GREATer Updates – Fall 2015

Here are some examples of the GREAT momentum building on campus as we strive to become GREATer, for the greater glory of God.

G: GROW

Fall 2015 marked the largest traditional new student class in four years (freshman and transfers) and the largest graduate school enrollment in Bethel history.
Our Center for Professional Development (formerly the Center for Customized Training) program awarded 230 certificates inside workplaces, in the first calendar year and 527 in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
New athletic programs launched this fall include: men’s rugby, women’s lacrosse and a coed drumline.
New academic programs launched this fall include: a worship arts major and minor, a master’s degree in counseling and a special education track in the Master of Education program.

R: REVIVAL

Our Spiritual Emphasis Week under guest preacher Tony Myles has resulted in full altars, testimonies of salvation, and volunteerism by students to start prayer groups and by staff and faculty to mentor and disciple. Seven students were baptized in the reflection pond to close out the week.
ReDiscover: An Optimistic Holiness Perspective for Our Time launched its first two sessions, bringing pastors and Bethel staff together to reflect on theological identity during the Missionary Church National Conference and faculty retreat.
At a summer boys basketball camp, 23 campers rededicated their lives to Christ or made first-time commitments.
During the Alaska task force trip in May, 20 teens in the village of Noatak made decisions for Christ (some first time commitments, some recommitments) and significant ministry took place to others in the community and church.
On Jan. 16, 2016, Bethel will host the second “ReFuel” conference for worship teams and leaders, with keynote speaker and nationally known worship leader Paul Baloche.

E: ENCORE

An $8,500 grant from the Charles Koch Foundation will add value to the Bethel experience for business students, funding a reading group, film screening and speaker series. This is the seventh year Bethel has received similar grants from the Koch Foundation.
Traditional admission visits increased by 70 percent this year.
A $30,000 donation will support innovation training for half of our full-time employees over the next two years.
The physical plant is using an “undercover inspector” to help identify anything that might affect Bethel’s first impression.

A: AESTHETICS

New curbs, staff parking spaces and 1-hour parking spaces were added near the front of Huffman Administration Building.
Construction continues on the new softball field (on schedule to be used this fall) and on the new athletic park entrance.
New estate fencing has been installed along Liberty Drive, adding a distinguished look to the east entrance of campus.
The institutional Advancement Office reports that for the 2014-15 fiscal year, the number of alumni who are giving is up 17 percent.

T: TESTIFY

For the 12th year in a row, Bethel College has been designated a top tier college by U.S. News and World Report, ranking No. 19 in the Midwest region for the third straight year.
Washington Monthly has ranked Bethel College No. 16 of 403 (top 4 percent) in the Midwest on their 2015 list of the “Best Bang for the Buck Colleges.” This exclusive list rates colleges that are doing the best job of helping non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.
For the fifth year in a row, Bethel has been nationally recognized as a College of Distinction and we are one of only 58 schools from across the nation to be honored specifically as a Christian College of Distinction.