Spring 2023 Bethel Magazine

2 BETHELUNIVERSITY.EDU/MAGAZINE The Bethel Magazine is published two times each year for alumni and friends of the university. Please send correspondence and address changes to the editor. BETHEL MAGAZINE 1001 Bethel Circle Mishawaka, IN 46545 Email: Lissa.Diaz@BethelUniversity.edu Phone: 574.807.7384 Website : BethelUniversity.edu/Magazine Founded in 1947 by the Missionary Church, Bethel University is an accredited Christian university offering associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in more than 50 areas of study. At Bethel you will find a community of nearly 1,300 learners. Our mission is to challenge the mind, enlarge the vision and equip students for lifeong service. To learn more, visit BethelUniversity.edu . PRESIDENT Barbara K. Bellefeuille, Ed.D. VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC SERVICES Bradley Smith, Ph.D. VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Amanda Slaughter VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE AND CFO Jerry White, CPA VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Brent LaVigne, Ph.D. VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Shawn Holtgren ’95, Ph.D. EDITOR Lissa (Grashorn) Diaz '07 ASSITANT COPY EDITORS Erin J. Hollister '07 Karis Kindinger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lissa (Grashorn) Diaz '07 Erin J. Hollister '07 Sadie Keating Karis Kindinger Luke Schrock GRAPHIC DESIGNER Brianna Haessig PHOTOGRAPHERS Sydney Anderson Peter Ringenberg '03 Luke Schrock COVER PHOTO Luke Schrock A P U B L I C A T I ON O F B E T H E L UN I V E R S I T Y , I ND . V O L UME 3 3 , I S S U E 2 A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Greetings Friends of Bethel, Bethel has champions! Of course, I’m talking about athletic champions – like our Women’s Golf Team, who won two NCCAA golf championships in a row; our Women’s Volleyball Team, who won the top NCCAA title last year, and Bethel’s Track Teams, who have consistently won championships over the last decade. This past fall we celebrated a rarer win of an NAIA championship trophy brought home by our Men’s Soccer Team! And then this spring, we celebrated our Men’s Basketball Team winning the NCCAA National Championship (pictured below)! Many institutions haven’t celebrated any national championships, while Bethel has stacked them high, especially in the last few years. The Men’s Soccer Team will be highlighted in this edition. But champions come in many different “flavors”– not just in athletics. I experience the heart of champions all over Bethel's campus and scattered through the world in our alumni.We have champions for the faith, champions in their respective disciplines, and champions for Bethel University. Sydney Anderson is a champion. The Bethel junior climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with her dad over Christmas break and waved a Bethel flag at the summit. Rev. Derry Prenkert '99 is a champion. As Bethel’s pastor of church relations, he led Bethel Day with the Missionary Church in February – helping Missionary Churches around the region learn more about why their students should consider Bethel first. Lydia Klassen ’15 is a champion. As a counselor in Kenya, she is providing a desperately needed space to support missionaries as they do important kingdom work! Julie Beam, Ph.D., our dean of students, has fought her cancer battle as a champion and exemplifies a life of faith to this campus and her young family. Despite her personal challenges this spring, she helped spearhead the Shiloh Prayer Chapel renovation project in honor of friend and alumnus Nate Cole ’02. At one time or another, every student at Bethel will need to step into what may seem like the fight of their lives. I want to know that their education and experiences at Bethel gave them the tools to immediately rely on God’s strength and direction. This is unique education, and I am committed to continually strengthening Bethel in ways that champions will naturally emerge in whatever arena God places them. As you read these articles and reflect on Bethel, please be assured of Bethel’s consistent focus on being faithful to God’s call and God’s work. Barbara K. Bellefeuille, Ed.D. President