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president's column
The fun of learning
by Perry D. White
When I was on the faculty at Monmouth College, one of my closest colleagues was Dr. Richard Kieft. "Doc," as he was known for the 30-plus years he served the college, was cherished by generations of chemistry majors, as well as the non-majors who took his courses. Sure, he was tough and known for the rigor of his classes, but he was also known for this saying: "What we learn in fun we remember for a lifetime." That, indeed, was the way he lived, until his death from pancreatic cancer in 2008.
Doc not only taught chemistry for all those years - he also lived the liberal arts life on campus to the absolute fullest. He attended every concert, lecture, athletic event and theater production. He served for more than 20 years as faculty adviser for one of the campus fraternities. During labs, students regularly asked him if he was planning to attend whatever event was scheduled for the evening - he never disappointed.
Doc knew learning takes place in all activities on a residential campus - not only in the classroom, but also on the athletic field and the stage, in rehearsal rooms and residence halls. He knew we can sometimes learn as much from lining up next to someone on the football field, someone who comes from a different background or culture, as from listening to a lecture. He knew there was much more to be gained during the college experience than simply acquiring knowledge by going to classes, and he modeled that as a respected member of the academy.
Today, such a philosophy and approach to higher education is even more important, as more students come to college as active rather than passive learners, with preferred learning styles that are more tactile or "hands-on" in nature. For many of them, the fun of learning is in the active engagement and application of the subject matter, rather than merely the absorption of the material.
Recent discussions with Bethel faculty and coaches revealed that 80 to 90 percent of our programs have some experiential (hands-on) learning component within their curricula. This confirms what we have been hearing from alumni during our travels throughout the year. Along with service learning, Bethel has long been invested in and has successfully used experiential learning methods with our students. It seems we've always just thought of it as good teaching.
As a means of continuing to build upon our strengths, we are working to become more intentional in our efforts to give every Bethel student a chance for an experiential learning opportunity. Certainly, we will continue to provide our students with internship opportunities, service learning placements, student teaching experiences and work-study options, with an eye toward their interests or intended major (just as we have in the recent past). However, we will also give faculty and staff the support necessary to expand those opportunities for students within their programs in a coordinated effort to better serve and prepare them to make an immediate impact in whatever role they pursue after graduation. We anticipate that they would remember these types of hands-on learning experiences for a lifetime.
As you peruse this issue of Context, you will see tremendous evidence of the kind of fun that has taken and continues to take place on the Bethel campus. We've heard many proclaim their years at Bethel as some of the most fun times of their lives. Our travels and encounters with Bethel alumni over the course of this first year as president indicate that learning has always been a part of that fun, whether in the lab or on a playing field, in orchestra practice or a hall meeting, in the chapel or the cafeteria, or even within those highly creative pranks we've heard so much about. And based upon the stories we've heard, the fun of those experiences has certainly, for many of our alumni, lasted a lifetime.