By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
When Shepherd’s College first opened in 2008, there weren’t many students.
The first graduating class from the three-year school – which provides post-secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities – was just five students.
The next year, there were seven – and then there were 12.
“This year, we’re graduating 20 for the first time,” Director of Marketing Susan Griffis said. “And it’s just going to get bigger from here on out.”
Graduation for the college’s Class of 2015 is Saturday, June 13 at 1 p.m. at the Bolthouse Center on campus in Union Grove. Dr. A. Charles Ware, the president of Crossroads Bible College, will be the guest speaker, and Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch will also be in attendance.
Shepherd’s College is a residential campus for students 18 and older with intellectual disabilities. Students can study horticulture, culinary arts or participate in the non-occupational program called “Ai Academy” – which builds daily living and independence skills.
There are currently 59 students on campus from 18 different states and three foreign countries. Since the first class, students have come from 25 different states and four other countries.
“And we’ve had applications from all the U.S. states, except for four of them,” Griffis said.
Griffis and Executive Director Tracy Terrill said the college offers a chance for students to learn at their own pace.
“Right now, the trend in postsecondary education for young adults with intellectual disabilities is to say, ‘OK, you’re all going to learn in the same way. We’re going to place you in a typical college, in a conventional classroom,’” Griffis explained. “It’s not the only option.
“Our goal is to teach them at a pace where they can best learn,” she added. “With a goal of inclusion in the community, for life.”
Added Terrill, “We are giving an opportunity to young people that I don’t think exists many other places. Our work, ultimately, is life-changing for them.”
It’s an option, Griffis explained, that is needed in a world that isn’t “one size fits all.”
“We’re an important option,” Griffis added. “We’re saying let’s teach to their level…something that’s important for life and for job skills.”
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Our nephew is one of the twenty students graduating this year. The entire family is so proud of the progress he has made in the last three years. Shepherds College is a wonderful, nurturing place for a young person to learn and grow. I will be forever thankful for the experience. Congrats to the Class of 2015!
Congratulations! To you, your nephew, & the graduating class 2015
This is so needed in our world. I always told people my son is like the square peg trying to fit into the worlds circle hole. But I told my son, “God created you for a purpose, we just haven’t discovered what it is yet.” We are in hopes of sending our son to shepherds college this fall.