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The story we have told, the story we are telling
by lydia gingerich
W hy is the Frisbee golf course at RBC be- stabilized. Rosedale was pursuing accreditation,
ing modified? Why has heavy machin- many students were planning to eventually transfer
their Rosedale credit to other colleges, and most of
ery been rolling around campus this past
spring and summer? Why are the students and staff
getting very excited for this coming January? them were staying for an entire year.”
For the following decade, RBC continued to make
They’re excited because Rosedale Bible College is small moves to pursue the building project. “Under
building a student center. the leadership of President Leon Zimmerman [1994
The student center includes a gym (large enough – 2005],” Jon says, “we purchased the 140-acre farm
for two simultaneous games of volleyball!), weight next door in collaboration with Rosedale Menno-
room, cafeteria, kitchen, and third space. A third nite Missions (RMM). We developed an extensive
space is an area designed for people to come togeth- master campus plan which proposed how we and
er away from both home and work. RMM would grow together and share space on our
The idea of building on campus has been a part of growing campus.
RBC’s story for a long time. President Jon Showalter “Beginning soon after the arrival of President Dan
says that when he began working at RBC 25 years Ziegler in 2005, we organized a building committee
ago, “plans were already being discussed for a new and developed plans for a new student center. Dan
student center,” and even back then, “there was gen- worked diligently on fundraising for a structure
eral agreement that it was long overdue.” that was initially to include a kitchen, cafeteria, li-
Jon explains that the plans to build never mate- brary, and student lounge.”
rialized for multiple reasons. “One was an unusual In the spring of 2012 the plans had come far
amount of staff transition during the middle years enough that there was serious talk of breaking
of the 1990’s. But another was a question that would ground for that building, “but we didn’t quite have
come up every time the discussion got serious: the money we needed,” says Jon, “and the enroll-
‘What’s going to happen long term to enrollment at ment questions hadn’t gone away.” In February of
Rosedale?’” 2013, the RBC board decided to “place the student
During the 80s and early 90s, RBC experienced center project on hold until” a strategic planning
a steady decline in enrollment. Although no one process was complete.
knew if this trend would continue, it seemed like Jon recounts that by the time the board decided
enough of a reason to keep thoughts of building at to re-activate the student center project in the fall of
bay for the time being. But then things changed. Jon 2014, “there was a growing consensus that we ought
unfolds the story, “In the late 1990s enrollment had to revisit the fundamental concept and design of
2 MIRROR | summer 2016
by lydia gingerich
W hy is the Frisbee golf course at RBC be- stabilized. Rosedale was pursuing accreditation,
ing modified? Why has heavy machin- many students were planning to eventually transfer
their Rosedale credit to other colleges, and most of
ery been rolling around campus this past
spring and summer? Why are the students and staff
getting very excited for this coming January? them were staying for an entire year.”
For the following decade, RBC continued to make
They’re excited because Rosedale Bible College is small moves to pursue the building project. “Under
building a student center. the leadership of President Leon Zimmerman [1994
The student center includes a gym (large enough – 2005],” Jon says, “we purchased the 140-acre farm
for two simultaneous games of volleyball!), weight next door in collaboration with Rosedale Menno-
room, cafeteria, kitchen, and third space. A third nite Missions (RMM). We developed an extensive
space is an area designed for people to come togeth- master campus plan which proposed how we and
er away from both home and work. RMM would grow together and share space on our
The idea of building on campus has been a part of growing campus.
RBC’s story for a long time. President Jon Showalter “Beginning soon after the arrival of President Dan
says that when he began working at RBC 25 years Ziegler in 2005, we organized a building committee
ago, “plans were already being discussed for a new and developed plans for a new student center. Dan
student center,” and even back then, “there was gen- worked diligently on fundraising for a structure
eral agreement that it was long overdue.” that was initially to include a kitchen, cafeteria, li-
Jon explains that the plans to build never mate- brary, and student lounge.”
rialized for multiple reasons. “One was an unusual In the spring of 2012 the plans had come far
amount of staff transition during the middle years enough that there was serious talk of breaking
of the 1990’s. But another was a question that would ground for that building, “but we didn’t quite have
come up every time the discussion got serious: the money we needed,” says Jon, “and the enroll-
‘What’s going to happen long term to enrollment at ment questions hadn’t gone away.” In February of
Rosedale?’” 2013, the RBC board decided to “place the student
During the 80s and early 90s, RBC experienced center project on hold until” a strategic planning
a steady decline in enrollment. Although no one process was complete.
knew if this trend would continue, it seemed like Jon recounts that by the time the board decided
enough of a reason to keep thoughts of building at to re-activate the student center project in the fall of
bay for the time being. But then things changed. Jon 2014, “there was a growing consensus that we ought
unfolds the story, “In the late 1990s enrollment had to revisit the fundamental concept and design of
2 MIRROR | summer 2016
