FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, February 25, 2008
BETHANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS AFFIRMS BUILDING PLANS
LINDSBORG, Kan.—At its February 16 meeting, the Bethany College Board of Directors affirmed plans for building projects on campus and granted tenure to three faculty members.
Approving the continuation of plans made as part of the college’s recent bond issue, the board of directors approved architectural designs for three major building projects:
· the addition of laboratory space to Nelson Science Center. Approved plans will increase the number of laboratories from three to six, adding 7,000 square feet of laboratory space, and will include a renovation of the east face of the building.
· the addition of a weight room and locker rooms to Stroble-Gibson Physical Education Center. The amount of available weight room space will be increased by nearly six times; more space also will be provided for athletic coaches’ offices, student-athlete locker rooms and the college’s growing athletic training program. An added main entrance to the facility on the east will provide easy access to the college’s remodeled Hahn Gymnasium parking lot.
· the creation of a new apartment-style student housing facility on campus. The approved plan includes 16 units – each including four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchenette and living room – along with a three-bedroom unit compatible with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The hall will house 67 students and one residence life staffer.
Designs for each building were crafted through due process with constituent groups, including student and faculty input. Bethany College Director of Operations Jeff Barkman has managed the process. Work will now begin on finalizing construction blueprints and developing project schedules.
Bethany College faculty members David Admire, Cindy Boyd and Bryan Yorton were granted tenure.
Admire, associate professor of criminal justice, joined the Bethany faculty in 2005. He previously has served as an elected judge in the King County District Court in Washington for 22 years. From 1977 to 1997, he was an adjunct professor in the criminal justice department at Seattle University; he also has lectured at Cergy Pointoise University law school near Paris, France. Admire has been very active in alcohol and drug organizations at the national level, and has been a frequent lecturer and trainer on issues affecting the judicial system. He received his Associate of Arts degree from Columbia Basin College, Pasco, Washington; his B.A. from the University of Washington, Seattle; and his Juris Doctor degree in 1974 from The Catholic University of America.
Boyd, assistant professor of mathematics, has taught at Bethany since 2002. She previously taught in Oklahoma Public Schools, as well as Oklahoma State University and Pratt Community College. At Bethany, she has championed active learning and the assessment of student learning in her classes. Boyd received her B.S. Ed. in mathematics from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and her M.S. in pure mathematics from Oklahoma State University at Stillwater, and is working toward her Ph.D. in mathematics from Kansas State University.
Yorton, associate professor of philosophy, first came to Bethany in fall 2001 for a one-year term, and then returned in fall of 2003. He has taught at the Navy College, Whitworth College, the Graduate School in International Relations (St. Mary’s University, San Antonio), the University of Texas and Western Kentucky University. Yorton received his A.S. degree in liberal arts from Judson Baptist College; his B.A. in philosophy from Westmont College; his M.A. in humanities from Western Kentucky University; and his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995.
Faculty member Kristin Van Tassel was promoted from assistant to associate professor of English. Van Tassel, who came to Bethany in 2005, has taught at Kansas Wesleyan University, Kansas State University at Salina and the University of Kansas, among other schools. She received her B.A. in writing and literature from George Fox University; her M.A. in English from California State University, Sacramento; and her Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas.
John Olsson and Chris Crawshaw were appointed to serve three-year terms as members of the Bethany College Endowment Endowment Trustees.
Olsson recently completed a one-year partial term as a trustee. A Bethany alumnus, Olsson is a retired chief financial officer living in Dallas, Texas.
Crawshaw, also a Bethany alumnus, is a current member of the board of directors. He has more than 20 years of professional experience in public accounting and private industry, holding senior positions in accounting and finance with Ernst & Young LLP, Bombardier Inc. and Invista. Crawshaw served on the Bethany College Board of Directors from 1994 to 2000 and was co-chair of the comprehensive capital campaign. A former President’s Advisory Council member, he is a member of Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kan.
The board heard reports from committees, including committees on advancement; enrollment and marketing; business and finance; and academic and student life. Board members attended a student forum dinner on Friday, February 15.
The Bethany College Board of Directors will next meet May 2 and 3, 2008.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.
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