Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA)
Tabor College is a four-year Liberal Arts College located in Hillsboro, Marion County, Kansas. The college originally was owned and operated by the Conference of the Mennonite Brethren (MB) Church of North America (later known as the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches) through its Board of Education. The college now operates under its own charter; the board of directors is responsible to the Mennonite Brethren churches of the Central, Southern, Latin American and North Carolina districts.
Historical Development
As early as 1881, three years after the first conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church, the subject of education became a conference issue. The 1884 conference report reveals growing interest in a "Fortbildungsschule" (training school) to retain the German language and to train teachers and mission workers. A School Association was organized in the Mennonite Brethren (MB) Church of Goessel, Kansas, which, though it received no direct support from the conference, conducted a Bible school in the small village of Canada, Kansas, for two years. In 1886 the school was moved to Lehigh. Lack of leadership and finances forced the Association to discontinue.
Meanwhile another School Association, supported by several Mennonite groups, organized a school near Buhler, Kansas, in Reno County. J. F. Duerksen was appointed to direct the school. In 1899 Duerksen was transferred to the head of the German Department of McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas, after an agreement was reached that the Mennonite Brethren Conference would sponsor the German Department. By this arrangement Duerksen was able to serve as spiritual counselor for Mennonite students. The future educational leadership of the Mennonite Brethren and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren (KMB) conferences received its stimulation under this provisional agreement with McPherson College. This arrangement worked satisfactorily for five years, but soon students began to dream of a conference school. H. W. Lohrenz and P. C. Hiebert, both students of McPherson, became interested in a conference school; and J. K. Hiebert, minister of the Ebenfeld MB Church, helped Lohrenz promote the plan and bring the issue before the conference. In 1907 a recommendation for an MB college was approved in a special meeting of MB and KMB conference representatives. A School Association was formed to carry out the program. Articles of Incorporation were prepared, and a charter was granted by the State of Kansas on 19 March 1908.
Hillsboro was chosen as the site when it offered $6,533 in cash, building lots, material, and labor. The management of the corporation was vested in a board of directors composed of nine voting members. J. K. Hiebert was the first board chairman. The school was named Tabor College, and the Society was called the Tabor College Corporation. In the spring of 1908 the building was begun. It was completed at a cost of $13,500. Although the building was not yet completed, classes started on 14 September 1908, in the Church with three teachers — President H. W. Lohrenz, P. C. Hiebert, and P. P. Rempel — and 39 students. Before the year was over the enrollment reached 102, and three more faculty members were added: Z. C. Bartel, Katharina Friesen, and Tina Schultz. By 1910 instruction was offered in seven departments with seven teachers. The academy and the preparatory school dominated the early years of the program.
The early aims of the college as stated by its first president, H. W. Lohrenz, were to offer a liberal arts education in a Christian setting, to prepare young men and women for spiritual leadership in the church, and to provide a program of vocational training. It was the special concern of the Association, of the Board, and of the teachers that the school be a seminary of real Christianity, where the spirit of prayer could prevail and where souls could become better grounded in the spiritual life.
During the first ten years the student enrollment increased to about 200, and the faculty increased to 15 members. The rapid progress, however, was halted temporarily when on 30 April 1918, a fire destroyed the building and practically all of its contents, with a total loss of about $24,000. A new fireproof three-story building, 130 x 90 ft., and a dormitory known as the Mary J. Regier Ladies Home were soon built. Two years after the fire, classes having been housed in temporary quarters throughout the city, Tabor was once more in its own home.
Following the dedication of the new building 12 September 1920, the school enjoyed several years of prosperity and progress. In 1924 a gymnasium was built. Soon, however, the lack of full accreditation for the college division began to be reflected in a decline of enrollment. In 1927 a concerted effort was made to meet the requirements for state accreditation. This goal was achieved. In order to preserve this status, President Lohrenz made the proposal to the conference of 1930 that the college be operated as a conference school. The conference, however, was not ready to accept this responsibility; this left the college with a very uncertain economic foundation. Economic insecurity continued to hamper the college program. The situation was further aggravated by the Depression and its aftermath, a decline in student enrollment, the resignation of influential teachers, and hesitant support from the conference. In 1932-33, with fewer than 100 students and only six full-time teachers, the college lost its state accreditation.
At the General Conference of 1933 the Tabor College Corporation made another official offer to the conference, inviting the church to operate the school. The college then became the property of the Mennonite Brethren Church. After temporarily closing its doors for reorganization in 1934, the school resumed operation in 1935.
The newly appointed President A. E. Janzen succeeded P. C. Hiebert, who had served as president 1931-33. Janzen introduced the Thousand Friends Plan — each friend giving $10.00 annually - which, together with the church offering, provided a stable financial basis. The board adopted the policy that the institution could not borrow money. The college received a two-year accredited status during the first year as a conference school. The years since 1935 have been characterized by moderate but steady growth in physical facilities plus continuous improvements in the curriculum and in the quality of instruction. Although the college from its beginning offered a four-year course, in 1942 the Board appointed P. E. Schellenberg as president to expand and strengthen the four-year Liberal Arts course. In 1945 the academy was discontinued. In 1947 a program was set up to meet state requirements for the Secondary Teachers' Certificate. Schellenberg served until 1951, when J. N. C. Hiebert was called to the presidency. Hiebert was inaugurated 3 February 1952, but health conditions forced him to resign in the fall of 1953. Leonard J. Franz then served as acting president until Frank C. Peters was named president-elect in 1954.
