The President's Legacy: Guarding Mission, Guiding Growth

The Transforming Talents and Tenure of Dr. George BrushaberPresident, 1982-2008

Summer 2008 | by Alvera Mickelsen

At 11 p.m. on a June night in 1974, Bethel College & Seminary President Carl Lundquist made an urgent phone call to George Brushaber, then dean of Westmont College in California. "Is there a chance you could get on a plane tomorrow morning and come to Seattle?" he asked. "Delegates of the BGC have questions for you."

The next morning, Brushaber caught a last-minute flight to the annual meeting of the Baptist General Conference, Bethel’s sponsoring denomination. He knew his name was being proposed as the next dean of Bethel College. But Lundquist had said an interview with voting delegates wouldn’t be necessary—they’d take the recommendation of Bethel’s president and the search committee.

Now, though, there were objections. This proposed new dean was not Swedish, had not been a part of the Baptist General Conference, and had no prior connection with Bethel, as had all previous deans. After 90 minutes spent answering delegate questions, this suspect “Gentile,” as he would frequently call himself later, won the votes.

And so began George K. Brushaber’s 33 years at Bethel—seven as dean and 26 as president. Those first concerns about an “outsider” bring smiles now, in light of all this gifted man of God has accomplished for the university.

When he was asked to consider becoming dean, the 35-year-old candidate had two important questions of his own: Was Bethel friendly to the sciences? And was Bethel supportive of the visual arts? Christians, he believed, should be fully engaged and training leaders in these fields. When he was satisfied the answer was “yes” to both questions, he agreed to consider the post.

Growth Generator

Arriving to begin his work as dean at Bethel in the fall of 1975, Brushaber learned that some science departments had only one or two teachers and a few adjuncts. He determined to change that. Following a steady infusion of resources, today Bethel’s biology, physics, and chemistry programs are highly respected, even in Ivy League graduate schools.

The sciences are just one example of many programs that have blossomed under Brushaber’s leadership. And then there are the entirely new ventures: In the late 1980s, he launched what are now a thriving graduate school and a college for those wanting to earn a baccalaureate degree later in life. Together those two schools now have 1,400 students and classes meeting across the Twin Cities metro area. A new MBA program also has cohorts in three Greater Minnesota cities.

As Brushaber retires, the institution that in 1975 had 1,467 students in the undergraduate college and 294 in the seminary is now a university of more than 6,000 students—enrolled among four schools in multiple locations (2006-2007 year-end totals).

During his years as president, 19 new buildings or major additions have enhanced the campuses, and the school’s academic and spiritual reputation has grown equally. Bethel is now the third largest private college in Minnesota, and the largest of the 13 colleges in the Christian College Consortium. Among more than 250 seminaries accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, Bethel Seminary ranks 10th largest, thanks in part to a model distance learning program that has attracted students from around the world.

Steady Visionary

The journey has not been easy, even for a man of Brushaber’s indefatigable energy. He frequently would begin his office work at 7 a.m. (or earlier) and continue past 6 p.m. “He gets more out of the clock and the calendar than anyone I have ever known,” says Dwaine Lind, his long-time executive assistant. “He has unusual powers of concentration, deals smoothly with interruptions, and returns immediately to the task at hand.”

The many changes Brushaber brought to Bethel were not always welcome. He has a passion for excellence—and excellence is often costly. When the Carl H. Lundquist Community Life Center was erected, it included Benson Great Hall, seating 1,500, to serve both as a chapel and a concert hall.

In the planning stage, music department chair and Bethel Choir conductor Robert Berglund (now retired) contended for a superb concert venue—a progressive “shoebox” style building with height, width, and depth ratios, as well as precise furnishings, for the best possible acoustics. Such a design would nearly double the cost, and other departments argued for more multi-purpose architectural plans. Brushaber chose to support what was acoustically excellent, though the final price tag would be $16 million.

Benson Great Hall is now widely considered one of the finest concert halls in the upper Midwest, a space that has added greatly to the reputation and ministry of Bethel University. Time has affirmed the strategic wisdom of the decision.

What were the most difficult times? During Brushaber’s first few years as president, the pool of prospective students across the United States radically declined, and for Bethel, like nearly all other colleges, it meant painful adjustments. Some well-qualified teachers had to be laid off, professional development opportunities put on hold, and pay raises frozen.

