Buffalo Seminary at Bethany College Holds Gift of Years Workshop

Buffalo Seminary at Bethany College held a workshop examining the gifts that come in our older years on March 16-17 at the First Christian Church in Wheeling.

The Rev. Judy Bennett, pastor of the Island Christian (Disciples of Christ), and The Rev. Dr. William Allen, former Bethany College trustee and regional minister emeritus of the Christian Church in West Virginia, offered thoughtful and moving reflections on their own spiritual journey across time.

The Rev. Dr. Larry Grimes, dean of Buffalo Seminary and director of church relations, guided the group in a study of biblical images of ages and provided thoughts toward a theology of aging.

Chip Railing, MSW, of Valley Hospice explained hospice programs and end of life options and directives. The Rev. Thaddeus Allen ’92, introduced the gathering to an exciting new partnership between the National Benevolent Association (DOC) and the Christian Church in West Virginia designed to provide a model for ministering to and through seniors in West Virginia and across the nation.

Thirty-one clergy and lay leaders attended the workshop, representing 10 West Virginia congregations. Upcoming Buffalo Seminary events include The Oreon E. Scott Lectures to be delivered by Dr. Rick Lowery on April 8-9 and a May 7-8 workshop on "Divine Passion, Erotic Faith—Toward a Theology of Christian Life in the Flesh" featuring The Rev. Dr. Victor Hunter and Grimes.

For more information go to www.bethanywv.edu/about-bethany/church-relations/buffalo-seminary/workshops-and-events/

Two Bethany College Professors Named to West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Bethany College Professor Emerita and former Professor of Mathematics Mary Ellen Komorowski and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Adam Fletcher have been elected to the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (WVCTM) during the annual conference, which was held March 15-16 at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, W.Va.
  

Affiliate elections were held, with Komorowski retaining her at-large council seat and Fletcher gaining the secretary seat.

 

They will both serve their positions for a term of two years and will hold seats on the executive committee of the council. 

 

For the full story, please visit the college's main website. 

Faculty Spotlight: World Languages

The Bethany College Board's Advanced Placement Program and Educational Testing Service have invited Harald Menz, professor of world languages and cultures and director of international studies, to serve as a table leader at the AP German Reading this summer in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

During the reading, which will take place from June 12-18, participants will receive training in consistent application of the scoring standards, and use those standards to score student responses; interact with members of the AP Development Committee responsible for revising the AP course description and developing the exam, giving and receiving information about the current state of teaching and learning in the discipline; discuss achievement, assessment and teaching strategies with college faculty and AP teachers; develop a network of professionals in their discipline that will last a lifetime; and have the opportunity to earn Continuing Education Units.

For more stories about Bethany College, please visit the main website.

Bethany to Participate in Annual Higher Education Day in Charleston

Bethany College will join other West Virginia private and public colleges and universities for the annual Higher Education Day at the Legislature, Thursday, March 21, at the State Capitol in Charleston.

Representatives from all of West Virginia’s four- and two-year institutions of higher education prepare displays that inform legislators and the public about their unique programs and services as providers of post-secondary education.

Participating institutions will have displays available for viewing beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Rotunda area. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin will issue a proclamation, followed by the presentation of House and Senate resolutions, during the morning’s activities. Institutional displays will be set up until 1 p.m.

Charleston-area alumni and friends of Bethany will convene for a reception hosted by George Manahan, class of 1983, at the general offices of The Manahan Group public relations and advertising firm on Capitol Street, beginning at 4:30 p.m. President Scott D. Miller, other representatives of Bethany College, alumni and guests will attend.

For more information, please visit the Bethany College website, or call the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at 304-829-7411.

“Seusstacular” Celebration Marks Re-Opening of Children’s Library

The “Seusstacular” celebration held Saturday marked the grand re-opening of the Grace Ryland and William Henry Children’s Library, now relocated to the main floor of the T.W. Phillips Memorial Library.

The event, sponsored in conjunction with the Bethany College Department of Education, featured games, skits, read-alouds, raffles and prizes for children, all themed around classic Dr. Seuss stories.

The Children’s Library, under the guidance of Heather Ricciuti, director of libraries and learning resources since 2009, has evolved from a small collection of children's materials to a fully renovated and redesigned children friendly environment on the main floor of the T.W. Phillips Memorial Library.

A formal ribbon cutting ceremony took place with President Scott D. Miller and the family of the late Dr. Lynn Adkins, who donated the funds in 2007 for original incarnation of the library. Adkins’ husband Thomas Lyons, daughter Toni Robinson and her husband William, along with son and daughter William and Grace, and Heather Riccuti also participated in the ceremony.

The “Seusstacular” event involved a variety of faculty, staff and student groups. Angela Icard, assistant professor of reading education, and Ricciuti are worked with Heather Holeva, a sophomore psychology major from McDonald, Pa., to host this event as part of her Kalon Scholar project.

Photos from the event can be found by visiting the College's Flickr page.

