Dan and Don Krebs are a son and father team who works together to help students succeed at Tabor College.
Life has come full circle in a few unique ways for Don and Daniel (Dan) Krebs of Tabor College. Dan currently works as the student success director at Tabor College and is assisted by dad Don, who serves as a volunteer for the school to help provide support for all students, particularly those who are struggling. Ironically, Don served in the same position his son now occupies from 2000 to 2008.
“All I knew about Tabor when I got here was that five of my six children had come to Tabor and found their mates either at Tabor or in Hillsboro. Our family had been truly blessed by Hillsboro and Tabor College,” said Don.
Don recently moved back to Hillsboro after living in Hutchinson for many years.
“I really grew in my faith while working here. That’s why when Dan asked if I would move back and help out, I said ‘sure, I would love to come back and volunteer.’”
Don’s wife Jeanie passed away a few years ago, so Dan asked his dad to move back to Hillsboro and help out.
“I didn’t want to just sit in the house, so I sold the house in Hutch, moved to Hillsboro just a block from campus, and now I volunteer. I planned to work in the morning and rest in the afternoon, but there are so many students to meet with and so much to do, so I just stay busy all day.”
Not only is Dan in the same role his dad once served in, he benefited from that position when he was a student.
“It’s really ironic that 32 years ago I was on the other side of the desk, and now I’m here helping students where I was at years ago,” said Dan. “It’s really great working with these students and seeing them succeed, whether it’s in the classroom or out on the playing field or wherever it is. It’s good to be back.”
The duo works with students of all types, including those on academic probation. They help students find and take advantage of the services they need to be successful to remain at Tabor and hopefully graduate from the college.
The two joke about Don being back to tell Dan how to do his job, but really they are just enjoying working together.
“I try not to tell him what to do,” Don said with a laugh. “It’s really just a blessing to work with your son.”
Dan agrees that working together is great for both of them and brags about his dad and all that he is doing.
“He’s got a nickname around here of ‘Legend,’ so it’s hard to fill those shoes, but it’s been great having him here and seeing him every day,” said Dan.
Both men enjoy the fact that many of the people they knew from their earlier days at Tabor are still around working at Tabor now.
“It’s great how Tabor has influenced many lives,” said Don. “I still get emails of guys that were here before who I would knock on their doors and get them out of bed and to class or go get them out of practice and talk with them and they tell me how good they are doing. And we still do that. We go to practice fields to find students. We got a great group of coaches here who really go to bat for students to help them and help us. It’s really a team effort.”
Dan agrees that the coaches make his job possible and is thankful for the way they all work together.
Tabor College recently hit its highest recorded retention rate, seeing 94 percent of its undergraduate students return to campus for the spring semester. It bests the previous record of 92 percent that was set in spring 2021, as well as Tabor’s 10-year average retention of 88 percent.
“This is a significant accomplishment by the entire campus community for Tabor’s growth and sustainability,” President David Janzen, Ph.D., said.
This retention mark celebrates the work done by Student Life and Dan, his staff and Don.
“What a fantastic achievement,” said Frank Johnson, Ph.D., executive vice president of academics and compliance. “I am so proud of everyone who works unbelievably hard on retention, and it truly takes all of us. What a joy to work with such colleagues and together serve our students. It is our mission in action.”
The total spring 2023 enrollment for Tabor is 613. That includes 460 students on the Hillsboro campus, 69 in dual-credit classes, and two online undergraduates.
While it took many to contribute to the record-breaking retention numbers, clearly the Krebs duo is working well for the college and their care for students and hard work has paid off when it comes to student success.
