A Mennonite liberal arts college emphasizing intercultural learning and compassionate peacemaking in Indiana.
Goshen College offers 46 majors and 52 minors for undergraduates, with popular programs including nursing, biology, business, communication, education, American Sign Language, and environmental science. The college provides master's degrees in Environmental Education, Intercultural Leadership, and Nursing (with family nurse practitioner and clinical nurse leader tracks). In 2014, Goshen partnered with Eastern Mennonite University and Bluffton University to launch a Collaborative MBA program. The distinctive Study-Service Term requires approximately 80% of students to complete either a semester abroad or an intercultural experience in the United States, including service work in hospitals, nursing homes, and missionary settings.
The 135-acre campus features the $24 million Music Center (completed 2002) with Sauder Concert Hall and a 1,600-pipe tracker organ, the Roman Gingerich Recreation and Fitness Center with basketball courts and climbing wall, and four dormitories plus apartment and small group housing options. Goshen has no official fraternities or sororities but offers numerous clubs and organizations. Intramural sports include coed volleyball, soccer, basketball, and ultimate frisbee. The college emphasizes Judeo-Christian values and welcomes students of all faiths, with Mennonites comprising 30% of the student body. Goshen competes in 14 intercollegiate varsity sports as a member of NAIA's Crossroads League.
Goshen College is recognized for environmental stewardship, becoming a charter signatory to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007. The college achieved a silver STARS rating in 2014 and has reduced electric consumption by 25% and gas consumption by 23% since 2007. Rieth Village at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center became Indiana's first platinum-rated LEED building in 2008. The college maintains satellite facilities including the J.N. Roth Marine Biology Station in Layton, Florida, and Witmer Woods, a 13-acre arboretum with over 100 native Indiana species.
Goshen College's motto, 'Culture for Service,' reflects its Mennonite heritage and commitment to peace and justice. The college is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA, a traditional peace church, and in 2015 added sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination policy, allowing the hiring of openly LGBT employees. This decision led to the college's departure from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in September 2015. The college hosts the Mennonite Quarterly Review and Mennonite Historical Library, one of the world's most comprehensive collections of Anabaptist and Mennonite primary source material.