Greetings from Bethel College! We are pleased to bring you this annual report for 2015–16, and to thank you for your generous support as we look to carry out our mission and provide the highest quality educational experience for our students.
Assembled for Commencement 2016, Aida Martinez, left, and Amy Mason scan the crowd in Thresher Stadium to find the family and friends gathered to share in their big day.Greetings from Bethel College! We are pleased to bring you this annual report for 2015–16, and to thank you for your generous support as we look to carry out our mission and provide the highest quality educational experience for our students.
In his seminal book Grow or Die, Dr. George Land explains the concept of transformation theory, illustrated as a series of interlocking S-curves. The three phases of search, growth, and obsolescence are separated from each other by two breaking points. Those break points are the moments when the rules of survival change. Perhaps most often associated with the necessary changes an organism must make to adapt to new or changing environments, transformation theory has been adopted and adapted to explain the necessary changes an organization must endure in order to remain viable, relevant and sustainable.
Certainly, the rules of survival are changing fast in the world of higher education. Bethel’s recently announced Extending our Heritage, Expanding our Impact strategic plan seeks to address those issues, while preserving the core values we hold dear as an institution. As you may recall from previous publications, the four main themes of our new strategic plan are to be a Thriving College, a Vibrant and Vital Campus, and a High Impact College, and to offer our students a Dynamic Student Experience.
Within the pages of this annual report, you will find just a few examples of the 36 initiatives currently underway to address those challenges as Bethel navigates this liminal period in higher education. However, some of the broader objectives might include:
- Continuing to work toward building an open and welcoming campus and an engaging educational experience for all students
- Seeking ways to grow the institution’s revenue streams in both traditional and non-traditional ways, in order to remain viable, relevant and sustainable for future generations of students
- Broadening potential academic experiences for students of all ages in preparation to serve their communities and society at large
- Securing funding and support to endow academic programs in perpetuity and reduce the cost of education for students
- Better using institutional resources as a 24/7/365 campus
As you peruse this publication, I believe you will enjoy learning more about plans and steps toward establishing a potential center for nonprofit leadership and innovation; appreciate reading about our terrific nursing department and their expanded service to the industry through the implementation of the online RN-to-BSN program; and be interested in how the Bethel community seeks to address some of today’s most pressing and relevant social issues. You might even learn something about what a scramble band is.
I want to emphasize that these are only a few of the active initiatives. There are many more waiting to be implemented. We can’t do that without the tremendous support of our fantastic donor base.
So let me again thank you for your generosity. I encourage you to contact my office or any of our advancement officers for more information on these initiatives or those awaiting implementation. We’re always delighted to have an opportunity to share the exciting news of Bethel College with you.
