The 1960s and ’70s saw a building boom at Bethel, beginning with Haury Hall, completed in 1958, with a major addition in 1963. The lead gift of $50,000 came from the Bethel College Women’s Association (BCWA), who held multiple fundraisers. Its name, Women’s Residence Hall, indicated its function. The building was renamed Dr Haury Hall after Linda Krehbiel Haury, who taught elocution at Bethel, a prominent Newtonian and daughter of Bethel co-founder J.J. Krehbiel.

Today, Haury Hall houses both men and women and is designated for first-year students. It fosters a close-knit, family-like environment with many shared spaces. Haury is a cornerstone of the freshman experience, embodying community and tradition.

The campaign goal is $11 million for larger pods in the north wing (the 1963 addition); renovations of hall bathrooms and kitchen and laundry facilities on the first floor; new finishes in rooms, hallways and social spaces; and replacement/upgrades of HVAC, utilities and plumbing, plus an additional $1 million for a maintenance endowment.

Bethel is working with Heritage Consulting and Shelden Architecture to add Haury Hall to the Kansas historic registry. If the effort succeeds and the state accepts the renovation project, expenses would qualify for 40% tax credits.

Research consistently shows that a student’s first year plays a decisive role in long-term success, sense of belonging, and graduation outcomes. A fully renovated facility will provide a safe, comfortable, community-oriented residence hall that fosters academic focus, social connection, and overall well-being. Modern amenities and functionality will allow Bethel to remain competitive in an environment where residential quality strongly influences recruitment and retention.

• Reimagine kitchen, laundry and community spaces to strengthen connection and belonging
• Update finishes in rooms, restrooms, hallways and community spaces
• Create flexible study and gathering spaces that support academic success
• Replace HVAC, electrical and plumbing to provide energy efficiency
• Ensure Haury Hall remains a vibrant, functional first-year home for decades to come

Fundraising will begin in January 2026. If the state approves the nomination of and application for Haury Hall to be on the Kansas historic places registry, up to 40% of building expenses will be issued in tax credits. The historic registry process will take at least a year.

Installing artificial turf on Allen Wedel Field addresses a number of maintenance and use issues. Weather-related field conditions currently limit practice opportunities and force frequent game and practice rescheduling or cancellation. Turf will provide a consistent, high-quality playing surface that enhances performance, reliability and the overall student-athlete experience while positioning Bethel’s women’s softball as a competitive and innovative athletic program.

Turf will strengthen recruitment and retention and allow for more consistent practice and game scheduling. The Bethel turf softball field would be the only one in the area, allowing for revenue-generating rental opportunities.

A challenge of $350,000 has been provided by a donor. Our goal is $750,000 to install softball field turf.

Over the years, faculty have bequeathed five homes adjacent to campus along College Avenue that have served a variety of purposes: student and staff housing, office space for campus and outside entities, guest housing. These residences—Richert, Kliewer, Kaufman, Welty and Wedel—have the potential to become income-generating assets for the college. Best use of the homes is yet to be determined, but recommendations include long-term single home rentals, office space, apartments for faculty, or short-term AirBnb rentals.

Recently, the Baumgartner house just south of the Luyken Fine Arts Center parking lot has been transformed into an AirBnB guest house, generating an alternative revenue stream for the college. This concept also offers revenue and employment experiences for students.

Campaign goal for the College Avenue Homes is $1.25M for renovation and $750,000 for acquisition and maintenance.

Diversifying revenue streams is essential in today’s higher education environment. Strategic investment in the rehabilitation and long-term care of the College Avenue homes will create a dependable new source of income that directly supports student initiatives, the development of new classes, and other critical capital needs across campus. At the same time, these revitalized properties will enhance the physical appearance, hospitality and appeal of Bethel’s campus community.

• Establish a dedicated maintenance fund to protect these assets long-term
• Purchase additional homes adjacent to the campus that could be revenue generating
• Make the College Avenue corridor more welcoming and visually appealing

Fundraising will begin January 2026. Renovations will start when funds are available.

In fall 2024, Bethel launched a bold enhancement of its undergraduate experience, building on its long-standing history of service, community and practical learning. Through the Employment Experiences (EE) program, education becomes a lived experience, using a work-learning-service model.

The First-Year Seminar sets a liberal arts foundation by teaching or reinforcing skills in critical thinking and effective speaking and writing. The second-year Vocation Seminar will help students understand their Bethel education and their vocation – their “calling” – not only as preparation for work success but also, in the best spirit of the liberal arts, for a meaningful life connected and contributing to the wellbeing of others.

Campus jobs in the first and second year allow students to gain skills and experience, which can be carried into the third and fourth year when student jobs focus on their degree fields. This job experience will take place in business settings in the community and beyond, whether locally and in person, or remotely.

