MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Homecoming was a whirlwind of celebration, kicking off with the Homecoming Chapel on Friday and culminating with the President’s Prayer Breakfast on Sunday morning.
In-between, alumni and friends were greeted with a plethora of activities that welcomed them home.
Homecoming Chapel
Rev. Brad Kochis (’94) got Homecoming underway by speaking at the Homecoming Chapel on Friday. Kochis currently serves in dual roles as the District Superintendent of the North Carolina District Church of the Nazarene and in his newly accepted position as the Chief Development Officer here at MVNU.
He addressed the crowd, speaking on the importance of the local church and its impact on MVNU.
“Mount Vernon matters because the local church matters,” Kochis said. “In the current role in which I serve, in the district superintendency, I’ve had a front row seat to seeing how the local church makes a difference in the work around them. The local church, in my opinion, is the most important entity in the entire world.”
Kochis saw firsthand the impact that local churches can have after the devastating Hurricane Helene hit his district this fall.
“When a disaster shows up, the local church shows up long before any government agency shows up,” said Kochis. “When a disaster hits and the government agencies and news crews have moved on to the next big headline, the local church remains right where it was planted, right where it loves, right where it cares.
“The local church — whether it’s in Swannanoa, N.C., Asheville, N.C., Forest City, N.C. or Waynesville, N.C., where disaster has been in the Lake Lure area — not only do they show up, but they remain. I’ve seen them do incredible things.
“This is why I believe Mount Vernon Nazarene University matters because the local church matters. Institutions just like Mount Vernon Nazarene University are important to the fabric of our very society. I believe it to my core.
“I don’t just believe (MVNU) is important because what it did for me and my personal life. I believe (MVNU) is important because of what it offers the greater good to the entire of the world.”
Alumni Service Awards
The MVNU Alumni Association awarded several awards out during the Homecoming Chapel. The Distinguished Alumni Service Award to Dr. Paul (‘83) and Becky (‘82) Freel. Dr. Jennifer (Chlam) Holmes was the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and Pastor Edward Solano was presented with the Outstanding Clergy Alumni Award
For an in-depth look visit mvnu.edu/alumni-awards.
Cougar Wall of Fame
Phil Argento, Mitchell Soviak and Riley Swanson were inducted into the Cougar Wall of Fame. The three former Cougar Athletes were introduced at halftime of the men’s basketball game against Trinity Christian College on Friday.
Argento played for the men’s basketball team from 1999-03 and is second all-time in school history with 2338 points scored in his career. Argento is the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers made with 465.
Soviak, who threw for MVNU track & field from 2015-2019, became a National Champion by winning the men’s shotput during outdoor nationals in 2019. He ended his MVNU career with four All-American honors in men’s shot put.
Swanson, a 2016 graduate of MVNU and the baseball program, finished his career first all-time with 615 assists, fourth in program history with 56 doubles, and fifth in program history with 210 games played.
For a complete wrap up, visit mvnucougars.com/general/2024-25/releases/20241019guqwz6.
Alumni dedications
Two selected Mount Vernon Nazarene University alumni were honored during Homecoming Festivities on Saturday. Mary Beth Bird (’84) and Melissa (Prater) Rex (’99) were both remembered in separate dedications.
Bird, who was a Knox County native and graduate of Fredericktown High School, was awarded her baccalaureate degree from MVNU. She passed away on March 4, 2022, at the age of 60, and left a major portion of her estate to the University.
Rex, while not a Knox County native, left her mark on MVNU and its faculty, staff and students during her time here. She passed away after a long battle with Lymphoma on Sept. 24, 2011.
“She was so inspired. She was beloved,” said Class of ’99 classmate and friend Rev. Dr. James Smith. “She was a light. She was a leader. She had a wisdom beyond her years. She partnered with Jesus in our lives and that’s what matters most. That’s the kind of life she lived.”
For more on their dedications, visit mvnu.edu/dedications.
Homecoming Court
The MVNU student body crowned their King and Queen Saturday night during Homecoming festivities. Seniors Evan Hodkinson and Lyssi Snouffer were selected for their respective roles.
Nominees for the Homecoming Court are selected by the student body for being Godly leaders in the school, having integrity and caring for others, showing a sense of responsibility and reliability, and high academic standing.
Also nominated for King were seniors Jordan Gregory and Zeke VanArsdalen, and for Queen, Marissa Kunes and Kiersten Winey. Making up the remaining court were freshmen Drayton Berry and Mari Jo Thompson; Sophomores Luke Faircloth and Avery Stults; and juniors Tyler Maddux and Lily Scarberry.
President’s reception
Dr. Castleman greeted alumni, donors and friends on two different occasions during Homecoming. On Saturday afternoon, Dr. Castleman held a President’s Reception in Foster Hall and gave a report on his first year at MVNU.
Among the highlights was the increased enrollment. First-time in college enrollment increased by over 10 percent and graduate enrollment is up nearly 30 percent, thanks to the success of the Internation Executive Studies program.
“One of the things that we focused on is enrollment,” said Dr. Castleman. “When I started on October 1, 2023, I immediately started an IES program, which is an International Executive Studies program. Some people questioned it, but there is a two-fold reason.
