Bison Finish Big Weekend at PACs by Breaking Four More Records

The Bethany College swimming and diving teams completed its best performance at the PAC Championship Meet in recent memory by breaking a total of four records Saturday, including three women’s marks and one men’s standard.

Despite the new records, the Bison finished sixth among PAC teams and seventh overall out of 11 teams at the Longnecker Invitational. Bethany led Chatham coming into Saturday’s events, but the Cougars scored 179 points to just edge out BC, who finished with 173. The Bethany men completed the weekend with 34 total points.

 

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

Alumni Weekend Schedule Announced!

Save the date and join us for Alumni Weekend 2013 slated for May 3-5. Classes celebrating reunions include 1943, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968 and 1973. Click here to view a schedule of events for the weekend.

Khristian Smith Represents Bethany at WVICU Annual Meeting

Khristian Smith, sophomore English/creative writing major from Marlinton, WV, represented Bethany College at the annual meeting of the West Virginia Independent Colleges and Universities (WVICU) at Davis & Elkins College last week.

Khristian, the recipient of a WVICU scholarship, gave a presentation Feb. 14 on his academic interests and career plans to a session attended by President Scott D. Miller, West Virginia’s other private college and university presidents, students and WVICU “Circle of Vision” scholarship contributors. Among Khristian’s scholarships is a generous award provided to the WVICU by the Schenk Charitable Trust of Wheeling. Khristian met with that board on Saturday, February 9, during one of their meetings in Wheeling, in appreciation for their support of his college career.


Designated Bethany College students benefit from scholarship funds raised by the WVICU during an annual statewide campaign on behalf of West Virginia’s independent colleges and universities. According to its website, “WVICU, now celebrating its 61st year, provides undesignated and designated support to its eight fully accredited members. Since 1951, the consortium has provided more than $36 million to the colleges it serves.” Ben Exley, IV, is the association’s executive director.

Bethany Participates in Congressional Roundtable on the Economy

Bethany was the only higher education institution participating in an economic roundtable hosted by West Virginia First District U.S. Congressman David B. McKinley on Tuesday, February 19, in Weirton.

Assistant Professor of Economics Dr. David Youngberg and students Amber Ridings and Peter Franklin participated in the 90-minute discussion on the economy with Congressman McKinley and local public officials and business leaders. The Bethany group was accompanied by Executive Assistant to the President Dr. Mort Gamble.

The roundtable focused on looming federal budget cuts, or “sequestration,” other issues and trends pertaining to the U.S. economy, ideas on how to market West Virginia as a business destination and the current political climate in Washington.

Ridings, from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and Franklin, from the Pittsburgh area, offered their views on how the national and state economies could attract business development.

Rep. McKinley has frequently consulted with Bethany College officials on issues and trends of importance to higher education.

Bethany College Selects Jeff Flick ‘82 for 2013 Alumni Award

Bethany College alumnus Jeff Flick ’82, president and CEO of BD&E in Pittsburgh, will be honored during the Alumni Weekend Awards Reception on May 4 with the 2013 Alumnus of the Year Award.

The award was 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.

Nominees for the award are screened by the director of alumni and parent relations and the President’s Cabinet, and recipients are chosen by the president of the college.

As a cum laude graduate of Bethany College, Flick holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in graphic design. In addition, he has taken post-graduate course work at Rochester Institute of Technology and earned the professional designation of Certified Business Communicator from the International Business Marketing Association.

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

Join Bethany’s LinkedIn Group!

Bethany College has an alumni group on LinkedIn.  The Bethany College Alumni-Bethany, West Virginia group is to help with networking and connecting alumni.  The group also includes 20 subgroups that cover a variety of professional fields that alumni can join. Click here (http://goo.gl/hGD0Y ) to join this group and start connecting with other Bethanians.

Bethany Sets Four School Records on Day One at PAC Championships

Sophomore Marina Baker (Winchester, Va./Sherando) set two individual records and helped a pair of relays set new standards as the Bethany College women’s swimming and diving team posted strong results on the first day of the 2013 PAC Championships/Grove City Longnecker Invitational.

