(The President's Letter, June 2012)
Bethany’s Class of 2012, 137
strong, processed through Oglebay Gates one final time as students gathered for
the May 11 Baccalaureate Service in Commencement Hall. The next morning, on a
sun-drenched Saturday, they passed along the Alumni Walk in front of majestic
Commencement Hall before receiving their diplomas at the Tilock Amphitheatre in
the newly-dedicated Pennington Quadrangle.
Among them were the first seven students of
our new Master of Arts in Teaching program, the first accredited graduate
degree in the history of the College.
Dr.
James P. Johnson, president emeritus of Lexington Theological Seminary
and of the Christian Church Foundation of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), spoke to graduates, friends and
families during the Baccalaureate service while Commencement speaker and
Bethany Trustee Sy Holzer, PNC Bank Pittsburgh president, was among many in attendance
who noted the palpable “electricity and excitement” pervading the College’s 172nd
Anniversary Commencement Weekend.
Quoting Trustee Vice Chair Bob
McCann ’81, Holzer reminded the graduates that “the only thing small about your
education is the size of the town your college is located in. You’re being educated
big-time to be world-class.”
Holzer continued, “It is at moments like these in the rich history of our
great country, when we need a new generation to offer new ideas and new energy
to meet the challenges we face as a country…I am excited for you because I know
that you are ready to add creativity and imagination to the background and
training that you have received at our great Bethany College.” In recognition of his support of
Bethany and its service-learning program, Sy was awarded the honorary Doctor of
Humanities degree.
Valedictorian Meghan L. Philp
of New Martinsville, WV, was recognized with the Oreon Scott Award, given
annually to the senior graduating with the highest academic standing. A total of nine students graduated with
perfect 4.0 grade point averages.
Honorary
Doctor of Divinity degrees were bestowed upon The Rev. William Burwell Allen,
former regional minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in
Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and Dr. Johnson, our Baccalaureate speaker.
Bill Allen has served as pastor and college chaplain at Bethany Memorial Church
and at Bethany College.
Following
Commencement exercises, a tree was planted and a commemorative plaque placed at
the Erickson Alumni Center to celebrate the Class of 2012, as a symbol of members’
continuing growth and enduring connection to their alma mater.
Commencement
weekend capped a spring filled with traditional events and activities,
including the 65th annual Darline Nicholson Spring Breakfast honoring Bethany
College senior women on May 5. This
year, it was especially gratifying to visit with long-time former Dean
of Students Nicholson, namesake for the
breakfast in her honor. Featured speaker for the
2012 event was Susan Ryan Lister '89, senior specialist in global communications
for the Whirlpool Corporation and former associate commissioner of the Big Ten
Conference.
That
evening, Dr. Kathleen Downey ’75 and Sharon Bogarad ’76 were honored at the
annual Alumni Awards dinner as part of the College’s Alumni Weekend events
honoring the Class of 1962. Dr. Downey,
of Cincinnati, Ohio, earned her M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh Medical
School in 1979. As medical director of
the Wyoming Family Practice Center, she was named “teacher of the year” three
times, working in locations around the world, including New Zealand, the Bering
Sea in Alaska and a Navajo Native American reservation. Ms. Bogarad, an attorney in Weirton, WV,
served as a member of the Bethany College Alumni Council for 18 years, as
Council president from 2000-2002, and as chapter advisor for Phi Mu for 11
years. She has participated in Kalon and other enrollment programs, and was a
member of a presidential search committee.
Also honored at the dinner
were Marc B. Chernenko '78 and Joyce Dumbaugh Chernenko '78, co-recipients of
the 2012 Alumnus of the Year Award established by the Office of the President
to recognize alumni who have demonstrated loyalty to the College and
exceptional achievement throughout their lives, both professionally and in
service to the community.
Even as we conclude another
productive academic year, we position the College for continued success in a
competitive marketplace; we recently signed an
agreement with Carnegie Mellon University for six dual degrees offering
accelerated programs. The programs allow qualified applicants to
graduate with both a bachelor’s degree from Bethany and a master’s degree from
CMU in five years.
Summer,
always a busy time on campus, will again welcome youth from around the nation
and world for the fifth year of Camp Canyon, a program combining traditional
and specialized activities. In addition,
25 students are enrolled in our first online summer session. Bethany
students are allowed to take 12 hours of online classes from Bethany College
during their four years here.
I
look forward to visiting Bethanians during alumni events around the country.
And to alumni and friends everywhere, thank you for your financial support
during the 2011-2012 fiscal year, which concludes June 30. There’s still time
to make your gift to The Bethany Fund if you have not already done so. We value
your commitment to our College!
Just
as our graduates walked through the Oglebay Gates during Commencement Weekend
for the last time, we look forward to welcoming the Class of 2016 in August
when they will take this traditional walk for the very first time—continuing the
kinds of rituals that have defined our College for 172 years. On behalf of the
Bethany College community, I wish you a wonderful summer, and invite you to watch
for further updates as we look ahead to the new academic year.
