Bethany College Celebrates Inauguration of President Laura Crawley

LINDSBORG, Kan. October 24, 2026 – Bethany College today announced the inauguration of Dr. Laura Crawley, Ph.D. its sixteenth President in the college’s nearly 150 years. During the inauguration address, President Crawley announced a series of initiatives that reflect a shared vision for Bethany’s future, one rooted in student success, innovation, access, community partnership and transformative learning experiences. Crawley’s inauguration marks an important moment in the life of Bethany College and comes as the institution continues to build momentum through investments and partnerships designed to strengthen the student experience and deepen the college’s connection to the communities it serves.

“Bethany College has always been a place where people come together to learn and to serve, and to figure out how their gifts might matter in the world,” Crawley shared. “Our future doesn’t require us to become something we’re not. It asks us to build on what is already here and have the courage to imagine what comes next. We have everything we need to do that work—especially one another.”

The college announced several key announcements during inauguration, including:

Advancing Innovation through AI Center for Rural Initiatives

Bethany is also expanding its leadership in artificial intelligence through its AI Center for Rural Initiatives, created to ensure that rural communities have a voice in shaping how emerging technologies are understood and used. Building on Bethany’s campus-wide AI education, faculty development and work with rural educators, the Center will extend practical AI learning to students, schools, businesses, faith communities and other organizations across the region.

The initiative reflects Bethany’s belief that rural communities should be participants in technological change, not simply recipients of it, by using AI to stretch limited resources, solve local problems and create new opportunities while thinking critically about its ethical and human implications.

“Rural communities have always known how to do more with less,” Crawley said. “AI gives us new tools, but the imagination, judgment and relationships that determine how we use them are already here. Rural communities shouldn’t wait for someone else to define this future for us. We should help build it.”

High-Impact Learning, In and Beyond the Classroom

Bethany continues to expand high-impact learning opportunities that connect the close relationships of a small residential college with experiences and programs that reach far beyond campus. Students learn through research, service and travel, while Bethany prepares to add hybrid pathways in high-demand fields such as information technology and health sciences. These programs will allow students to explore emerging fields through online coursework while remaining fully part of Bethany’s residential community, with the mentoring, activities and relationships that define the Bethany experience.

That same outward-looking spirit is reflected in a planned student trip to India in May 2027, made possible through the generosity of Bethany alumna Sharon Reed ’83. Students will encounter new cultures and perspectives while applying their learning in a global setting.

“We may be a small college in a small place, but our students’ opportunities should be anything but small,” Crawley said. “Whether they are exploring a new field through technology or traveling halfway around the world, we want Bethany students to discover what is possible when they have this campus community behind them as they do it.”

Expanding Opportunity Through First 4U Plus

Bethany is also expanding its commitment to rural students through First 4U Plus, building on the college’s innovative First 4U scholarship initiative. Created to make a Bethany education more accessible to talented students from small towns and rural communities, First4U Plus will extend that opportunity beyond Kansas to students in small towns in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado and other surrounding states.

The expansion reflects Bethany’s growing commitment to the rural Great Plains, and to students whose curiosity, grit and community focus make them a natural fit for Bethany. By investing in their education and connecting them to opportunities in Lindsborg and the region, Bethany hopes to prepare more graduates who will build careers, families and communities in the rural places that need their talents.

Bethany College Student Success Center

President Crawley also announced a new Student Success Center, made possible in part through generous donor support. The Center brings advising, tutoring, accessibility services and other resources together in one location, while using early-alert systems to identify students who may need support sooner.

The initiative also invests in faculty and pedagogical innovation designed to improve student learning, retention and progress toward graduation. Together, these efforts pair better information and innovative teaching with Bethany’s greatest strength: relationships with people who know our students and are invested in their success.

“Our goal is simple: when a student needs help, we want to notice, and we want to be there,” Crawley said. “Technology can help us see where support is needed, but relationships are what make the difference. That is what Bethany does best.”

Growing Together: Bethany College and Smoky Valley School District

President Crawley also pointed to Bethany’s partnership with Smoky Valley Schools as an example of what it means for a college and a community to invest in one another.

For generations, Bethany College has shared its campus, facilities, programs and people with Lindsborg and the surrounding Smoky Valley. Today, that relationship is being reciprocated in a remarkable way. The recently approved USD400 school bond includes replacement of the track and synthetic turf at Bethany College, in facilities owned by the College and used by Smoky Valley students and athletes. The bond also supports improvements throughout the school district, including academic, arts, career and technical education, and other facilities.

The investment reflects something larger than a facilities project. It demonstrates the community’s recognition that Bethany College is part of Lindsborg’s future, just as Bethany has been a foundational resource for this community for nearly 145 years. “This community has supported Bethany through generations of change, just as Bethany has opened its doors and shared what we have with this community,” Crawley said. “The investment in our track and turf is a powerful expression of that relationship. It says that we believe our futures are connected—and that we are willing to build that future together.”

Building Bethany College’s Future Together

Together, these initiatives represent an important chapter in Bethany College’s ongoing story. The announcements reflect an institution embracing innovation while remaining grounded in its mission and its longstanding relationships with students, alumni, and the Lindsborg community.

“Bethany’s greatest strength has always been its people,” Crawley said. “Our students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community partners are the reason this place matters. As we celebrate this moment, we are also looking ahead with gratitude for our history and excitement for what we can continue building together.”

To listen to President Crawley’s remarks on Ask a Kansan, please visit: facebook.com/askakansan

About Bethany College

Bethany College (bethanylb.edu) is a higher educational institution located in Lindsborg, Kansas. Bethany College was established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881. For more than 140 years, Bethany College has been dedicated to educating, developing, and challenging individuals to pursue truth and excellence while leading lives of faith, learning, and service. At Bethany College, students join a community of dedicated educators and caring mentors who support them as they discover, explore, and navigate their purpose. Bethany College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

CONTACT:

Christie Denniston, APR

Vice President of Strategic Engagement

303-827-5164

Bethany College

335 East Swensson Street

Lindsborg, KS 67456