With the record setting performances, the Bison scored 67 points to rank seventh out of 11 teams at the Invitational. Bethany’s men finished with 14 points and are in ninth place at the meet.

 

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

Faculty Spotlight

Communications and Media Arts
Professor of Communications and Media Arts Patrick Sutherland had a book chapter titled "ESPN: Television Transforms Sports Culture" published January in the three volume series “American History Through American Sports” (Praeger).

Sutherland is also co-chair of the Small Programs Interest Group Research Committee in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. SPIG is sponsoring a research paper competition that focuses on all aspects of how the global economy is affecting small programs in journalism and mass communication, including effects on their students and faculty. Papers will be presented this August in Washington, D.C., at the annual AEJMC Convention.

Humanities – English
Assistant Professor of English Jessie Janeshek has poetry forthcoming in the March issue of THRUSH poetry Journal.
 
Education
Assistant Professor of Reading Education Angela Icard is a regular contributor to Ohio Valley Parent Magazine. The magazine is published monthly and distributed throughout the Ohio Valley to all libraries, schools, hospitals and child care services. Designed to advise parents how to promote and reinforce emerging literacy skills, her column "Getting Ready to Read" includes early literacy resources, reading research and information.

Verakis ’94 to Address Bethany College Kalon Scholarship Candidates

Dan Verakis ’94 has been chosen to deliver on the keynote address for the 29^th Annual Kalon Scholarship Luncheon to be held on March 9.
 
Verakis is an accomplished international communicator, entrepreneur, and strategic business consultant with more than 18 years of corporate experience. He is the senior vice president and director of public relations at Cramer-Krasselt, the nation's largest independent communications agency. 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. 

“It is an honor to welcome Dan to our campus and to have him speak to our Kalon candidates. It’s an important event and this luncheon provides future students with such potential, an opportunity to be inspired by a successful alumnus – to see what an education at Bethany College can offer,” said Scott D. Miller, president of the college.

The luncheon recognizes incoming students with leadership potential and serves as part of the Kalon Leadership Scholarship Competition.

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

McBride ’90 Appointed Executive Vice President of Grocery Manufacturers Association

Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey recently announced Sean McBride ‘90 has been promoted to executive vice president of communications and membership services, effective January 1, 2013.  McBride previously served as senior vice president of communications and marketing.

In his new role, McBride will provide strategic leadership of the GMA communications and marketing function, the association’s membership development and services platform, and all GMA and joint industry conferences and events.  He will also continue to direct the GMA Industry Affairs and Collaboration function on an interim basis, as he has done since July 2012. He has been with the association since 2006.

For more stories and information about Bethany College, please visit the college's main website.

Florida Alumni & Friends Gatherings

Alumni and friends joined Dr. Scott D. Miller at events in Boca Raton, Ponte Vedra, Tampa/St. Pete and Estero from January 23 - 27, 2013. Eugen Miller '47 hosted the event in Boca Raton at the St. Andrews Country Club and Bob Goin '59 hosted the event at his home in Ponte Vedra.

Click here to view photos from the gatherings.

Children's “Seusstacular” Celebration Planned at T.W. Phillips Memorial Library

The T.W. Phillips Memorial Library in conjunction with the Bethany College Department of Education will hold a Children's “Seusstacular” Celebration from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2013
. 
“Seusstacular” will feature games, skits, read-alouds, raffles and prizes for children, themed around classic Dr. Seuss stories. The celebration is open to the public and will include a brief ceremony to commemorate the grand re-opening of the recently relocated Grace Ryland & William Henry Robinson Children's Library on the main floor of the T.W. Phillips Memorial Library.

Dr. Seuss, or Theodor Seuss Geisel, published 46 children's books throughout his life. His birthday on March 2 has been adopted as the annual date for National Read Across America Day, which is an initiative created by the National Education Association.    
   

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.

