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Bethel stays in national top 5, ranks high for return on investment

Bethel College remains one of the top five “baccalaureate colleges” as ranked by “Washington Monthly” for 2015–16.

“Washington Monthly” considers institutions within four areas as defined by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Baccalaureate colleges, according to Carnegie, comprise “schools that focus on undergraduate education but offer fewer than half of their degrees in the liberal arts.”

The “Washington Monthly” rankings measure institutions based on contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research and service. . . .

In addition, as the sole private, liberal arts college in Kansas to be listed on Forbes.com’s Top Colleges list for 2015-16, Bethel College can claim high scores in return on investment.

Only four Kansas schools made the eighth annual Forbes.com analysis of the 650 top (just under 10 percent of the total) U.S. colleges and universities.

The other three are regents’ universities, and Bethel ranks ahead of Wichita State University — behind the University of Kansas and Kansas State University — in a survey based on “output” over “input.”

“A growing number of colleges and universities are now focusing on student-consumer value over marketing prestige,” writes Caroline Howard of Forbes.com, “making this a new age of return-on-investment education. This pivot is the result of intense public scrutiny on the substantial cost of a degree vs. long tail worth — the very heart of Forbes’ definitive Top Colleges ranking.”

For more of the “Washington Monthly” article, visit the Bethel College website. For more of the Forbes.com piece, visit the Bethel College website.

School year starts with food packaging service project

For the second year in a row, Bethel kicked off its school year with a group service project.

The Aug. 18 food packaging, done through Outreach, a nonprofit based in Union, Iowa, was intended to give freshmen and transfer students a bonding experience while also reinforcing Bethel values. It was part of Bethel Bridge, a two-day orientation program for new students.

Peter Goerzen ’07, Bethel campus pastor, gave a presentation just before the packaging event, in which he related it to several Bethel core values — discipleship, service, and peace and social justice. . . .

Isaac McNary, regional manager for Outreach in Kansas, organized about 250 people — all new students, members of the Student Government Association and some faculty and staff — to package 20,000 meals that the Salvation Army will use to feed the hungry in Harvey County.

For more of this article, visit the Bethel College website.

Science educator, leader receives 2015 Young Alumnus Award

Once upon a time, Matt Krehbiel ’99 was a Bethel College student passionate about science who then became passionate about teaching science.

That’s according to a professor who not only watched Krehbiel as he moved through his four years at Bethel but also saw him grow up — his uncle, longtime Bethel Professor of Psychology Dwight Krehbiel ’69.

Dwight Krehbiel introduced Matt Krehbiel in an Aug. 28 convocation at Bethel that also honored Matt Krehbiel as Bethel’s 2015 Young Alumnus.

Krehbiel, Topeka, graduated from Bethel in 1999, spent a year with Mennonite Voluntary Service in Richmond, Virginia, and then taught high school biology, physical science, prairie ecology and other science courses for the next 10 years while also earning a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University.

In 2010, Krehbiel applied for an opening at the Kansas State Department of Education, clicking “Send” minutes before the submission deadline, according to his uncle. He got the job, as the KSDE’s science program consultant.

Most of the news over the past several years about public education in Kansas has been, said Dwight Krehbiel, “abysmal.” He added, “We don’t think of Kansas as a hotbed of science innovation.”

Yet, he pointed out, under Matt Krehbiel’s leadership, Kansas was one of 26 states to take the lead in developing the Next Generation Science Standards, and one of the first three states in the country to implement them.

For more of this article, visit the Bethel College website.

Golf tourney discount deadline Sept. 4

It’s not too late to register for the 25th annual Fall Thresher Golf Classic scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, at Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton. All golfers are welcome.

Those who register on or before Friday, Sept. 4, may take $10 off the $90 entry fee. The deadline to register at the regular price is Thursday, Sept. 10. A link to the form is at the Bethel College website.

The tournament is a fundraiser through the Alumni Association. For additional information, contact the alumni office at alumni@bethelks.edu or 316-284-5251.

Time change for first home football game

The Bethel College football team plays Hastings (Neb.) College at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, rather than at the time announced earlier. The game is at home, on Joe W. Goering Field on campus.

It is the first regular home game of the season. The time was changed to the evening due to the forecast for hot weather. Had the weather been cooler, the game would have been played in the early afternoon so that return trip for the Hastings players would have been earlier in the evening.

