Bethel College

Bethel College (visited 11/21/19)

Bethel is a small welcoming school on a pretty campus (including several fountains), lots of traditions (a couple involving said fountains), solid academics, and a strong faith-based community; “you have to be willing to engage with the religion,” said the tour guide. Students must earn 3 chapel credits per week in any combination of services (chapel meets at 10am on MWF), coffee with a philosophy professor, small group bible study in the dorms, etc. They’ve switched chapel credits this year, the tour guide thinks it’s a good change: “There’s more choice and it shakes things up a bit.”

The small chapel

Our tour guide wanted a school that wasn’t just Christian in name. Bethel is intentionally Christian in everything they do, including their Statement of Faith and expectations for the community. People here want to grow in their faith. They choose to participate not just in established activities such as Chapel, but seek ways to go beyond that. For example, our tour guide described “Scripture 66” which takes places over a weekend every fall semester. Students read the entire bible out loud between chapel on Friday and chapel on Monday, usually in the small chapel.

Students tend more towards the conservative religious side. If that’s what they grew up with, they’ll be comfortable here. Students have a lot of forums to speak up. The tour guide feels that they do a good job of being inclusive of all races, but “We’re predominantly white. We’re in Indiana. That’s going to happen.” They’ve create clubs for spaces for people and to have a forum to talk to admin. “The effort is there.”

This still feels very much like a small regional school. Only about 800 of the 1400 live on campus (and, living up to the Christian school norms, it’s a dry campus and dorms have specific coed visitation hours). Retention is ok, hovering around 72% but there’s definitely room for improvement, which they realize. They’re starting a new First-Year Experience to help students create connections, and they’ve hired a new grad to revamp it.

They have some fun traditions: Pond Run is held on the first day of freshman year. Helm Run is held on the day of the first snowfall: guys run in their underwear (and no shoes) from the dorm to the Helm and back. Babe and Dude weeks (Babe Week is usually first) are also big deals – they do slip-n-slide in the dorms, panels, FroYo runs, initiation, etc. They also have good activities such as an Escape Room campus.

Since they’re in NAIA rather than NCAA, they can provide athletic scholarships. They just brought in a new athletic director so games tend to be drawing in more fans now.

Bethel is flexible with AP and dual enrollment. They have some interesting options for majors an minors such as:

• Human Bioenergetics emphasis in their Biokinetics program.
• A robust array of religiously focused programs such as Reconciliation Studies, Biblical languages minor, and Missional Ministries.
• Nursing is Direct Admit. Half of the seats are saved for students who apply to come in after taking A&P.

© 2019

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle Pacific University (Visited 6/21/17)

SPU is Christian university affiliated with the Free Methodists. They hope people committed to faith – in whatever form that means to them – will come here. “If they are connected to their faith, great. If not, we hope they understand why other people have theirs. We want people to engage with people who are different. Our faith compels us to be a different type of institution and to be engaged: we engage the culture in order to change the world,” said one of the reps. The YouTube video Celebrating 125 Years at SPU is worth a look (as a side note, a lot of colleges in the area are celebrating their 125^th year …).

Knowing that there are plenty of liberal arts schools to choose from, the reps did a good job addressing what sets them apart. They brought up 3 points of distinction:

• Location: “We’re in a major city but tucked into a safe neighborhood of Queen Anne Hill with connections to local business. Ten Fortune 500 companies are here. Amazon is a 10 minute walk away.”
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  Classes offered at Blakely Island

  Rigorous academics and good resources: “We own half of Blakely Island in the San Juans for research.”

• Transformational Experiences: “Christianity is at the core. Faculty and staff have to sign a faith statement, but students do not. We appreciate all the places they’re coming from.”

About 80% of the students do self-identify as Christian. There is a lifestyle expectation here, including not drinking on campus. As part of the Common Curriculum, students need to take a series of 3 religion classes including a Scriptures class. “We’re graded on how well we interact with the material, not if we believe it,” said one of the students. University Series: Formation (of the church), Scriptures, and Theology (why do we believe what we believe? What does it mean to be a Christian?).

One of the dorms

The climate on campus is one of acceptance. “We even have an active LGBTQ group which some people don’t expect at a Christian college,” said a student. Like much of the Pacific Northwest, the overall atmosphere is relatively liberal, but conservatives have a home here, too. “We like having discussions.” Campus is active, and the city is even to navigate. “There’s no need for a car here. I’d recommend a bike if anything,” said the tour guide.

Currently, SPU is granting enough PhDs in relation to the undergrad population to be classified as a National R3 university. “We train students to solve problems,” said a faculty member. “We’re small enough to be intimate but large enough to offer the same breadth and depth as a larger university.” Academics are strong across the board, but some of their particular strengths are:

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  One of the Music Tech studios

  Pre-med students get into medical schools at a 95% acceptance rate with most students scoring in the 90^th percentile on the MCAT.

• Nursing boasts a 100% employment (and most nursing students get multiple offers before graduation).
• Theater: “This is the 3^rd most important theater city in the country. The PT faculty in the arts are very strong. They’re able to offer all they do because of location.
• Music Therapy – take 2 classes then apply. There are about 20 spots available per quarter.
• Engineering majors participate in year long design projects.

Unusual Majors and minors include:

• Applied Human Biology (College of Arts and Sciences)
• Coaching Sciences (College of Health Sciences)
• Global Development (School of Business)
• Reconciliation Studies minor (School of Theology)
• Costume Design and Production (Department of Theater)
• Geopolitics minor (School of Business)
• Global and Urban Ministries minor (School of Theology)

© 2017