 

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

Greenbrier Cook-Off Webstreamed by Bethany Students

The eighth annual Cast Iron Cook-Off, a culinary competition celebrating authentic food using new Appalachian cuisine, was webstreamed live by Bethany College Department of Communications and Media Arts students on February 1 and 2, from The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Communications and Media Arts majors Katrina Miller, senior fellow; Anthony Sparks and James Reeve, seniors; and Whitney Lewicki, sophomore, produced the entire live event, which included the Friday evening welcome reception, stand-up interviews with participating chefs, the five-hour Saturday cook-off competition and the awards ceremony that evening. Department Chair M.E. Yancosek Gamble again served as co-master of ceremonies, interviewing members of the 14 cooking teams and judges.

Bethany Broadcasting Network’s chief engineer Joseph F. Dumas, Dr. Jason K. Smith, assistant professor of communications and media arts, and Dr. Mort Gamble, executive assistant to the president of Bethany College, accompanied the students to White Sulphur Springs and provided logistical support. Dumas and Smith also played in the Appalachian old-time band assembled for the occasion, titled the Cast Iron Skillet Lickers.

Bethany President and Senior Vice President Advocate for Independent Higher Education on Capitol Hill

 President Scott D. Miller and Senior Vice President Sven de Jong participated in the annual meeting of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), February 3-6, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as part of a series of activities on behalf of private higher education.

They attended briefings and reports on issues critical to private higher education, such as the federal government’s expanding role in both student aid and oversight of colleges, resulting in unprecedented challenges in Washington for independent institutions.

“Our institutions are being pressed on several fronts:  fraud and abuse, state authorization, tax policy, teacher preparation, student aid funding, gainful employment, and college affordability, among others,” according to a NAICU spokesperson, who described the session as “the single most important national higher education event held in the nation’s capital.”

“Noel & Gertie” to be Performed at Bethany College

The Bethany College Theatre Program will present an "iridescent and delightfully daring" evening  of "cocktails, evening dress and repartee" at 8 p.m. on Feb. 28 through March 2 in Maxwell’s with their production of “Noel & Gertie” by Sheridan Morley.

The production focuses on Noel Coward, a famous actor, playwright and composer, played by Andrew Ferguson, and Gertrude Lawrence, a celebrated actress in musical theatre, played by guest artist Kim Douglass. A combination of icons, the work is a depiction of their plays and lifelong, plutonic love for each other. 

Performing in Maxwell’s eschews the traditional theatre setting in favor of a cabaret style atmosphere. This will be an evening of throwback elegance which extends from the stage to audience and aims to unify actor and attendee. As such, attendees are encouraged to dress in semi-formal attire. A complimentary faux cocktail will be offered to those who do. 

For more on this story, please visit the main website.

Bethany College Announces Fall 2012 President’s List and Dean’s List

Bethany College has announced the President’s List and the Dean’s List for the fall semester of the 2012-13 school year. Those named to the President’s List must have achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average while completing a minimum of 12 graded credit hours. Those named to the Dean’s List must have earned a grade-point average of 3.65 or better for the semester while completing a minimum of 12 graded credits.

 

President’s List
The following students have qualified for this honor:

Brenna Michele Anderson (Oakmont, Pa.)

Kelly Becquet (Finleyville, Pa.)

Rebecca Lynne Braithwaite (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Tyler John Buchanan (Claysville, Pa.)

Cameron Avery Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va.)
Samuel Duvall (Shadyside, Ohio)

Olivia Kathleen Evans (Avella, Pa.)

Derek C. Fickess (Cranberry Twp., Pa.)

Johnathan Henry Foster (Cumberland, Md.)

Demi R. Frankhouser (Uniontown, Pa.)

Alaina M. Heck (Martinsburg, W.Va.)

Jessica LeeAnn Herrold (Washington, Pa.)

Rebekah Margaret Hudock (Uniontown, Pa.)

Kayla Elizabeth Kelly (Pasadena, Md.)

Mariah Jean Kemmerer (Royersford, Pa.)

Dakota K. Maravelis (Berkeley Springs, W.Va.)

Jessica Marie Miller (Greensburg, Pa.)
Teresa Mock (Inwood, W.Va.)

Deanna M. Morrison (McKees Rocks, Pa.)

Julia Ann Mouch (Toledo, Ohio)

Nicolette Frances Rea (Williamstown, W.Va.)

