Bethel University is an evangelical Christian higher education institution with approximately 6,000 students from 65 denominations enrolled in undergraduate, adult undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. The main campus is located in Arden Hills, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul, with 200+ wooded acres on Lake Valentine. Adult courses and administrative offices are housed at the recently acquired Anderson Center just down the road from the main campus. The seminary also has a second campus in San Diego. Bethel also offers a number of online courses serving students globally.
Fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commissionâ€"North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the university is also a member of the Christian College Consortium. Bethel University is affiliated with and supported by the congregations of Converge, formerly known as the Baptist General Conference.
History
Bethel University began in Chicago, Illinois, as a seminary for Baptist immigrants from Sweden. John Alexis Edgren opened a department for Scandinavian theological students in the fall of 1871 in the basement of First Swedish Baptist Church in Chicago starting in 1871. The seminary merged with Bethel Academy in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1914. In 1931 the Academy became Bethel Junior College. The addition of a four-year liberal arts college program created Bethel College and Seminary in 1947. The school relocated from St. Paul to Arden Hills, Minnesota in 1972. Beginning in 2004, the institution changed its name to Bethel University.
Schools
Bethel University is divided into four different schools, each catering to a different group of students:
College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts & Sciences offers 90 majors in 106 areas of study. According to Bethel's website, the freshman class of 2017 has 550 students, 17% of which are bethel.edustudents of color.
Top undergraduate programs include business and economics, nursing, physics and engineering, education, and ministry-related majors.
The university has a thriving fine arts program including instrumental and vocal ensembles that have performed around the world. Musical venues include Benson Great Hall, a 1,700-seat concert hall with a 4,000-pipe Blackinton organ and superb acoustics. The Johnson Gallery and Olson Gallery showcase student and international artists' work on campus, and the Bethel Theatre is home to several productions each year.
College of Adult and Professional Studies
The College of Adults & Professional Studies offers Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and a number of certificate programs, all designed around the needs of working adults. Programs offer convenient evening and online/hybrid delivery methods.
Graduate school
Bethel offers programs leading to the master's degree in a range of fields, including education, nursing, communication, and counseling psychology. Beginning in 2013, Bethel began offering a Master of Science in Physician Assistant. At the doctorate level, Bethel confers the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Administration.
Bethel Seminary
Bethel Seminary has locations in Arden Hills, San Diego, and a number of fully online programs.
It offers Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) programs at all locations, as well as several Master of Arts and certificate programs that vary depending on the site.
- St. Paul â€" Master of Arts Degrees in Christian Thought, Transformational Leadership, Children's and Family Ministry, Ministry Practice, Marriage and Family Therapy, Theological Studies. Certificates in Theological Studies, and Young Life Youth Ministry. Post-Graduate Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy
- San Diego â€" Master of Arts Degrees in Ministry Practice, Marital and Family Therapy and Theological Studies
- Fully online programs â€" Church Planting Certificate, Doctor of Ministry, M.A. (Christian Thought), M.A. (Theological Studies), Master of Divinity, M.A. in Ministry
Facilities â€" Main Arden Hills Campus
Main education buildings
There are six main education buildings located at the center of Bethel University's main campus in Arden Hills, Minnesota. They run Southwest/Northeast and are connected on the first three floors by weather-protected skyways and tunnels.
Starting from the Southwest and running to the Northeast, the buildings are as follows (with abbreviations in parentheses): Benson Great Hall and Lundquist Community Life Center (CLC), Academic Center (AC), Brushaber Commons (BC), Clauson Fine Arts Center (CC), Hagstrom Student Services Center (HC), and Robertson Physical Education Center (RC). Pro-tip: if you get lots, they're in alphabetical order. Just walk until the letters are moving closer to where you're headed!
Campus housing
The College of Arts and Sciences has four freshman residence halls on campus. Threeâ€"Bodien Hall, Getsch Hall, and Edgren Hallâ€"encircle a cul-de-sac just on the south side of the academic buildings and are informally known as Freshman Hill. The fourth, Nelson Hall, is located nearby on the north side of the buildings and is the oldest building on Bethel University's current campus in Arden Hills. All four freshman residence halls (with the exception of six 6-person suites at either end of Nelson Hall) are set up as two-person rooms and have one bathroom per floor per building wing.
Two residence halls, Arden Village and Lissner Hall, mostly house returning students. Both consist of six-person suites; however, Lissner is a single, 4-story building that arranges the suites on floors, while Arden Village is a collection of townhomes on both sides of Nelson hall. Lissner is farther from the main buildings than Arden Village, but it is the newest residence hall on campus; it was completed in the summer of 2005.
North Village houses returning students, offering a full kitchen in every suite, and suite capacity between 3 and 6. North Village is a collection of five buildings formerly used as housing for Bethel Seminary students, and it is located on-campus within walking distance of the academic buildings. For convenience, Bethel runs shuttles between both complexes and the main buildings frequently.
Heritage Hall is a suite-style residence hall, similar in style and layout to Lissner, and houses juniors and seniors.
Some students choose to live off-campus.
Brushaber Commons (BC) Building
The Brushaber Commons, named for retired Bethel President George K. Brushaber, connects to the main academic buildings at the junction between the Academic Center and Clauson Center. It contains the Campus Store; three new dining options including the Monson Dining Center, Royal Grounds coffee shop, and 3900 Grill; a new board room; office space for the Office of Student Life and the Bethel Student Association; and a brand-new Admissions Guest Center. Indoor-outdoor spaces flank the building, with patio spaces and fire pit available year-round for student use.
