The guerrilla art form, yarn bombing, struck the McPherson College campus Tuesday with a colorful installation on a brick wall near the center of campus.

Yarn bombing, or yarnstorming, is a non-permanent graffiti created by knitting or crocheting that usually appears in public places overnight. Where graffiti is primarily seen as social commentary, territorial or vandalism, yarn bombing is almost always about reclaiming and beautification of public places. For McPherson College this yarn bombing project was also about teaching the process of public art installation. Students from Professor Ann Zerger’s Sculpture II class designed and installed the art piece.

“Every year in this class I try to bring in a professional art practice,” Zerger said. “This year we are learning about public art. It’s about taking an idea and putting it into practice. As the ‘project manager’ I try to demand as much professionalism as possible.”

Zerger said the installation allows the students an opportunity to develop a project proposal and work with building and other officials that need to be part of the project. It also teaches art students about working with structure and safety issues, as well as creating and following a project plan and budget.

The yet untitled installation is hanging on the brick wall just east of the Mingenback Theater and will be on display for the next week.

McPherson College began the 2017 fall semester Tuesday by welcoming the largest class of freshman to campus in more than 40 years. The freshman class of more than 200 coupled with a fall-to-fall overall retention rate of 75 percent continues the college’s 20-year steady trend of enrollment growth.

First time freshman numbered more than 200, all new students totaled nearly 270, and McPherson College total enrollment is more than 700, according to Christi Hopkins, vice president for enrollment management. “We are very excited that students are continuing to choose McPherson College,” Hopkins said. “It is a strong endorsement of the quality programs and faculty that can be found on our campus.”

Hopkins said students and parents are not only researching the cost of college education, but also the quality and are finding that McPherson College is a great value, which was recently affirmed by Money Magazine. The college was listed as the top-ranked small college in Kansas on Money Magazine’s 2017 “Best Colleges for Your Money.” The magazine considers quality of education, affordability and outcomes in developing its rankings.

“We have been focused on value all year long,” McPherson College President Michael Schneider said. “Because of our remarkable donor-base, we are able to provide generous scholarships and a great experience in and out of the classroom.”

Students like freshman Myriah Webster of Marquette, Kansas are looking at a variety of factors when researching colleges. Webster, who is majoring in biology and will play saxophone in the band, said affordability and quality programs ultimately convinced her to choose McPherson College.

“With all the scholarships and the option for McPherson area students to live off campus, McPherson College was the most affordable choice for me,” she said. “I came because of the band program. When I talked with my music professor I could tell he really cared about me. He had a connection with my high school band instructor, so I knew how good the program was and he offered me the resources I needed to continue to play my instrument in college.”

Webster is still deciding if she will focus on pre-veterinary or bio-science, but said “the amazing faculty” and the outstanding reputation of the biology program will help mentor her in making the right decision for her future. “I also compared science facilities and was really impressed with the building and all of the science equipment at McPherson College,” she said.

Taylor Cunningham, a freshman from Wellsville, Kansas recognized the value in the graphic design program at McPherson College when she participated in workshops on campus during her junior and senior years in high school.

“I was so impressed with the faculty when I visited campus. I got to work with them and could tell they were very experienced and know what they are doing,” she said. “I also wanted the opportunity to work in the graphic arts computer lab. It’s really great.”

Cunningham said other aspects of the program added value to her like the ability to study graphic design and studio arts in the same program, and the AIGA competition in Wichita, where McPherson College graphic design students won eight out of the 10 award categories last year.

“I definitely hope to compete in that,” she said. “I like that I can pursue graphic design as well as studio art and have the opportunity to learn from great instructors in both areas.”

President Schneider said that although welcoming in a large freshman class is a great accomplishment, the real success of the college is based on long-range accomplishments.

“We just recently completed our third fundraising campaign in a dozen years on time and over our goal, and we are maintaining steady enrollment growth with the largest freshman class in 40 years and one of the highest retention rates of colleges in our area. I couldn’t be more pleased for the college and for our community.”