“The first and foremost reason is that we see the GPS program as an evangelical tool. It is a tool to get individuals into a Christian education that would never have gone to a Christian institution before. They are going to be exposed to the gospel in every course.
“Number two is international students have to pay full rate. There is no financial aid. They have to have the cash in the bank in order to get accepted and come to the institution. … January 20th of this year is when we started. We started with zero international students and as of this week, we are at 208 students in the international program.”
Dr. Castleman also took some questions from those in attendance and responded his thoughts. One of the questions posed was the success of the engineering program.
“We’re beginning to really do a data analysis of our enrollment in each of our programs,” said Dr. Castleman. The two that we are focusing on the most that we believe are underutilized are our nursing program and our engineering program.
“We are really digging down and looking to see how we can grow those programs. We are putting emphasis in the marketing of our engineering program. We just went through our that ABET accreditation, and it was just passed for another six years. We’ve got that behind us and we’re working diligently on it.”
MVNU, which offers tracks in mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering, has begun to explore civil engineering, based on market needs.
The question of job placement was also asked about engineering students.
“On our job placement rate, we are looking at that because the problem is the students are going back into their hometowns and the jobs may not be there,” said Dr. Castleman. “What we have to do is we’ve got to begin to create partnerships with organizations and that’s not something we do have right now. Now, I can tell you that our placement rate for nursing is high. Once a nurse finishes here, they place well.”
To combat this issue, Castleman said the MVNU is also launching an engineering co-op board, to help build partnerships across Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
This initiative will provide students with paid co-op positions that offer real-world experience and academic credit, enhancing career readiness.
Two alumni honored with dedications
Two selected Mount Vernon Nazarene University alumni were honored during Homecoming Festivities. Mary Beth Bird (’84) and Melissa (Prater) Rex (’99) were both remembered in separate dedications on Saturday.
Mary Beth Bird
Jetter 133, commonly known as the Round Room, was dedicated the Mary Beth Bird Classroom for Innovative Learning. Bird passed away on March 4, 2022, at the age of 60, and left a major portion of her estate to the University.
A Knox County native and graduate of Fredericktown High School, Bird was awarded her baccalaureate degree from MVNU in 1984. She went on to earn an MBA and celebrated a 30-year career with Defense Finance Accounting Service as a database administrator.
The gift reflects her positive experience as a student, her appreciation of the opportunities her education afforded her, and her desire to support others in their pursuit of Christian higher education.
Bird’s donation will help fund five different academic programs in the field of nursing, psychology, social work, programming for students with intellectual disabilities, and will also the enhancement of the computer science and engineering programs.
“This is a generational gift,” said MVNU President Dr. Carson Castleman. “Her gift will not only benefit MVNU students, but those who our students will care for and minister to throughout their lives. She has left a legacy that will last a very long time. We are forever grateful for what she’s done and what will happen because of her gift. I believe the best is yet to come.”
Melissa Prater Rex
The R.R. Hodges Chapel/Auditorium is a place of solace for many. For 1999 alumnus Melissa (Prater) Rex, it was that and so much more. Rex, who passed away Sept. 24, 2011 after a long, courageous battle with Lymphoma, was honored on Saturday with a plaque that was hung in the Chapel lobby.
Rex left a mark on everyone she interacted with. She was the wife of Doug Rex (’99) and mother to Caleb, Lauren and Audrey. She, along with her sisters Michelle Arnold (’91) and Jennifer Burgy (’98), called MVNU home.
“This campus was so much a home away from home for us,” Burgy said. “I always said one of our favorite times in life was when we three girls were here together. Missy and I as students, and Michelle working in admissions at that time. … We sisters were best friends back then. We treasured those family times, like, even before we knew we needed to.
“Missy was always wanting to look for the big picture, like what’s been written on the plaque. … She always went beyond and looked at the big picture of what was happening. … She kept that same attitude of seeing that big picture of trusting God’s plan when, when it got hard to see past her own situation. She wrote this blog post that said, ‘We see a color, where on its own it may not be that beautiful — one part of our life story, one situation — but looking at it all together, it all becomes something much greater than we could have imagined.’”
Rex never lost sight of her creator — despite her ups and downs — and this quote memorializes her on the plaque, reading, “In our college chapel, I use to sit and look around at the beautiful and enormous stain-glass windows. I like to believe that is what my life is like.
“While I sometimes see just one speck of it — perhaps one color that is not even attractive by itself — Jesus knows there is so much more than that. He sees it all — the magnificent beauty and wholeness that He longs for me to experience.
“Friends, whether on this earth or in Heaven, I know I will be healed. I would like for it to be here, but no one can take that truth away from me. I love it — I love knowing that even when I feel a rug of hope has pulled out from under me, Jesus is still holding me.”
President’s Prayer Breakfast
Rounding out the Homecoming weekend was a President’s Prayer Breakfast on Sunday morning. Dr. Castleman greeted nearly 80 alumni and friends, which heard from Distinguished Alumni award winners, the Freels, and Outstanding Young Alumni honoree, Dr. Holmes.
For more on Homecoming, visit mvnu.edu/homecoming.
