Multilingual Caroling a Tradition in Bethany

One of the many treasures of Bethany is the annual singing of carols. Once again this year, on December 7, Bethany faculty and students from the German and Spanish Clubs delighted the Bethany community with Christmas caroling.  This all-student group was led by Harald Menz and Joseph Lovano, professors of world languages and cultures, together with Catherine Papp and Meghan Philp, German and Spanish Club presidents respectively. The group of more than a dozen sang Christmas carols in English, French, German, Italian, Latin and Spanish at several homes in the town of Bethany.

Italian Club Hosts Cultural Event

The Italian Club sponsored its 1st Annual “Festa Spaghetti” on December 3 in the Bethany Memorial Church dining hall. This cultural and community-wide event was led and organized by Italian Club President Alex DelGiorno, together with club member Candace Williams serving as master chef.  Authentic homemade Italian style food, drink and music were provided and enjoyed by Bethany College students and faculty members.

Bethany Trivia

In what year did the construction of Old Main begin? What building did it replace?

Click here to find the answer to this and other Bethany trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

In what year did the Bethany football team win the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship?

Click here to find the answer to this and other Bethany trivia questions.

President Honors Emeritus Faculty

Three recently retired long-time members of the Bethany faculty were honored at a dinner at Christman Manor for their meritorious service to the College. Jay Buckelew (biology), Mary Ellen Komorowski (mathematics) and Randy Cooey (business and economics) were recognized with the distinction of professor-emeritus and presented with engraved Bethany College rocking chairs.

Faculty, Student Attend FACDIS Workshop

Professors of World Languages and Cultures Joseph Lovano and Harald Menz  and Professor of Business Anju Ramjee, together with Visiting Fulbright Scholar Muna Al-Merri of Bahrain and German exchange student Tina Rauschenbach of Heidelberg, participated in the FACDIS 31st Annual Workshop in International Studies November 3-4. The event was titled “Technology:  Its Impact on Global Politics, Economics, Education & Culture” and was held at the Lakeview Resort and Conference Center in Morgantown, W.Va. The annual workshop focused on the following four sessions:  “Exploring Interdisciplinarity-Promises and Challenges,” “Technology and Society in the 21st Century,” “Technology and Intelligence,” and “New Media, New Wars, New Middle East.”  FACDIS is the West Virginia Consortium for Faculty and Course Development in International Studies.   

Veterans Panel Discussion Draws Standing-Room-Only Crowd

Bethany’s Service Learning Center and Homefront COMFORT (Counseling Our Military Families on Retraining and Transition) program hosted a Veterans Panel Discussion on November 9 in honor of Veterans Day. The event was open to the public and drew a standing-room-only crowd.
The following veterans participated on the panel: Aaron Anslow, Bethany visiting assistant professor of art; Ron Shaw, Bethany network administrator; Carrie Kleeh, Wheeling, W.Va., veteran; John Looney, event moderator and Wheeling Vet Center team leader; and Michael Novotney, outreach specialist at the Wheeling Vet Center. Panelists shared their experiences both from their time in service and in returning to life after service and answered questions from the audience.

Doughty ’80 to Serve on PRSA-Colorado Board

Bill Doughty, APR (Journalism, ’80), communications director at CH2M HILL, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Public Relations Society of America-Colorado Chapter. He will serve a three-year term as PRSA Leadership Assembly delegate on the board.

Bethany Trivia

Where is Strangers Hall located?

Click here to find the answer to this and other Bethany trivia questions.

Wheeling Symphony Announces College Concert Series

Wheeling Symphony announces it new College Concert Series performance, presented by Wheeling Jesuit University on November 11 at 7 p.m. Students receive tickets to these events at no cost while staff, faculty and alumni receive 50 percent off the ticket price. The group will present An American Sweet, featuring music from Copland, Berstein and Danielpour. Click here for more information.

Women’s Basketball Team Launches Finals Survival Kit Fundraiser

The Women’s Basketball team is conducting fundraisers for the upcoming season and invites family and friends of current Bethany students to treat them to a Finals Survival Kit. The kits are being offered for $20 and will be delivered to recipients December 5 & 6. 

Two kit options are available. The “original” survival kit package includes a personalized Bethany College drawstring bag that include pens, pencils, post-its, pop, chips, cookies, fruit snacks, granola bars, candy, and other little treats. A package featuring healthier snacks is also being sold. It includes a personalized Bethany College drawstring bag with fresh fruits, assorted nuts, granola bars, Gatorade and water, fruit snacks, and pens, pencils, highlighters, and sticky notes. Both packages offer the opportunity for gift-givers to include a personal message. 

NEW to this year’s Finals Survival Kit, parents can purchase a grey Bethany College T-Shirt for their student. The shirts, which offer a different design than traditional shirts sold in the book store, are an additional $15 and may be purchased together or separately from the kits.

To order, download and send the order form and payment (made out to Bethany Women’s Basketball) to Cassandra Donelan, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, Bethany College, Hummel Field House, Bethany, WV 26032.

Library Hosts Second Annual Haunted Library

Cobwebs and other Halloween decorations adorned the lower level of the T.W. Phillips Memorial Library October 28 from 9-11 p.m., transforming the ordinary book shelves into a haunted maze featuring frightening clowns, zombies and ghouls. More than 80 students participated in the event, organized by John Freeman and members of the Student Activities Council. Heather Ricciuti, Mary Cutlip director of libraries and learning resources; Heather Turner, technical services librarian; and library student employees Rebecca Dixon, Catherine Papp and Emily Sechrest, assisted with the event.

Bethany Residents Participate in Halloween Parade, Costume Contest

The Town of Bethany hosted, along with the sisters of Alpha Xi Delta, the Bethany Halloween Party on October 31. The event was held in the basement of the Bethany Memorial Church. Bethany VFD fire truck led the parade through Bethany before ending at the church, where the Halloween Party was held. Attendees enjoyed cider, cookies and caramel apples, while participants competed for the titles of Best Costume, Scariest, and Most Original. The Alpha Xi’s chose winners Sailor Girl, Dracula, the Duck Rider, Medieval Knight, Zombie Farmer Girl and the Extreme WVU Fan.

The age 1-10 winners were: Best Costume - Lillianna Hardt as Sailor Girl;  Scariest – Lucas Neel as Dracula;  Most Original – Kadence Nielson as Duck Rider. For the age category 11 and older:  Best Costume – Jarod Bowman as a Knight;  Scariest – Abby Ayers as Zombie Farmer Girl;  Most Original – Adam Long as Extreme WVU Fan.

Sororities Focus on Teamwork at Linsly Outdoor Center

Bethany sororities attended a teambuilding event on October 23 at the Linsly Outdoor Center. Jeff Hasis, Linsly Outdoor Center director, presented information on teambuilding as the group began the Center's program involving field activities and low ropes course exercises. 
 