Bethany Alum Verakis ’94 Addresses Kalon Scholarship Candidates

Bethany College alumnus Dan Verakis ’94, senior vice president and director of public relations at Cramer-Krasselt, on Saturday addressed Kalon Scholarship candidates during a special luncheon.

Verakis is an accomplished international communicator, entrepreneur, and strategic business consultant with more than 18 years of corporate experience. He is also the founder and CEO of SafetyBook.org, a consumer product registry and recall monitoring service, as well as a director at Technori, a Chicago-based group that organizes and celebrates tech startups and entrepreneurship.

The luncheon recognized incoming students with leadership potential and served as part of the Kalon Leadership Scholarship Competition. Bethany College hosts potential scholarship recipients every year during Kalon Weekend, giving them the opportunity to tour the campus and participate in events such as the luncheon and a variety of leadership seminars.

Following the luncheon and keynote address, three-person teams composed of a Bethany faculty or staff member, a current Bethany student and an alumnus, conduct in-depth interviews of each candidate to complete the evaluation process.

Photos from the luncheon can be found by clicking here.

Bethany College Announces 2013 Senior Art Exhibit

The Bethany College 2013 Senior Art Exhibit will be displayed April 5- 14 in the Renner Art Gallery.

The show features the combined works of senior studio art majors Carl Dean Cosentino, Marcus D’Aguiar-Alexander, Brennan Davies, Elizabeth Kletzli, Kayla Smuck and Victoria Spriggs. The exhibit is comprised of various works created during their career at Bethany College. With each senior exemplifying interest in different mediums, such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics and much more.

For the full story, please visit Bethany College's main main website.

Bethany College Announces 2013 Alumni Award Recipients

Bethany College will present its annual awards honoring outstanding alumni on May 4 at the Alumni Awards Dinner as a part of the Alumni Weekend events. 
 
Bethany will recognize Bill Kiefer ’71 with the Robert A. Sandercox Award, and Justice Kaye Gorenflo Hearn ’72 and Dr. Cheryl Mitchell ’76 with Alumni Achievement Awards.

As previously announced, the College will also honor Jeff Flick ’82, president and CEO of BD&E in Pittsburgh, as recipient of the 2013 Alumnus of the Year Award.

For the full story, please visit Bethany College's main website by clicking here. 

Author and Professor Sutherland Donates Book Set

Dr. Pat Sutherland, professor of communications and media arts, recently presented a 2013 copyrighted book set donation titled "American History Through American Sports" to Bethany College Librarian Trevor Onest.

 The three-volume set includes a chapter Sutherland wrote titled "ESPN: Television Transforms Sports Culture."

For more stories about Bethany College, please visit the main website.

Bethany President Joins Washington Discussions on Diverse Higher Education Issues

Scott D. Miller, president of Bethany College, was back in Washington, D.C., this week participating in meetings focusing on legislative policy, fiscal sustainability, shared efficiencies, affordability, technology, and globalization. 

On Saturday and Sunday he attended a meeting of the International Association of University Presidents. The meeting focused on opportunities for international partnership development and issue engagement.  IAUP recognized Bethany Professor Joe Lovano in 2012 with a Faculty Achievement Award.
Miller took part in discussions of global engagement with Latin America, the role of U.S. higher education in international development and the role of the president as catalyst for internationalization. 

Sunday evening, he was the guest of Liz McMillen, editor, and Mireille Grangenois, publisher, of the Chronicle of Higher Education for a by-invitation-only discussion of the reinvention of American higher education. 

On Monday, he attended the Presidents’ Alliance meeting for the New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability. Bethany joined the group last year. 

Monday afternoon, he was one of seven higher-education presidents serving on a panel, sponsored by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, focusing on campus business and financial issues for the future. 

Monday evening, he attended an executive briefing for presidents of new initiatives of Ellucian, Bethany’s technology provider through the Independent College Enterprise. Bethany and seven other colleges in four states are part of the I.C.E. consortium. 

Sunday through Tuesday he attended presidents-only discussions on federal relations, technology, finance, collaboration and innovation sponsored by the American Council on Education.  He also lunched with General Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. and International Forces in Afghanistan.

For more stories on Bethany College, please visit the main website.

Thaddaeus Allen ’92 and West Virginia Disciples Spearhead Gift of Years Pilot Project

The Rev. Thaddaeus Allen ‘92, regional minister and president of the National Benevolent Association (NBA) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), in partnership with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia recently announced the launch of a pilot initiative, the "Gift of Years Project," a ministry centered on, for, and with older adults.

The mission for the "Gift of Years Project" is to name and affirm the gift of years for older adults so that all people may experience life as holy, joyful, and abundant sustaining wholeness for all the days of life.

As a region, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia and western Maryland, named and affirmed to intentionally focus on the needs of older adults.

For the full story, please visit Bethany College's main website.

