This blog post is the final in a series answering questions asked as part of Bethel Backstage Pass. This time, I'm responding to some of the final questions. If you have any follow-up questions for me, please post them in the comments below.

Thanks for your interaction with us as we tried this new Backstage Pass format. I’m encouraged by the number of people who asked questions, even the hard questions! In asking, you help us sharpen our thinking. My colleagues and I have tried to respond, recognizing that we didn’t hit all the questions and that some questions would have been easier to answer sitting across the table from each other in the Monson Dining Center. We’re going to try another one of these events on April 25, 2012, from 1-2 p.m. CDT. I expect that we’ll have more questions than we can answer in that hour, so we’ll do some blog posts to follow up.

Let me take a swing at a few closing questions and a second cut at one question that I didn’t answer as fully at the live event. So, here are the final questions.

This blog post is the fourth in a series answering questions asked as part of Bethel Backstage Pass. Leon Rodrigues, chief diversity officer, responds to some of the questions. If you have any follow-up questions for Leon, please post them in the comments below.

-Jay

Bethel tries to acquire employees of color yet we have lost three employees of color within the last few months. Why?

It is unfortunate that we have lost the three employees. It was quite difficult for many of us to see a long-time faculty member leave or other talented individuals depart from the Bethel family. People leave for different reasons, including professional advancement. While we are sad to see them go, we rejoice when they are appointed to leadership roles that were not available at Bethel. We also celebrate when those who have left decide to come back again to Bethel.

This blog post is the fourth in a series answering questions asked as part of Bethel Backstage Pass. David Clark, executive vice president and provost, responds to some of the questions. If you have any follow-up questions for David, please post them in the comments below.

-Jay

Our strategic plan mentions a prioritization and reallocation process for Bethel. Can you provide a more detailed description of the prioritization and reallocation criteria for programs and services at Bethel?

An excellent organization focuses on things that build its mission. Historically, deans and faculty at Bethel have always evaluated, modified, and prioritized academic programs. Linkages between programs mean that growth in one requires growth in another, so when one department serves a growing major in another department, it gets resources so it can support that other major. When a college proposes starting a new program, faculty and administration ask whether the proposed program fits in at Bethel, whether Bethel has the ability to do the program excellently, and whether that program can more than cover its costs. So the prioritization process mentioned in the Strategic Plan formalizes what Bethel has long done.

This blog post is the third in a series answering questions asked as part of Bethel Backstage Pass. Joe LaLuzerne, senior vice president for strategic planning and operational effectiveness, responds to some of the questions. If you have any follow-up questions for Joe, please post them in the comments below.

-Jay

Several of our private college colleagues suffered difficult years in regards to enrollment and retention. What steps is Bethel taking to ensure next year and future years aren’t “down” year for us?

We are trying to be thoughtful and strategic in the investments we’re making to improve the quality of the educational experience and how we promote that experience, so our strong enrollment continues. This includes strategic initiatives such as improving facilities and implementing a new faculty compensation plan to recruit and retain the best faculty. On the “promotion” side, we’ve reorganized the communications and marketing division to invest more specifically in marketing, and part of the reason for the web redesign was to help in recruiting efforts. This web redesign has paid off with greatly increased traffic to the website. Another key component of the admissions process is financial aid, where we’re trying to offer students necessary assistance while budgeting responsibly. Each staff and faculty member has a role in helping ensure we recruit and serve our students well, and I’m grateful for the work all of our teams are doing.

This blog post is the second in a series answering questions asked as part of Bethel Backstage Pass. Kathleen Nelson, senior vice president for finance and administration, responds to some of the questions. If you have any follow-up questions for Kathleen, please post them in the comments below.

-Jay

Is a pay-for-performance or incentive-based pay Christian?

Pay for performance is the item most requested by employees and most strongly recommended to us by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute. Pay-for-performance is not a bonus program, but it does allow for employees to receive differential salary increases based on their individual performances. We do believe that this is consistent with biblical teachings; employers have a responsibility to treat their employees fairly, with dignity and with truthful evaluation and recognition, while employees likewise have a responsibility to work honestly, hard, and faithfully.