Even though he had anticipated this enrollment trend, Brushaber was discouraged. Leith Anderson, chair of the Board of Trustees, confronted him. “Are you a quitter?” he asked directly. “If you are, move on. If you have gumption and courage, we’ll stay with you.” The president chose to persevere, and within a few years, Bethel’s student numbers began leaping forward again.

That same tenacity—along with his educational background—also enabled him to navigate through some potential minefields and to keep Bethel true to the foundational truths of Scripture. He holds master’s degrees in philosophy of religion and in divinity, and a doctorate in epistemology and metaphysics. And he is praised for his thorough research on the Baptist General Conference and church history.

History is only one of a wide range of topics about which he is profoundly informed. Those who know him well have observed that he can converse intelligently in many fields, including science, literature, economics, philosophy, theology, logic, the Bible, current affairs, sports, music, and architecture. With such a broad range of intense personal interests, Brushaber has encouraged extraordinary variety in Bethel’s curricula.

Keeper of Mission

Many admire the retired president, first and foremost, for his deep commitment to the evangelical Christian faith, and an ongoing determination that Bethel embody that commitment in all its endeavors.

“George has an unwavering commitment to evangelical Christianity. That’s his core theologically,” says Jay Barnes, former executive vice president and provost for the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Adult & Professional Studies, and the Graduate School as well as incoming president. “Flowing out of that, then, has been his strong commitment to our core values. That’s an important part of how he’s defined Bethel.”

To weave these tenets securely into the fabric of Bethel, Brushaber has given a wallet-size version to each new visitor to his office, and every new employee receives a copy as well. As a result, the “We are…” statements, have come to permeate the institution’s conversations and culture. Every proposal is evaluated by whether it contributes to some or all of the core values.     

For similar reasons, he has interviewed face-to-face every candidate considered for a full-time faculty position. “I don’t ask about their academic qualifications. That has already been covered by department chairpersons,” he says. “I want to know about their personal faith, whether they’re comfortable sharing their faith with students, and if they are committed to our core values.” He has made it a practice to re-interview each faculty member at five-year intervals as well.

Experienced Scholar

How did Brushaber become this kind of leader?

The only child of a pastor in Milwaukee, Wis., he grew up in the church and learned a great deal about pastoring from shadowing his father. At an early age, he recognized his need to confess Christ and embrace his own faith. In the same church he met his wife, Darleen, and never dated anyone else.

Brushaber began college at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and then transferred to Wheaton College. When he took the usual battery of undergraduate vocational tests, the results suggested he should be a farmer or a mortician! But the career counselor assured him his options were wider and asked what he’d really like to do. “Be the academic dean of a Christian college,” he replied with unusual foresight.

Bethel Philosophy Professor Emeritus Stan Anderson has been a lifelong friend, sharing many parts of the journey from that day to this. The two met as Wheaton students, once skipped class to go to a baseball game in nearby Chicago, and occasionally played pranks on professors. Later they stood up for each other at their weddings, and crossed paths again professionally in two different colleges.

After George and Darleen married, they moved to Boston, where Brushaber studied for his M.Div. at Gordon Divinity School and Darleen taught fourth grade to the Portuguese children of fishermen in nearby Gloucester. Later, while completing his Ph.D. at Boston University, Brushaber assumed a variety of teaching and administrative roles at Gordon, including registrar and director of adult education. Ordained during their years in Boston, he also served as interim pastor of several New England churches.

By the time he came to Bethel—following three years as dean at Westmont—Brushaber had gained a breadth of experience in education and the church, and knew well the opportunities and challenges faced by Christian colleges and seminaries. 

Networking Editor

Over the years, Brushaber became acquainted with many noted theologians and authors who became his mentors, including Harold J. Ockenga, Carl F. H. Henry, Dallas Willard, J.I. Packer, and David Hubbard. He also founded and edited the Christian Scholar’s Review while at Gordon. So several years after Brushaber took the Bethel post, Ockenga suggested Brushaber’s name to those searching for a new executive editor for Christianity Today (CT). And so began more than 20 years of association with the influential magazine.

