Andrea Ray’s conversation with another Purdue University graduate student confirmed that God had placed her in the right place at the right time.

“She said to me, ‘The only things I knew about you were that you spoke Spanish and that you believed in God,’ ” Ray recalled.

Ray (’11) talked to Maranatha science students recently about her graduate school experiences. She earned a full scholarship to Purdue’s Interdisciplinary Life Sciences program, where Ray will pursue a doctorate in microbiology.

“This was a door that God opened up for me, and I’m very excited about the opportunity,” Ray said. “God gifted me with the abilities and talents to make this work and He opened the doors.”

Ray described experiences that are part of working in the research laboratories of a large university—long hours, demanding professors who rarely supervise labs, and difficult coursework.

“Grad classes are significantly harder, and there’s no one keeping you accountable,” Ray said.

She has also been told horror stories of students who had been nearly two years into a project before being told of a flaw in their research mechanism, causing the student to start over and spend even more years completing the work.

Ray did say that she was blessed to have joined a lab team supervised by a fair and diligent professor. Their research deals with an enzyme in E. coli bacteria, also found in human cells, which may have an application to cancer research.

“The best way to learn research techniques is to do them,” Ray said. “Next to research skills, writing is your best asset. It’s easier to tell people about your exciting research results if you can write well.”

Finding a good church home is another key to graduate school success, Ray said. She has found international students to be the most open to conversations about Christ.

When the class concluded, Science Department faculty member Dr. Yingguang Liu had his picture taken with students who helped write a paper that will be presented at the International Conference on Creationism next year. Those students included Ray, David Chadwick, Brittany Thompson, Emily Mackey, Olivier Muller, and Rusty Siedschlag.

Maranatha students who entered the gymnasium for chapel at the conclusion of spring break were surprised to discover that the west wall had been painted tan and the stage had a new decorative oak frame.

It was a big project that had resulted in a big improvement.

“Before, it was just a hole in the wall,” technical director James Wright said of the stage, “but now it’s actually framed and defined.”

Planning for the project began in January of 2010 when plans were being made for Dr. Marty Marriott’s installation as College president.

“The question was ‘How do you make a dignified event happen in the gym?’ ” explained Dr. Jeff Crum. “The solution was to focus the attention on the stage to make the walls and other gym equipment disappear.”

To make that happen, Facilities Management carpenter John Maxfield designed and built a custom oak frame to fit the stage opening, including an oak veneer plywood centerpiece featuring Maranatha’s motto, To the Praise of His Glory. Maxfield worked 10-hour days without interruption to complete the frame’s installation during spring break. The stage crew painted about 1,800 square feet of the wall tan.

Maxfield said he used a design that was similar to small columns he had constructed in former Maranatha faculty member Bob Radford’s house. The gymnasium columns are 18 feet tall, and the span is 42 feet, 6 inches. Maxfield and graduate assistant Andrew Solarek installed the finished product.

“I wasn’t overwhelmed,” Maxfield said. “It was similar to other projects I had done, just much bigger. I was able to build it in my head first, then on paper. Nothing got torn up during the process, so none of the wood had to be thrown away.”

In addition to the frame, two 10-by-14-foot screens now flank the stage, accompanied by hanging projectors with eight times the power of the old projector. The old screen has been moved to the back of the gym, enabling it to function as a confidence monitor for chapel speakers.

The new frame and screens gave the gym a classier appearance and added to the dignity of the May 4 Commencement.

“When people walk in, they see an auditorium rather than a gym with a stage,” Wright said. “The big thing with the proscenium (the portion of the stage in front of the curtain) is that it focuses the audience. From the production point of view, it means that the sets have to cater to the frame, not the stage.”

Because dramatic productions will now have to coordinate with the frame, Wright says he believes future sets will have a better sense of coherency. The recent college musical Anne of Green Gables began the new era of Maranatha set construction, requiring a set redesign because the stage opening is now four inches lower. Although the original set design called for an intricate set of green gables around the stage opening, Wright opted for a simpler accent atop the centerpiece.

“I love that Maranatha’s motto is right above the stage itself,” said sound technician Krista Landis. “It’s a constant reminder that anything that takes place on this stage should be for His glory and His glory alone.”

–By Deb Lew

See the Badger Challenge photo gallery here.

