Tabor College (Kansas)

Tabor College
TypePrivate college
Established1908 (1908)
Religious affiliation
U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
PresidentDavid S. Janzen[1]
Academic staff
140
Students742 (2025)
Location
Hillsboro
,
Kansas
,
United States

38°20′55″N 97°11′59″W / 38.348522°N 97.199768°W / 38.348522; -97.199768
CampusRural, 220 acres (89 ha)
ColorsBlue and gold[2]
   
NicknameBluejays
Sporting affiliations
NAIA – KCAC
Websitetabor.edu

Tabor College is a private Mennonite college in Hillsboro, Kansas, United States. It is owned and operated by four districts of the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and describes its theological identity as Evangelical/Anabaptist.[3] There were 742 students enrolled across all programs for the fall 2025 semester, with 567 students attending at the main Hillsboro campus.[4]

History

In 1908, members of Mennonite Brethren and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Christian churches founded Tabor College. Tabor held classes for the first time on Sept. 14 of that year. The college’s earliest academic focus was business, science, education, and Christian ministry.

The college faced possible closing after a fire on April 30, 1918. Two years to the day, the college officially opened the H.W. Lohrenz Administration Building and the Mary J. Regier. Both buildings still stand on campus.

In the late 1950s, a major structural expansion began. It included, but was not limited to: a new library and gymnasium and the opening of three new men’s (California, Nebraska, and Oklahoma) and four new women’s (Ediger, Regier, East, and West) residence halls. New residence halls include the Townhouses, Harms Hall, and Jost Hall.

The Solomon L. Loewen Natural Science Center opened in the late 1990s, and after the Wohlgemuth Music Education Center gave the arts a home in 1983, a sizable expansion opened in 2017 with the addition of the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts. The Shari Flaming Welcome Center opened in 2020 and the Shari Flaming Education Commons in 2021.

Athletic facilities include Joel H. Wiens Stadium, Pendery Athletic Center, Campus Recreation Center, Gymnasium, baseball and softball fields, indoor tennis facility and practice fields.

After opening a second campus, Tabor College Wichita, in January 1994, it relocated to the Hillsboro campus in 2019, where it integrated the classes and staff for its online and residential programming.

From its start in 1908, Tabor has operated with a Christian focus, including its mission statement, “preparing people for a life of learning, work, and service for Christ and His kingdom.”

Campus

Tabor's main campus is situated in Hillsboro, Kansas, located approximately 50 miles north of Wichita, Kansas. It is home to the Carson Center for Global Engagement,[5] the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies,[6] and the Central Kansas Entrepreneurship Center.[7] Campus includes six main residence halls and at least 12 additional housing units, and at least 13 separate facilities including a welcome center, cafeteria, center for the arts, historic church, library, recreation center, and athletic facilities. There are designated fields or courts for baseball, basketball, football, and tennis.[8]

  • Administration building
  • Wohlgemuth Music Education Center
  • Natural Science Center
  • A 2017 performance of Handel's Messiah at the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts.

Organization and administration

Tabor College is owned and operated by the US Mennonite Brethren Church. Tabor's Board of Directors is responsible to the Central, Southern, Latin America (South Texas), and Eastern Districts,[9][10] but not the Pacific District, which gives governance to Fresno Pacific University.[11] The president of the college is appointed by the Board of Directors.[12]

Athletics

Main article: Tabor Bluejays

Tabor College’s mascot is the Bluejay, believed to have been chosen by the college’s first yearbook editor, Renetta Schulz Friesen.

Its 16 varsity sports (and co-ed cheerleading) have competed in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) since 1968-69. It is also a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member.

Varsity sports include baseball, football, softball, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s indoor/outdoor track & field.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "Janzen inaugurated as president of Tabor College". October 2021.
  2. ^ Tabor College Official Visual Identity Guide (PDF). August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Theological Identity". Tabor College. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  4. ^ adamsuderman (2025-09-19). "Tabor College sets records for incoming freshman GPA, first-time freshmen and graduate enrollment". Tabor College. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  5. ^ "Carson Center for Global Engagement". Tabor College. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  6. ^ "Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies". Tabor College. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  7. ^ "Central Kansas Entrepreneurship Center". Tabor College. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  8. ^ "Map & Directions". Tabor College. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  9. ^ "History". Tabor College. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  10. ^ "About Us – USMB". usmb.org. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  11. ^ "About Us – USMB". usmb.org. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  12. ^ "Office of the President". Tabor College. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  13. ^ Kansas Legislators Past & Present Archived 2010-08-01 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Glanzer Announces Candidacy for Re-Election". Performance Radio Inc. 2018-02-27. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  15. ^ "Pittsburgh Passion". Archived from the original on 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  16. ^ Database Football NFL Players who attended Tabor College
  17. ^ Cook, Terry (1997), "What is Past is Prologue: A History of Archival Ideas Since 1898, and the Future Paradigm Shift", Archivaria, 43: 17–63, retrieved 2013-07-16
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