Every student will graduate with a Bethel liberal arts education alongside robust work experience, a comprehensive resume, professional references and a verified work transcript. This work transcript plus the traditional academic transcript will give prospective employers a complete picture of a Bethel graduate prepared for the workforce, which enhances the chance of being hired. In addition, students earn $2,500 per year toward tuition by completing 80 hours of work each semester.

Bethel graduates will not only hold a degree—they will enter the workforce with confidence, with leadership and communication skills, and with responsibility honed through experience. Two years of work experience directly related to their degrees will give students an advantage over graduates from peer institutions. Bethel grads will be prepared to make an immediate impact in their communities and professions.

To fully embrace this initiative, Bethel has invested in new infrastructure and is working toward six successful years of operation, after which the college hopes to access federal dollars to help ensure the program’s future sustainability.

• Provide $2,500 per year in EE grants to each participating student
• Fund essential staff to guide, grow and deepen student placement opportunities
• Expand marketing efforts to grow employer and community partnerships
• Build systems to track student progress and work hours
• Implement performance evaluation tools and supervisor training

Infrastructure development and program growth began in 2023, with a focus on strengthening operations, expanding placements, and sustaining student grant support. Progression toward long-term federal funding eligibility will continue throughout the campaign.

Your investment simultaneously reduces student debt and prepares Bethel graduates for meaningful lives of work and service. The campaign seeks $4 million to support student EE grants and will continue to grow the Employment Experiences endowment toward a long-term goal of $21 million—ensuring this transformative program remains accessible and sustainable for future generations.

With a history of excellent liberal arts education since 1887, Bethel is expanding its educational impact across the region by launching and continuing to build out an online Workforce Development Certificate (WFD) program. These certificates extend Bethel’s mission beyond the traditional four-year, on-site undergraduate degree and allow the college to serve new populations of learners.

The WFD initiative enhances Bethel’s ability to deliver timely, needed education in flexible formats that meet the realities of today’s workforce. These programs align directly with Bethel’s goal of preparing students to pursue meaningful lives of work and service by equipping learners with practical, career-relevant skills that support immediate professional growth.

• Expand access to online, career-focused education across Kansas and the region
• Reach students beyond the traditional undergraduate population
• Strengthen Bethel’s mission of work, learning and service
• Support continued development and implementation of certificate programs
• Increase Bethel’s educational and workforce impact
• Build long-term sustainability for non-traditional educational pathways
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Continued implementation and program growth are planned through the end of FY2027.

Bethel seeks to raise $1.5 million for continued growth and implementation of the Workforce Development Certificate program through FY2027. Your support expands access to practical education, strengthens the Kansas workforce, and extends Bethel’s mission of service and preparation far beyond the campus.

Bethel is expanding its educational opportunities by launching fully online degree programs. This initiative marks a major milestone in extending Bethel’s reach while remaining rooted in its strong liberal arts tradition.

Bethel currently offers 40 areas of study and has a long history of academic excellence. The online degree initiative builds directly on the college’s goal of increasing educational impact. Most importantly, it creates access for students who face barriers to full-time, on-site degree completion—whether due to work, family, location or other life circumstances—allowing them to earn a Bethel degree from wherever they are.

• Launch fully online undergraduate degree programs
• Expand access for students unable to attend on campus full time
• Extend Bethel’s educational impact beyond geographic boundaries
• Strengthen enrollment opportunities through flexible learning options
• Build the infrastructure needed to support high-quality online instruction
• Sustain Bethel’s liberal arts mission in a new delivery format

Program development is underway with the first online undergraduate degrees launching in the 2026-27 academic year.

An urgent investment of $550,000 is needed to fully embrace this initiative. Your support will purchase Canvas, a new user-friendly software that provides an improved experience for faculty and students.

The Bethel College Fund (BC Fund) is Bethel’s annual fund for unrestricted giving and provides the widest-reaching support for campus life. When tuition alone does not fully cover the cost of delivering a high-quality Bethel education, the BC Fund, at $1.35 million annually, makes up ~9% of the annual budget.

Unrestricted giving allows the college to respond to real-time needs across campus and invest where support is most immediately required. The BC Fund helps cover the cost of faculty and staff salaries, rising utilities and insurance—to name just a few of the essentials.

• Support academic programs across all areas of study
• Fund faculty development and instructional excellence
• Strengthen instructional resources and classroom experiences
• Enhance student life services and campus programming
• Provide operational flexibility when tuition alone is not sufficient
• Allow donors to make a broad, campus-wide impact through a single gift

The funding goal for FY2026 is $1.35 million, with the target increasing by 5% annually over the four years of the campaign.

Your gift to the Bethel College Fund powers the everyday work of the college and touches nearly every student experience. By giving to the BC Fund, donors ensure Bethel remains agile, strong and mission-driven—able to meet both immediate needs and future opportunities with confidence.

Consider increasing your BC fund gift by 5%.