Bethany Seminary board participates in accreditation, strategic plan.

The Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees gathered for its semi-annual meeting Oct. 29-31. The board participated in the seminary's accreditation self-study process by completing an online survey, adopted three questions for use in developing Bethany's 2006 strategic plan, an approved a 4.4 percent tuition increase for the 2005-06 academic year, according to a release from the school. The board also welcomed new members Charles Boyer, of La Verne, Calif.; Jerry Davis, La Verne, Calif.; David Eller, Elizabethtown, Pa.; and John Miller, York, Pa.

The questions for the strategic plan were developed through extensive survey work with representatives of the seminary's internal and external constituencies, done by the board's strategic planning committee, the release said. The questions are: How do we provide a cogent and coherent identity to each degree program and educational venue in our graduate curriculum? How can we revise our ministry education program to better prepare leadership for the church, taking seriously the issues identified by constituency? How can we respond to the urgent call to help the Church of the Brethren better discern its distinctive faith and calling? These questions will engage the board, faculty, and staff for several years as the seminary seeks to identify ways its programs may be revised.

In other business, the board heard a presentation on the Watu Wa Amani: People of Peace conference in Nairobi this August and received reports from its Institutional Advancement Committee, Student and Business Affairs Committee, and Academic Affairs Committee. The board learned that gifts for Bethany's financial campaign "Inspired by the Spirit-Educating for Ministry" now exceed $1.3 million; that college students attending a Plowshares program at adjacent Earlham College were invited to a luncheon at the Bethany Center, where they received information about the seminary's Peace Studies program; and that "Brethren Life and Thought," the Church of the Brethren academic journal, has accepted a proposal from the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) to digitize all back issues. The journal will receive royalties from the sale of ATLA subscriptions and can offer free access to the electronic version to current subscribers. The journal will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2005. A report of the seminary's centennial celebration was also given, as well as a report on its participation in the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve service.

Source: 12/17/2004 Newsline
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