Announcing the Death of President Emeritus George K. Brushaber

President Emeritus George K. Brushaber, who led Bethel University from 1982 to 2008, has died at the age of 82 after a brief illness. 

As Bethel’s fourth president, Brushaber was best known for his visionary leadership and firm grasp of Christian liberal arts. He successfully steered the institution through economic and enrollment challenges, tripling the student body and adding 19 new buildings to the campus—one for every 18 months of his tenure.

A nationally recognized and respected evangelical leader, Brushaber recruited top-tier faculty and increased the number of academic offerings from 57 to 141. He oversaw the addition of adult degree completion programs, graduate programs, and the country’s first online seminary degree programs, eventually presiding over Bethel College & Seminary’s transition to a university in 2004. Under Brushaber’s leadership, Bethel grew in academic visibility and reputation from a regional to a national school of choice for Christian students. 

“George Brushaber was highly conversant in many fields—science, history, literature, journalism, philosophy, theology, sports, music, and architecture,” says Dwaine Lind, former executive assistant to the president. “This gave him great credibility as he personally interviewed every full-time faculty candidate and encouraged unprecedented curricular and program development and growth.” 

Brushaber also provided critical fundraising leadership in support of both capital and operating goals. Under his direction, the operating budget increased from $17 million to $90 million, the annual fund increased from $3.5 to $10 million, and a $105 million comprehensive campaign was completed.

“George Brushaber’s contributions to Bethel are legendary, but among the most significant was his unwavering commitment to the mission and the preservation of Bethel’s core values,” says Bethel trustee board chair, Collin Barr. “He worked tirelessly to ensure that Bethel’s biblical values were operative and that the impact of the university’s graduates would be felt worldwide.” 

Brushaber thrived on literary work throughout his presidency, serving in various editorial roles with Christianity Today and Christian University Press and as founding editor and chair of trustees for Christian Scholar’s Review. His work in Christian publishing and active participation in many other national organizations—such as the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities and National Association of Evangelicals—proved highly valuable to him as president. In addition to enhancing Bethel’s reputation, he gained a national voice that put him in regular contact with other Christian leaders worldwide. These important connections allowed him to recruit many influential leaders to seek election to Bethel’s Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors for the Bethel Foundation, building a quality governance team from across many professions nationwide.

Brushaber was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the only child of a pastor. He attended Wheaton College, where he received both his B.A. and M.A. in philosophy and theology. He later received a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon Divinity School and a Ph.D. in epistemology and metaphysics from Boston University. He served on the faculty at Gordon College, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and he was vice president and academic dean at Westmont College before completing the rest of his career at Bethel.

He is survived by Darleen (Dugar) Brushaber, his high school sweetheart and wife of 59 years; daughter Deanna ’91 (Tod Dalberg); son Donald ’97 (Amy Larson ’97, GS’01); and grandchildren Brittan, Taite, and Dane Dalberg as well as Kaia and Kettly Brushaber. 

A memorial service will be on Sunday, February 27, 2022, at 1 p.m. in Benson Great Hall at Bethel University, with a visitation and reception to follow. Memorial gifts can be directed to Eagle Brook Church or to Bethel University for the Brushaber Leadership Awards.