New names and faces on the Advancement Team

Three new staff members recently joined Bethel’s Advancement Office team:

Rob Schunn ’86, Whitewater, a former multimedia journalist with KWCH Channel 12, Wichita, is the new annual fund director. He and current staff member Matt Hein ’09, now development director, will work in fundraising roles that have been slightly redefined.

Cassandra Schmidt, North Newton, fills the position of development assistant and gift processor. Shari Wiens ’93, rural Goessel, is the new administrative assistant in the Alumni Office.

“We are excited to have them all on board,” said Pam Tieszen, vice president for institutional advancement. “Watch for our fall letter introducing the new team and upcoming events and goals.”

Rounding out the Advancement team are Cindy Beth ’80, administrative assistant to Tieszen, and Dave Linscheid ’75, director of alumni relations.

Thresher Shop filled with items for alumni, students and friends

The Thresher Shop continues to stock new apparel, gifts and office supplies for Bethel students, their family members, alumni and the community for the 2015-16 school year.

Notable items include new water bottles, men’s polos, sports and fine arts apparel, and other BC gear, some in vintage style.

Visit the Thresher Shop, located in Shultz Student Center and open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. CST weekdays, or call 316-283-2500 to inquire about the products they carry.

Thresher Shop staff members are still developing an online store. Until it is up and running, they would be happy to email pictures of products, take phone orders and ship purchases anywhere in the world.

Kauffman Museum to host 4 events in September

Kauffman Museum staff will host four events at 27th and Main this month:

Opening Reception and Curator’s Talk

7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10

Join guest curator Rachel Epp Buller ’96, Bethel associate professor of visual art and graphic design, as she explores behind-the-scenes stories of the artifacts in the museum’s 2015–16 special exhibition, “Root for the Home Team: Building Community through Sports.”

Annual Meeting: Kauffman Museum Association

1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13

Thank outgoing Kauffman Museum board members Kathy Schroeder ’77, Canton, Mark Jantzen ’85, Newton, Nathan Esau ’83, Wichita, and Victoria Janzen Schmidt ’10, Lawrence, and welcome new board members Sondra Bandy Koontz ’70, Newton, Rachel Epp Buller ’96, Newton, Annette Lamp ’84, Halstead, and Kip Wedel, North Newton. The meeting will include a presentation by museum director Annette LeZotte on the state of the museum, and the unveiling of the first in a series of new interpretive materials to accompany the permanent exhibit “Of Land and People.”

Sunday-Afternoon-at-the-Museum

3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20

University of Kansas associate professor Ben Chappell ’93, Lawrence, will explore one of the themes of Kauffman Museum’s 2015–16 special exhibition, “Root for the Home Team: Building Community Through Sports,” as he recounts the history and cultural significance of Mexican-American fast-pitch softball in Kansas.

Museum Day Live!

1:30–4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26

Join museum enthusiasts around the nation for Museum Day Live!, sponsored by “Smithsonian Magazine.” Guests may visit Kauffman Museum at no charge by presenting a coupon downloaded from The Smithsonian Magazine website.

Corporation meeting Sept. 25

The annual Bethel College Corporation meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in Luyken Fine Arts Center.

Agenda items include a state-of-the-college report, corporation business and closing remarks. For more information, contact the Advancement Office, Bethel College, 300 E. 27th St., North Newton, KS 67117 or email by Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Fall Fest 2015: creative changes, tried-and-true traditions

Those attending Bethel’s 45th Fall Festival will discover a mix of the new and the old.

The festival kicks off Thursday evening, Oct. 8, with Taste of Newton downtown; continues with activities that include convocation, the STEM Symposium and the play “Brooklyn Bridge” by Melissa James Gibson on Friday, Oct. 9; peaks with the Fall Fest fair, play and homecoming football game on campus Saturday, Oct. 10; and closes Sunday, Oct. 11, with worship in the morning and the play in the afternoon.

Saturday’s outdoor entertainment will be on the Prairie Sky Stage on the north side of Luyken Fine Arts Center. Performers include BC students reading creative writing pieces, the Newton Community Children’s Choir, the McPherson Community Brass Ensemble, and musicians from Bethel and area high schools.