Kassandra Ann Reed (Waynesburg, Pa.)

Amber L. Ridings (Inwood, W.Va.)

Allison Joy Snyder (Newcomerstown, Ohio)

Kristen A. Sroka (Elizabeth, Pa.)

Kayla Nicole Taormina (Monaca, Pa.)

Skylar Brooke Williams (Jefferson Hills, Pa.)

Ashley R. Wright (Coshocton, Ohio)

Casey Jo Wynn (Chester, W.Va.)

Jessica Louise Zavatchen (Uniontown, Pa.)

Kelly Lyn Zogran (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Dean’s List
The following West Virginia students have qualified for this honor:

Belleville - Kathryn S. Powell
Bethany - Natalie Pfahl
Bluefield - Sarah Michelle Smith
Bridgeport - Janet Taylor Lewis
Bunker Hill - Brittany Lynn Marsh
Charles Town - Shannon Nicole Marks
Charleston - Douglas B. Cheatham
Clarksburg - Kelvin M. Thomas
Colliers - Daniel Ross Sabatino
Follansbee - Carlie M. Fisher
Glen Dale - Kyle Louis Pytlak
Harpers Ferry - Charlotte Elizabeth King
Hedgesville - Kelsea Brooke Martz
Marlinton - Khristian Shane Smith
Martinsburg - Brooks Mastin Kursey
Moundsville - Charles Thomas Ziants, Daniel John McClelland and Evan M. Marmie
New Martinsville - Jason K. Utt
Parkersburg - Brett Michael Bourdon
Ridgeley - Emily Sue Miner
Weirton - Jason R. Swartzmiller, Kaitlyn L. Pitchok, Mari J. Kolanko and Matthew J. Salerno
Wheeling - Diana C. Greenawalt-Ware, Emily Sue Hobbs, Gerhard Augustus Schultze and Joseph Michael Morgan

The following Ohio students have qualified for this honor:

Berlin Center - Katherine Lynn Santor
Hubbard - Alanna Christine Bebech
Huron - Paige E. Bragg
Shadyside - Brian Tyler Davis
Shreve - Lindsay Erin Sparr
Somerset - Cody F. Eyerman
Steubenville - Andrew Joseph Brettell
Tiltonsville - Olivia Michelle Pavlic

The following Pennsylvania students have qualified for this honor:

Aliquippa - Bradley Robert Kubis
Allison Park - Peter Michael Franklin
Avella - Carl Dean Cosentino, Georgia Marie Miller and Katrina Miller
Avonmore - Jocelyn V. Nelson
Beaver - Sara E. Hogan
Beaver Falls - Derek Allen Bozic
Belle Vernon - Chelsea Nicole Sebetich
Buena Vista - Ryan Styche
Claysville - Hilary Suzanne Clark and Jolyn Nicole Ullom
Coal Center - Zachary Carlos Edmiston
Elizabeth - Amanda Rae Rodabaugh
Gibsonia - Paige Alexandra Prato
Greensburg - Seth Andrew Cawoski
Landisville - Kelsey Bish
Mather - Christina Marie Schamp
McMurray - Chelsea Louise Benson
Monaca - Taylor Camille Verrico
Nanty Glo - Lauren B. Wiegman
New Castle - Jessica Lynn Kusnierz
Pittsburgh - Alexander Joseph Tylka, Rebecca Elizabeth Stage, Ryan Nicklas Donnelly, Victoria A. Rhoads and Zachary Alan Kozlowski
Schwenksville - Julia Mazzanti Anderson
Seven Fields - Frank C. Salopek
Sycamore - Sydney E. Stennett
Uniontown - Allison Ann Pegg
Washington - Megan Nicole Scott
Wyano - Michael J. Bashioum

Other students achieving this honor were:

Hartford, Conn. - Catherine C. Marshall
Washington, D.C. - Dominique P. Sansbury
Bloomington, Ill. - Katherine Malini Warren
Whiting, N.J. - Bethany Rose Selph
Irving, Texas - Marjorie V. Card
Fairfax, Vt. - Heather Lauren Hamm
Maryland

