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$1.3 million Bethel College Fund goal met

More than 1,600 generous donors helped meet the Bethel College Fund goal of $1.3 million, said Sondra Bandy Koontz ’70, vice president for advancement.

The goal was for fiscal year 2011-12, which ended June 30.

"We are grateful to everyone who helped us meet the goal," said Koontz. "It indicates that our donors see students’ education as their priority.

"Gifts to the Bethel College Fund provide for scholarships, student ministries, faculty development, campus landscaping and technology upgrades," she added. "They help to fund the difference between what students pay and the actual cost of their education. Bethel College Fund gifts assist every student at Bethel, and allow the college the flexibility to respond to opportunities as they arise."

Almost 2,500 donors contributed to various strategic plan projects at Bethel during the fiscal year, raising more than $5 million for the college.

Major renovations in cafeteria, student center

One of Vice President for Business Affairs Allen Wedel’s ’69 favorite sayings is "It’s a great time to be at Bethel College."

He has had plenty of reason to say it in the past year, thanks to multiple improvements to campus facilities, one of his major areas of responsibility - most recently regarding the cafeteria.

As Aladdin Food Service’s contract was coming to an end last spring, a committee of staff, administrators and students entertained bids from seven vendors, including Aladdin - all of whom had to make major cafeteria renovations part of their proposal....

When students return in late August, the furniture will be new, as will the flooring, Wedel said. Colors will be "brighter and bolder," and coordinated with Bethel’s official color palette. The dish return will be a conveyor belt system - "no more 30-gallon trash cans," Wedel said.

There will be new serving lines. The salad bar will be double-sided, portable and placed in the middle, instead of on a side wall as in the past. The drink machines will be moved to the side, with the walls behind them knocked out to further open the space.

"A lot of the remodeling is moving food prep out front," Wedel continued. "There will be ’Show-Time,’ [periodic cooking of special items] and a regular ’Grill Works’ for pizzas, burgers and omelets. There will be a ’Homestyle’ area for comfort food, and an expanded vegetarian menu."

The chef from Maharishi University, an all-vegetarian campus in Fairfield, Iowa, will be working with Bethel’s chef to develop more vegetarian options.

"It’s going to be more of a food court concept," Wedel said.

Bethel’s steadily increasing enrollment over the past several years has raised some space issues, especially on Mondays and Fridays after convocation when a critical mass of students goes to lunch at the same time.

Wedel said the hope is that adding serving platforms will help ease congestion. In addition, the three conference/seminar rooms divided from the north end of the cafeteria by accordion curtains will be done away with - remodeled to fit into the rest of the space for added seating capacity.

Though the cafeteria is by far the major piece of renovation being done in Schultz Student Center, it’s not all.

The hallways will get new carpeting and wall coverings, new lighting and new signs. A digital announcement screen will replace the white board outside the cafeteria entrance, among numerous other additions and improvements....

For the complete news story, go here

Rehearsals set for alumni gospel choir performance at Fall Fest

All former Gospel Choir members as well as any other former or current Bethel students interested in singing are invited to sing in a Gospel Choir reunion concert scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, in Memorial Hall, during Fall Festival (later than announced earlier).

Two rehearsals will be held in advance. The first is 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, at Rainbow Mennonite Church, 1444 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City. The second is on campus, in the chapel in the Administration Building 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8.

Singers may attend one or both rehearsals. A run-through will be held in Memorial Hall 7-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, the evening before the concert.

A Facebook page includes songs for participants to acquaint themselves with in advance (search for "Bethel College Gospel Choir Reunion").

Roz Royster McCommon ’93, Tonganoxie, and Greg Hinex ’97, Kansas City, Kan., are giving leadership to the rehearsals and the concert. They have attempted to notify all Gospel Choir alumni; anyone who has not been reached should e-mail bcgcreunion@gmail.com or contact the alumni office at 316-284-5252.

The Gospel Choir sang to packed houses in Krehbiel Auditorium and Memorial Hall in the 1980s and 1990s. The public is invited to the Fall Festival event. Though no admission fee, an offering will be taken to defray expenses and support the African-American Alumni Association Scholarship Endowment Fund.

Museum exhibitions on immigration and threshing stones keep rolling along

Kauffman Museum’s current exhibition, "Americans by Choice: Immigration and Citizenship in Kansas," will feature two Sunday-Afternoon-at-the-Museum programs in coming weeks.

John Thiesen ’82, Bethel co-director of libraries and archivist for Mennonite Library and Archives, will speak on "Immigration and Citizenship: A Mennonite Perspective" at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 12. Caleb Lázaro, Warkentin Court resident director and multicultural student adviser, will present "From Pioneers to Space Invaders: The Changing Face of Immigration in Pop Culture" at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 2.

Both programs are free and open to the public, with admission to the exhibit area waived on program afternoons. "Americans by Choice" is on display through Sept. 2.