Air Force ROTC Detachment 925 cadets descended on Watertown during a chilly April morning to compete in the Badger Challenge. The competition site, which rotates among the four Detachment schools, moved to Watertown’s Brandt-Quirk Park and the Maranatha campus this year.

“We started planning this in February,” said cadet Sarah Gilbert, who worked with Maranatha cadet Kyle Nupson to organize the event. “It takes a lot of great teamwork. Thanks to Maranatha for letting us do it.”

Eighty cadets representing Edgewood College, UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater, and Maranatha were divided into four teams, or “flights,” before beginning the eight-hour challenge at 6 a.m. Cadets took on a rigorous physical endurance challenge (running, pushups, situps, etc.), as well as a land navigation test and an Air Force general knowledge test.

“One of the biggest things (about Badger Challenge) is camaraderie,” Major Barry Crook said. “Cadets are always encouraging each other.”

“It’s also team building,” added Lieutenant Colonel Todd Berge. “They’re thinking as a team to overcome the challenge. It really prepares them for field training in the summer.”

When all the points were tallied, Delta Flight was declared the winner with 357.75 points. Cadets from each flight were commended for their excellent performance.

“It’s almost like a capstone for the year,” Major Crook said. “It brings everything together. And, when you’re done, you have a huge sense of accomplishment.”

–By Deb Lew

Three Maranatha cadets recently earned the opportunity to compete for the coveted badge: Rosa Lewis, Joel Auchtung, and Brooks Groom.  These Charlie Company cadets traveled to Marquette University to compete in a 400-meter dash, 5K run, shot put, high jump, swim, pistol shooting, and a final ruck march.

Lewis (above, right) described the swim event as grueling.

“This was a great experience for me, as it pushed me mentally to the max,” Lewis said. “I had to prepare weeks in advance for the swimming just because it was physically challenging for me. High intensity describes the atmosphere.”

Auchtung (left) said that the pistol shoot made him somewhat nervous, but he still did “great” at 25 meters.

“I was able to get a perfect score on my first attempt,” Auchtung said. “To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised with myself, having only been able to practice twice before the competition!”

Groom (right) pushed himself almost to the breaking point by running the entire 7.5-mile ruck march instead of walking and using the entire allotted 120 minutes, something attempted by only a handful of cadets.  His ethos is “Don’t accept the standard. Exceed it.”

All three Maranatha Cadets earned gold badges, joining six other classmates who had previously accepted the challenge and excelled.  Charlie Company thanks Marquette Army ROTC for hosting this year’s competition and for giving Maranatha’s cadets the opportunity to have been part of this outstanding event.

Maranatha is taking advantage of a unique double opportunity this month—one that will give its students vivid educational, cultural, and spiritual lessons while helping to promote the worldwide popularity of American football.

A group of 27 Maranatha football players and coaches has been in Israel since May 6, preparing for a May 17 game against the All-Stars from the Israel Football League. It will mark the first time Israel has attempted to form a national team in American football.

The game against Maranatha, and the rise of American football in Israel, has caught the attention of media around the world. Read this account from an Israeli newspaper or this Yahoo! Sports blog (caution: objectionable language in embedded video) or this article in the Watertown Daily Times, or even this Facebook event page. The Israel football league caught the attention of the New York Times in 2010. The game will be televised in Israel.

Israel coach Yonah Mashaan told Israel Hayom, “We’re going to be playing a Division III team, which is definitely higher than our level right now. I think that once we get an idea of where we stand and what level we are, it will be a really good feeling.”

The IFL is transitioning from 8-man to 11-man football for the upcoming season. The league has grown from 80 players to more than 400.

Maranatha’s original contact with the IFL is alumnus Jay Armstead, who coaches the Haifa Underdogs. Their tour guide while in Israel will be Paul Karpenko, father of former Maranatha student Liz (Karpenko) Allen. Both Armstead and Paul Karpenko are long-time Israeli residents. The players will be helping the Armstead and Karpenko families in a variety of ways and will conduct four football clinics.

The student-athletes will see many sites of biblical significance while in Israel. Among them are the Sea of Galilee, Bethsaida, Caesarea, Masada, the Dead Sea, Jericho, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, the Wailing Wall, Bethlehem, Via Dolorosa, and the Temple Mount. The team will return May 19.

This is the third overseas trip for Maranatha’s football program, following ventures to France (1995) and Ireland (1998). The Crusaders played lopsided games against club teams on those trips; the competition this time is expected to be much stiffer.

