Bethel Magazine Spring 2019

The Bethel Magazine is published two times each year for alumni and friends of the college. Please send correspondence and address changes to the editor. BETHEL MAGAZINE 1001 Bethel Circle Mishawaka, IN 46545 Email: Lissa.Diaz@BethelCollege.edu Phone: 574.807.7384 Website: BethelCollege.edu / Magazine Founded in 1947 by the Missionary Church, Bethel College is an accredited Christian college offering associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in more than 50 areas of study. At Bethel you will find a spirited community of nearly 1,500 learners who engage their minds and hearts, seeking ways to be of real service in the world. To learn more, visit BethelCollege.edu . PRESIDENT Gregg A. Chenoweth, Ph.D. VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC SERVICES Barbara Bellefeuille, Ed.D. VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Terry Elam, Ph.D. INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT FOR BUSINESS SERVICES Dick Regan VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Rich Cummins, CFRE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Shawn Holtgren ’95, Ph.D. EDITOR Lissa (Grashorn) Diaz ’07 ASSISTANT COPY EDITORS Erin Kinzel Susan Miller CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Andrew Bowen ’09 Lissa (Grashorn) Diaz ’07 Michael Ehret ’04 Erin Kinzel Susan Miller ART DIRECTOR Trevor Clark CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Lissa (Grashorn) Diaz ’07 PHOTOGRAPHERS Grant Beachy Keith Cooper Peter Ringenberg ’03 COVER PHOTO Peter Ringenberg ’03 Bethel A P U B L I C AT I O N O F B E T H E L C O L L E G E , I N D . V O L U M E 2 9 , I S S U E 2 This magazine signals our shift from College to University, effective May 6. Right now, we occupy a crease in time between past and future. I am aware of that crease whenever I ask alumni, “What do you hope never changes here?” (past), and ask prospective students, “What do you want out of a college?” (future). Sometimes their answers are identical. Past and future students want a spiritually authentic place that is relationally deep. I’m glad our student surveys rank Bethel far above other schools in “expressions of concern for individuals;” that 7 in 10 traditional students have a mentor; that recently 100 students stood in Chapel in commitment to deeper discipleship. But sometimes answers from alumni and prospective students diverge, for good reason. Sarah Caldicott reminds us in her book, “Midnight Lunch,” that we are living in a “third economic revolution in human history, a massively transformational era 10 times shorter (and accelerated) than the Industrial Age which preceded it.” So, we race to the future. Right now, in the College to University crease in time, we build our 15th online format program, construct two labs for new Computer Science and Cyber Security degrees (with a new professor who was a research fellow for NASA and database consultant for AT&T), offer a virtual tour through campus on our website, increase social media traffic eight-fold, and launch Swimming and Bowling teams (fall 2019). But in this rush to contemporize, we hear an echo of Virginia Krake. On Sept. 27, 1948, as a member of Bethel’s second graduating class, she told the “Bethel Beacon” newspaper: “I have found Bethel a real stepping stone in my Christian experience, and believe that because of Bethel the Lord has helped me see His way more clearly and do His will more fully. My earnest prayer is that through Bethel the Lord may continue to bless many young people as He has blessed me.” Sure, a move to University includes tech. But Virginia’s values remain. Gregg A. Chenoweth, Ph.D. President From the President Gregg A. Chenoweth, Ph.D. “I ask alumni, “What do you hope never changes here?” (past), and ask prospective students, “What do you want out of a college?” (future).” 2 BethelCollege.edu/Magazine