Tabor College President David Janzen announced two donations at the 2024 President’s Dinner and Program, held April 19. One gift funds a faculty member while the second provides initial funds for a building renovation and addition.
Computer science faculty member funding
The family of Harold Nachtigall, a 1956 graduate of Tabor College, has agreed to fund a faculty member for three years in the restarted Computer Science major at Tabor College.
Nachtigall taught mathematics at Tabor College for eight years (1966-1974) and he and his wife, Eunice (Bartel), were lifelong Tabor supporters. That vision aligned with their surviving family members, who agreed to fund a computer science professor through the 2026-27 academic year.
In spring 2022, Ellis Toews, Edmond, Oklahoma, committed multi-year gifts to re-establish a computer science program at Tabor College. Additional contributions would be needed to complete funding for a faculty position.
The newly reinstated program ranges from 45 to 60 credit hours, depending on the concentration. Those include bioinformatics, computer science, data science and software engineering.
“We’re honored to recognize Harold’s dedication to excellence in mathematics and student development within our reinvented Computer Science major,” says President David Janzen. “This generous contribution from the Nachtigall family is a testament to his profound impact on the greater Tabor community.”
After graduating from Tabor, Nachtigall first worked with the Menninger Foundation before spending eight years at Topeka (Kansas) Seaman High School. In 1960, he completed his Master of Science in Mathematics from Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia, Kansas.
The family moved to Hillsboro in 1966 when he began teaching at Tabor. Nachtigall was heavily invested in his students and their future careers, receiving National Science Foundation grants to study modern mathematics for teachers.
In 1974, the Nachtigall family relocated to Aurora, Nebraska, to take over the family farm.
“Harold’s teaching was significant in the lives of countless Tabor alumni,” says Ron Braun, vice president of philanthropy. “This gracious gift will play a key role in the growth of Computer Science, and we eagerly await God’s work in the lives of these students.”
Mary J. Regier Building to be renovated
Janzen also announced that fundraising has begun to renovate the Mary J. Regier Building and build a north expansion to be the future home of Business and Entrepreneurship. A gift of $1.2 million from Willodene “Willie” Vogt, a 1962 graduate of the college, helped kickstart the vision for the renovation.
Shelden Architecture in Wichita, Kansas, is designing the project.
Tabor College is the Mennonite Brethren college located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The mission of Tabor College, founded in 1908, is to prepare people for a life of learning, work and service for Christ and his kingdom.
