Street. It recently started the ?Madi?son Street Plaza? project, which will close the one block of Madi?son that enters the campus at B Street and replace it with campus landscaping.
President Jules Glanzer said these kinds of projects are more than just window-dressing for the college.
?We hosted more than 400 campus visitors and perspective students last year,? he said. ?That gives you a feel for where that new (look) comes from and how important it is.
?Imagine your house with 400 people traipsing through it?they leave there and you hope 250 of them will stay.?
Apparently many did. Glanzer said one highlight this fall was a record number of new students enrolling.
?The sad thing was our enrollment didn?t go up,? he added, which ended the college?s streak of five consecutive years of enrollment growth. ?But we had a record number of new students. That was gratifying to see.?
More highlights
Beyond campus improvements and enrollment success, Glanzer listed several other highlights that made 2013 a significant year:
? A record year of donations. Glanzer said the school received just under $5 million from friends and alumni of the school during the 2012-13 academic year The annual fund, used for operations, received a record $1.133 million.
The college also completed the leadership phase for the ?Signature Cam?paign,? which includes funding for a $6 million fine arts center, by raising just under $9 million.
The public phase of the campaign will be launched at the President?s Dinner in February.
The college also received two seven-figure gifts during 2013, one designated for a basketball scholarship and the other a $2 million pledge. The college also received a $500,000 gift.
?All of this tells me of an increased confidence of our constituency in Tabor,? Glan?zer said. ?They?re saying, ?We believe in this mission.??
? Naming a building.
The athletic facility on the north end of Joel H. Wiens Stadium was officially designated the ?Pendery Athletic Center? upon receiving a significant donation from the Pendery family in Texas.
?There really wasn?t any connection (between the donor and college), but he fell in love with the people who love Tabor,? Glanzer said. ?He was giving in honor of Hills?boroan Kim Wiens.?
? A visual presence on Main Street. Tabor financially supported the renovation of the bowling alley on Hills?boro?s Main Street and in turn was given the right to name the facility.
?When someone drives down Main Street they see this is a college town,? Glan?zer said. ?We entered into partnership with the Hills?boro Development Corp??oration for Tabor College Bluejay Lanes.
?Now we?ve got a strong partnership with USD 410 (via the football stadium) and with the Devel?opment Corporation. In a small town like this, that?s important.?
? Completing and dedicating Harms Hall. The new residence hall for men was dedicated early in 2013.
?We?ve expanded into the basement already, too, so all the rooms are filled already,? Glanzer said. ?So that sets us up for a couple of years of (enrollment) growth now.?
? Academic advancements. The college faculty completed a core curriculum revision during the past year, a new master?s program called ?entrepreneurial ministry leadership? is nearing approval, and an undergrad church music major was approved by the National Association of Schools of Music.
The college also received additional accreditation from the Council for the Accredi?tation of Educator Prepara?tion.
? New programs. The college added a swimming program to its athletic options, expanded the women?s soccer program by hiring a separate coach for the women?s team, and is in the process of redesigning its Presidential Leadership Scholarship program.
? Success in athletics. ?We?ve got all the cylinders pumping in that area,? Glan?zer said.
As evidence, Tabor received the Kansas Collegi?ate Athletic Conferen?ce?s very first Commis?sioner?s Cup, recognizing the combined success of a member college?s athletic teams.
?Football made it to the quarterfinals of nationals?the Elite Eight,? Glanzer said. ?Baseball won the conference and played in the opening round of the national tournament and volleyball won the conference. Thirteen of our 16 teams were named NAIA scholar teams. That means the team GPA was about 3.0.?
Tabor also was named an NAIA ?Champion of Charac?ter Institution.?
?That means it?s more than athletics,? Glanzer said. ?It has to do with GPA, character and community service. We had over 20 service projects done this last year by athletic teams. That?s pretty significant. That?s everything from shoveling corn at the elevator to raking leaves.?
? External affirmations. Washington Monthly rated Tabor near the top of its list of 100 colleges ?that contribute most to the public good of society.?
?That?s kind of our mission,? Glanzer said. ?That basically means, ?Are you taking in students that are not likely to go to college and help them be successful???
For the 10th consecutive year, Tabor was ranked in the top tier among college?s of its kind by U.S. News & World Report.
? Appointed Brent Andrews as director of Tabor College-Wichita.
?Brent Andrews has experience running that kind of operation,? Glanzer said. ?He just started, but I think we have finally put the pieces together in a positive way for TCW.?
? Retirement of two teaching icons. Richard Kyle, professor of history and biblical studies, and Judy Harder, drama director and professor of communications, both ended their extended tenure in 2013.
Glanzer credited Kyle for influencing him to pursue a church-related career, and characterized the impact of Harder?s many theater productions as ?phenomenal.?
? Transformation in the student lives.
?There?s just been a spirit of service that?s really neat to see,? Glanzer said. ?Many transformation stories, stories of giving their lives to Christ, stories of students making decisions to follow him in their life, and making following (Christ) their own choice and not borrowed from their parents.?
Mixed stewardship
Glanzer said the college still faces challenges in 2014, including the mandate to raise $2.7 million by Jan. 15, 2015, to qualify for the $1 million gift the Mabee Founda?tion recently authorized for the college?s fine arts center project.
?The beautiful thing is we have not gone public yet, so we have not raised money from our constituency for this (project),? Glanzer said. ?Usually that?s what happens. I think it?s do-able, but it?s a challenge.?
Glanzer said he sees the accomplishments and the challenges at Tabor College as different parts of the same package.
?These are all gifts from God, this is a stewardship that we have,? he said. ?And the stewardship is more than money. It?s everything that we call Tabor. We want to honor God with what we do and how we do it.?