The Linsly Outdoor Center is a facility located adjacent to Racoon Creek State Park near Franklin Springs, Pa.   Forty-five members of Phi Mu, Alpha Xi Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha traveled to the Center to participate in Sunday’s half-day program. The students were accompanied by Zeta advisor Maggie Balistrerie, class of 1995, Alpha Xi advisor, Carol Tyler, and Bethany Trustee Marc B. Chernenko, and Joyce Dumbaugh Chernenko, both Bethany 1978 graduates.    

Spanish Club Sponsors ‘Día De Los Muertos’ Celebration

Bethany’s 15th annual community-wide “Día de los Muertos” (“Day of the Dead”) celebration was held to rave reviews on October 26. Sponsored by the Spanish Club and led by Club President Meghan Philp, the cultural celebration commemorated the event that is celebrated on November 1-2 each year throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Authentic Mexican-style food and drink, prayers, poetry and music in Spanish were enjoyed by a large number of Bethany students, staff and faculty. The event was organized by Joe Lovano, Anju Ramjee, Harald Menz and Kim Lawless.

Monigold Attends Ohio Valley History Expo

Sharon Monigold, Director of Bethany Heritage Program and Archivist, attended the Ohio Valley History Expo in Wheeling, W.Va., October 22. This event took place at the Ohio County Library and was sponsored by the Wheeling Heritage Roundtable. Members of the public attended the Expo to meet with featured historians, genealogists, preservationists and archivists to discover various local repositories that can be used for research into local history.

Osborne Brings Business Experience with Apple Computer to Bethany Talk

John Osborne, Bethany College lecturer in business and economics, spoke with Bethany students, faculty and staff about his experiences working with Apple Computer on Thursday. Osborne is a ’63 Bethany graduate who earned his master’s degree from MIT and an MBA equivalent degree from Stanford University. Osborne has years of professional experience with companies such as IBM and Standard Oil of California, in addition to Apple Computer.
 
The event was sponsored by the Business and Economics Clubs.

Bethany Trivia

What is the Millenial Harbinger?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

Communications and Media Arts
Stephanie Tuszynski, assistant professor of communications and media arts, traveled to Seattle to attend the international Association of Internet Researchers conference October 11-13. This was the 12th annual AoIR conference and Tuszynski's sixth acceptance. She presented a paper entitled "Fierce Resistance: Managing Multiple Identities in a Commercialized Marketplace" and also was asked to moderate a panel on fandom. Her presentation, summarizing the results of a survey done last spring, is available online at www.slideshare.net/stuszynski/fierce-resistance
Humanities
R. Wiley Cash Jr., assistant professor of English, has completed his latest novel, A Land More Kind than Home. It can now be pre-ordered from Amazon (it won't be out until April 17, 2012), with a savings of more than $9 off the cover price. HarperCollins is planning the first release event for Bethany's campus some time in April. More information on the book signing to be held at Bethany in April 2012 will be provided later. To learn more about this novel and his other books, go to Dr. Cash’s website, located at http://www.wileycash.com/.

Library
Heather Turner, technical services librarian, attended the Appalachian College Association’s (ACA) 2011 Annual Summit in Ashville, N.C., October 13-15. Librarians representing the member institutions of ACA met to learn from each other on how to engage students while teaching information literary skills.

Visual and Performing Arts
Assistant Professor of Music Pandel Collaros has uploaded a short set of his performances of songs by Jimi Hendrix. More songs will be added to in the future. The video playlist can be accessed at www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC9584008B576C725.

Collaros accompanied alumna Amanda McCoy in a concert at Wheeling-Jesuit University on October 14.  The concert premiered new material appearing on McCoy's next CD, The Hurt. Collaros is producing the CD that will contain approximately 17 tracks inspired by McCoy's long-standing fascination with and research into the American Civil War.

Alumni News

Newman ‘49 Featured in Euclid Creek Watershed Update
Joseph H. Newman, a 1949 graduate of Bethany, was recently featured in a spotlight article published by the Euclid Creek Watershed Update (Valley View, Ohio). The story highlighted his exemplary leadership in public involvement and education on key environmental issues and his continued stewardship of the watershed.

Homecoming 2011 Photo Gallery Online
A photo gallery of Bethany’s recent fall Homecoming Weekend activities is available for viewing at: www.bethanywv.edu/AlumniEvents/Homecoming2011/index.html.

Student Callers Work to Bolster Bethany Fund
Your phones will soon be ringing! Bethany’s student callers will begin reaching out to alumni and friends of the College asking you to support The Bethany Fund. Please answer the phone and consider making a pledge. The dollars raised help the Bethany tradition continue. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

World Languages and Cultures Hosts Skit Night

The World Languages and Cultures section of the Department of Humanities presented its “2011 Annual Skit Night” on October 19 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in Renner Too. This annual language event highlighted competitive dialogue skits performed by the respective levels I and III language Practice Sessions in Arabic, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. In attendance, among others of the Bethany College campus community, were the language Practice Session Apprentice Teachers, their Practice Session students, the language judges Muna Al-Merri, Harald Menz, Anju Ramjee, Marc Sable and Sachiko Wood, and the MC of the evening Joseph Lovano.

Bethany Trivia

What championship did the women’s volleyball team win in the fall of 2010?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Lacrosse Raises Money for Special Olympics at Fall Tournament

The Bethany College men's lacrosse team participated in the Washington & Jefferson “Lacrosse For Special Olympics Tournament” on Saturday, Oct. 15th at Alexandre Stadium to raise money for Special Olympics. All proceeds from the all-day tournament were donated to the foundation’s Washington County chapter.

The Bison went 1-2 at the Tournament, which included a 6-4 win over Ohio Valley behind three goals from Brendan Wessells and a strong game in net by CJ Studnicky.

Women’s Basketball Volunteers at Wheeling Soup Kitchen

The Bethany women's basketball team took a short break from preseason practice on October 19 to volunteer at the Wheeling Soup Kitchen with the Wheeling Elks Lodge "Just For Kids" dinner program. The team helped serve food and sort food and clothing, as well as complete crafts and play games with the participating children. The women were back on the hardwood the next day to continue preparation for their November 15th season opener at home against Denison.

Alumni Council Elects New Officers

At the recently held Bethany College Alumni Association Board of Directors (commonly known as the Alumni Council) meeting, new officers were elected. John Paul (J.P.) Blaho ’96 was elected to serve as president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Blaho has served on the Board of Directors since 2003 and works as the product managing director for Sunguard Availability Services (Boston, Mass.). Bruce Fahey ’77 was elected to serve as vice president.  Elected in 2010, Fahey is an attorney and shareholder with Kastner, Westman & Wilkins, LLC, located in Akron, Ohio. 

