Year in Review

January

Assistant Professor of Physics Nathan Lindquist ’02 receives a 2016 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which provides $500,000 in funding.

Bethel receives a $484,852 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.’s High School Youth Theology Institutes to establish “Living the Questions,” a 10-day summer residential program for high school students.

February

Professor of History and Political Science Emeritus G. William Carlson passes away on February 12 after suffering a stroke.  

The Bethel University women's hockey team wins their first MIAC championship in program history.

March

More than 85% of recent alumni of Bethel’s College of Adult & Professional Studies (CAPS) and Graduate School (GS) programs say they’re satisfied or very satisfied with their overall educational experience at Bethel.

April

Students organize a 24/7 prayer tent in Kresge Courtyard to encourage the Bethel community to pray continuously during the month.

Bethel hosts the 2016 Shurden Lectures, an annual lecture series on issues of religious liberty and the separation of church and state, sponsored through the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC).

May

Strategic efforts in assessing and improving student retention in the College of Arts & Sciences result in several record-breaking percentages, including a retention rate of 96.9% in spring for first time full-time students who entered in fall 2015.

Gretchen Miller Wrobel is named University Professor of Psychology, just the sixth Bethel faculty member to earn University Professor recognition.

June

Bethel names Carole Young, professor of psychology in the College of Arts & Sciences, as the dean for the natural and behavioral sciences division.

July

Bethel ranks 82 on Money magazine’s “100 Best Colleges for your Money” list. This is the first time Bethel has made the top 100. Of all the colleges on the list, the university had the third most improved score over last year.

August

Bethel Student Government (BSG) funds a patio expansion project in Kresge Courtyard.

September

Bethel names Kristi Moline G’15 the executive director for the new Center for Healthcare Excellence at Bethel University.

October

Bethel Student Government updates the “Nikdag” and “Gadkin” traditions to create “GAD-NIK” with the hope that the new event will be more inclusive and mean a positive experience for all students who choose to participate.

November

Bethel senior Krista Anderson is  awarded the prestigious International Sculpture Center's Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award for 2016.

Bethel Seminary Professor Denise Kjesbo partners with Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) to offer the first fully online Master of Arts program in holistic child development.

University Professor of Physics Emeritus Richard “Dick” Peterson is the 2017 honoree of the American Physical Society (APS) Jonathan F. Reichert and Barbara Wolff-Reichert Award for Excellence in Advanced Laboratory Instruction.

December

Bethel Seminary’s Work with Purpose program receives $217,920 from the Kern Family Foundation to continue and expand the initiative in 2017.