The newly completed amphitheater is located on the south side of the dining commons.

Class of ’12 and ’62 Build Amphitheater

A new 60-seat amphitheater has been added to campus. You’ll find this outdoor classroom, and hopefully small performance site, located on the south side of the Dining Commons next to the steps. This $11,000 project was completely funded by donations from the class of 2012 and the 50-year class of 1962.

7th Graders Become College Students for a Day

About 130 students from Jefferson Intermediate in South Bend, Ind., experienced “college for a day” over a two-day period at Bethel. The schedule included visits to classrooms, information sessions about applying to college and for financial aid, as well as a campus tour and even graduation at the end of the day.

First Intercultural Festival

The center for intercultural development (CID) planned its first intercultural festival last semester. The festivities included a gospel concert and fashion show, chapel service, silent auction and heritage meal. In the future, CID wants to celebrate all the different cultures on campus for a week.

Nontraditional Programs Adds Degree

Nontraditional programs added criminal justice to their degree offerings this fall. Other programs include Bible and ministry, busi-ness, early childhood education, general studies, human services, nursing BSN completion and organizational management.

Breaking Ground for Bookstore and  Coffeehouse Expansion

Bethel held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the Bethel Bookstore, which will also include the school’s cof-feehouse, Sufficient Grounds. On the bookstore side there will be expanded space to allow growth in areas such as consumer electronics and a convenience store. It will also include space for reading and study. The coffeehouse side will offer space similar to the current location on McKinley Avenue, but with the addition of some meeting space and a “stage” area to host “unplugged” acoustic events. Construction for the $1.1 million facility is expected to be completed in November.

Bethel Recognized as a Top Tier College

Bethel earned the 24th spot among the Midwest’s Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the 2013 edition of “America’s Best Col-leges” by U.S. News Media Group. Nationally, there are more than 370 schools in the Regional Colleges category, and overall Bethel came in at 60. That puts Bethel in the top 16 percent of all Bac-calaureate Colleges. This is the ninth consecutive year that Bethel has been ranked as a top tier school. All the rankings are available at usnews.com/colleges.

Bethel Hosts Community Forum to Combat Poverty

The business department hosted Seek the Welfare of the City, a two-night conference, in the Everest-Rohrer Chapel/Fine Arts Center — Auditorium on Oct. 2 and 3. Sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, a research and educational think tank, the panelists explored proven measures to overcome the issues of poverty in the South Bend/Mishawaka community and beyond. The over-arching goal was to give audience members a better understanding of the root causes of poverty. The speakers and panelists helped to educate participants on public policies that are reducing poverty, along with how churches, nonprofits and businesses can effectively contribute to alleviating poverty in the community.

Athletic Hall of Famers Honored

Bethel recently hosted the 2012 Athletic Hall of Fame induction banquet in the Wiekamp Athletic Center lobby. This year’s Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, pictured below, included Hope (Lawson ’99) Hoezee, a four-year letter winner in volleyball and basketball; Jackie (Tepe ’95) Kronewitter, a four-year letter winner in volleyball; and Katie (Malkewicz ’01) Weiss, a three-year letter winner in volleyball.