Beltsville - Taylor Josephine Solomon

Gaithersburg - Umar Tunkara

Waldorf - Neil Philip Verley

New York

Lancaster - Anne D. Taylor

New York - William Edward Bambury

Virginia

Centreville - Gabriela Itzel Nunez

                    Woodbridge - Brandon Alan Trinh and Dayanara Ramos

Pre-Health Professions Club to Host American Red Cross Blood Drive

Due to diminished blood collection over the winter season, the Pre-Health Professions Club from 1-7 p.m. on February 13 will be partnering with the American Red Cross River Valley Chapter to host a “Cycle of Love” blood drive in the private dining rooms of Benedum Commons.

Recent weather conditions, cold temperatures and widespread flu nationwide have forced the cancellation of many blood drives within the community and across the country. The college community can start their Valentine’s Day early by coming out to donate and help save the lives of others. All donors will be entered to win a Sheetz gift card and receive two free slices of pizza while supplies last.

For more information, or to pre-register to donate, please visit www.redcross.org or email Site Coordinator Tanner Coles at tanner.coles@redcross.org.

Bethany College Names Bill Garvey New Head Football Coach

Bethany College President Dr. Scott D. Miller announced Friday that long-time assistant coach and offensive coordinator Bill Garvey has been promoted to head football coach, effective immediately. Garvey is the 36^th head football coach in program history.

Garvey (right) will replace veteran head coach Tim Weaver, who has stepped down to pursue an opportunity at an NCAA Division I university. An announcement about Weaver’s future is expected within a week. Weaver departs after seven seasons at the helm of the Bison and has served as Director of Athletics and Recreation the past five years.

Dr. Miller also announced that director of sports information Brian Rose will serve as the acting director of athletics and recreation. Rose graduated from Bethany in 1998 and is in his 15^th year in sports information, with over 13 of those serving at his alma mater.

For more on this story, please visit the main website. 

Bethany College Welcomes Two New Members to Board of Trustees

Gregory B. Jordan, Chair of the Bethany College Board of Trustees, has announced the election of two new members to the Board, – Jhamal Robinson, a 1998 graduate, and Doug Goin.

Robinson, the Vice President of Production Management for TLC at Discovery Communications, began his television career as a nightly news anchor for BCTV, Bethany’s campus-based station. Since then, he has worked with some of the most prominent television studios, including Paramount, Disney, Warner Brothers, NBC Universal and Fox. He became one of the youngest executives in the industry at 25 years old with a position at E! Entertainment Networks and has received four Emmy nominations, winning the award for Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts for his work on “Clean House: Messiest Home in the Country.”

Goin serves as the CFO for ZeroChaos, a workforce solutions company with clients in 14 countries around the globe. They help companies optimize their contract labor force with automated, web-enabled delivery platforms.
Goin received his bachelor's degree in business administration from West Virginia University. As CFO, he is charged with setting the financial direction for ZeroChaos and is responsible for finance, accounting, facilities, legal and treasury management.

For more on this story, please visit the main website.

Chaplain Thayer and Students Attend Inauguration in D.C.

As a part of his January term course entitled “How Can I Make Things Better?” Bethany College Chaplain Scott Thayer led 13 freshmen on a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., where the group attended the presidential inauguration and visited with a number of people in the nation’s capital who are making a positive difference in our society.

The group met with the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church who has faced challenges and physical danger in his efforts to welcome people into the church who formerly have not felt welcome. The group also met with Jane Campbell, former Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, who currently is the director of the senate committee on small business and entrepreneurial activity, as well as with the management team of Sojourners, and with Arthur Keys and his staff at International Relief and Development.

A high point of the trip was a visit with West Virginia 

Senator Joe Manchin, who somehow found time in his busy schedule to sit down with the students and discuss their concerns. In their journal entries covering the trip, students wrote that the experience was an eye-opening, life-changing event. The group was welcomed by National City Christian Church, where students were lodged as a part of the church’s “bunkhouse” ministry, courtesy of funds made available by Bethany Memorial Church. Lauren Morris served as a van driver and female adult sponsor.