For five years, he traveled to the CT offices in Wheaton, Ill. three times a month—rising at 5 a.m. to catch a plane to Chicago, working in the office there from 8 a.m. until evening, and then flying home, arriving at midnight to resume his work at Bethel the next day. He thrived on the literary work, finding it intellectually stimulating, and he is still a senior advisor to CT. For his contributions to Christian publishing, in 1997 the National Association of Evangelicals honored him with the James DeForest Murch Award.

Through his visibility at CT and as an active participant in many other organizations, Brushaber has met gifted professors whom he has recruited for the Bethel faculty, and influential leaders whom he has invited to seek election to the Board of Trustees. That today’s trustees and Bethel Foundation Governors bring talent and professional experience from such varied worlds as law, business and finance, church leadership and missions, media, health care, and education is a tribute to the intentionality with which Brushaber has built Bethel’s high-quality governance team.

Inspiring Fundraiser

The ability to relate so well with so many people has been invaluable in Brushaber’s service to Bethel. One such connection was serendipitous. At the farewell dinner for the retiring President Carl Lundquist, guests were asked to consider a pledge of support to Bethel. Little did incoming President Brushaber know that the provost of St. Thomas was in the audience, playing a trick on his own boss by filling out a pledge card for $10,000!

Brushaber was assigned the task of following up on the pledges, and innocently placed a phone call to “Terry Murphy,” the name on the card. “Do you know who I am?” Murphy answered. “The president of St. Thomas!” Despite that quirky meeting, Murphy suggested they get together—and it was the start of an enormously helpful connection. Murphy introduced Brushaber to foundations and corporations that give to support educational institutions. “It was a guided tour of the philanthropic community in Minnesota,” the president reflects. “And it became a great friendship.”

Brushaber has needed all of those contacts. In addition to developing a relatively young campus, the university now has an annual budget of $83 million and about 900 employees. Fortunately, the tireless president has enjoyed fundraising. He believes fiercely in Bethel’s mission and cares so deeply about students that he’s been unabashed about asking for support—even very large amounts.

During the past six years, Brushaber has led Bethel University’s boldest effort yet in generating resources for the institution—an unprecedented $105 million comprehensive resource campaign called “Taking the Next Step.”

The president’s aim for this ambitious drive to support facilities, endowment, special programs, and the Annual Fund was not to raise one-time support only, but to heighten ongoing stewardship among constituents. A higher level of ownership by alumni, parents, and friends, he believes, is key to securing Bethel’s future and is an important part of the legacy he wishes to leave.

Brushaber’s vision is being realized! The campaign’s final total was $103.9 million (see article on p. 4). More donors have stepped forward with larger gifts than at any time in Bethel’s history.

Strategist

Former President Brushaber has aggressively sought new strategies to keep Bethel healthy and growing in its mission. During a period of financial challenge, he led the charge to preserve Bethel Seminary, according to Executive Director and Provost Leland Eliason.

“His actions included a clear public commitment to the seminary as part of Bethel’s future,” says Eliason. In addition to substantial cost cutting, Brushaber created the Vision AD2001 Committee to do strategic research and planning, supported innovations such as offering the first M.Div. degree almost entirely online, and streamlined decision-making processes so that new degrees could be developed more quickly.

“Today,” says Eliason, “Bethel Seminary is thriving in its mission to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ among all people in culturally sensitive ways.”

In 2004, the president initiated Bethel’s identity and organizational change from Bethel College and Seminary to Bethel University. This involved a restructuring in which most administrative functions for all schools and locations have been streamlined and centralized in St. Paul.

Flanking the president in implementing the strategies has been a President’s Leadership Team, which includes four executive vice presidents all recruited by Brushaber. For example, in December of 2000, business entrepreneur Paul Olson had just sold the global electronic-commerce business he’d founded and was anticipating an early retirement—until Brushaber prevailed upon him for an appointment just hours before Christmas Eve. “‘Here are the ideas I have for what you could do for Bethel,’” Olson remembers the president saying as he referred to pages of notes in his hand.

Now responsible for institutional advancement at Bethel, Olson says his boss has had a high degree of respect for and trust in the people he’s supervised.