Academics
Bethel University offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. It regularly achieves good ranks in the U.S. News & World Report, ranking 21st in the midwest region. Undergraduates leave Bethel for positions in industry, nursing, business, social service, community organizations, and many other fields. Graduates have gone to excel at top graduate schools in the United States, including Yale, Princeton, UC Berkeley, the University of Chicago, Stanford University and many others.
In the last ten years there has been a strong emphasis on studying abroad, and Bethel offers programs on every inhabited continent and highly encourages its students to study for a semester or January term in some other part of the world.
Covenant
All full-time students in the College of Arts and Sciences are expected to abide by the Covenant for Life Together. This lifestyle agreement focuses on living a Christian life of personal morality, which includes a respect for all persons and ethnic traditions, refraining from extramarital sex, gambling, illegal drugs, and tobacco in any form. It also states Bethel students should live a biblical lifestyle, which would mean staying away from gossip and gluttony. The goal of the Covenant is to build a community of faith and learning centered around common values.
The consumption of alcohol year round was previously prohibited by the Covenant. As of June 25, 2008, it is allowed when the school year is not in session, with the exception of Bethel University sponsored events, or students engaging in full-time Bethel University employment during the summer months. Alcohol consumption by full-time students in the College of Arts and Sciences is still prohibited during the academic year.
Reconciliation
Over the last decade Bethel University has embraced a call to biblical reconciliation. The ministry of reconciliation is dedicated to breaking down social divisions and barriers in order to bring people together, encouraging them to embrace their common bond of humanity rather than emphasizing the differences between them. In the case of Bethel this especially refers to the idea of racial reconciliation. Bethel offers a major in Reconciliation Studies, housed in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, and the university has created the Bethel Anti-Racism and Reconciliation Commission (BAARC) using materials and processes developed by the Minnesota Collaborative Anti-Racism Initiative(MCARI). The University has also sought to emphasize this issue through its core value statements, describing the biblical qualities of disciples of Jesus. The seventh of the core values reads: "We are reconcilersâ€"honoring the worth and dignity of people from all races and purposely seeking to create a community that reflects the diversity of the Body of Christ."
Student publications
Bethel University has a student publication, The Clarion, which is printed during the school year and distributed on campus, and also publishes substantial online content.
Athletics
The Bethel University athletic teams are known as the Royals. The university competes at the NCAA Division III level in 18 intercollegiate sports and is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
BU also competes at the club level for certain sports, including:
- Men's Broomball
- Men's rugby (club)
- Men's and women's lacrosse (club)
- Men's volleyball (club)
- Coed Ultimate Frisbee (club)
Facilities
- Bethel University Arena located at the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN has been the home of men's and women's hockey since 2007. Previously, Royals Hockey played at the Columbia Arena in Fridley, MN.
- Hargis Park opened in the spring of 2000 and is the home for Royals Baseball. Hargis Park has hosted numerous high school games, the Gopher Classic American Legion tournament, and various baseball camps. It features turf in the infield, an outdoor turf batting cage, two clay bullpen mounds, major league length dugouts, press box, and inning-by-inning scoreboard in left field and capacity to over 500 spectators.
- Ona Orth Athletic Complex opened for play in the fall of 2003 and is home to Bethel’s tennis, softball, and soccer teams. The facility includes a fast-pitch softball park, and a soccer practice/game field with branded team building.
- Robertson Center Gymnasium has been the home of BU basketball and volleyball since 1972.
- Royal Stadium was built in 1995 and renovated in 2001. The state-of-the-art facility now includes a full concession area, restrooms, and two storage areas. The game facility has also been enclosed with fencing on the visitor side, and a new visitor seating section was completed in 2001.
Notable alumni
- Chad Anderson, Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Jeff Hayden, Democratic-Farmer-Labor member of the Minnesota Senate; former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Abigail and Brittany Hensel, dicephalic parapagus twins, stars of TLC's Abby & Brittany
- Joel Hodgson, creator of (and main character in) Mystery Science Theatre 3000
- Randy Hultgren, Republican member of Congress from Illinois
- Sheldon Johnson, Democratic-Farmer-Labor member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Peter Ludlow, a professor of philosophy at Northwestern University
- Dawson McAllister, talk-radio host of Dawson McAllister Live
- Chris Meidt, Washington Redskins staff, 2007â€"2009
- Bob Merritt, Eagle Brook Church pastor and author
- Jeff Nelson, Major League Baseball umpire
- Doug Ohlson (1936â€"2010), abstract artist.
- Doug Pagitt, Influential Figure in the Emergent Discussion
- Mary Pawlenty, former District Court Judge and wife of former Republican Minnesota Governor and presidential candidate, Tim Pawlenty
- Linda Runbeck, Republican Party of Minnesota member of the Minnesota House of Representatives; former member of the Minnesota Senate
- Dr. Gary Smalley, prominent author, family counselor, and motivational speaker (graduate of Bethel Seminary)
- Kirk Stensrud, former Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Ron Tschetter, Director of the Peace Corps
- Pam Wolf, former Republican member of the Minnesota Senate
- Harvey L. Wollman, former Governor of South Dakota
Notable faculty
- Jo Bender Rathmanner, adjunct professor of Christian Ministries
- Greg Boyd, adjunct professor of theology
- E. Earle Ellis, professor of theology
- Michael W. Holmes, professor of New Testament
- Steven Keillor, adjunct professor of history
- Alvera Mickelsen, professor of journalism and feminist, co-founder of Christians for Biblical Equality
- John Piper, adjunct professor of theology
See also
- List of colleges and universities in Minnesota
- Higher education in Minnesota
References
External links
- Official website
- Bethel University Athletics
- Bethel Seminary