Coaches Terry Price and Curt Malmanger and their wives and coach Phil Price are among the traveling party. The players scheduled to make the trip include Josiah Brendemuehl, Micah Burt, Drew DeLozier, Jordan Dersch, Joe Giovannucci, Brooks Groom, Thomas Hines, Ethan Hokanson, Tim Kelly, Ethan Kennon, Rob Kohlhaus, Ethan Lane, Phil Littrell, Joe Manion, Merrill Miller, Lance Nuckolls, Bobby O’Brien, William Peters, Benjamin Prickett, Ethan Rosen, Shane Saxon, and Mark Maize.

See Graduation photo galleries here

Graduating from college is a terrific accomplishment, whether you complete your studies in three years or almost 30.

Maranatha’s 2012 Commencement ceremony included a wide spectrum of students among its 157 College and 19 Seminary graduates. The Class of 2012 was the third-largest in College history. Friday’s conferral of degrees was immediately preceded by the awarding of an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree to Baccalaureate speaker (and new Dean of Students) John Davis.

Rachel Downs (above, right) graduated Summa Cum Laude in accounting and was named winner of the Business Student Achievement Award. Rachel’s focus Friday, however, was on her mother, Virginia. She completed a humanities/liberal arts degree 29 years and six children after she began college in 1983.

“I am so proud of her,” Rachel Downs said. “She’s amazing. I know I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

Virginia Downs said she decided to finish off her degree during the summer of 2010. She is married to science professor Bud Downs and works an overnight shift as a dispatcher for the Watertown Police Department.

“The kids were all a big help to me; they recognize that I have to sleep sometime,” Virginia Downs said. “It was hard, but being able to graduate with Rachel made it even more special.”

Jason Chapman, who works in Facilities Management at Maranatha, finished the degree he began 20 years ago.

“When I decided to try to finish, they didn’t have the online degree completion program like they have now,” said Chapman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in church ministries. “I just took a few courses at a time.

“I was always disappointed in being ‘almost there.’ It was like a book with an unfinished chapter. Now I can finally put ‘The End’ on that chapter.”

Olivia Mueller barely had time to write the lead paragraph before her chapter was finished. She sped through an applied science/pre-medical degree in three years while compiling a 3.9972 grade-point average, second-highest in the senior class.

“I had taken AP (Advanced Placement) classes in high school, so that put me about 20 credits ahead when I got here,” Mueller explained. “I was able to work 20-30 hours per week and still have some fun; I didn’t totally abandon my social life. My sister (Esther Calvino) earned her business degree in three years, so I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”

Leasha Folk (3.9984) was valedictorian, earning a double major in music education and English education while accumulating 204.5 credits over five years.

“I dedicated a lot of hours to my favorite spot in the (northwest) corner of the lower floor of the library,” Folk said. “I also had really good roommates who didn’t distract me while I was studying.”

Folk and Ethan Rosen were named winners of the Founders’ Awards, while David Anderson won the President’s Award.

“I think the memories I will take with me are from the things outside of class—the relationships with people and friendships that go beyond athletics,” said Rosen, captain of the football team and student body president. “It was neat being able to connect with so many people.”

The Commencement service also included a gift from the senior class to establish the International Student Scholarship and an offering to benefit the Service and Security Campaign.

Department award winners included Rachel Downs, Leah Nagel (Nursing/Florence Nightingale Best Bedside Nurse Award), Casey Byers (Seminary/Outstanding Theology Student), Emily Timblin (Outstanding Humanities Student), Joanna Ledgerwood (Outstanding Future Teacher), Emily Mackey (Outstanding Science Student), Austin Hoffman (Outstanding Student in Biblical Languages), Lynnae Lawson (Outstanding Speech Student), and Justin Landers (Outstanding Musician Award).

See Graduation photo galleries here

John Davis asked the Class of 2012 to consider the most important lesson they have learned at Maranatha, then speculated as to their answers.

Nursing students, Davis guessed, might say performing an emergency tracheotomy; for teacher education majors, classroom management; for business majors, investment strategies; for biblical studies majors, proper theology.

Maranatha’s Director of Development and Alumni Services, soon to become its Dean of Students, then offered another suggestion.

“Love God,” Davis said during the sermon portion of Thursday night’s Baccalaureate Service. “That is the most important lesson you could have learned here. You are part of a lifelong endeavor to know God and fill your mind with the knowledge of God.”

