We do on stage things that are supposed to happen off. Which is a kind of integrity, if you look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.—Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
The end of the spring semester has always been a time of significant transition on college campuses. As graduating seniors depart and prepare for the next chapters in their lives, there is always a great deal of hope, joy and a bit of anxiety as these students prepare to make their next entrance somewhere else.
Some will continue with their education, some will enter the workforce, some will continue the longstanding Bethel tradition of voluntary service and others will simply take some time to figure out what’s next on their journey.
Not only does the end of the academic year mark a time of transition for students, but also for some faculty and staff. This year in particular, we are celebrating the retirement of seven long time Bethel employees. These individuals have collectively given over 150 years of service to this institution. Throughout their tenure, they have served many roles: mentors, teachers, friends, supporters, cheerleaders, advocates and colleagues. All of them have given selflessly of their time, talents and energy to serve our students. As they prepare to make their next entrance somewhere else,
we are grateful for the countless contributions they have made to this college and for the lasting impact they have had on our students.
As I reflect upon transitions, I am reminded that change is often accompanied by a sense of anxiousness. However, as I think about our graduating seniors and our retiring faculty and staff, I am hopeful that their new entrances to somewhere else
are a time of joy; that they feel a sense of purpose; and that the impact of their Bethel experience has instilled in them the desire and opportunity to bring hope to others.
I have always said that the most positive place in the world to work is a college campus because everyone is working toward a better future—a future of purpose. I believe that will be true for our graduating seniors as well as our retirees.
We must live in the radiance of tomorrow, as our ancestors have suggested in their tales. For what is yet to come tomorrow has possibilities, and we must think of it, the simplest glimpse of that possibility of goodness. That will be our strength. That has always been our strength.—Ishmael Beah, Radiance of Tomorrow