printer-friendly
October 2006
IN THIS ISSUE- -- Barry Bartel inaugurated as Bethel’s 13th president
- -- Enrollment increases by almost 5 percent
- -- Music Department hosts 90 high school students
- -- New Web design initiated with sports pages
- -- “Trail of Two Cities” links campus and communities
- -- Alumni professionals sought for 12th Career Night
Return to Top-------------------------------------------------------------
BARRY BARTEL INAUGURATED AS BETHEL’S 13TH PRESIDENT
Nearly 1,000 people gathered in Memorial Hall for a worship service in the morning and inaugural ceremonies in the afternoon on Sunday, Oct. 8, to inaugurate 1984 alumnus Barry Bartel as Bethel’s 13th president. The inauguration was the final event of Fall Festival 2006, which drew an estimated 6,000 people to campus for food, visiting, fine arts, lectures, alumni reunions, children’s activities and sports events on Saturday, Oct. 7.
The “holy space” of Bethel College (named from the Hebrew Beth-El, “house of God”) was a much-invoked metaphor during the inauguration.
“With the foundation in Christ reflected on our seal, the founders created … this house of God, this holy space,” Bartel said. “What an incredible vision and risk, a vision and a heritage we continue to nurture in the company of this great cloud of witnesses. And now that vision is a sacred trust, the leadership of which I accept today.”
In the morning, Angela Opimi, whom Barry and Brenda Bartel had known as a church youth leader and a co-worker when they served with Mennonite Central Committee in Bolivia, who is now MCC country representative in Nicaragua, read the New Testament Scripture. In the afternoon, Willi Hugo Pérez, president of the Seminario Latinoamericano Anabautista SEMILLA in Guatemala City, brought greetings in Spanish and English on behalf of all Mennonite institutions of higher education. Barry and Brenda Bartel spent a total of eight years in MCC service in Haiti and Bolivia.
Ronald J.R. Mathies, former director of Mennonite Central Committee who is now a visiting scholar at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ont., in his commissioning address lifted up Bartel’s “global perspective” as one of the gifts he brings to the presidency.
“You have experienced that meeting people--really meeting people and ‘walking in their shoes’--is a profound and transformational experience,” Mathies said. “You have learned to travel not as a tourist but as a pilgrim. … Pilgrims journey through life recognizing they are on holy ground, that God is already there.”
Return to Top-------------------------------------------------------------
ENROLLMENT INCREASES BY ALMOST 5 PERCENT
One of the strongest incoming classes in the past several years boosted Bethel College’s total enrollment by almost 5 percent over last year. Bethel has 539 students this fall as compared to 514 in fall 2005.
“This is [also] one of the strongest classes academically that we’ve had in a number of years,” said vice president of admissions Allan Bartel. “We awarded more of our top three academic scholarships than we have in recent years.”
These numbers also represent a retention rate of 85 percent of students who were on campus last spring, excluding those who graduated.
Eighty-two first-year students come from Kansas, representing 44 different high schools across the state. Besides Kansas, the new students (including transfers) come from Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas and Washington.
Of the new students on campus, 104 are first-time freshmen and 81 are transfers. Of the transfers, 20 are from countries outside the United States: China, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo. The two students from Germany are part of Bethel’s historic exchange program with the Bergische Universität in Wuppertal. There is also one first-time freshman student from Sweden.
Return to Top-------------------------------------------------------------
MUSIC DEPARTMENT HOSTS 90 STUDENTS
The Bethel College Music Department hosted 90 band members from Independence High School on Saturday, Sept. 23. The musicians saw the campus, enjoyed a meal with faculty and students, and performed at the halftime of the Bethel vs. Tabor College football game in the evening.
The band, which will perform for the Cotton Bowl in January 2007, played the national anthem at the beginning of the game, and marched to selections from “Phantom of the Opera” at halftime. The stands were filled with spectators. The Thresher football team beat Tabor 26-10.
Richard Tirk initiated the invitation to band director Erin Shelton, whom he knew from teaching previously at Independence Community College. The Music Department will be inviting more high school music groups to campus throughout the year.
Return to Top-------------------------------------------------------------
NEW WEB DESIGN INITIATED WITH SPORTS PAGES
Bethel College is in the process of carrying out a major update on its Web site, www.bethelks.edu. To see what’s been done so far, check out the new Thresher athletics site at www.bethelthreshers.com,
(there’s also a link at the top of the Bethel home page).
When you visit the new site, look for the link that allows viewers to download free computer desktop wallpaper with the fall sports schedule of their choice.
Return to Top-------------------------------------------------------------
“TRAIL OF TWO CITIES” LINKS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITIES
A new extension of the Newton walking and bike path now links an existing trail in North Newton via the Bethel College campus. The trail, which also provides access to the Sand Creek Trail, was completed in early fall.
The north end of the previous trail through Newton ended at Centennial Park. Now a 10-foot-wide, concrete path runs north along Kansas Avenue, turns west along 24th Street, crosses at the edge of campus, and runs east of Warkentin Court and Voth Hall. It turns west again to the bridge across Kidron Creek near The Granary. After crossing the bridge, walkers and bikers may follow the path left and cross a new bridge that replaces the old “swinging bridge” just north of Krehbiel Science Center to continue west through the campus to Kauffman Museum and beyond. They may also leave the new path at the bridge to go east on Sand Creek Trail.
Federal, state, county, Newton, North Newton and Bethel College funds made the extension possible. The new trail, nicknamed “The Trail of Two Cities,” was dedicated at Taste of Newton on Thursday, Oct. 5. Rather than performing a traditional ribbon cutting to open the trail, city representatives brought two sections of ribbon together to symbolize the linking of the two communities.
ALUMNI PROFESSIONALS SOUGHT FOR 12TH CAREER NIGHTEach November since 1995, the Student Alumni Association (SAA) has planned and hosted Career Night, where students have the opportunity to interact with alumni about job options and professions. The 12th annual event is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 15, beginning with a meal for alumni at 6 p.m. and followed by the career fair in Memorial Hall from 7:30-9 p.m.
Alumni professionals are invited to represent their professions and life experience at this year’s Career Night. Representatives sit at tables in Memorial Hall gym and students stop by to visit. Many alumni bring displays and literature to share with students as well as prizes for a drawing held at the end of the evening. Last year over 50 alumni and nearly 130 students attended.
Alumni who are interested in volunteering should e-mail SAA advisor Dave Linscheid at dlin@bethelks.edu.
Return to Top-------------------------------------------------------------
“Thresher E-View” is sent to you courtesy of the Bethel College Alumni Association. The editor is Dave Linscheid, director of alumni relations. Questions about this issue may be e-mailed to alumni@bethelks.edu. Back issues are available at www.bethelks.edu/alumni/E-View. Additional news is at www.bethelks.edu/news/.
If you do not wish to receive “Thresher E-View,” e-mail alumni@bethelks.edu with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line and your full name and address (and class year, if a Bethel alumnus) as text.
Alumni may submit “Class Notes” for “Context” magazine and update information online at https://www.bethelks.edu/alumni/update/.
For current Bethel College employment opportunities see www.bethelks.edu/hr/openings/.
For additional information about Bethel College go to www.bethelks.edu or contact Office of Alumni Relations, 300 East 27th Street, North Newton, KS 67117, (316) 284-5251, alumni@bethelks.edu. Thank you.