Campus News – Fall 2021

BU-X Adds Youth For Christ as Extension Site
Bethel University announces an exciting partnership with Youth For Christ (YFC) USA, which will allow YFC staff members around the country to complete a college education at a reduced rate. YFC has become an extension site with Bethel University Extension Studies (BU-X). The initiative will allow YFC staff and volunteers to enroll at Bethel University for an online program to earn a fully accredited associate or bachelor’s degree. It will also allow recently graduated high school seniors who are interested in joining the YFC staff to participate while serving in a local YFC USA chapter.

“Youth For Christ is one of the premier evangelical ministry organizations in the world and Bethel University is thrilled for this partnership to help them further their mission around the USA and beyond,” says Barb Bellefeuille, Ed.D., interim president of Bethel University.

Bethel Celebrates Coach Homer Drew
An Evening with Homer Drew, held Sept. 14 in the Trustee Board Room on campus, drew 58 friends and former players to hear Coach Drew speak. Drew was head men’s basketball coach at Bethel University from 1976 to 1987. Though Drew could not be at the event in person, he was able to address the crowd via Zoom. Proceeds from the evening went to renovate and refresh the wellness and fitness space in Goodman Gymnasium. To join this effort, please make a gift at BethelUniversity.edu/Give and designate your gift to “Goodman Renovation.”

Boot Camps to Prepare Workers for Jobs in Cloud Computing
Bethel University is offering free boot camps in the area of cloud computing basics and services for adults and high school students. These camps, funded through the Labs for Industry Futures and Transformation (LIFT) Workforce Accelerator Grant, will help equip Michiana’s information technology (IT) community to understand cloud technology, ultimately preparing them to analyze the different advanced cloud options for companies and move toward a career in cloud computing. Boot camps started on Aug. 31, 2021, and will continue to be offered throughout 2022. To learn more, visit BethelUniversity.edu/CloudBootCamp.

Bethel Partners with United Federal Credit Union for Annual Service Day
Bethel University’s 32nd annual campus-wide Service Day took place on Sept. 28. Sponsored by United Federal Credit Union (United), Bethel students, faculty, staff and United employees served together throughout Michiana. Some locations served this year included Center for the Homeless, Foodbank of Northern Indiana, Transformation Ministries, City of South Bend, Goodwill Industries and the Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County.

IGNITE Series Focuses on Spiritual Formation
Bethel University’s IGNITE (spiritual emphasis) Series took place Sept. 10-17 on campus. This year’s series kicked off with a special viewing of “The Chosen” at Jenkins Stadium (baseball field) with a special welcome from Dallas Jenkins, writer/director of the series (the stadium is named after his family). The series speaker was the Rev. Courtney Richards, a global missionary focused on mentoring young leaders in the church and making disciples.

Bethel Welcomes New Students to Campus
Welcome Week, held Aug. 13-18, gave new students a chance to get to know campus, each other and the surrounding Mishawaka/South Bend community. Students got to choose from local excursions including white water rafting down the East Race Waterway, the high ropes course at Rum Village Aerial Park, Potawatomi Zoo, arts in the park, local coffee houses and more.

Bethel University Hosts Summer Camps for Kids
This summer, Bethel University offered its annual academic and sports camps for kids. Academic camps in science, theatre and art gave campers the chance to explore their interests with Bethel faculty. Sports camps, directed by Bethel coaches, included basketball, soccer, cheer, esports, track and field, volleyball and more. Students enjoyed building friendships with other campers while developing the skills and team mindset of their sport.

Give Back Gala Raises $135,000
On June 12, Bethel University hosted its fourth annual Give Back Gala. The hybrid in-person and virtual event featured an inspiring message from pro football hall of famer Tim Brown. More than 200 guests attended, enjoying dinner and live entertainment. The night raised more than $135,000 toward Bethel student scholarships and areas of greatest need.

Bethel Hosts Commencement Ceremonies for the Classes of 2020 and 2021
More than 315 students participated in Bethel University’s two 2021 commencement ceremonies, held Saturday, May 1, in the Wiekamp Athletic Center on campus. The 74th year’s graduation activities also included a nurse pinning ceremony and the traditional procession through campus.

The class of 2020 was welcomed back to campus for the postponed 73rd commencement ceremony on April 30. Of 363 graduates from the 2020 class, 115 returned to walk. These graduates were the first to pass through Commencement Gate in the Krake Courtyard of the new Van and Jean Gates Welcome Center, and the first to graduate since Bethel’s name change to University.

The speaker was alumna Heather Gilbert ’02, J.D., CI/CT, SC:L, President and Managing Attorney of Gilbert Law PLLC.

Bethel University receives 2021 Ball Venture Fund Grant
Bethel University was recently awarded $25,000 through the 2021 Ball Venture Fund grant. Sponsored by the Ball Brothers Foundation of Muncie, Ind., the Ball Venture Fund provides seed funding for initiatives to stimulate creativity and innovation and foster competition and collaboration among Indiana’s 30 private, non-profit campuses. Bethel was one of four schools chosen for the grant. The grant will be used to prepare students for jobs in advanced manufacturing through a new engineering laboratory and updated engineering and management degree.

National Recognition for Bethel University
Pilots Repeat as NCCAA Outdoor National Champions – Bethel Women’s Track & Field repeated as NCCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Champions on May 14, the program’s seventh NCCAA national title. At the tournament, hosted at Greenville University, the Pilots claimed three individual national title performances and 12 NCCAA All-American performances that day to add to their three and nine, respectively, from the first two days of competition. Head Coach Danny Wilkerson and staff were named the NCCAA Outdoor Coaching Staff of the Year.

Washington Monthly – For the sixth year in a row, Washington Monthly has ranked Bethel University on its annual list of the “Best Bang for the Buck Colleges – Midwest.” Bethel is also the second ranked Indiana school on the guide’s “Top Master’s Universities” list.

U.S. News – For the 18th consecutive year, Bethel University has been recognized on the U.S. News Best Colleges list. For 2022, Bethel is ranked among the Midwest’s Best Regional Universities, and was distinguished in the top 10 for social mobility and recognized for its nursing program.