Former Sterling College coach, and recently-named NAIA Hall of Fame inductee, Lonnie Kruse passed away Friday, Sept. 23, 2016. Kruse was the head coach for the Sterling College Women’s Basketball team from 1981-2014.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Kruse. Lonnie modeled servant leadership in all that he did, whether as a coach, mentor or friend. His legacy will be remembered by the countless lives he touched and his influence will continue to spread for many years to come,” said Scott Rich, president.

Living up to its claim of being “Kansas’ Largest Classroom,” this year’s Kansas State Fair saw the first ever High School Forensics Showcase, presented by Sterling College. The event was held on Thursday, Sept. 15, in the Hansen Auditorium on the fairgrounds and was hosted and organized by Sterling College Debate and Forensics. Over 250 audience members were in attendance.

Sterling College has announced it has, once again, received recognition by institutions such as The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and Christian Universities Online. These establishments have named Sterling to 2017 lists including “Best in the Midwest,” “Best Regional College” and “Most Affordable Christian College.”

Hosting over 500 students who were able to meet an author and an illustrator, Sterling College’s Santa Fe Trail Children’s Literature Festival took place on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. Students from area elementary and junior high schools heard from author Christine Taylor-Butler and illustrator Brad Sneed.

Lonnie Kruse retired from coaching basketball two years ago, but his awards keep coming. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announced Sept. 15 that Lonnie Kruse is among the 2016 Hall of Fame inductees. Kruse was the head coach for the Sterling College Women’s Basketball team from 1981-2014 and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in October 2015. He ended his career as winningest coach in Kansas women’s basketball history with a record of 706-244.

The Sterling College Criminal Justice program will host Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent Colonel Mark Bruce for its keynote lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. The College will host Bruce at 7 p.m. in Heritage Hall in Cooper Hall with a public question-and-answer forum immediately afterward. The public is invited to attend this free event.

Chigozie Obioma, author of “The Fishermen,” will be at Sterling College on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, to read from his fiction. Obioma’s “The Fishermen” has been named to more than a dozen best book of the year lists, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times Best Book Review. The college will host Obioma at 2:30 p.m. in Cornerstone in the Student Union and a signing will take place immediately afterward. The public is invited to attend this free event.

Sterling College will welcome Phil Vischer as the speaker for The Ross and Fern Freeman Lecture Series for Servant Leadership at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, in Culbertson Auditorium in Spencer Hall. Vischer is the creator of VeggieTales and founder of both Big Idea Productions and Jellyfish Labs. The Freeman Lecture Series, established in 2014, is free and open to the public.