“He has a pastor’s heart,” says Jay Barnes. “A side of him that I think people don’t see is that he’s incredibly encouraging when life is difficult.” 

Friend of Students

As administrative demands grew, Brushaber regrets that it became increasingly difficult to keep in close touch with students. He still maintained his annual tradition of standing in the college driveway every “move-in day” to greet all new students and their parents as they arrived on campus. And he made a point to try to meet each year with new student leaders.

Over the years, the Brushabers have regularly attended varsity sports events, and he rarely missed a home football game when he’s been in town. He’s been intensely interested in Bethel athletics and, along with improving facilities, has backed efforts to recruit the best coaches available—both professionally and spiritually. In 2007 alone, Bethel teams in four sports took conference titles; but even more importantly, the teams function as discipleship groups.

Equal opportunities have also improved in sports. The addition of women’s softball, hockey, and golf during Brushaber’s tenure created nine sports for women—the same number as for men.

Judy Moseman, retired vice president for student life, remembers how Brushaber always wanted to know how students were progressing spiritually as well as intellectually. Bethel is one of the very few Christian colleges that has well-attended, voluntary chapel, where he has spoken at least once a semester.

Over the years, some have suggested adding a building just for all administrative staff, but Brushaber resisted the idea. He wanted staff and faculty offices to remain in the main corridors of classroom buildings, where students could easily drop in for conversation and mentoring.

Reconciler

Does the newly retired president have dreams for Bethel that are yet to be fulfilled? He envisions a science building with state-of-the-art laboratories, which would enable Bethel’s top-notch biology, chemistry, physics, and math/computer science departments to thrive well into the future.

But also on his heart is a goal he has pursued diligently—a student body, faculty, and staff that is more racially and culturally diverse—“more like the Kingdom of God,” in his words.

He has paved a path by hiring a chief diversity officer, Leon Rodrigues, making Bethel one of only two Christian College Consortium schools to have a full-time senior executive dedicated to antiracism and reconciliation.

“President Brushaber has kept antiracism and reconciliation as an institutional imperative,” says Rodrigues. “He has asked me to provide a structure where all Bethel employees will receive training.”

Brushaber has also initiated the Bethel Antiracism and Reconciliation Commission (BARRC), created scholarships for students in financial need, funded many cross-racial experiences such as the Sankofa bus trip to Civil Rights landmarks, and fostered a groundbreaking new Reconciliation Studies major with a study component in South Africa.     

“He has worked hard to retain students of color,” notes Professor Curtiss DeYoung, who leads the reconciliation studies program. “Sometimes this has been publicly in strong stances against racism on campus. Other times, it has been quietly behind the scenes in one-on-one work with students.”

More than 20 new faculty and staff members of color have been hired across Bethel in just the past two years, including more employees in admissions and student life specifically to recruit and support multicultural students. “President Brushaber has been dedicated to increasing the number of faculty and staff of color, people who look the same as the students of color,” adds Karen McKinney, a member of BARRC and an associate professor of biblical and theological studies. “That is what is going to keep us on track in our commitment to being an institution of reconciliation.”

Under his leadership, Bethel has also invested in an award-winning partnership with the Frogtown/Summit-University community of St. Paul where the university operates the King Family Child Development Center (CDC). During the last three years, more than 325 Bethel students have worked as practice teachers there or as volunteers in other schools and agencies, learning to relate meaningfully to people of different cultures.

“As president, Brushaber trusted those of us he hired to create these new programs,” says DeYoung. “He has given us an amazing amount of freedom to do the work necessary.”

Renaissance Retiree

What will George Brushaber do in retirement? He has rarely taken vacations—a concern sometimes to the Board of Trustees. “But,” one friend said recently, “this very hard-working man…now has four grandchildren and has become a ‘softie’ who loves to spend time with them. He’ll be able to do that in retirement.”

It’s clear this Renaissance man has many other interests he can now pursue, and he’ll be busy with worthwhile contributions. Many speculate the writer and editor will re-emerge to once again help shape Christian thought through publishing, consulting, and speaking.

But there is little doubt about one thing. The leaps of innovation and progress visible throughout Bethel during the administration of its fourth president set the stage for continued growth physically, academically, and spiritually for decades to come. 

Thank you, Dr. Brushaber.