Krsitie Bower Barnett ’97, vice president and senior trust officer with WesBanco (Wheeling, W.Va.), will continue to serve as chair of the Engagement Committee, while Craig Williams ’96, director of policy, state government affairs, Amgen, Inc. (Washington, D.C.) will continue to serve as the chair of the Advancement Committee. 

Larry Meltzer ’81 was elected as a new member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.  Meltzer serves as agency principal/creative director for MM2 Public Relations (Dallas, Texas).  For a complete listing of Council Members please visit http://www.bethanywv.edu/alumni/get-involved/alumni-council/members/.

Bethany Trivia

What famous entrepreneur provided funds to build a library at Bethany College?
Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany College Homecoming 2011: Seeman Crowned Queen, Robinson King

Senior Brittani Seeman of Rumson, N.J., and Matthew Robinson of Wheeling, W.Va., were crowned 2011 Homecoming Queen and King respectively during halftime of the October 8 football game against Westminster College.

Two two seniors were chosen from 10 members of the Homecoming Court that included: Nancy Hitt, Sara Reass, Francis Rios, Brittani Seeman and Hannah Sweetser for Queen; and Terry Davis, Justin Lipps, Anthony Palus, Matthew Robinson and J.C. Rucker for King.

Seeman, a psychology major, is the daughter of Christine and Joe Seeman. Representing the Phi Mu sorority, Seeman has been active on the Student Athletic Advisory Council and in Women’s Tennis.

Robinson, a visual arts major, is the son of Marilyn Robinson. Representing the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, he serves as new member educator. Robinson has worked as secretary of the Junior Class Council and has been a member of Circle K and the Student Artist’s Guild.

Douglas, Henderson Selected for WV Campus Compact Student Advisory Board

Students Joseph Douglas and Tiffany Henderson have been chosen as Bethany’s 2011-2012 representatives to the West Virginia Campus Compact Student Advisory Board ( WVCC SAB). Only those with a strong history of service and leadership are appointed to this selective group. As part of their responsibilities, they will attend a meeting in October to learn more about WV Campus Compact, network with other SAB members from across the state, and find out more about the activities they will be engaged in this year as WVCC SAB members.

Language Faculty and Students Represent Bethany at WVFLTA Conference

Accompanied by Dr. Harald Menz, Visiting Fulbright Lecturer Muna Al-Merri and Dr. Joseph Lovano, senior Hannah Sweetser (English major) and sophomore Chelsea Sebetich (double major:  Spanish and international relations) attended the Fall Conference of the West Virginia Foreign Language Teachers’ Association at Fairmont State University last Friday and Saturday, September 30-October 1, 2011. The Language Conference was entitled  “Fostering a Culture of Global Proficiency:  Let’s Talk with the World.”

Bethany President Attends New York Meetings

President Miller was one of 100 presidents nationwide invited to take part in the Council of Independent College (CIC) presidents roundtable with foundation CEOs at the TIAA-CREF Center in New York City last week. He also attended the meeting of the Council of Presidents of the CIC — New York Times Partnership at the New York Times Worldwide Headquarters.

Bethany Trivia

 Which opponent has Bethany defeated the most in football?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

In what year did football begin at Bethany?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

What current professor is publishing two books in coming years?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

In what year were females admitted as matriculated students to Bethany College?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

What originally stood at today’s Kirkpatrick Hall?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

Which departments at Bethany have the most honors societies?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

What were the first societies established at Bethany College?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

Who was the first female President of Bethany College?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

Where is Cardiac Hill located?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

When was the men’s lacrosse team reestablished at Bethany College?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Featured in State Magazine, Goldenseal

Bethany College is featured in the summer 2011 issue of Goldenseal, West Virginia’s magazine of traditional life, published by the Division of Culture and History in Charleston.

The issue contains an article, co-authored by Dr. Mort Gamble and Laura Cramblet, which chronicles the history of the Wellsburg-to-Bethany trolley line. The railway served Brooke County from 1908 through the mid-1920’s.  Several historic photos of the trolley and Bethany from that period are included.

Gamble’s article on circus life in West Virginia was published in the fall 2009 issue of the magazine.

More information on Goldenseal is available at The Culture Center, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, WV 25305; chgoldenseal@wv.gov; phone 304-558-0220.

Bethany Trivia

When was Cramblet Hall constructed?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

When was the national sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, founded at Bethany College?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

Who owns the career wins, strikeouts, shutouts and ERA records for the Bison Softball Team?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

What Bethany buildings are registered with the National Register of Historic Places?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

Who were the first five professors of Bethany College? What did they teach?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Darline Nicholson Breakfast Honors Senior Women

The Panhellenic Council and the Office of Student Life sponsored the 64th Annual Darline Nicholson Breakfast honoring senior women at Bethany College on April 30. South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Kaye Hearn addressed the senior women with advice for succeeding in life. Justice Hearn’s three steps to being a successful woman were to show up, work hard and be nice to everyone you meet.  At the breakfast the Joyce Chernenko Outstanding Advisor award was given to Carol Tyler, Director of Health Services, for her dedication to and support of the female students of Bethany College. Also honored at the breakfast was senior Emily Stewart with the Aleece C. Gresham Leadership Award. (Pictured: Darline Nicholson)

Bethany Trivia

When was the first Commencement ceremony held at Bethany College?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany Trivia

What is the Oreon E. Scott Award?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

Economics
Wilfrid W. Csaplar Jr., Professor of Economics, attended the Midwest Economic Development conference in St. Louis during spring break in March. While there Csaplar chaired a session in Economic Development and acted as a discussant for a paper entitled “Taxes, Public Goods and Policies of (In)Competent Politicians,” authored by Odilon Camara of the University of South Carolina.

World Languages & Culture
Heidelberg exchange student and special education major Kathrin Brandt and First Year Spanish & German Education student Gerhard Schultze attended the 58th Annual Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Baltimore, Md., April 2-3. Accompanied by World Language Professors Joseph Lovano, Harald Menz and Eric Bennett, they attended a variety of workshops and presentations related to the conference topic “Strengthening Connections: Colleagues, Content, & Curriculum.”  The group also met with alumnae Beth Degges ’03 and Jackie Berda ’00, who also attended the conference. Degges and Berda were both Spanish/education majors at Bethany and now hold positions at Maryland and Pennsylvania high schools.

Alumni News

Gray ’09 Receives Grant from United Arts Appeal
Casey R. Gray (B.A. Music, 2009) has recently been informed that he is the recipient of a 2011 United Arts Appeal Project Pool grant. The awards are given to non-profit organizations and individual artists in Chautauqua County, New York State. UAA President Rick Davis observed, “The United Arts Appeal awards grants for career development and artistic projects that benefit the cultural life of Chautauqua County. We received a significant number of quality applications this year and are pleased to be able to support these worthwhile projects.” After being screened for eligibility and fulfillment of requirements, applications were reviewed by an independent allocations panel made up of artists and community leaders. Their recommendations were then approved by the United Arts Appeal board. Gray will perform an organ recital and provide children’s programming at the First United Methodist Church of Fredonia, N.Y., where he serves as organist.

