(The
President's Letter, April 2012)
An early spring has blessed our
beautiful mountaintop campus in Bethany. Beyond my campus window are daffodils, lush green grass, budding bushes and flowering
trees. Day by day, in the words of a
colleague, “the transformation is amazing and inspiring.”
Spring
term at Bethany fulfills the sense of promise and possibility that begins with
each new academic year. In addition to
Commencement, perhaps no event captures that spirit as meaningfully for the
entire institution as Founder’s Day. This year we welcomed back to campus as
our Convocation speaker noted historian and Johns Hopkins Scholar D. Duane
Cummins, who served as president of the College from 1988 until his retirement in
2002. Dr. Cummins’ remarks generated an appreciative response from faculty, students,
alumni and friends as he recalled the improbable survival of the College in the
darkest days of the Civil War.
“During
1861,” Dr. Cummins recounted, “students in large number began to leave Bethany.
Some went home, while most enlisted in the army. The student body was reduced to 38 and the
faculty to two. Only five degrees were
conferred in 1862, and enrollment soon fell again to 33.
“In
1863, on July 3, Commencement was held for four graduates. Only 10 trustees had
been able to make the trip. Common sense
suggested that they should simply close the doors of the College,” Dr. Cummins
continued.
On that
July 3, however, “with no other asset than the ideal of Bethany College,” Dr.
Cummins noted, “the trustees made a fateful decision. . . it is recorded in the
minutes, and the vote was unanimous that ‘The operation of the college will
continue in all respects.’”
As if
to validate the trustees’ decision, and entirely unknown to them, twin Union
victories that same week—at Gettysburg and Vicksburg—marked the turning point
of the war, while simultaneously “marking the turning point in the survival of
Bethany College,” Dr. Cummins concluded.
Enrollment that fall jumped 40 percent.
Decisive
leadership by Bethany College trustees in 1863 had saved the College. Today, this small liberal arts college
continues to embody the mission of our founder, while adapting its programs to
the needs of a global, knowledge-based economy.
The
mobility of our society is one of many aspects of contemporary life that would
likely have astounded our College’s early leaders, with student groups fanning out in every direction
during our recent spring break. Student-athletes traveled widely, with the golf
team to Myrtle Beach, softball to Clermont, Fla., and baseball to Ft. Pierce,
Fla. Puerto Rico was the destination of
Spanish Club members and advisors, who toured the El Yunque tropical forest, the
famed Bacardi rum factory, Rio Camuy Caves, Bioluminscent Bay and Luquillo
Beach, among other attractions.
German
Club members and advisors flew to Milan in two groups, touring various
attractions, museums and other sights there, with day trips to Venice, Verona
and the Italian Dolomites for skiing and sledding.
The
Economics and Business Clubs visited seven European countries, with stops in
cities including London, Brussels, Venice, Innsbruck, Paris and Dijon. Closer to home, Bethany students completed an
Alternative Spring Break in the Florida Everglades where they helped to remove invasive
species to rid the swamps of plants competing with the natural flora and fauna.
Students and advisors also participated in beach cleaning on sea turtle nesting
grounds.
The
Tri-Beta Biological Honorary Society, Alpha Phi Chapter, traveled to Boston
where they visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of
Archaeology and Ethnology, the New England Aquarium and the Boston Museum of
Science.
Some of
our brightest future Bethanians joined us March 24 for the 28th
annual Kalon Scholarship Luncheon. Emmy Award-winning TV producer Jhamal
K. Robinson, a 1998 Bethany alumnus who serves as head of production for Yahoo!
Studios in Los Angeles, was keynote speaker. The luncheon is part of the Kalon
Leadership Scholarship Competition, which recognizes incoming students who
possess special leadership potential. It
offers future students with exceptional promise an opportunity to be inspired
by successful alumni. One of many Bethany graduates who have achieved
excellence in their fields, Jhamal built on the base of knowledge and
experience that he received at Bethany, becoming one of the youngest, yet most
influential, producers in the television industry.
Another highlight of our year is
the Oreon E. Scott Lectures. The Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins launched the 57th
annual Scott Lectures, March 26-27, at Bethany’s Mountainside Conference
Center. Dr. Watkins currently serves as the general minister and president of
the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. This
year’s event focused on “The Challenge of Being Church in the 21st
Century.”
Our campus will wind up the
spring term with Alumni Weekend, May 4-6, and Commencement Weekend, May
11-12. We invite
you to join us for these annual traditions.
As we
prepare to conclude another academic year, it is appropriate to echo the words
of Dr. Cummins: “Memory, heritage and a profound conviction about the value of
the Bethany College ideal have always undergirded Bethany’s courageous response
to every challenge it has faced.” May we
always continue to honor this firm foundation and the spirit of renewal that
attends springtime and the forward-looking activities of Bethanians.
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