The Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees gathered at the Richmond, Indiana, campus for their semi-annual meeting October 30-November 1, 2009. The board welcomed new member David Witkovsky of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, representing Church of the Brethren Colleges. Other returning members elected or affirmed at the 2009 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference are Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, representing alumni/ae, Jerry Davis of La Verne, California, and John D. Miller, Jr., of York, Pennsylvania.

Continuing work from their Spring meeting, the board spent considerable time discussing a proposed new mission and vision statement and refining specific goals and action plans for the strategic direction paper. The new mission statement was approved and can be viewed at www.bethanyseminary.edu/about/mission. Objectives in the strategic direction paper were compiled into a three-year completion plan and assigned to groups or individuals. The board also approved funding for a marketing study and communications audit.

An installation service for new academic dean Steven Schweitzer preceeded the board meeting. Representatives from many academic and religious groups participated in a prayer of blessing.

Academic Affairs
The Academic Affairs Committee reported that a comprehensive curriculum review is in progress, with a simultaneous examination of the MDiv and MA curricula. "As we consider how curriculum will support Bethany's new mission and vision, we want to emphasize the importance of the Seminary both for training congregational leaders and for Brethren scholarship," said president Ruthann Knechel Johansen.

The board approved proceeding with the development of an MA Connections program proposal, a distributed education track for the Master of Arts degree. The proposal will be presented to the Association of Theological Schools, an accrediting agency for theological schools, for approval. Academic dean Steven Schweitzer and Malinda Berry, instructor in theological studies and director of the MA program, are developing the proposal. The number of students in the MDiv Connections program continues to grow with thirty-two students currently enrolled.

To improve the quality of student writing and scholarship, Seminary faculty have approved several standards and resources for writing. The committee heard a report from Donna Rhodes, executive director of the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC). Recently, enrollment in classes offered at SVMC has been more successful at the non-graduate level than the graduate level. SVMC and Seminary staff continue to explore ways to strengthen the relationship and synergy of their work together.

Institutional Advancement
The Institutional Advancement Committee reported that annual giving in fiscal year 2008/2009 was less than the previous year. Although gifts from congregations have been declining slowly for more than a decade, there was a greater drop in gifts from individuals in the past fiscal year. The total also was affected by the receipt of fewer estate gifts than usual. The committee presented several reports that examined giving from specific constituencies in greater depth, including congregations and alumni/ae. The board approved a recommendation from the committee to conduct a feasibility study for a new financial campaign.

Dan Poole was welcomed as a new member of Bethany's institutional advancement staff on a part-time basis. He also serves part-time as coordinator of ministry formation. The staff has developed a plan for making donor contacts utilizing four institutional advancement staff: Lowell Flory, Marcia Shetler, Fred Bernhard, and Poole.

The committee reported on the Seminary's presence at events throughout the denomination including Annual Conference, National Older Adult Conference, and district conferences. Several communications pieces were prepared and distributed during the past six months, including a new catalog, annual stewardship report, and an issue of Bethany's Wonder & Word magazine.

During the board meeting, a celebration of the completion of the restoration of Bethany's historical library collections took place. Here Bill Eberly describes a rare piece of music. 

Student and Business Affairs
The board approved recommendations from the Student and Business Affairs Committee related to tuition and financial aid. Tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year will be $1,260 for a three credit hour class. A new financial aid plan will be implemented in 2010-2011. The plan has a primary goal of meeting students' financial needs and addresses Seminary priorities relating to the makeup of the student body, financial goals, and support from congregations and districts.

In the new plan, registration and technology fees will be eliminated. All students will pay a flat amount that will vary each year, based on the annual income needed to keep the financial aid program viable. As in previous years, students' local congregations and districts will be invited to make a gift to Bethany in support of financial aid. The plan will offer generous scholarships for students with high academic standing and those who plan to pursue a vocation that serves the church.

The committee shared encouraging admissions and student development reports. A new admissions viewbook has been completed and distributed at college admissions fairs, district conferences, through the denominational Source packet, and various other venues. Twenty-six new degree-seeking students and two new occasional students began taking classes this fall, a twelve-year record high. Two students changed their programs of study. Reasons cited by new students for choosing Bethany include the quality of faculty, academic reputation, and financial aid.

The committee also reported on the current financial status of the Brethren Journal Association, who is responsible for publishing Brethren Life & Thought, and summarized their discussion regarding options to fund strategic plan initiatives.

Other Activity
The board meeting was preceded by a service of installation for new academic dean Steven Schweitzer. Jim Olson, pastor of Bethel Christian Fellowship, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, shared the message. David Hendricks, pastor of the Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren in South Bend, Ind., officiated a service of anointing. Twelve persons representing the Bethany community, the board of trustees, Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center, and sister seminaries and institutions participated in a time of blessing.

A celebration marking the completion of the restoration of the Seminary's special collections project took place on Saturday evening. The special collections contain portions of the libraries of three donors: the William Eberly Hymnal Collection, the Ora Huston English Bible Collection, and more than 4,000 titles from the Abraham Cassel Collection. A grant of nearly $150,000 from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations provided for restoration of most of the very valuable volumes and the enclosure of each item in acid-free clam-shells or hinge boxes. The project team has posted more than 300 digital images of title pages and other illustrations on the Bethany Web site at www.bethanyseminary.edu/specialcollections. Dr. Murray Wagner, emeritus professor of historical studies, directed the project. Along with Wagner, several others involved in the project or related to the collections shared insights, memories, and dreams related to the past, present, and future use of the special collections.