Casey, a former student of David J. Rudari (Assistant Professor of Music), is completing the coursework and recitals for the completion of the Master of Music in Voice Performance at SUNY Fredonia in May. He is a student of Professor Laurie Lasher Tramuta.

Library Hosts Murder Mystery Party

The T.W. Phillips Memorial Library held a Murder Mystery event on the night of April 16. Based loosely on the board game "Clue," guests enjoyed food and refreshments before breaking up into search parties. Each team journeyed through the library locating hidden clues to help them discover "whodunit." Once each team located their set of 15 clues, they raced to solve the mystery. The first team to correctly identify the suspect and the weapon received iTunes gift cards for their successful sleuthing. Several murder mystery themed door prizes were awarded and all guests received party favors including the symbolic magnifying glass. Reviews of the evening were extremely positive. The Murder Mystery event was envisioned, organized, and hosted by the library's Student Supervisors: Eileen Campbell, Taylor Morris, Catherine Papp, Nicole Salopek and Emily Sechrest.

Fedor Earns A Top Spot in Hiram College 2011 Echo Student Literary Competition

Bethany College student Haley Fedor recently won second place in Hiram College’s 2011 Echo Student Literary Competition fiction division. Fedor, a senior English and French major from Munhall, Pa., submitted a story titled “A New Set of Wheels.” She received a cash prize of $100. The winners will be published in The Echo 2011 Student Literary Anthology.

Bethany Trivia

How many current professors at Bethany College are Bethany alumni?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Bethany College -- Happy Easter

Friends--We invite you to view our Easter greeting.

Click on the link below or you may cut and paste it into your browser (Please adjust the volume on your speakers for optimum listening)

www.bethanywv.edu/ecard/Easter11/index.html

Faculty Spotlight

Biology
Dr. John T. Burns, Professor of Biology, attended an Appalachian College Association workshop at Davis and Elkins College on April 15th entitled "Navigating Risk Management Abroad." The workshop was conducted by Bill Frederick of Lodestone Safety International and drew on his many years of experience with such organizations as Outward Bound and the School for Field Studies. The workshop was for Appalachian College Association (ACA) faculty who lead international trips with students, or those who plan to do so. The workshop was organized by Kim Gardner of the ACA and made possible by funding from the Mellon Foundation.

History and Political Science
Marc Sable, Assistant Professor of Political Science, attended the Annual Meeting of the Association of Core Texts and Curriculum in New Haven, Conn., during the weekend of April 15-17. The association is dedicated to the development of curricula that place the close reading of great books at the center of liberal education. On Saturday, April 16, Sable presented his paper on the Egyptian Nobel Laureate, Naguib Mahfouz, entitled “Unveiling a Sufi Politics:  An Esoteric Reading of Mahfouz’s Arabian Nights and Days.”

Service Learning Center
The first Service Learning Center Awards Reception was held on Monday, April 18 in Phillips Hall lounge. Organized by the staff of the Service Learning Center, the reception highlighted service efforts by current faculty and students and recognized community agencies that collaborated on service projects throughout the past year.

The event opened with remarks by President Scott D. Miller, who discussed the importance of community service. His remarks were followed by a summary of the year’s work, reviewed by current Service Fellows, Lindsay Sobotka (Chemistry) and Taylor Morris (Social Work). Following the opening remarks and summary, certificates were awarded to those recognized for their efforts.

Special awards were presented to senior April O’Brien for her work with the Wheeling YWCA Women’s Boutique and to Elizabeth Langemak, Assistant Professor of English, for her dedication to incorporating service learning assignments into her courses and her work in establishing the first 5K race for Easter Seals, held on Saturday, April 16.

World Languages & Cultures
Heidelberg Exchange Student and Special Education major Kathrin Brandt and First Year Spanish and German Education student Gerhard Schultze attended the 58th Annual Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Baltimore, Md., April 2-3. Accompanied by World Language Professors Joseph Lovano, Harald Menz and Eric Bennett, they attended a variety of workshops and presentations related to the conference topic “Strengthening Connections: Colleagues, Content, & Curriculum.”  The group also met with alumnae Beth Degges  (2003) and Jackie Berda (2000), who were in attendance at the conference. They were both Spanish/Education majors at Bethany and now hold positions at Maryland and Pennsylvania high schools.

Alumni News

DeStefano ‘09 Named Darlington County School District Outstanding First Year Teacher
Darlington (S.C.) High School teacher Jessica DeStefano ’09 has been named Darlington County School District’s Outstanding First Year Teacher. She was selected from among seven nominees. DeStefano earned her bachelor’s degree from Bethany in physical education with a minor in special education and is a certified exceptional education teacher. She also serves as the head volleyball coach and an assistant girls’ basketball coach for the school, as well as the student council sponsor.
For more on the story, visit http://www2.scnow.com/news/pee-dee/2011/apr/11/destefano-named-darlington-county-outstanding-firs-ar-1703044/.

Alumni Council Holds Bi-Annual Meeting
The Bethany College Alumni Association Board of Directors met on campus Saturday, April 2, 2011, for their bi-annual meeting. Following a breakfast at Christman Manor at Pendleton Heights hosted by President and Mrs. Scott D. Miller, the Council received updates on various areas of the College and toured the newly renovated Communications & Media Arts department. The tour was preceded by a presentation by M.E. Yancosek Gamble, chair of the department.

The members also worked on goals and objectives for the board as the group continues looking forward to long-range planning. The Bethany College Alumni Council meets on campus twice a year and communicates frequently in committee meetings via conference calls.

Bethany College Announces May 13-14 Baccalaureate, Commencement Speakers

Bethany President Scott D. Miller has announced that President of Ogden Newspapers, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of the Pittsburgh Pirates Robert Nutting will deliver the address at the College’s 2011 Commencement ceremony, scheduled for May 14. The Rev. Dr. Todd Adams, Associate General Minister and Vice President for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will present remarks during the May 13 Baccalaureate service.

Read More

Invisible Children to Make Third Stop at Bethany for Congo Tour

Bethany College will host Invisible Children — an organization founded to help better the lives of war-affected children in Africa — for the third time on April 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Commencement Hall. The event is part of the group’s current Congo Tour and is free and open to the public.

Read More

Bethany Trivia

What awards are presented to fraternities and sororities for outstanding academic achievement?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

Humanities
Larry Grimes, Professor of English Emeritus and Director of Church Relations, has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Humanities Council. Previously he served two terms as a Citizen Member of the Program Review Board of the Council. The Council provides grant support for a number of Humanities based projects in the state through distribution of National Endowment for the Humanities funds and private funding.