Seventh Annual Math/Science Day Held

The Bethany College Mathematics and Computer Science Club, led by Keith Bartlett and Mindy Bierhals, in conjunction with the American Chemical Society student chapter, led by Jacob Fischer, the Tri-Beta Biology honorary, led by Amber Lancaster, the Society of Physics Students, led by Olivia Pavlic, and Bethany Kalon Scholar Morgan Jacobs, recently invited local high-school students to Bethany College’s Mountainside Conference Center for a day of friendly competition in mathematics and the sciences.

This student-led competition has occurred every March since 2007, and consists of an individual exam and several group activities. The students were addressed by Carolyn Kitchens, visiting assistant professor of chemistry. 

On March 1, academic coaches from Buckeye Local High School, including alumna Kelli McAbier ’11, John Marshall High School, Ringgold High School and Valley High School brought 110 students to Bethany’s campus. Bethany College faculty, including Scott Brothers, assistant professor of chemistry; Adam Fletcher, assistant professor of mathematics; Mary Ellen Komorowski, professor emeritus of mathematics; Lisa Reilly, assistant professor of chemistry; and Joseph Walsh, assistant professor of mathematics, assisted with contests and grading throughout the day.

The next Math/Science Day Competition will be held March 7, 2014.

For more stories about Bethany College, please visit the main website.

Bethany College Founder's Day Celebration Features West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman ‘73

Bethany College celebrated 173 years as a small college of national distinction on March 7 with its annual Founder’s Day activities.
 
Festivities included the College’s traditional Founder’s Day Convocation in Commencement Hall. This year’s Convocation featured recently appointed West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman ‘73 as the guest speaker.

Bethany President Dr. Scott D. Miller presided over the Convocation and presented remarks. The program included special music from the Bethany College Choir and recognition of those students “distinguished in scholarship” for the fall semester of the 2012-2013 academic year.

Before welcoming Harshman, Miller prefaced his remarks by noting that it is “perhaps unimaginable to fully understand the enormous risk and significant challenges that Alexander Campbell faced when creating a campus in the middle of wilderness and farmland.” He continued by remarking that “small liberal arts colleges like Bethany revolutionized early 19^th century American society and culture.”

For the full story, please visit Bethany College's main website.

2013 Kalon Scholar Service Leaders Leadership Academy

This year’s theme for the Kalon Scholar Leadership Academy was “You Can Lead: The Steps to Becoming a Great Leader.” The event was held at the Mountainside Conference Center on Saturday, February 23.

Seventy students representing campus organizations, fraternal organizations and athletics attended the day-long event. This year’s speakers, a collection of six community leaders from different walks of life, presented a variety of sessions, all of which were connected to the idea of establishing oneself in leadership roles.

For the full story, please visit Bethany College's main website.

Bethany College Receives National Recognition for Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service recently named Bethany College a national leader among institutions of higher education for its support of volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

Bethany was admitted to the 2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.

“Bethany College is in a significant and unique position to serve the community in a number of diverse and meaningful ways,” said Bethany College President Scott D. Miller. “We draw upon our extensive resources to strengthen and expand our continuing relationships with community groups. This allows our students to gain first-hand knowledge of the important relationship between learning and service.”

For the full story, please visit Bethany College's main website.

Faculty Spotlight: Visual and Performing Arts

Assistant Professor of Music Pandel Collaros, alumnus Amanda McCoy ‘09 and former faculty member Wiley Cash presented an evening of music and readings at the House of Manuel on Feb. 20 in Nashville, Tenn. 

Cash read from his New York Times best-seller “A Land More Kind than Home.”  McCoy presented original material from three earlier albums “Jade,” “Blank Canvas,” and “Thick Is Blooder,” as well as selections from her forthcoming album “The Hurt” and a new single, "The Rain Barrel" inspired by Cash's novel. Collaros assisted McCoy and is the producer of the aforementioned recordings which are available on iTunes and cdbaby.com.

Buffalo Seminary at Bethany College Holds Generosity Workshop

Buffalo Seminary at Bethany College held a "Generosity" workshop on Feb. 24 at the First Christian Church in Moundsville and Feb. 25 and the Disciples House in New Martinsville.

The featured speakers were the Rev. Bruce A. Barkhauser, minister of faith and giving for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Rev. W. Darwin Collins, Bethany College trustee and vice president of the Christian Church Foundation for the Great Lakes Zone.

Twenty-four clergy and lay leaders attended the workshop, representing eight congregations in West Virginia and Maryland. The next Buffalo Seminary workshop titled "The Gift of Years" will be held at First Christian Church on March 16-17 in Wheeling.

For more information go to www.bethanywv.edu/about-bethany/church-relations/buffalo-seminary/workshops-and-events/

Bethany College Faculty Member Jennifer Franko Receives Instrumentation Grant

Bethany College’s Dr. Jennifer Franko, assistant professor of biology, was in Charleston on Thursday to receive a $19,995 research instrumentation grant.

The award is a 2013 Instrumentation Grant given by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Science and Research.

Franko said one of the major factors that contributed to her position at Bethany was her desire to participate in the education and training of undergraduate students. She said obtaining support for research equipment through sources such as this will provide hands-on research training opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in the biomedical field.

For more stories about Bethany College, please visit the main website.