Davis said he had been considering the subject of his sermon since February before addressing 157 college seniors and 19 from Maranatha Baptist Seminary who will be awarded diplomas during Friday’s Commencement. The message was drawn from Matthew 22:37, when Jesus instructed the Pharisees that the greatest commandment was, “Thou shalt love the Lord they God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

Love from an earthly perspective cannot match the degree of love man should display for God, Davis said. The 1973 Maranatha graduate mentioned his love for wife Gayle and his love for the College as sincere, but not comparable.

“I have loved Maranatha from the very first time I sent foot on campus,” Davis said. “I was in awe of the spiritual giants who crossed my path.”

Graduates were encouraged to stay focused on God during difficult times and to submit their thought lives to Him. Davis compared moments when he and Gayle would confound their children by giving identical separate responses to debatable requests, even when the parents had not discussed the matter.

“Make God’s thoughts your thoughts,” Davis said.

Davis’ message was preceded by vocal music from the Chamber Singers and Dr. Dean Kurtz and a flute offertory by graduating senior Leasha Folk. Dr. Larry Oats read John 15:1-16. Director of Teacher Education Field Experience David Handyside offered the invocation, Board of Trustees member Robert Loggans the benediction. Parents, grandparents, and family members of graduates were asked to stand and be recognized, as were Board of Trustees members and pastors.

The Commencement service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday.

See Graduation photo galleries here

Leah Nagel just seems to have a way with cranky people.

“Leah can talk even the most bitter man into doing just about anything,” Maranatha Nursing Department Chair Kelly Crum said of Nagel, named winner of the Florence Nightingale Best Bedside Nurse Award during Thursday morning’s Nurse Pinning Ceremony. “She just has a way with people that really helps them open up to her.”

“It’s been that way since I was little,” said Nagel (right), one of 17 nursing students who celebrated having completed the program. “I love people, and I’m a person who believes a smile goes a long way.”

The senior from Sheldon, WI, became the fifth winner of the award, selected by the Nursing Department faculty based on the student’s character, academic achievement, and bedside manner. Previous winners were Nadine Callan (2008), Jessica Biechy (2009), Kristin Woodby (2010), and Keith Kraker (2011).

The road to a nursing degree hasn’t been an easy one for Nagel, who often worked 40 hours or more per week while putting herself through school yet somehow managed to graduate debt-free. She enrolled in online and summer school classes and worked at Camp Chetek, Shepherds Ministries, Costume Cottage, and Golden Living Center, as well as in home health care—including one summer caring for Crum’s in-laws.

“Because she is so open with people, they naturally love her,” Crum said. “When we took our medical missions trip to Chad (in March), the people there really wanted her to stay.”

Nagel’s next step is to pass her state nursing board exam in mid-May, then look for nursing work in oncology, preferably in southeast Wisconsin.

“I would like oncology because it gives you a chance to work really closely with patients and their families,” Nagel said.

Thursday’s ceremony included the ceremonial lighting of the lamps, the reciting of the Florence Nightingale Pledge, and a challenge from Dr. Dean Kurtz, Associate Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Watertown. Kurtz’s daughter Sarah is one of the graduating seniors.

Kurtz’s challenge explored the spiritual meaning behind four of the primary promises in the Nightingale Pledge—purity, faithfulness, loyalty, and devotion.

“No matter how much information is gathered over four years, it comes down to the character that supports that knowledge,” Kurtz said. “Whatever skills you have acquired are valueless without caring.”

But whatever the job, Carlson did it for the Lord.

“To me, it’s (my) part in the puzzle, and it takes a lot of people to make a program function,” Carlson said.

After 40 years of helping Maranatha’s program function, Carlson will retire at the end of this school year.

“In my house, Larry was always referred to as ‘Faithful Larry,’ ” Charlotte Cedarholm, a friend of Carlson since 1965, said. “I don’t know of a more hardworking, selfless, faithful man than Larry.”

The Maranatha campus looks quite different than when Carlson first saw it as a member of the first student body during the 1968-69 academic year. Residence halls have been added as well as the library and Dining Complex. The student body was much smaller, making it easier to know every student. Meals were served family style; if a student were unlucky enough to land in “starvation corner,” he or she could be stuck waiting for the second round of food.

After completing his general studies degree, Carlson went on to fill multiple positions for Maranatha, including his current job.

