Goshen Colleges commitment to the core value of Global Citizenship is evident in many aspects of campus life. It is visible in the presence of many international students in the student body. It is tangible in our excellent SST program. It is also reflected in the work of the Multicultural Affairs Office. A key area for growth in the development of this core value is represented by the increasingly multicultural profile of our own community. As a result of migration trends the population of the city of Goshen now includes about 30% of people from Latin America. The local school system faces the challenge of effectively integrating the growing number of Latino students and preparing them for the opportunity of higher education. Our challenge at Goshen College is to provide a welcoming environment and pedagogical approach that attracts Latino youth into higher education and enables them to be successful. A key step toward addressing this challenge is to enhance our understanding of various aspects of the Latino community in Goshen, particularly the educational challenges facing the children of migrant families.

Our goal is to direct Goshen College toward embracing this aspect of Global Citizenship within our own community. This will energize our commitment to an essential core value as we develop ways of implementing multicultural perspectives in the curriculum, our own pedagogy, and the total campus environment. Faculty retreat this year seeks to explore the question of how these local connections might transform our campus and the broader Goshen community through intercultural education. We invite you all to participate in this lively discussion as you get to know each other better and share your experiences across the disciplines.

The nature of this years theme and its focus on the local community was a crucial factor in the decision to locate the faculty retreat on the Goshen campus (with a potential field trip to South Bend). This allows us to better immerse ourselves in the issues and utilize local resources. We will have a packet of articles and relevant resource material available closer to the retreat time. We are excited about the retreat and welcome your participation.

-- The Faculty Retreat Committee -- Jan Bender Shetler (chair), Jim Alvarez, LisaRenee English, Paul Keim, Odelet Nance and Dean Rhodes.

Wednesday, August 16th

Morning Session: Getting to Know the Latino Community in Goshen
8:30-9:00 Devotional and Opening Remarks
9:00-10:00 Key Note Speaker -- Gilberto Pirez, Jr., Bienvenido Program Director, Northeastern Center
10:00 -10:30 Break

10:30 - 11:30 Panel presentation from Goshen Community leaders -- The Reality of the Latino Student in Elkhart County
11:30 - 12:00 Q & A with panel

12:00-1:00 Lunch

Afternoon Session: The National Context of Latino Immigration Issues
1:00  5:00 TBA

6:00  7:00 Supper

7:00 Evening Program

Thursday, August 17th

Morning Session: Intercultural Pedagogy and Campus Transformation
8:30-9:00 Devotion
9:00-9:30 Opening Remarks
9:30-10:30 Keynote Address  Vasti Torres, Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs, Indiana University
10:30-11:30 Roundtable Discussions and Reporting

Noon Lunch with Entertainment

Afternoon Session: Closing and Presidents Address
1:30 - 2:30 Presidential Address and Closing