September 2011

Bethel has expanded its nursing program to serve practicing nurses with registered nurse (RN) status who want to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The Higher Learning Commission, Bethel’s accrediting body, on July 29 informed President Perry D. White of its approval of the college’s application for accreditation of an RN-to-BSN program, which opened this fall.

The online program is designed for the practicing registered nurse and builds on nurses’ previous education, said Phyllis Miller, Bethel director of nursing. It will augment past learning with content focused on the leadership role of the nurse while relating course content to the nurses’ work environment.

Students will focus on changes that nursing is undergoing for 21st-century care delivery and how nursing practice is being shaped by technology and informatics as well as recent health-care legislation, Miller added. Students will also examine the use of evidence and how it shapes changing care parameters.

Clinical work will include focus on the nursing role in community health and leadership in nursing….

Bethel’s RN-to-BSN program is structured to cover an 18-month time period of three semesters plus one summer, totaling 34 hours of coursework. Two information sessions will soon be held in the nursing department area in Memorial Hall: Thursday, Sept. 1, 6-8:30 p.m., and Wednesday, Sept. 7, 4:30-7 p.m.

For more information, go to www.bethelks.edu/rn or call 316-284-5308.

Three Bethel music students who are also aspiring conductors learned from experienced orchestra leader and alumnus Daniel Hege, Jamesville, N.Y., this past summer.

Seniors Anna Cook from Lawrence, Rachel Voran from Newton and Andrew Voth from Topeka shadowed Hege at the Music Academy of the West, a prestigious preparatory institute for young musicians, this year held July 17-24 in Santa Barbara, Calif. Hege, a 1987 Bethel graduate, is music director for the Wichita Symphony.

Music Academy of the West invites guest conductors to work with the string players over the course of the annual eight-week festival. Hege was one of those invited. Past conductors have included Otto Klemperer and Leonard Slatkin.

The idea of students shadowing Hege came from William Eash, director of choral studies at Bethel. Eash set up the group’s experience, gave guidance and helped fund the trip.

The students observed Hege’s conducting and met with him to discuss aspects of the profession. “Our conversations were incredible,” said Voth. “Topics ranged from things as broad as the role of a conductor to the specifics of score study.”

In addition to their conversations with Hege, the three also attended master classes and concerts, and talked with individuals from the academy. “I gained incredible insight from the master classes,” said Voran. “The performers were so advanced that the clinicians didn’t need to focus on notes and rhythms, but instead focused on the nuances of tone and musicality.”

The week included more than just music. The students spent time on the beach, visited the Santa Barbara pier and learned to know other young people at the hostel where they stayed.

“Despite all of the other amazing experiences, the highlight of the trip was interacting with and learning from Dan,” said Cook. “He was so helpful and encouraging. We were blessed to have the opportunity to learn from such a successful Bethel graduate.”

Construction crews continue to transform the old Science Hall into a new Academic Center.

Built in 1925 and still rock solid, the structure is the second oldest building on campus after the Administration Building. The transformed facility will accommodate the departments of Bible and religion, business, history, mathematics, nursing, social work and teacher education -- including faculty offices, classrooms, labs, seminar and conference rooms, student and faculty lounges, the student health center, nursing simulation classrooms, nursing practice and post-op rooms -- along with an elevator, atrium and accessible restrooms.

The center will be ready for fall semester 2012. It will be dedicated at Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, when the college also celebrates its 125th anniversary.

This year’s Fall Festival will include a special exhibition of commemorative and collectible items (pennants, plates, cups, pins, toys, paperweights, plaques, clothing, etc.) that honor Bethel with text, shape or image.

Titled “Fun and funky Thresher stuff,” the exhibit will be in keeping with the event’s theme: A fun and funky 41st Fall Festival. Items will be on display 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, in the Fine Arts Center lobby.

College personnel will be combing the campus for items, but also invite alumni to loan their unusual memorabilia. Exhibitors are especially interested in what might be described as “kitschy” items. Contact exhibit host Sondra Koontz ’70, vice president for advancement, at 316-284-5341 or e-mail no later than Friday, Sept. 23.

Annual meeting

Bethel alumni and friends are invited to express their vision for Kauffman Museum’s future when the museum association holds its annual meeting at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. Director Rachel Pannabecker will lead a discussion on strategic agility as part of her work in the Hands-on Experiential Learning Project, for which Kauffman Museum was selected as one of 45 organizations in a six-state region. Association president Glen Ediger ’75, North Newton, will introduce new board members, as well.

One-day bus tour

A few seats are still left on the museum bus tour, “A Kansas 150 Trip: The Dog and Pony Show,” scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 22, and hosted by curator of education Andi Schmidt Andres. The one-day trip will include stops at a facility that trains guide and service dogs and the MarCon Pies factory in Washington, a visit to historic Pony Express sites, and a buffet supper in historic Waterville. The cost is $110 for Kauffman Museum Association members, $130 for non-members.

Sunday-Afternoon-at-the-Museum program

Braden Conrad-Hiebner ’07 and Ruth Walters, graduate students at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, will present “Value Beyond Price: Using Material Culture to Understand Daily Life and Beliefs” at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 25. The two researched the Katharina Dueck dowry chest in the museum’s Mennonite Furniture exhibit. They will discuss how the concept of material culture can be applied to extracting meaning beyond monetary value from everyday artifacts, such as furniture. The program is free and open to the public, as is entry that afternoon to the current special exhibition, “Awesome 150: Museum Friends Share Their Favorites.”

Alumni and friends of Bethel are invited to play in the 20th annual Fall Thresher Golf Classic on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Hesston Golf Park.

Those registering with payment by Monday, Sept. 5, receive a $10 discount on the regular price of $80. The deadline to sign up is Thursday, Sept. 8.

For a registration form, contact the alumni office, (316) 284-5251, alumni@bethelks.edu, or print one online.

Those seeking a place to stay when visiting Bethel or someone in North Newton are invited to enjoy Woodland Hideaway or Serenity Silo, guest apartments located just a few blocks from campus.

Located in a woodland garden setting, each apartment can accommodate up to five people and has a full kitchen. Food for a continental breakfast as well as bedding and towels are provided, along with Wi-Fi Internet access. Children staying with family must be 12 years of age or older. No smoking is allowed.

Both apartments are managed by Vada Snider ’80, who makes them available to alumni and friends of the college for short stays. For cost and other information, e-mail or call 316-283-5231.