Co-Curricular Annual Report Public Summaries
(Full reports available in the H Drive under Assessment Committee)
Athletics
This year’s assessment report for the athletic department displays continued growth within the assessment structure and the overall athletic department. Bethel is a unique place where many of our students are athletes. We recognize the importance of evaluating all components of our athletic teams and department. A significant area of growth that we saw this past year was the cumulative GPA for all athletes, which was over 3.0. Another area of growth was the retention of a large athletic population on campus, with over 40 more athletes in 2019-2020 than the year before, while exceeding our 10-year retention average during a pandemic. All areas of campus are strongly connected, and I find it no coincidence this past year that we scored the highest amount of conference (KCAC) commissioner cup points in school history while also achieving the highest Champions of Character point total in school history, a perfect 100 points. Areas we must continue to improve are our 4-year graduation rates and consistent retention numbers. Continuing to track these more effectively will be vital for us in the future so that we can be very deliberate about setting specific department and program goals that we can monitor to drive us toward overall improvement for the college. Hiring the Vice President for Enrollment Management will be a vital resource for us all on campus to drive us toward improvement during a time of uncertainty within higher education. The growth we have seen, specifically within our department, provides me hope that we are embracing these new challenges with new ideas that will drive us toward future success as an institution.
Career Services
Career Services’ goals were not met for FY19-20; however, the number of individual students worked with was up by 103%. There are no plans to change departmental goals as they are attainable. The director plans to continue examining advertising strategy for the department to see which method results in more student interaction.
Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is actively listening and looking to improve the racial and gender equity environment on campus. All the initiatives are created to bolster awareness of oppression and privilege. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, working in partnership with other areas of the college, is committed to increasing the diversity of faculty and staff and creating different resources that assure inclusivity on campus. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion will increase the resources for students to learn about forms of privilege and oppression and how to recognize and avoid replicating these systemic issues. Students can apply this experience to their daily lives by participating in different student clubs and organizations.
Student Life (Student Activities, Residence Life, Community Connections, Religious Life)
Student Activities – The Thresher Day Assessment reports which sessions students found the most “effective,” the plan is to modify the Thresher Day Survey to gauge the student’s understanding of campus resources, information, and strategies that will enhance their academic and overall student performance. As we progress, we will also try to implement fun yet meaningful activities demonstrating what it means to be a “Thresher.”
The Student Government Association (SGA) will continue programming high-quality organized events. The results of our post-evaluations demonstrated great collaborative teamwork in creating events and ideas. As we move forward, the goal is to create fun and creative methods of advertising campus events.
Residence Life – The goals expressed in programming for 2019-2020 were a good start toward building a solid platform for CA programming. Still, some changes are necessary, including building a more holistic programming model with defined expectations. COVID-19 is disrupting those goals, but progress is being made, although not as quickly as desired. The prior residence life coordinator hired a great group of CAs, and the Color Code Evaluation assisted the CA team in identifying strengths and how to work together, whether in programming or other endeavors. As the all-campus-wide program could not be achieved due to COVID-19, the CA staff will seek to achieve that this fall semester in October. With COVID-19 being a disruptor, RES seeks to provide as positive an experience as possible for resident students in quarantine and isolation using student feedback to enhance the student experience when in quarantine or isolation.
Community Connections – It is important to keep our Community Connections in place for Bethel College students. The Host Family program and Bethel College Parents Association are centered on interacting with students in person, on campus, and in their homes. With COVID-19, this is a challenging time. Still, it can be accomplished by re-evaluating the programs and gathering feedback from students, parents, and families to ensure their questions are answered and their needs are met. We need to find better ways to track and report data accurately. Finally, increasing opportunities to educate and find alternative ways to interact with meaning will be important in the future.
Religious Life – A wide variety of faith perspectives continue to be offered and shared during weekly chapel services at Bethel College, which provides opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to broaden their understanding of faith and faith development. Service Day, an annual Bethel College tradition of expressing one of our core values, had a student participation rate above 90%, indicating a willingness to engage in this part of the college’s mission and values. Bethel Worship Center, a new Sunday morning on-campus worship service, began in the fall of 2019 and was well-attended by students. When this report was written, there was interest and energy in continuing this worship service during the 2020-21 school year. Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the Campus Ministries department, as weekly gatherings for chapel services became impossible. The Campus Pastor managed this sudden transition well, though regular participation in Bethel College’s spiritual life was affected. The department will look for new and virtual ways of gathering, which will open new opportunities for people from near and far to join Bethel College’s spiritual life.
Academic Co-Curricular
Center for Academic Development
Despite the challenges brought upon the college due to COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, available data suggest that the Center for Academic Development continues to be successful in assisting students in their efforts to be successful in their academic endeavors. While unusual circumstances hampered the usual collection of supporting data, several changes and improvements have been implemented to achieve the stated goals.
Library
This was our first year assessing this goal and the outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic affected our ability to collect and assess data. For this school year, we plan to adjust our surveys and how they are administered and then look to see what our assessments tell us about whether our students are meeting our program goal. Assessments will be adjusted based on the outcomes.
Collegian
Before Fall 2019, there was no assessment mechanism in place by which the activities of The Collegian were measured. Additionally, because of the impact of COVID-19, outside agencies canceled some activities, and some activities were not achievable under current practices. Therefore, several of the desired outcomes were not met. However, this report’s goals, outcomes, instruments, and objectives clearly indicate that Collegian leaders are committed to an assessment and growth mindset. We are confident that the 2019-2020 assessment report will assist us in planning for the 2020-2021 academic year. We anticipate that the 2020-2021 assessment report will prove revealing and assist us in our goal of consistent improvement.