[Skip to Content]

New alumni council members to be affirmed at banquet

The following alumni have agreed to serve on the Bethel College Alumni Association Council from 2009-2012. Their selection is to be affirmed at the association’s brief business meeting during the Alumni Banquet in May.

  • Mary Ann (Krehbiel) Boschmann ’71, North Newton, is a customer service representative/agent for MutualAid eXchange insurance, Moundridge. She will be serving a second term on the council.
  • Brett Esau ’03, Hesston, is president of the Hesston branch of Central National Bank. He will be serving a second term on the council.
  • Tyler Goertzen ’07, Hutchinson, works in sales and logistics for Knork Flatware, North Newton.
  • Jeffrey Graber ’04, Park City, is a photojournalist for KWCH 12 Eyewitness News, Wichita.
  • Brian Kennell ’94, Newton, is a social studies teacher at Newton High School.
  • Jeanette Reimer Stucky ’65, North Newton, is retired.
  • Lauren Symmonds ’05, Wichita, is a school psychologist for USD 259, the Wichita Public School system.
  • Dave Stucky ’05, Newton, is on the public attorney staff of Adrian and Pankratz, Newton.
  • Stephanie (Ortman) Thompson ’92, Newton, teaches fourth grade at Sunset Elementary School, Newton. She will be serving a second term on the council.

Members serve three-year terms. Some fill vacancies on the current council. If interested in joining the council, contact Dave Linscheid, director of alumni relations, (316) 284-5252, dlin@bethelks.edu.

The Alumni Banquet is Saturday, May 23, at 6 p.m. in Memorial Hall. It will honor reunion classes, the graduating class of 2009 and recipients of this year’s alumni awards: J. Harold Moyer ’49, Howard L. Brenneman ’63 and Gregg Schroeder ’92. In honor of Dr. Moyer, the Bethel College Concert Choir will sing some of his compositions or arrangements.

The discount price for the meal is $17 per person if paying by May 8, $19 May 11-13. To make a reservation, visit or phone Thresher Bookstore in Schultz Student Center at (316) 284-5205. Payment or credit card information is required when the reservation is made.

Spring service trip a chance to enjoy friends while making a difference

Like most other college students, those from Bethel are always looking for spring break options that allow them to have fun with friends while spending as little money as possible.

The students who went to Hopi Mission School for Bethel’s annual spring break service trip aren’t afraid to state that it filled the bill both ways -- but then there were the extras.

“Honestly, spending $20 for a trip to Arizona is a chance I could hardly turn down,” said Naomi Graber, freshman from Elkhart, Ind. Allison Schrag, freshman from Newton, said, “I needed to get out of Newton, and this was the cheapest way to do it,” while Roxanne Reimer, freshman from Walton, Kan., added, “It sounded like fun to do service with a bunch of other friends.”

Neuroscience students to present at regional conference

Two Bethel students will present posters of their work at MidBrains 2009, a regional undergraduate neuroscience conference at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn., Saturday, May 2.

Aimee Siebert, a junior psychology and communications arts major from Topeka, will present a poster titled “Power law metrics for music predict pleasantness, liking, activation and frontal cortical differentiation in similar and dissimilar songs.” Jose Rojas, a junior chemistry major from Newton, will present “Power law metrics for music predict pleasantness, activation, liking and heart-rate responses.”

Dwight Krehbiel, professor of psychology, will accompany the students on the trip, which is supported by a travel grant from the Council on Undergraduate Research.

The MidBrains Undergraduate Neuroscience Conference is a collaborative effort of the MidBrains Neuroscience Consortium, a network of faculty from undergraduate neuroscience programs in the Upper Midwest. The event is a forum for undergraduate students to present research findings, attend lectures and special panels, and meet other undergraduate students interested in the neurosciences. Representatives from major research universities also attend to discuss graduate school opportunities with students.