Physical Education and Sports Studies
The Physical Education and Sports Studies program has added another service learning project. The School Health class will participate as presenters in a health fair at the Wellsburg Primary School on Friday, April 15. The fair is directed by Ms. Jenny Stucin, the physical education teacher at the school, with the assistance of Sandy Rogers of the Robert C. Byrd Health and Wellness Center on Bethany’s campus. The fair utilizes the expertise of numerous health care professionals and volunteers from the area.  Bethany students engaging in the fair are: Mike Bashioum, Desiree Finley, Anna Koller, Anthony Martier, Jason Soltis, Antonio Spinks, Alex Tylka, Skylar Williams and Kelly Zogran. Wally Neel, Professor of Physical Education, is the instructor for the course.

Bethany College hosted the 10th Annual Can-Am Soccer Friendlies this past weekend. The soccer festival attracts participants from both sides of the border. This weekend saw over 250 student athletes flocking to campus. The PHED 300 Officiating of Sports class utilized these matches as another opportunity for practical application of their class instruction. The students have also been officiating the basketball intramurals for similar purposes this spring. The Friendlies would like to thank the Gresham Inn and Chartwells for their assistance throughout the weekend. The Can-AM Friendlies are directed by Kosmas Mouratidis, Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Sports Studies, and Pro Soccer Camps.

Visual and Performing Arts
Tracie Duncan, Assistant Professor of Theatre and Director of Technical Theatre, will be working with The New Players' Theater Festival of Dublin, Ohio, this summer in their inaugural season. She will be serving as the Set Designer/Technical Director for their productions of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night, which will be seen in rotating repetition from mid-June to mid-July. First-year student Emerald Cavoto will also be joining the company as an Assistant Stage Manager.

Alumni News

Bethany Trustee John Mullen ’69 Named Direct General CEO
Direct General announced that it has named John W. Mullen, former Unitrin Specialty President and Bethany Trustee and 1969 graduate, as its new Chief Executive Officer. 

Mullen brings to the position 35 years of experience in the insurance industry, including service as President of Unitrin Specialty, President of Financial Indemnity Company, Western Region President and SVP Claims for Windsor Insurance Group, and held various leadership roles with Great American Insurance, Unigard Insurance Company, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

"John Mullen brings extensive experience and a great track record in leading personal and casualty insurance organizations," said Robert Sandler, Chairman.  "I know that he will drive execution of our near-term business plan and build a platform for future growth."

Bado ’77 Joins MarkLogic as Chief Executive Officer
MarkLogic® Corporation has announced that 1977 Bethany College graduate and Trustee Ken Bado, a veteran technology executive who most recently was the executive vice president of sales and services at Autodesk, has been named chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors.
Bado was at Autodesk for eight years and led sales and services under former Autodesk CEO Carol Bartz. During his time there, he was key in driving revenue from $800 million to more than $2.3 billion. The company’s share price increased more than 800% during his tenure.

Prior to his success at Autodesk, Bado spent 11 years at Mentor Graphics, in positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, customer support and consulting before becoming senior vice president of world trade, where he managed 1,200 people. Bado previously was a top sales representative at Intergraph Corporation. He has been a member of the Bethany College Board of Trustees since 2006.

MarkLogic’s flagship product is a purpose-built database for unstructured information.  Customers in industries including media, government and financial services use MarkLogic to develop and deploy information applications at a fraction of the time and cost as compared to conventional technologies such as relational databases and search engines.

Click here to read more.

Jill Nutter ‘77 Releases First Novel
Jill Nutter, LISW, counselor for the Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science in Cincinnati, Ohio, has written a series of historical romance novels for the inspirational market under the pen name Jillian Kent. “Secrets of the Heart, The Ravensmoore Chronicles, Book One” will be released on May 3 in both trade paperback and e-book formats. You can find out more and read the first chapter at www.jilliankent.com  “Secrets of the Heart” is the story of an English noblewoman who rescues a runaway from a lunatic asylum in 1818. Best-selling suspense author James Scott Bell calls the book “A feast for fans of historical romance, and a superb debut from Jillian Kent.”

Bethany College Women Receive Vira Heinz Travel Awards

Two Bethany College sophomores have been selected to receive this year’s Vira I. Heinz Travel Awards, coordinated by the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for International Studies and designed to “prepare women leaders for tomorrow’s global challenges.”
 
“Bethany College is deeply committed to enhancing classroom learning with real-world, international experiences, and the Vira Heinz program is an integral part of that mission,” stated Darin E. Fields, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. “We are grateful to the University of Pittsburgh for facilitating this extraordinary opportunity for our students.”

Read More

Bethany College Announces 2011 Alumni Award Recipients

Bethany College will honor four of its outstanding alumni during its annual Alumni Awards Dinner on April 30 as part of the College’s Alumni Weekend festivities. Recipients of the Alumni Achievement Award, Alumni Community Service Award and the Alumnus of the Year Award will be recognized.

Read More

Bethany Trivia

What was the original purpose of the Robert C. Byrd Health and Wellness Center?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

Humanities
Wiley Cash, Assistant Professor of English, has been awarded two month-long fellowships to the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo, where he will work on his second novel. Notable alumni of MacDowell and Yaddo include Willa Cather, James Baldwin, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Walker and Jonathon Franzen. Cash's first novel, "The Rain Barrel," is scheduled to be released by William Morrow/HarperCollins in early 2012.

Bethany College to Host Disciples Men’s Gathering

Pre-planning meetings were held March 25-27 on campus and at the Mountainside Conference Center for the 2012 Disciples Men’s Gathering, Extreme Faith Bold Action, to be hosted by Bethany College July 13 – 15, 2012. The new regional event will be open for men of all ages to attend sessions and participate in fellowship, worship and service projects. The event will be campus-wide and involve Historic Bethany and the Bethany Memorial Church. For information and promotional items about the event visit: http://www.discipleshomemissions.org/pages/Men-Gathering2012.

Bethany College Students Spend Spring Break in Area Volunteer Service, International Travel

While some members of the Bethany community used the recent break in classes to participate in the College’s inaugural Alternative Spring Break, completing volunteer work at 16 area organizations, others engaged in international politics and exploration at a variety of overseas destinations. The activities were all part of the College’s ongoing initiatives to serve the local region and beyond — and to provide greater depth to classroom learning through real-world experiences.

Read More

Phi Chapter Volunteers with Local Animal Shelter

Twelve Brothers of the Phi Kappa Tau, Phi Chapter volunteered on March 26 at the Brooke County Animal Shelter in Beech Bottom, W.Va. The Brothers spent the morning helping out the workers of the shelter by walking dogs and cleaning cages and various parts of the facility.

During the month of March, Phi Kappa Tau recognized their “Founder’s Month of Service” celebrating the month surrounding the Fraternity’s founding date of March 17, 1906.