Museum staff are seeking to borrow key artifacts for the special exhibition "Threshing Stone: Mennonite Artifact and Icon" that will be on display Oct. 6 through Jan. 20, 2013. Here are their top 10 requests:

  1. stone-working tools: axe, broad bash/bash hammer, chisels, hand drill for making the axle hole in the threshing stone
  2. a wooden grain shovel
  3. 19th-century print materials that include advertisements for agricultural implements
  4. wooden cull or pattern for shaping the stone. Guest curator Glen Ediger ’75 calls this the "holy grail" of his study on threshing stones because no example of such a pattern has ever been located.
  5. Bethel Graymaroon jacket with threshing stone on back that is pictured in the 1936 Graymaroon yearbook
  6. 1971 Thresher yearbook
  7. Thresher Awards. Staff want to display a shelf full of these academic awards, representing a variety of intellectual endeavors.
  8. other Bethel memorabilia with threshing stone motifs
  9. threshing stone done in wheat weaving. See p. 49 of the book "Wheat Weaving Made Easy" by Carolyn Schultz and Adelia Stucky ’48.
  10. information on the artist who created the "Stoney" cartoon character

If you can loan any of the above items, have information or can offer ideas about additional artifacts to feature, contact Rachel Pannabecker ’80. To follow Kauffman Museum activities, check out the museum’s Facebook page, accessible at the bottom left of its homepage

Play golf for Bethel

Alumni and friends of Bethel are invited to the 19th annual Summer Thresher Golf Classic and Barbecue Saturday, Aug. 11, at Galaway Creek Golf Course, Henderson, Neb.

For a brochure, contact the alumni office at 316-284-5251 or alumni@bethelks.edu, or print one from the link. Players who register by Aug. 2 receive a discount.

The Alumni Association Golf Committee will also host the Fall Thresher Golf Classic Saturday, Sept. 22, at Sand Creek Station Golf Course, Newton. Look for more information in the September issue of "Thresher E-View" and on the website.

Admissions counselors on the road

Admissions staff members will again be on the road this fall, traveling through the state and beyond to represent Bethel at College Planning Conferences (college fairs), visit high schools and make other contacts with prospective students and their parents.

In Kansas, alumni should encourage high school and potential college transfer students to visit with Bethel representatives at any of the following fairs. Parents and other family members are welcome to attend, as well.

Oct. 1

  • 9-10:30 a.m. - Winfield High School
  • 1-2:30 p.m. - Butler Community College, El Dorado
  • 6-8 p.m. - Wichita Futures Fair

Oct. 2

  • 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. - Wichita Futures Fair

Oct. 3

  • 9-10:30 a.m. - Newton High School
  • 1:30-3:15 - McPherson High School

Oct. 8

  • 1:30-3 p.m. - Dodge City High School
  • 7-8 p.m. - Scott City High School

Oct. 9

  • 8:45-10:30 a.m. - Garden City High School
  • 1:30-3 p.m. - Seward Community College, Liberal
  • 6-7 p.m. - Ulysses High School

Oct. 10

  • 1-2:15 p.m. - Pratt Community College
  • 6:30-8 p.m. - Kansas State University, Salina

Oct. 11

  • 1-3 p.m. - Topeka Expo Center
  • 6:30-8 p.m. - Leavenworth High School

Oct. 15

  • 1:30-2:30 p.m. - Junction City High School
  • 6:30-8 p.m. - Free State High School, Lawrence

Oct. 16

  • 9-10:30 p.m. - Highland Community College
  • 5:30-8 p.m. - Kansas City College Expo

Oct. 17

  • 1-2:30 p.m. - Osawatomie High School
  • 6:30-8:30 p.m. - Shawnee Mission East High School

Oct. 18

  • 11:20 a.m.-1:30 p.m. - Manhattan High School
  • 6-7:30 p.m. - USD 500, Kansas City

Oct. 22

  • 9:15-10:55 a.m. - Hutchinson High School
  • 1:30-3 p.m. - Barton Community College, Great Bend

Oct. 23

  • 9:50-11:10 a.m. - Russell High School
  • 2-3:05 p.m. - Hays High School

Oct. 24

  • 9:15-10:30 a.m. - Smith Center High School
  • 2:30-4 p.m. - Norton High School

Oct. 25

  • 9-10:30 a.m. - Colby Community College

Oct. 29

  • 9:30-11 a.m. - Labette Community College
  • 1-2:30 a.m. - St. Mary’s Colgan High School, Pittsburg

Oct. 30

  • 9-10:30 a.m. - Independence Community College
  • 1-2:30 p.m. - Allen Community College, Iola
  • 6-7:30 p.m. - Emporia High School

Oct. 31

  • 9-10:30 a.m. - Marysville High School
  • 1:30-3 p.m. - Chapman High School

Counselors are also scheduling visits elsewhere. Call 316-284-5229 or e-mail admissions@bethelks.edu for more information.

See Greece and Rome with students and alumni in 2013

Alumni and friends of Bethel are invited to join Bethel professor Dan Quinlin and alumnus, pastor and tour guide Weldon Martens ’77 on a trip to Greece and Italy May 20-June 2, 2013.

The trip is being offered to students in conjunction with Quinlin’s New Testament Greek class and as a cross-cultural learning option, but is open for others to join. MTS Travel of Ephrata, Pa., is coordinating travel arrangements.

This "Footsteps of Paul" is an opportunity to travel, learn and have fun at locations familiar to Christians from the apostle Paul’s travels recorded in Act 17-18. The trip is set to include visits to Athens, Corinth, Delphi, Meteora, Thessaloniki, Kavala, Phillippi, Veria and Ephesus. It will conclude with three days in Rome.

Martens has hosted several trip to Greece. Quinlin, who has traveled extensively in Europe, is a New Testament Greek scholar in addition to teaching language classes and coordinating Bethel’s Center for Academic Development.

Go here for a link to a brochure that includes cost. For additional information, contact Martens at weldon.martens@gmail.com or 401-202-9276, or Quinlin at dquinlin@bethelks.edu or 316-284-5333.