New book and cards complement exhibit at museum

A new hardcover book and set of note cards by Bethel professor emeritus of art Bob Regier ’52, North Newton, are now available at Kauffman Museum. The pieces feature works from the special photography exhibition at the museum, “Considering the Commonplace: Prairie Towns Through the Lens of Bob Regier.”

The exhibit is on display through May 28, and again after Uncle Carl’s Camps are over, July 19-Oct. 4. Regier will present an illustrated program, “Mainstreets and Backroads: Celebrating the Ordinary,” Sunday, July 26, at 3:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3, at 9 a.m. during Fall Festival.

Baccalaureate and commencement to be held at new times

Two longtime year-end events will be held at new times this year. Baccalaureate will begin at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 24, at Bethel College Mennonite Church. The annual service of worship for graduates, their families, faculty, staff and friends will be preceded by a 30-minute prelude.

The commencement ceremony, held outside at Thresher Stadium for the first time last year, will begin at 4 p.m. at the same location. The change was made so that more shade would be available to those seated in the stands. Commencement will be in Memorial Hall if it rains.

A special lunch for graduates, families and friends will be held that day, as well.

BCWA to sponsor sixth annual faculty lecture

The Bethel College Women’s Association will sponsor a sixth annual Bethel College faculty lecture and hold the organization’s annual meeting Thursday, June 4, at 7 p.m. in Krehbiel Auditorium.

Professor Allison McFarland, the Walter C. and Helen E. Claassen Chair of Business Administration, will speak on “The New Generation at Work: Managing Millennials.” Any manager who has employees who were born between 1980 and 2000 knows that this generation shows up to work with a whole new perspective on employment, a different set of values and a distinctive work ethic. Come learn more about the newest generation to join the workforce. What motivates them? What are they looking for in a boss? What experiences and work environment do they seek? How can we tap into their creativity? How can we keep them once they are hired?

The public is invited free of charge. Refreshments follow.

Golf tournament to benefit athletic department

The Bethel College Athletic Department will host a Thresher Golf Open on Sunday, June 7, at the Sand Creek Station golf course, Newton. Shotgun start for the 18-hole four-person scramble for men and women is at 1 p.m. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit sports at Bethel.

The $80 registration fee covers green fees, golf cart, range balls and an evening meal. Players may register as teams or as individuals. Women’s and seniors’ tees will be offered, and individual hole prizes will be awarded.

The Athletic Department also invites individuals or businesses to support the tournament as a $300 Thresher Sponsor or $100 Hole Sponsor.

The Athletic Department golf tournament is in addition to the summer and fall tournaments hosted by the Bethel College Alumni Association to benefit the college. The Summer Golf Classic is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 7, in Henderson, Neb. The Fall Golf Classic will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, in Hesston.

Bethel new site of long-running publications camp

This year, Bethel College has joined the Jostens Printing and Publishing company to host a publications workshop on campus July 27-30. For more than three decades, the annual workshop had been held at Bethany College. Approximately 100 middle school and high school students and 30 advisors attend each year.

“This is a very exciting next step for us,” said Jostens representative and Bethel alumnus Thane Chastain ’82, Wichita. “The Bethel facilities will allow us to grow the camp and draw more from the greater Wichita area.”

The four-day, hands-on event promises to teach “everything you need to know to produce your best yearbook and newspaper ever,” covering such topics as theme, design, reporting, writing, photography, online production and sales.

Become a Bethel Facebook fan

Individuals who are members of the popular social networking site, Facebook, can now become Bethel Facebook fans. The special fan site was created in late March. On the first day, approximately 150 Facebook users signed up as fans. By the end of April, fans numbered nearly 500.

The site features photos and video clips of life at Bethel, plus links to official Bethel Web pages, the college event calendar and other information. Fans may also post comments on the Facebook “wall.”

To become a fan, go to Bethel’s page. Also, Facebook members may search for “Bethel College, North Newton, KS” and look for the maroon BC logo at the left of options given. Or, if a Facebook friend is already a Bethel fan on their “Info” page, click on the BC logo to join!