Bethany Trivia

What is Upsilon Pi Epsilon?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

Education
Janice Garrison Shepherd, Bethany College RTI-PDS grant coordinator; Betty McGillen, Hancock County Schools RTI administrator; Dan Enich, Weir Middle School Principal; and Kelli Summers, Karen Pitchok and Kathy Griffith, WMS RTI interventionists, presented “Balancing 21st Century Learning and Assessment in a Response to Intervention — Professional Development School Partnership” while attending other PDS related sessions at the National Professional Development School Conference in New Orleans March 9-13. On March 23rd, this RTI leadership team hosted Wood County, W.Va. school administrators, principals, and interventionists at Weir Middle School to share their presentation and provide a school tour demonstrating RTI implementation at the middle school level. Larry Fontanarosa, Bethany Education Department Interim Chair, and Rita DeMundo, Education Department Field Placement Coordinator, also attended the event. The Bethany College-Hancock County RTI-PDS partnership is one of three such PDS partnerships funded by the West Virginia Department of Education to develop models for implementing Response to Intervention in West Virginia schools.

Faculty/Staff Women’s Tea
Faculty from the Communications and Media Arts and Social Work departments hosted a tea in honor of female faculty and staff of Bethany College on March 24 in Phillips Hall Lounge. Approximately 15 women attended the event, which featured a variety of teas, finger sandwiches and desserts. The hostesses for the event hope to make this an annual feature of the Women’s Month events held each March. The event provided an opportunity for the women to take a break from daily chores and visit.

Physical Education and Sports Studies
The Department of Physical Education-Sports Studies has added another service learning project as they continue to expand opportunities for students to construct their personal concept of the teaching-learning process.

The PHED 215 Leisure Studies class is providing weekly rhythmic lessons as service- learning projects to students at St. John the Evangelist Early Learning Center and special needs students at Wellsburg Middle School. These projects, developed from a senior project of current senior Kate McCabe, were developed as a result of recommendations by physical education alums to expand the early field experience opportunities in the Lab Analysis courses. The service project provides learning opportunities that the schools are currently unable to provide and enable physical education majors to have hands-on experiences working with students in authentic teaching-learning environments. Wally Neel, Professor of Physical Education and Sports Studies, serves as the instructor for the course and coordinates the project.

Additionally, students in Education 353, Integrated Methods in Health and Physical Education, are providing the health and physical education curriculum at St. John the Evangelist Early Learning Center. This has been an ongoing project for nearly a decade and is an excellent service-learning project. Bethany students teach more than 60 health and physical education lessons each semester to 3, 4, and 5-year old children. Bethany instructors for the project are Kosmas Mouratidis, Associate Professor of Physical Education and Coordinator of Sports Studies, and Neel.

Visual and Performing Arts
Pandel Collaros, Assistant Professor of Music, performed with the Amanda McCoy Band on March 16 at the House of Manuel. Manuel, also known as the "Rhinestone Rembrandt," held a special showcase featuring McCoy and her band at his studio in Nashville.

McCoy’s band consists of Professor Collaros on bass, electric guitar and vocals, along with Nashville musicians T-Bone Smith on electric guitar and vocals, Sean Sunderland on drums, and Alice Pitts on fiddle.

For more on Manuel Cuevas, costume designer for the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Sting and many more, go to http://manuelcouture.com/. For more on McCoy see http://amandamccoy.com/.

Alumni News

Former Bethany Soccer Coach Taal ’98 Named Head Coach for N.C. Wesleyan
N.C. Wesleyan has named Bethany graduate and former Bethany coach Frankie Taal ’98 the new head men’s soccer coach. Taal previously served as assistant coach for the Bishops for seven season after working almost 10 years as a player and coach at Bethany. He was a member of the College’s 1994 Division III National Championship team.

Berry College Promotes McDowell ‘87 To Full Professor
Berry College has granted full professor status to previously tenured Dr. Eric McDowell ‘87, a professor in the institution’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. McDowell has worked at Berry College since 1998 and holds a master’s degree from Miami University and a Ph.D. from West Virginia University.

West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics Names Bethany’s Komorowski College Teacher of the Year

Dr. Mary Ellen Komorowski, Matthew Quay Ammon Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Bethany College, has been presented with the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (WVCTM) 2011 College Teacher of the Year award.

Read More

Football Team’s Boomer and Books Program Serves Community During Offseason

Bethany’s football team has stayed very busy this offseason — and not only with work in the weight room and classroom. Community service in the offseason is a major focus for the Bison, and the “Boomer and Books” read-aloud program continues to be a favorite of local elementary schools and Bethany players alike.

Boomer and Books puts Bison players into Ohio Valley elementary schools to read to students from preschool through third grade. Players read books to the students, give a message about the importance of education, and answer questions from the kids.  After the books are finished, students are allowed to try on a real Bison helmet and meet the team’s mascot, Boomer.

The first stop for the program this spring was Franklin Primary School in Wellsburg on March 4. The Bison traveled to Corpus Christi school in Warwood on March 11. Several other visits are planned for the remainder of spring.

“We’re very proud of Boomer and Books. The young kids have a great time when our players come in, and our guys love doing it. It’s one of our events that when we ask for volunteers, we have to tell some guys no because the response is so great,” said Bethany Football Head Coach Tim Weaver. “Giving back to the community is very important to us. Many people have sacrificed to support our program’s efforts, and our staff and players appreciate it and try to do what we can to help the local area in whatever ways we can.”

Bethany Trivia

How much money did Alexander Campbell purchase Campbell Mansion for? Why did Campbell’s father-in-law offer him the property?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

History and Political Science
The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Russian and East European Studies invited Erich Lippman, Assistant Professor of History, to give a lecture on Russian writer Maxim Gorky. Lippman presented his work — “Maxim Gorky as a Religious Type” — at Pitt on March 23 to an audience of Russian history and religious studies scholars.

Marc B. Sable, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of International Studies, spoke before an audience of 110 at Congregation Beth Yam in Hilton Head, S.C., on March 6. His talk, “Mubarak's Egypt — And After,” expanded on his earlier comments in Bethany on the current political unrest in Egypt. He elaborated on its roots in Egyptian government policies over the past 30 years, the prospects for democratization, the role of the military and the Muslim Brotherhood in the transition, and implications for Israel and the United States.

Visual and Performing Arts
Herbert G. Weaver Jr., Jennie Steindorf Renner Chair of Fine Arts and Professor of Fine Arts, as well as his daughters Anda and Raven and wife Anita, completed a community service project for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) by painting a new sign for the organization located in Wellsburg, W.Va. The CASA chapter in Wellsburg (childsplacecasa.com) is managed by Rhonda Stubbs, Executive Director, who is a 1988 graduate of Bethany College.