Behind the Administration Building, visitors of all ages will find an old-fashioned band organ playing “the happiest music in the world,” according to Jerry Toews ’66, Goessel, who restored the antique instrument and is sharing it at this year’s festival.

A 40-by-80-foot “Feast and Fellowship Tent” will replace the entertainment tent at the center of the Green. After purchasing food at booths across campus, festival goers may eat with other alumni and friends at tables and chairs in the tent.

Three special reunions are scheduled — one for those who took Industrial Arts classes, another for participants and anyone else interested in the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march in 1965, and one for those in the BC choir that performed across Europe in summer 1955.

Those who enjoy soccer may stop by the men’s soccer team booth on the Green as they celebrate the 90th anniversary of the sport at Bethel, then head to both the women’s and men’s games in the afternoon.

Over at Kauffman Museum, the new book “Museum Mysteries” will be for sale — written, illustrated and designed by Uncle Carl’s Camp participants this past summer. This year’s special museum exhibition is “Root for the Home Team: Building Community Through Sports.”

Saturday afternoon, the recently formed Alumni Choir will give a concert at Bethel College Mennonite Church, and will invite the audience to join them on some hymns, a Fall Fest tradition.

In the evening, former BC cheerleaders are invited to gather at the Tailgate Barbecue near the stadium to reminisce and share stories with cheer coach Joseph Gogus and the current cheer team. Tables will be reserved and marked with signs.

Tried-and-true traditions return on Saturday, too: food from many traditions (including Mennonite), the Children’s Park, a Low German program, an art exhibit featuring works by emeritus professors Bob Regier ’52 and Gail Lutsch, Kindermusik, arts-and-crafts (including in the Bethel College Women’s Association Market on the Green), class reunions, and sports to join in or watch.

Fall Festival programs were mailed to alumni and friends of the college in late August. The schedule is also available online at .

Admissions staff to attend 37 college fairs this fall

Personnel from the Bethel’s Admissions Department will be at the following college planning conferences in late September and throughout October. Bring any college-bound friend or family member to meet with a BC representative!

Sept. 28

  • 8:30–10:05 a.m. — Dodge City High School
  • 7–8 p.m. — Scott City High School

Sept. 29

  • 8:45–10:45 a.m. — Garden City High School
  • 1:30–3 p.m. — Seward County Community College
  • 6–7:30 p.m. — Ulysses High School

Sept. 30

  • 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. — Pratt Community College
  • 6:30–8 p.m. — Salina (Kansas Wesleyan University)

Oct. 1

  • 9–10:30 a.m. — Clay Center High School
  • 1–2:30 p.m. — Beloit High School

Oct. 5

  • 9:30–11 a.m. — Ark City High School
  • 1:15–2:30 p.m. — Butler Community College
  • 6–7:30 p.m. — Wichita Futures Fair, Koch Arena

Oct. 6

  • 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. — Wichita Futures Fair, Koch Arena

Oct. 7

  • 9–10:30 a.m. — Newton High School
  • 1:30–3 p.m. — McPherson High School

Oct. 8

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

Oct. 12

  • 9–11 a.m. — Manhattan High School
  • 1:30–3 p.m. — Abilene High School
  • 6:30–8:30 p.m. — Kansas City Metro

Oct. 13

  • 9–10:30 a.m. — Highland Community College
  • 5:30–7 p.m. — USD 500 Public School Fair (Kansas City, Kansas)

Oct. 14

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

Oct. 15

  • 9–11 a.m. — Emporia High School
  • 6:30–8 p.m. — Lawrence High School

Oct. 19

  • 9:15–10:55 a.m. — Hutchinson High School
  • 1:30–3:30 p.m. — Great Bend High School

Oct. 20

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

Oct. 26

  • 1–2:30 p.m. — Pittsburg High School

Oct. 27

  • 9:30–10:30 a.m. — Labette High School
  • 1–2:30 p.m. — Baxter Springs High School

Oct. 28

  • 9–10:30 a.m. — Coffeyville Community College
  • 1–2 p.m. — Allen County Community College

Oct. 29

  • 9:30–10:30 a.m. — Valley Heights High School
  • 2–3:30 p.m. — Junction City High School

In addition to visiting with prospective students at these fairs, staff will be traveling to high schools and community colleges this fall. For more information, contact Admissions at admissions@bethelks.edu, 316-284-5230, or 1-800-522-1887, ext. 230.