Bethel Partnership with Urban Community Praised

Issue 16 | Spring 2009

A partnership of 11 years between Bethel University and the Frogtown/Summit-University (FSU) communities of urban St. Paul has again garnered praise. In its annual report, a community organization active in the same area — the Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation (ASANDC) — recognized the Bethel-FSU alliance for its “Outstanding Leadership and Excellent Work Done in Serving Our Community.”

The report specifically called out Bethel students Moses Hungiapuko and Jordan Groh for their contributions. They are among more than 300 Bethel students who have engaged in service learning and internships in the FSU community over the past 11 years — with roughly 100 of the students working as Literacy Leader tutors in the community’s economically challenged schools.

“This recognition is important because it confirms the Bethel University mission, along with that of the Bethel-FSU partnership, has become tangible to those in the community and on campus,” says Verona Mitchell-Agbemadi, coordinator of the Bethel-FSU Community Partnership.

Grassroots organizations like ASANDC, she says, are catalysts for citizen empowerment, education, and quality of life. “The Bethel-FSU partnership is recognized as a colleague in the work of ASANDC, due partly to our ability to turn community voices into action through years of committed service and educational exchanges that benefit the residents and Bethel students.”