Aaron Anslow, Adjunct Professor of Art, presented and defended his M.F.A. Senior Thesis Exhibition (March 11 - April 2, 2011) at the Mesaros Gallery, located in the Creative Arts Center, West Virginia University. Anslow's exhibition, titled "Immediacy and Gesture," features 30 salt-fired and wood-fired clay artworks completed in the last six months. "The attention to surface detail and clay body formulation on Aaron's work is simply captivating," said Herb Weaver, who attended the reception on March 18. Anslow is a 2006 graduate of Bethany College.

Seven Graduating Artists to Present Bethany Senior Show

The Bethany College Visual and Performing Arts Department will present its annual Senior Art Show March 28 – April 14. The exhibit will be located in the Renner Union Art Gallery at the College and will feature fine art from Bethany’s seven visual art students graduating in 2011.

Read More

Faculty Spotlight

Visual and Performing Arts
Aaron Carey, Distinguished Lecturer in Music, will present a recital of music for solo guitar as part of the Stained Glass Series at St. Joseph Cathedral in Wheeling. The recital is scheduled for March 27 at 3 p.m. Carey has selected a program of works by Milan, J.S. Bach, Scarlatti, Sor, Carey and other composers. David Rudari, Assistant Professor of Music at Bethany and St. Joseph Cathedral's Director of Music, commented, “I am pleased that my colleague, Prof. Carey has agreed to be a part of our first Stained Glass Series. He will give a wonderful performance in one of the most beautiful venues in the region.  It will be a great afternoon of music.  We at the Cathedral were most encouraged by the positive response from the community and their generosity at the inaugural Choral Concert that featured the WVU Choral Groups, and we hope it continues. I am indebted to Msgr. Quirk for his willingness to host the concerts and to the members of the Cathedral staff for their invaluable assistance.”

In lieu of an admission charge, there is a freewill donation requested to benefit a local charitable organization. Any questions regarding the concert may be directed to Rudari via e-mail at drudari@dwc.org.

Buffalo Seminary Presents Comparative Theology Seminar with Dr. James Farwell

Buffalo Seminary of Bethany College will present The Way, The Truth. . .and Other Religions: Comparative Theology Today on March 26 at the Mountainside Conference Center. The event will examine issues such as: “What is the meaning of my neighbor’s faith for myfaith?” and “How can deep engagement with another faith tradition enhance my own faith tradition?” Christians in America share a religious landscape with Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and those of many other traditions. Beyond the mere cultivation of tolerance, could it be that Christian faith can actually be better expressed after an encounter with other traditions’ religious texts, rituals and beliefs?
 
This conference will explore the new wave of “comparative” theology in which theology in one tradition is done by “passing over” into a sympathetic appreciation of another tradition and bringing that experience back to the original. The morning will include time with The Rev. Dr. James Farwell, Thomas W. Phillips Professor of Religious Studies at Bethany College and a Fellow of the Luce Foundation’s Summer Seminars on Comparative Theology and Religious Pluralism. In the afternoon, participants will engage in discussion around a portion of Dr. Paul Knitter’s most recent book, “Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian.” The conference will last from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and offers ½ CEU. The Bethany community is invited to attend the lectures at no cost. If individuals wish to join the group for lunch, a formal registration is needed. Participants can register online at www.bethanywv.edu/about-bethany/church-relations/. Call Dr. Larry Grimes at 304.559.8213 or e-mail lgrimes@bethanywv.edu for further information.

Bethany Trivia

In what year was the current Bethany Bridge built?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Alumni News

Field ’78 Consecrated as Bishop on March 6
Bethany College religious studies graduate Martin Scott Field ’78 was consecrated as the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri on March 6. Field served as assistant to the bishop for congregational life and dean of the Flint River Valley Convocation in the diocese of Eastern Michigan and has also served congregations in Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland and Hawaii. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1991 and to the priesthood in 1992. He earned a master of divinity degree from Lexington Theological Seminary.

New York Play Features Actress Frances McDormand ’79
Bethany College graduate Frances McDormand ’79 has been cast as Margie in “Good People,” a Broadway play by David Lindsay-Abaire that recently opened at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater. To read more about the play and McDormand’s performance, visit http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/theater/reviews/04good.html.

Bethany Trivia

How many students attended Bethany College on opening day?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

McCann Learning Center
Heather Taylor, McCann Writing Center Coordinator and Learning Specialist, attended the East Central Writing Center Association Conference held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich., March 4-5. While there Taylor attended several sessions devoted to assessment and bridging the gap between high school and college.

This fall Taylor also coordinated a book drive for the Schools for Schools division of Invisible Children (www.invisiblechildren.com) and the results of the drive were released late last week. Bethany College ranked 44th on a list of 102 schools nationwide and is the only West Virginia institution of higher learning in the top 50.

Visual and Performing Arts
Sun Jung Lee, Distinguished Lecturer in Music and Accompanist for the Bethany College Choir, presented a recital in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano on March 4 at the Creative Arts Center, Bloch Recital Hall, on the WVU Campus.

Miss Lee, a student of Dr. Peter Amstutz (Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Music), performed the Sonata for Piano, Opus 101 by Ludwig van Beethoven, Debussy’s Claire de Lune, and the solo piano version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Having completed her Comprehensive Examinations and Performance Block requirements, she now advances to the last stage of her candidacy, the research document and final recital.

Alumni News

Wegener ’04 Wins Fulbright Research Grant
Bethany College graduate Tessa Wegener ’04 was recently awarded a Fulbright Research Grant, which will allow her to conduct nine months of research in Vienna, Austria, toward the completion of her dissertation. She is a Ph.D. candidate in German Studies at Georgetown University and received her master’s degree from the University of Kentucky. In 2007-2008, she taught German at Bethany College.

Just ’02 Named Laurel Highlands Football Coach
The Laurel Highlands School Board (Pa.) has unanimously approved the hiring of football coach Zach Just, a 2002 Bethany graduate who now holds a five-year contract to coach the Mustangs. Just was raised in western Pennsylvania and reports that he looks forward to returning to his native region. Following his 2002 graduation from Bethany, he coached eight football seasons in Virginia and South Carolina.

Buckelew Named Finalist for Professor of the Year Award

Professor of Biology Albert R. Buckelew and President Scott D. Miller attended a banquet in Charleston on Tuesday evening honoring the finalists for the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia’s 2010 Professor of the Year Award. This is the second time in three years that a Bethany professor has been chosen for the honor. Buckelew was presented his award by James Casto, President of the Board of Directors for the Faculty Merit Foundation.

Edward Snyder, a geology professor at Shepherd University, received the first-place award, while Robert Rupp, a history and political science professor at West Virginia Wesleyan College, was the runner-up. Other finalists were Maria Carmen Riddel, a modern languages professor at Marshall University, and John Taylor, an education professor at Glenville State College.

