Possibly the longest continuous collegiate exchange partnership in the world, between Bethel College and the University of Wuppertal, Germany, is celebrating 75 years in 2026.
Commemorative activities already took place in Germany in June, and more are planned for Oct. 17-18 on the Bethel campus and locally.
Bethel alumna Erna Fast was doing post-World War II relief work in Germany in 1950 when she met young Germans looking for ways to start or resume university studies in the face of massive devastation of institutions and infrastructure.
When she reported on the situation to students, faculty and staff at Bethel, there was immediate interest in establishing some kind of student support project, which was set up with the Pädagogische-Hochschule, or Teachers College, in Wuppertal.
By the second year, 1951, the Bethel students proposed sponsoring a Wuppertal student to come to their campus for a year. The first to do so was Fritz Potreck.
In 1953, the fourth year, Otto Driedger became the first Bethel student to make the exchange two-way.
Over 75 years, more than 200 students have participated in the exchange with the Bergische Universität Wuppertal (BUW), which the teachers college evolved to.
Not even Covid-19 interrupted the exchange, as then-Wuppertal student Antonino Mangiapane (now Bethel accounting assistant) chose to stay at Bethel after the campus shut down in March 2020, and continued into the following year.
On June 4, the Bethel College Concert Choir made the final stop of its 2026 Europe tour in Wuppertal. Their concert in Wuppertal’s CityKirche included some pieces performed with the BUW vocal ensemble.
Wuppertal Mayor Heiner Fragemann welcomed the American guests, saying, “We are very pleased that the closing concert marking the 75th anniversary of the partnership between the two institutions took place here in Wuppertal.
“The long-standing friendship between Bethel College and the University of Wuppertal is rooted in a shared curiosity about the world and a belief in the power of international understanding, science and the arts.”
“In times when international cooperation cannot be taken for granted, long-standing partnerships such as ours with Bethel College are particularly valuable,” said BUW rector Dr. Bettina Wolff, who coordinates the exchange at BUW.
“They remind us how important it is to keep doors open, to talk to one another and … to cultivate academic, cultural and personal exchange. For young people in particular, such an exchange can sometimes be a game-changer in their lives.”
Louisa Lehmann, a 2026 Bethel graduate who first came to the college from Wuppertal, is the new exchange coordinator on the Bethel side.
Dr. Jon Gering attended the anniversary celebration as one of his last duties as Bethel president. Echoing Wolff, he said, “A 75-year exchange program is not an accident. It is the result of many individual decisions to show up, engage and trust others who are different from yourself.
“The exchange program changes the hearts and minds of young people. The program should serve as a model, and a challenge, for other institutions that wish to build capacity for global understanding and cooperation.
“Bethel College is a better place because of Wuppertal, and I believe the reverse is equally true. In a world that makes division easy, this partnership keeps choosing otherwise.”
While in Wuppertal, the Bethel representatives met with former and current exchange participants, as well as representatives of the BUW rectorate and the U.S. Consul General in North Rhine-Westphalia, Preeti V. Shah.
The most common majors for students participating in the Bethel-Wuppertal exchange are English and American studies. Among the ideas discussed was extending the exchange to additional subjects and to teaching staff, enabling others from BUW to spend time at Bethel.
Gering, himself a biologist, also held discussions with representatives from the BUW biology department.
During their visit, the American guests had a chance to explore the city, on foot and by “hovering” above the Wupper river in the Schwebebahn, the iconic suspension monorail.
In addition to its long-standing history, the close bond maintained by former exchange students distinguishes the Bethel-Wuppertal program. The Friends of Bethel CollegeAssociation (Förderverein der Freunde des Bethel College e.V.), founded in 1997, is highly committed tosupporting American students in Wuppertal.
“Every year, students on both sides of the Atlantic are given the chance to gain new experiences and get to know their mutual cultures. It is very likely that this leads to friendships that last a lifetime,” said association chair Alexander Froehlich.
A special hospitality booth at Fall Fest on Oct. 17 will be a place for Wuppertal exchange participants to gather, relax and reminisce, as will a Saturday afternoon Bergische Waffeln (coffee/tea and waffles) hosted by Kauffman Museum.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel was the only Kansas college or university selected for the American Association of College & Universities’ 2021 Institute on Truth, Community Healing and Transformation, and has been named a TCHT Campus Center. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu
