14 BETHELUNIVERSITY.EDU/MAGAZINE In a meaningful ceremony filled with worship, Dr. Dee McDonald was inaugurated as the ninth president of Bethel University. On Friday, November 14, 2025, during the normal chapel time, faculty, staff, students, delegates and honored guests gathered to welcome McDonald in a celebration that aimed to spark revival. It opened with a powerful ballad, “Lord, You’re Holy,” followed by special music with the University Choir: “Goodness of God” and “More than Able.” “We’ve been to church!” former Bethel President Dr. Steve Cramer ’75 exclaimed as he took the stage for the welcome. He spoke of Bethel being founded on and sustained by faith over 78 years, earning the nickname “the Miracle on McKinley.” “Now Dr. McDonald, we know that in the days to come, you will be upheld in prayer, empowering that same vibrant faith [that founded Bethel] as you seek to move Bethel beyond the Miracle on McKinley and become the Legacy on Logan,” Cramer said. Rev. LaMorris Crawford, chaplain of the Carolina Panthers NFL team, gave the inaugural address: “You are the one. This is HONORING THE Past. LOOKING TO THE Future. BY: Lissa (Grashorn) Diaz ’07 Dr. Dee McDonald began as Bethel’s ninth president on July 1, 2025. He is in his 20th year of leadership in Christian higher education, previously serving as Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minn. He has a history of strong enrollment growth and building high-performing teams at the four CCCU (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) institutions he’s served (in addition to Crown, Southeastern University, North Central University and Olivet Nazarene University). He earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Southeastern University, studying the relationship between authentic leadership, authentic followership and organizational commitment within Christian higher education; an MBA from Olivet Nazarene University; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science Education, also from Olivet. He and his wife, Dr. Amanda McDonald, have two children, Ell and Maelee. Learn more at BethelUniversity.edu/McDonald. the inauguration of dr. dee mcdonald ABOUT PRESIDENT MCDONALD
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