Bethany College to Formally Install Komorowski as Matthew Quay Ammon Endowed Professor in Mathematics

Darin Fields, Bethany Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, announces the College’s March 8 Formal Investiture Ceremony officially installing Mary Ellen Komorowski, Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Department of Mathematics, as this year’s Matthew Quay Ammon Professor of Mathematics.

Read More

Bethany Trivia

Who was the first female graduate of Bethany College?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

International Studies
Marc Sable, Director of International Studies, attended a February 28 workshop at Pikeville College on designing and managing faculty-led international travel courses. Topics included course design, location selection, recruitment, group management and health and safety issues.  The workshop was sponsored by the Appalachian College Association and was funded by the Mellon Foundation.

Phillips Library
Heather Ricciuti, The Mary Cutlip Director of Libraries & Learning Resources, was selected to serve on the planning committee for the 2011 Appalachian College Association Summit.  The committee met at the University of Charleston in West Virginia on February 21 to begin preparations for the 14th Annual Summit, which is scheduled for October 13-15, 2011, at the Crowne Plaza in Asheville, N.C.

Physical Education and Sports Studies
Kosmas Mouratidis, Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Sports Studies, attended a meeting of the executive committee of  WVAHPERD in Bridgeport, W.Va. The committee was gathered to discuss and finalize preparations for the 2011 WVAHPERD Convention and to prepare for the AAHPERD Convention in San Diego in April.  Mouratidis serves as the Vice-President Elect for Higher Education for this organization.

Motivational Speaker and Social Entrepreneur Alexis Jones to Speak During Bethany College Women's Month

Bethany College announces that internationally recognized motivational speaker Alexis Jones, founder of the female empowerment company i am that girl, will address the campus community on March 24 as part of the College’s Women’s Month activities. The event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be held in Weimer Lecture Hall.

Read More

Students Work to Preserve Bethany’s History

Two students have embarked upon a project to properly store academic records from the Registrar’s Office dating back to at least 1897. First-year students Niki Rea and Jonathan Mortimer became involved in preservation projects during January Term, when they worked with Archivist Sharon Monigold in saving a large cache of photographs from the 1980s. At the request of Dr. Gary Kappel, associate vice president for academic affairs, they have begun a new project this semester to transfer academic records housed in the basement of Phillips Hall from their original folders to acid-free archival folders and to store them in new cabinets to keep them safe from dirt and moisture.
The folders contain a treasure trove of information about the academic careers of thousands of Bethanians and include such things as handwritten notes from Bethany legends such as Miss Mahaffey, as well as information on future leaders of Bethany such as Wilber H. Cramblet and Kirk Woolery. Funding for the project is being provided by the Physical Plant and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Once all the academic records are safely stored, financial and business office records will also be organized and properly housed.

Bethany Trivia

When was Bethany College’s charter granted? When did the college open for classes?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

Visual and Performing Arts
Students in the Period Styles for the Theatre class, along with Tracie Duncan, assistant professor of theatre and director of technical theatre, journeyed to Jamestown Settlement and Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Va., on February 18-20. Participants took a “behind the scenes” tour of the galleries in Jamestown and the Costume Shops, led by Christopher Daley, head of Historic Costuming for the Jamestown and Yorktown state sites. They had the opportunity to examine original garments from the 17th and 18th century, as well as the reproductions worn by the staff and interpreters at the parks.

South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Kaye Hearn to Speak at Bethany College Darline Nicholson Breakfast

Kaye Hearn, a 1972 Bethany graduate and the second woman to serve on the South Carolina Supreme Court, will address Bethany College senior women at this year’s Darline Nicholson Breakfast. The event, scheduled for April 30 at 9:30 a.m. in Benedum Commons as part of the College’s Alumni Weekend 2011, is a long-standing tradition at Bethany and was established to honor female students, faculty and community members.

Read More

Alumni News

Stanley Wolfe ’01 was honored by Lowes and the University of Maryland on February 5 with the Top Terp Excellence in Education Award. Wolfe was honored with an on-court presentation before the Maryland vs. Wake Forest men’s basketball game. The award is given to recognize influential educators throughout the community who have demonstrated "Excellence in Education.” Wolfe is a school administrator at Northwestern High School in Baltimore, Md.

Educational Leaders Represent Higher Education Institutions at Capitol

Leaders from the West Virginia Higher Education Commission, West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education and West Virginia Independent Colleges and Universities Inc. hosted the 2011 annual Higher Education Day at the Legislature February 17 at the state Capitol.

Individuals from a variety of West Virginia colleges and universities presented displays, distributed information and answered questions throughout the morning. Vice President for Institutional Advancement Sven de Jong was accompanied by Assistant to the President Mort Gamble and Renner Visiting Scholar, Assistant Professor of Communications and Chair of the Department of Communications and Media Arts M.E. Yancosek Gamble in representing Bethany College. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin presented event sponsors and participating institutions with a proclamation declaring February 17, 2011, Higher Education Day.

The event was initiated to honor West Virginia’s higher education institutions and to inform potential students, policymakers and the general public about post-secondary educational opportunities.

Bethany Trivia

Who were the eight founders of Delta Tau Delta?

Click here to see the answer and other Bethany Trivia questions.

Faculty Spotlight

History and Political Science
Marc B. Sable, assistant professor of political science and director of international studies, presented a public lecture, "Mubarak's Egypt--And After" in the Academic Parlor on February 15. Sable explained the current political unrest in Egypt, its roots in Egyptian government policies over the past 30 years, and the prospects for a transition to electoral democracy, the role of the army and the Muslim Brotherhood in the new regime, as well as international implications.

Visual and Performing Arts
David J. Rudari, assistant professor of music and director of the Bethany College Choir continues in his appointment as Director of Music at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.  He will appear as Baritone soloist in the Requiem setting of Gabriel Fauré with the West Virginia University Choirs in the first of the Stained Glass Series Concerts at the Cathedral on February 27 at 3 p.m.

Dr. Rudari served as an adjudicator at the WVMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival held at West Liberty State University on February12.

Assistant Professor of Music Pandel Collaros has uploaded a vintage audio file just received from Denis Blaser, German exchange student at Bethany from 1999-2000.  The file is a 2000 Bethany College Choir performance in Commencement Hall of the Kyrie Mass movement by Collaros.  To listen, go to http://home.comcast.net/~collaros623/CollarosKyrieBethanyCollegeChoir.mp3.

Bethany President Active with W.Va. Congressional Delegation

President Miller visited with U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, Congressman David McKinley and Barbara Pryor of U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller’s staff this past week to discuss federal legislation as it impacts private higher education.  As the new Congress considers federal budget cuts, Miller carried the private college case for continued funding of the federal student aid programs. Miller met with Sen. Manchin and Ms. Pryor in Washington, D.C., and hosted Rep. McKinley on campus.