Shin-hee Chin, M.F.A., professor of art, and Melinda Rangel, Ed.D., Marvin Sellberg Professor of Business Administration & entrepreneurship and M.B.A program director, have returned to the Tabor College campus for the spring 2026 semester. Both shared about how they are prepared to serve their students this semester and the years ahead.
Can you tell us about the opportunities you had to travel and dig into your field?
SHIN-HEE CHIN: I traveled to France for several meaningful off-campus opportunities. I served as a juror for the 2025 International Competition Avant Garde, reviewing textile works from artists around the world at the European Patchwork Meeting. I also led a workshop for 21 artists and presented a solo exhibition, Fil de vie (Thread of Life), at Sainte Madeleine Church in Alsace-Lorraine, France. Alsace-Lorraine had multiple historic churches hosting exhibitions of Mennonite and Amish quilts. During my visit, I had the privilege to meet Mennonite pastors and professors who had deep ties to Kansas. When I mentioned Tabor College, they were delighted to welcome me. This place preserves Mennonite traditions and history, highlighting the ongoing mission and service of MCC globally.
I attended Quilt National in Athens, Ohio, where my work Viriditas (Greenness) received Best in Show and is now part of the permanent collection at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Neb.
I also updated my website and completed an artist residency at the Red Barn Studio in Lindsborg, Kan.
MELINDA RANGEL: I had two presentation proposals accepted at conferences, including the Christian Business Faculty Association Conference at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn, and the National Business Education Association Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also submitted a paper for the NBEA Forum, a journal dedicated to best practices, trends, and pedagogy in business education. Before the fall, I attended the DECA Mastermind Conference for state advisors in Atlanta, Ga.
I also worked on building my online business, working with manufacturers, developing market strategies, hiring an account manager, and attending an Amazon seller’s conference in Colorado Springs, Colo.
What were some of the biggest takeaways from your time away from the classroom?
SHIN-HEE CHIN: Having the freedom to travel for exhibitions is something I could not do during the semester, so I enjoyed having the time to spend two full weeks in France for exhibitions, jury duties, and workshops. I also traveled to Berlin, Germany, where I visited the Käthe Kollwitz Museum and the Gemäldegalerie- both incredibly inspiring, especially as they relate to the artists I teach and admire. During that trip, I was interviewed by Textile Art Magazine in Germany, which was a meaningful reflection on my artistic journey.
MELINDA RANGEL: As a business professor, I feel like I need to be a practitioner of what I teach. My husband and I have owned a martial arts school for 30 years, and I share the stories of our journey in class. But I wanted to learn more about online sales, so I started selling FBA on Amazon and launched my first product in March 2025. I have learned a great deal about online selling, marketing, social media, etc. I joined a group of Christian entrepreneurial women, and we meet weekly to support and encourage one another through the challenges of selling online. I can’t say I have mastered anything, but I have certainly learned a lot!
I really gave thought to my pedagogy and tried to lean in to how I can change my classroom delivery. I worked mostly on my Human Resource Management class. I’m embracing AI and encouraging its use in certain ways to model how it’s used in the HR landscape. I’m anxious to try this, and so far, my students seem receptive. I want my in-class time to be engaging to the point where students don’t want to miss my class!
I filled nearly three journals with writing and loved the time I spent with God. My poor husband had to put up with a stack of journals, devotionals, and Bibles on the table for the last 4 months. I love teaching and did miss my students!
I’m not sure where God is taking on the side business. I am learning to abide in Him and wait for an answer. I don’t “rest” well. Most days, my husband Chris would ask me, “Are you going to stop working?”
How do you see intertwining all of this into your teaching this spring?
SHIN-HEE CHIN: In Art History, I can now speak more vividly about artworks I encountered at the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay, sharing observations that only come from in-person viewing. In Painting and Drawing, I can offer my students a more personal perspective on the masterpieces I saw in Berlin, especially the works of Rembrandt, whom I deeply admire—along with other masters such as Raphael, Rubens, Botticelli, and Dürer.
I am now teaching five courses and supervising four independent studies, instead of my usual four courses. Even though the workload is heavier, I find myself approaching classes with renewed energy, fresh experiences, and a deeper sense of purpose as an artist educator.
MELINDA RANGEL: I want to model to my students what I believe God is calling me to be. One of those things is resilient. This has become my “theme” word. Personally, I want my own children and grandchildren to see resilience in how I take care of myself (exercise and nutrition), learn (starting a new business), and walk with God in the hard times (my family experienced some hardships this fall in health, job loss, etc.). Resilience is doing hard things; getting back up when things don’t go well, or you fail; finding ways to solve problems when there’s no clear answer.
Too many people quit when things get hard, and I want my students to know that they can do hard things! How can I model that for them? How can I support them when they struggle with quitting? Students have a heavy load with classes, jobs, family, sports, and relationships. I’m weighing how I can teach them and give the load of homework and learning, but support them at the same time. (I hope all of that makes sense!)
I also want my students to trust that I have the tools to teach well and prepare them for today’s workplace. I want to intertwine the skills and learning I gained during my sabbatical to help them with their business/career journey.
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Established in 1908 and located in Hillsboro, Kan., Tabor College is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the Central, Southern, Eastern, and Latin American Districts of the United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.