The college focused on growth during work this past year on its strategic plan. The strategic plan called Community by Design, is a new approach to planning that puts the entire campus community at the heart of the process taking aim at some of higher education’s largest challenges. Over the next five years the plan will focus on developing and enhancing academic programs modeled after recent successes, designing the McPherson College community, planning and building facilities to support growth, and creating a plan to build a $1 billion endowment.

“The community-based approach to creating this plan has generated a great deal of momentum across campus,” President Schneider said. “I think we are inspired in all areas of campus to implement the plan and to explore ways that McPherson College can become one of America’s great small colleges.”

This year, McPherson College students come from 41 states, with 39 percent coming from Kansas, and from 19 different countries. President Schneider will welcome students and faculty back to campus on Friday in the traditional Opening Convocation at noon in Brown Auditorium.

Although official headcount numbers are recorded after the 20^th day of classes on September 20, 2017 and may change slightly, first day enrollment figures are highly anticipated on college campuses.

When Kyle Hopkins began as associate professor of music and director of bands at McPherson College it was all about the numbers and rebuilding a band that had dwindled to just eight members. Today with 50 students enrolled in the McPherson College Band, he is more focused on quality. The kind of quality that was recently recognized by the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) when it selected the band to perform at its state convention in February.

The McPherson College band is among concert bands from just four colleges selected to perform at the event. More than 100 other concert bands applied for the opportunity to perform in one of the coveted concert spots at the state convention. Hopkins submitted a recorded audition, which was judged in a blind screening. The band was chosen to perform on Saturday, February 24 in the first performance of the day at 8 a.m.

“It’s so cool,” Hopkins said. “I’ve done some checking and think this is the first time a McPherson College band has been selected to perform at KMEA. The big colleges in the state are always there and I wasn’t sure we had a shot so this is a very pleasant surprise.”

KMEA is the statewide organization for professional support to music educators. The KMEA state convention is attended by thousands of elementary, middle school, high school and college music educators and features workshops and clinics as well as performances by the all-state ensembles and selected performance groups. The 2018 convention will be held February 22-24 at Century II Convention Center in Wichita.

The McPherson College Band’s season will begin on November 19 with a performance at 4 p.m. in Brown Auditorium. Season highlights for the band include a band tour November 9-11 and the annual spring collaborative concert, this year with the Smoky Valley Band in Lindsborg on February 26 at the A.J. Steinberg Auditorium in Lindsborg.

McPherson College theatre professor Jd Bowman was inspired by the young actors he performed with on stage during the Salina Community Theater’s Center for Theatre Arts production of “Spring Awakening” – so inspired that he offered them all performing arts scholarships to attend McPherson College.

“The McPherson College theater department focuses on producing new works and “Spring Awakening” is considered a new work. I wanted to reward students in central Kansas doing this kind of acting,” Bowman said. “This show is about giving voice to youth and I thought the scholarships would enhance that idea.”

“Spring Awakening” is a Tony-award winning rock musical based on the controversial 1891 play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. Set in late-nineteenth century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of human sexuality. The Center for Theatre Arts, Stage II production ran July 27-30.

Bowman was cast in the adult male role and portrayed nine different characters in the show. He performed along-side 22 youth actors ranging in age from 13 to 20 years old. Many in the cast have been involved in the summer theater program for the last five years.

“The characters I play on stage are indirectly responsible for three of the deaths in the show, so it’s fun to play the bad guy on stage and get to be a good guy off stage,” Bowman said.

The scholarships presented to the actors are for $5,000 and renewable for four years. According to Bowman, cast reaction to the presentation was overwhelming. “They kept asking me, ‘is this for real’ and they were genuinely happy for each other,” Bowman said.

Bowman has been a theater professor at McPherson College for the past 12 years and an actor for 30 years with professional experience in London, and Cleveland as well as regional theaters in Wichita and Chattanooga. The McPherson College Theatre Department’s season will open on September 14-16 with “Greater Tuna,” in Mingenback Theatre with performances at 7:30 p.m.