The primary purpose of the Campus Master Plan project is to improve the student, staff, and faculty experience at Bethel through a long-term plan for future facility needs that is true to our identity and consistent with our strategic priorities.

The Bethel University Board of Trustees met on November 2 and 3, adopting a number of actions of importance. Board action includes:

In the spring, President Barnes announced we are in the beginning phases of updating our campus master plan. This email is to explain more about that process and invite you to help us dream about Bethel’s future.

The Bethel University Board of Trustees met on April 28 and 29 for its spring meeting. Following are some of the highlights of the meeting.

More than a half of the initiatives have been reviewed to date and have demonstrated the wide range of university teams involved in helping accomplish the single most comprehensive strategic plan in Bethel’s history.

The Bethel University Board of Trustees met on January 20 and 21 for its regular winter meeting. Following are some of the highlights of the meeting.

The week of October 4, the Bethel University Board of Trustees held their fall meetings on campus. The following are several highlights from the meetings:

Strategic planning, enrollment, and budgeting are integral to determining university priorities for the coming years. As we look at this information, it’s clear that for Bethel to continue to prosper, we must strengthen College of Arts & Sciences enrollment, perhaps by growing by as many as 30 students a year over the next five years. (A comprehensive plan to accommodate such growth will be a critical element of this strategy.) Yet this growth needs to happen in a time when high school demographics are flat or declining, and we continue to face a sluggish economy.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has released its comprehensive evaluation of Bethel University’s College of Arts & Sciences, College of Adult & Professional Studies, and Graduate School, written by the team that visited campus in February 2010. The report and the recommendations of the visiting team were accepted and affirmed by a reader’s panel of peer evaluators, the Institutional Actions Council, and the Board, and can be considered final.

The week of June 29, the Bethel University Board of Trustees and the Bethel University Corporation held meetings in Denver in conjunction with the biennial meeting of Converge Worldwide (formerly the Baptist General Conference). The following are several highlights from the meetings:

Colleagues,

When we met in February, I promised you an update on our budgeting process in mid-April. We don’t have final resolution on the budget at this point, but I write to you because I know that there is anxiety as you wait to learn how budget cuts will affect your area, specifically as it relates to jobs. I don’t have all of the answers you want, but in our continued efforts to have open communication on the budget process, I want to give you a brief update.

Friends,

Thank you to the more than 200 of you who turned out for the faculty and staff Q&A sessions. I appreciate your support and care for what is happening here at Bethel. For those of you unable to attend, the audio from the Red Fox session is available online for the Bethel community (requires iTunes). There were a few important budget highlights from the sessions that I want to make sure everyone is aware of:

Friends-

A six-member visiting team from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, which accredits all colleges and universities in a 19-state region, concluded its visit to Bethel on Wednesday morning. This comprehensive review of the institution was to affirm the quality of work done by the university and to provide guidance as the university seeks continued accreditation.

Colleagues:

Over the past 18 months we’ve prayed that God would bring the right leadership team together. We prayed for strong, experienced leaders who would bring a love for Bethel University, a commitment to work collaboratively, an ability to contribute energy and wisdom to the decision making process, and a perspective that was broader than higher education. I feel that God has answered our prayers abundantly, and in that vein I’m excited to announce the appointment of the last member of my cabinet.

Purpose

As has been previously communicated, in order to ensure Bethel is on solid footing to carry out its mission for many years to come, the president and his leadership team have identified the need to permanently reduce annual spending. As a part of this effort, Bethel is offering a VOLUNTARY SEPARATION INCENTIVE PROGRAM (VSIP) that offers a lump sum payment and continuation of certain benefits.

As president, I have tried to share with you timely information regarding organizational changes, enrollment, and our financial situation. Together we have been called to accomplish an important mission in challenging times. Those graduating in less than three weeks are a reminder to us of the vitality of our mission and your role in achieving it.

The Bethel University Board of Trustees met on Thursday, October 8, and Friday, October 9.

Features of this meeting:

Bethel University’s College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) has enrolled 2,827 students for fall 2009. The enrollment was measured on the 10th day of class—a widely practiced standard for assessing enrollment, allowing for initial changes that occur the first few days of class. CAS enrollment is up 1.3 percent from last fall’s enrollment of 2,792 and includes 1,914 students who are continuing enrollment from the previous semester, 727 new freshmen, 23 students returning after an absence, and 163 students transferring from other higher education institutions.

On Tuesday, August 18, Bethel University President Jay Barnes celebrated the end of summer and shared a brief update with the employee community at the Annual Ice Cream Social.

The Bethel University Board of Trustees has named David K. Clark, currently professor of theology at Bethel Seminary, to be executive vice president and provost of Bethel University. Clark will begin in his new role on July 1. In accordance with the University Bylaws, the Trustees will request his confirmation as provost at the Bethel University Corporation biennial meeting in June 2010.

May 19, 2009

President Jay Barnes is recommending to the Board of Trustees that David K. Clark, professor of theology at Bethel Seminary, be appointed as executive vice president and provost of Bethel University.

More than 30 trustees met April 30-May 1 in the new Paul L.H. Olson and Pamela G. Olson Boardroom and the conference rooms on the fourth floor of the Brushaber Commons. The Finance and Administration Committee and the Committee on Trustees held their first meetings the evening before the official opening on Thursday morning, in order to begin on an extensive agenda. President Barnes reviewed progress on his stated goals for the university, articulated to the trustees a year ago. The primary focus of the trustees at this meeting, beyond important “routine” business, was discussion of a Board Policy Manual to guide the administration and the board into strategic thinking. More than four hours of committee meetings and plenary sessions were devoted to this, considering a draft of the policy manual developed by the Committee on Trustees and administrative staff. The committee and staff members will continue to work on the document this summer, in order to present it for board approval in October.

President Barnes has committed to regular updates regarding enrollment and budget decision-making. May 1 was an important date marking the nationally recognized decision date many colleges set by which students indicate their intentions by their deposit.

The Provost Search Advisory Committee met on April 16-17, and interviewed several candidates. At the end of their discussions, the committee is moving forward with two candidates. The committee will not have a recommendation before the meeting of the Board of Trustees on April 30-May 1, however. The President anticipates that a single candidate will be recommended by mid-May, and the candidate will meet with several campus groups before being presented to the Trustees. The candidate’s nomination will then be acted on by the Board of Trustees. The Provost’s appointment will be presented to the delegates to the Bethel Corporation meeting (members of the churches of Converge Worldwide/ Baptist General Conference) for confirmation at the next biennial assembly in June 2010.

In late March 2009, the Bethel Community celebrated the inauguration of Jay Barnes as the university's fifth president. Photo galleries of the various events and audio from the installation service are available below.