“The Lord gave me peace about (staying),” Carlson said.

Carlson’s job includes setting up and taking down some 750-800 folding chairs every morning for chapel. With his crew of around 30 students, this takes only about 40 minutes, he said. Carlson admits to being very particular about how the chairs are set up.

“It’s got to be done right,” he said.

Carlson enjoys being able to build friendships with his student crew members that last long after graduation. “I want them to feel free to talk to me,” he said, and it seems many do. Carlson recently received a call from a former student now living in California who just needed someone to talk to. Another stayed in Carlson’s home while student teaching, and he has become “grandpa” to her children.

“The hardest thing for me about leaving Maranatha is leaving the kids,” he said.

Carlson is, however, looking forward to the free time retirement will bring.  Although he will stay in Watertown, he and wife Linda plan to do a lot of traveling. Frequent stops will include Naples, FL, to visit their son Mike and his family; and Kansas City, MO, to visit their daughter Amy and her family. The Carlsons look forward to more frequent visits with grandchildren. Carlson also plans to catch up on projects and have more time for hobbies like landscaping, gardening, and photography. He hopes to go on a missions trip with his wife while continuing to serve at his church.

Athletic Director Rob Thompson said Carlson’s work has been “predominately behind the scenes.”

“Larry Carlson has been a loyal and faithful employee these past 40 years,” Thompson said. “His knowledge of the history, legacy, students, faculty, and staff has been a valuable resource to the Athletic Department. Though Larry is retiring from his work at Maranatha, he will always be a Crusader in heart and spirit.”

–By Brynn Fitzsimmons

Keith Salscheider counts himself among them.

“My pro career ended when I got two concussions about 4 ½ months apart from getting hit in the head by elbows,” Maranatha’s new men’s basketball coach said. “That was a pretty clear indication God was leading me out of it.”

Salscheider, 32, retired as a player in the summer of 2009. Coaching seemed the most logical way for him to pass on the practical and spiritual lessons learned while playing minor league professional basketball across the U.S. and around the world.

“I wanted to put all those experiences to good use somehow,” Salschedier said. “Coaching was an obvious way to do that.”

Maranatha’s players will now become the beneficiary of that knowledge.

Salscheider is somewhat familiar with his new team from having coached against it—he spent the 2011-12 season as an assistant coach at Northern Athletics Conference foe Edgewood College. Coaching is also in his blood. His father, Karl, is the winningest coach (147 victories) in Bemidji State University’s men’s basketball history. Karl Salscheider remains a health professor at that college.

“The BSU gymnasium was on the other side of our house,” Keith Salscheider recalled. “I went to practice every day. Those players were my heroes.”

The Salscheider family also spent plenty of non-gym time at Faith Baptist Church in Bemidji, where Keith accepted Christ at age 6. His younger brothers played for Maranatha and his younger sister is employed by the College as a graphic artist.

“Give my parents a lot of credit; they modeled the behavior they talked about,” Salscheider said. “Because of that, when I left home, my faith was my own. It was never something my parents forced us into. We just saw them live it every day.”

Salschedier earned a Bachelor of Science degree in sport management and is pursuing a master’s degree in athletic administration. His college career included stops at Liberty University, St. Cloud State (MN) and Christian Heritage College (CA), now San Diego Christian College, where he was a first-team All-America selection by the National Christian College Athletic Association.

His professional basketball career began with two years in Australia, where he averaged 28.5 and 23 points per game. He also played professionally in Denmark and New Zealand. Salscheider  was closest to making an NBA roster in 2007-08 when he averaged 17 points per game and shot 45 percent from 3-point range for the Great Falls (MT) Explorers of the Continental Basketball Association. He played in the CBA and the NBA Developmental League from 2005-08.

“I realized the odds were against (the NBA) when I was playing as well as anybody in the league and still didn’t get called up,” Salschedier said. “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can play much better than this.’ ”

Salscheider’s first stop as a head coach will be an interesting challenge. The Crusaders were 5-22 last winter, but were competitive with the top teams in the conference and will return their entire roster next season.

“I think Maranatha is looking for a unique student-athlete, which makes the recruiting pool a little bit smaller, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do well,” Salscheider said. “I’m no magician, but there are little things that sometimes go unnoticed, things I’ve gathered over the years. These players will be doing a lot of things they’re not used to. It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be exciting.”