Tabor College centennial celebration begins May 9
The public is invited to the inauguration of Dr. Jules Glanzer as the 13th president of Tabor College at 7 p.m. May 9. The event will be held in the Tabor gymnasium. Admission is free.
The event marks the beginning of a six-months-long celebration of the founding of Tabor College in 1908.
"The inauguration of a college president is a landmark event on any campus, but it's especially true for Tabor College as it celebrates its centennial," said associate professor of communications and drama Judy Harder, chairman of the inauguration committee.
The keynote speaker will be Leonard Sweet. He was voted one of the "50 Most Influential Christians in America," in 2006 and 2007 by The Church Report.
Sweet is the author of more than 100 articles, 600 published sermons, and 30 books, most recently, "The Gospel According to Starbucks" (2007).
He serves as professor of evangelism at Drew Theological School, Madison, N.J., and a visiting professor at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, Portland, Ore.
Other weekend events are:
— Tabor College Centennial History Dinner, 6:30 p.m. May 10, chapel auditorium.
"A Century of Transformation, 1908-2008, a History of Tabor College" created by the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies, will make its public debut.
The book's authors, Peggy Goertzen, Dr. Richard Kyle, Dr. Lynn Jost, and David Peters, will share highlights from the book. Dr. Doug Miller, editor, and Dr. Don Isaac, chairman of the book steering committee, also will speak.
"A Century of Transformation" includes 250 pages of stories and photographs along with a CD/DVD filled with Bluejay yearbooks for the entire century, musical performances, and recordings of Chapel Hour.
The book is now being sold at the pre-publication price of $35. After May 10, the price of the book will be $45. Tickets to the dinner are $15 per person, but a combination price of $50 will include the dinner and book.
Send payments for dinner ticket(s) and/or book(s) to: CMBS, Tabor College, 400 S. Jefferson, Hillsboro or call 620-947-3121 ext.1211/1212.
— President's Reception
A community-wide reception for Dr. Jules and Peg Glanzer will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. May 11 at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
The public is invited to greet the new president and his wife at this come-and-go event.
— Spring Oratorio Concert, following the reception at 7 p.m. at the church.
The featured work is Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, a work for orchestra, piano solo, and chorus, featuring Dr. Sheila Schmitt, associate professor of piano and piano pedagogy, as piano soloist. Also on the concert are three choruses from Haydn's famous oratorio, The Creation, and the "Laudate Dominum" from Mozart's Solemn Vespers, which features soprano soloist Dr. Holly Swartzendruber, assistant professor of vocal music.
The chorus work will be handled by the combined Tabor College Concert Choir and the Tabor College Community Chorale, accompanied by orchestra. The concert is free to the public.
In July, a multi-media musical history of Tabor College will be presented. It will take place the evening of July 25 during the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches. The conference will be hosted July 25-27 by Tabor College and the Mennonite Brethren churches of Hillsboro.
The annual Tabor College Homecoming Oct. 2-5 is slated to be "the biggest-ever" in the 100-year history of the college. It will include several presentations of the musical, "Fiddler on the Roof," and a homecoming football game against Friends University.
Other centennial events include: A Presidential Centennial Tour to give new Tabor College President Jules Glanzer an opportunity to meet alumni around the nation; a Centennial Oratorio concert that will debut a commissioned orchestral piece by Tabor College alumnus, Dr. Larry Warkentin; and a collection of devotionals titled, "A Tradition of Transformation," authored by alumni, current and former faculty, and others, to be released in 2009.
For more information about the Tabor College Centennial celebration, log on to www.tabor.edu/about-tabor/centennial.
