As summer draws to a close, it is exhilarating to watch a talented new class arriving with their families and settling in for what promises to be a stimulating, eventful academic year—the 173rd for historic Bethany College.
Bethany’s athletic teams, who have already been
on campus since mid-August, are off to a fresh and exciting new start, and we
look forward to building on the momentum created last year by our
scholar-athletes. Greek advisors met for an off-campus planning session to
formulate plans to enhance and grow this important aspect of college life in
2012-13. And Bethany faculty attended workshops and briefings as they prepared
to convene classes on August 27. Seven talented faculty members have
joined the Bethany family, adding to our already impressive ranks. As their
credentials, publications and leadership demonstrate, this next generation of
Bethany scholars will continue to enrich our outstanding academic
reputation.
Students are abuzz with news of rewarding summer
opportunities, including travel, work, internships or some combination of all
three. A dozen Communications and Media Arts majors built valuable
skills through internship experience in print, social media, radio, television
and public relations with such employers as the Washington Wild Things ball
club, Washington, Pa.; Vox Mobile; WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh; ABC-7, Washington,
D.C.; Booz, Allen and Hamilton, McLean, Va.; the Bechtel Corporation,
Frederick, Md.; and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Pennsylvania, among others.
Meanwhile, 33 students enrolled in Bethany’s first online summer session in
partnership with the Online Consortium of Independent Colleges and Universities
(OCICU). The College’s memberships in consortia and partnerships such as
this greatly expand learning opportunities for our students.
I have to add that a highlight of the summer for
us Major League Baseball fans in the Pittsburgh region has been the resurgence
of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise—a team that has waited many years for a
winning season and is now a contender for the playoffs. With strong connections
to Bethany College and the Ohio Valley region, the Nutting family of Wheeling
assumed controlling ownership of the Pirates six years ago, and began
rebuilding the team’s winning tradition. The Nutting family has been supportive
of the College for many generations; Ogden and Bob Nutting currently serve on
our Board of Trustees.
The Nutting family is honored throughout the
Bethany campus. A plaque in the foyer of the Communications and Media Arts wing
of Bethany House commemorates the early involvement of H.C. Ogden, founder of
Ogden Newspapers and a former Board member of Bethany. The Nutting Gymnasium in
Hummel Field House is the main venue for three intercollegiate teams. A
commemorative plaque in The Ogden Dining Hall in Benedum Commons honors the
generations of service from the Ogden/Nutting family to our remarkable
college.
This summer, Vice President for Institutional
Advancement Sven de Jong and I logged many miles around the country meeting
with alumni and friends coast to coast. We’re appreciative of our loyal
sponsors for these events at a variety of venues. We gain inspiration with each
visit as we hear heartfelt stories of the instrumental and enduring role
Bethany, especially its faculty, has played in the lives of our
graduates.
It’s alumni like Ken Bado (San
Francisco), Rick Clancy (San Diego), John Mullen and Bill Newton
(Nashville), Greg and Ellen Jordan (Pittsburgh), Bruce Brothis (Aurora,
Colorado), Rick Zarnoch, Bill and Valerie Knapp (Columbus) and a non-alumnus
but new Trustee, Asa Johnson (New York City), who have built the College’s
enduring legacy. Other alumni and friends-sponsored events are being held
in the coming weeks in Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond,
Philadelphia and Boston. A new tradition is “Thirsty Thursday” gatherings for
young alumni in the Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., areas.
To all who have helped to promote Bethany and
forge ever-closer ties, we extend our heartfelt gratitude.
Alumni often ask, “How can I help?” Let me offer some ways:
Alumni often ask, “How can I help?” Let me offer some ways:
- Become active in the
Class Agent program.
- Develop regional alumni
groups, sponsoring gatherings for clusters of alumni to
meet around the country.
- Serve as enthusiastic
ambassadors for Bethany.
- Promote Homecoming and
Alumni Weekend with your fellow alumni.
- Encourage alumni to stay
in touch via e-communication.
- Recommend top
prospective students to us.
- Make one or more annual
gifts to The Bethany Fund.
- Visit the Erickson
Alumni Center.
- Sponsor a lecture
series/panel discussion that could be incorporated into Alumni Weekend and
open to both alumni and current students.
- Bring a prospective
student for a campus visit or to a College event.
In my 2012 State-of-the-College Address live on the Bethany Broadcasting Network, I outlined our recent successes and renewed opportunities as A Small College of National Distinction. If you missed the address, you can find it archived on our website, www.bethanywv.edu.