At the General Conference of 1954 the conference educational program was reorganized. Under a unified board the U.S. Area Conference was made responsible to operate Tabor College, Pacific Bible Institute and the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. The seminary was moved from Tabor College to Fresno, California. The Board then initiated a Budgeted Giving Plan which provided the economic basis for an expansion of the conference educational program. Full accreditation of Tabor College became a major objective. In working toward that goal a long-range building program was inaugurated. When Frank C. Peters resigned in 1955, Leonard J. Franz was appointed president. Under his leadership the first project, a modern library, was completed in 1957. A completely new science department was developed on the first floor of the administration building in 1957. Dormitory facilities were improved, and on 25 May 1958, ground-breaking ceremonies initiated the building of a new student center and gymnasium, a fitting climax for the fiftieth anniversary. Since its beginning in 1908 over 4,000 students have attended Tabor College. The maximum enrollment was 422 in 1946-47. The enrollment in 1958 was 290. The teaching staff was increased to 30 members.
College Life & Mission
Tabor College is a member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Kansas Independent Colleges Association (KICA), the Conference of Mennonite Colleges, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, Tabor College holds private accreditations in Athletic Training, Education, Music, Social Work and Nursing. The official publication of the college is the Tabor College Connection.
Tabor College is a member of the Kansas Foundation for Private Colleges, the Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges, and the Council of Mennonite and Affiliated Colleges. The official publication of the college is the Tabor College Bulletin. Student activities are governed by a student governing body, the Tabor College Associated Students. The religious organizations of the campus are unified in the Christian Fellowship Association, which is the result of a union of the Gospel Team, the Mission Band, the Peace Group, the YMCA, and the YWCA. The Blue Jay is the college annual, and the Tabor College View is the student paper.
Student activities are governed by the Student Senate, the representative body of the Associated Students of Tabor College. The Student Activities Board is responsible to plan, under the direction of the Student Senate, social events for the year, including banquets and recreational activities. A campus magazine, The View, is published throughout the school year under the direction of Student Senate. A yearbook, the Bluejay, is published annually. As a Christian college, Tabor has established certain lifestyle guidelines of behavior that reflect its moral and Christian commitments as an institution. The Student Life Office exists to nurture the holistic development of students through intentional relationships, programs and services that promote the integration of faith, learning and living. The office plans regular chapel gatherings for worship and building community.
The mission of Tabor College is stated in its catalog as, “Preparing people for a life of learning, work and service for Christ and his kingdom.” Its vision statement is, “To be the choice for students who seek a life-transforming, academically excellent, globally relevant and decidedly Christian education.” The core values of Tabor College are: Christ-centered; Learning; Service; Involvement; Community. During its first century (1908 to 2008), Tabor College awarded nearly 5,000 degrees and numbered more than 12,000 alumni. Among the latter number are 550 Tabor Academy graduates from the college’s early history, and 562 alums from its School of Adult and Graduate Studies in Wichita (established in 1994-95) and online (2000-01), nearly 400 of whom are graduates.
Bibliography
Miller, Douglas B., ed. Tabor College: A Century of Transformation 1908-2008. Hillsboro, KS: Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies, 2008.
Prieb, Wesley J. and Don Ratzlaff. To a Higher Plane of Vision. Hillsboro, KS: Tabor College, 1983.
Additional Information
Address: 400 South Jefferson, Hillsboro, KS 67063
Phone: 620-947-3121
Website: https://tabor.edu/
Tabor College Presidents
| President | Years |
|---|---|
| Henry W. Lohrenz | 1908-1931 |
| Peter C. Hiebert | 1932-1934 |
| Abraham E. Janzen | 1935-1942 |
| Peter E. Schellenberg | 1942-1951 |
| John N. C. Hiebert | 1952-1953 |
| Leonard J. Franz (interim) | 1953-1954 |
| Frank C. Peters | 1954-1956 |
| Leonard J. Franz | 1956-1962 |
| Wesley J. Prieb (interim) | 1962-1963 |
| Roy Just | 1963-1980 |
| Vernon Janzen | 1980-1987 |
| Vernon Wiebe (interim) | 1987-1988 |
| LeVon A. Balzer | 1988-1994 |
| Clarence Hiebert (interim) | 1994-1995 |
| H. David Brandt | 1995-1998 |
| Larry Nikkel | 1998-2007 |
| Jules Glanzer | 2008-present |
| Author(s) | Wesley J. Prieb |
|---|---|
| Don Ratzlaff | |
| Date Published | August 2018 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Prieb, Wesley J. and Don Ratzlaff. "Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2018. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Tabor_College_(Hillsboro,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=163365.
APA style
Prieb, Wesley J. and Don Ratzlaff. (August 2018). Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Tabor_College_(Hillsboro,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=163365.
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