Bethel College

Division of Arts and Humanities

Spring 2020

Bible and Religion

Basic Issues of Faith and Life

Integration of Faith and Learning

4 Faculty Instructors including Patty Shelly,

Coordinator

10 Faculty and Administrator Examiners

Common Texts:

Revelation

Powers that Be, by Walter Wink

Bible and Religion

• Peter Goerzen’s time is split evenly between teaching and

the campus pastor role.

• Peter teaches Christian ethics and biblical studies

courses.

• Peter is currently working on two

entries for the Anabaptist Dictionary

of the Bible.

• Peter will teach full-time in the Bible

and Religion department next year.

Communication Arts

Forensics

Bethel College has a rich history in collegiate Forensics, and remains one of the

only institutions to have qualified for and attended the distinguished American

Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament every year since its

inception in 1949.

This year, two students (sophomore Charlotte Ehrmann and sophomore Nathaniel

Schmucker) have maintained that legacy by qualifying their DUO interpretation for

the AFA-NIET. They will travel to the tournament, held in Santa Ana, CA at the

beginning of April to compete against schools from across the nation.

Justin Helmley joined Bethel College in

Fall 2019 as Director of Forensics and

Instructor of Communication Arts. In

addition to coaching, Justin is working to

improve recruitment methods, and has

developed a database of Kansas HS

Forensics teams to assist in outreach

and program recognition.

Christine Crouse-Dick successfully defended her

dissertation in May 2019. She graduated from the

University of Kansas that same month with

a doctorate in Communication Studies.

Communication Arts

Scholarly Activity

Communication Arts Theater

Stage Productions

• A Shayna Maidel

(Fall Fest)

• Theory of Relativity

(Spring Musical)

Brad Born was one of a select group of faculty members

nationwide chosen by the Council of Independent

Colleges and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American

History to participate in the seminar “The Civil War in American

Memory,” at Yale University, 23-28 June.

Brad made sure to come home with an autographed copy of the

Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Frederick Douglass: Prophet of

Freedom, by David Blight, who led the seminar. Content from that

seminar at Yale informed Brad’s teaching of abolitionist literature in his

Fall 2019 course Major American Authors.

English

Scholarly Activity

Student Success and Retention

Amber Celestin began as Director of Student Success

and Retention in August.

She splits her time between teaching English courses

and managing success/retention initiatives.

She serves as chair of the Retention Committee

and as advisor to new transfer students.

Amber is working to create a long-term,

data-driven plan for coordinating and assessing

student success and retention efforts across

the college.

English Dr. Siobhán Scarry two poems, Fall 2019 issue of The Cincinnati Review

long poem, Fall 2019 issue of Colorado Review

poem & audio recording, Terrain.org’s “Letter to America” series

two poems accepted into the anthology Level Land: Poems for and about the I-35

Corridor (forthcoming)

book review of NOS (disorder, not otherwise specified) forthcoming

in American Book Review

Bethel College Honors Convocation (Fall 2019): scholarly talk

on the work of poet Robert Duncan

peer reviewed scholarly article for Contemporary Literature

Other Professional Activities: upcoming community workshops

for adults & teens at Mark Arts in Wichita -- writing flash fiction

English • Students in Dr. Siobhán Scarry’s Fall 2019 Fiction Writing

Workshop met with writer Sharma Shields via Skype to

discuss fiction that uses myth, fable, and fairy tale. Sharma

generously workshopped “story starts” from every student in

the class. Margaret Atwood praises Sharma’s recent novel

The Cassandra as “quirky, funny, dark. Not like anything else.”

• The department’s Visiting Writers Series continues for its sixth year

with poets Matthew Cooperman and Aby Kaupang, who will visit

Bethel on April 24th. They will meet one-on-one with students on

their creative manuscripts, then give a reading from their

collaborative book NOS (disorder, not otherwise specified). The

reading will take place at 4pm at Mojo’s, followed by the spring

launch party for YAWP! literary magazine, an event that will include

student readers, food, & music.

Languages

Languages Offered 2019-2020

American Sign Language

Mary Schmidt

New Testament Greek

Bob Milliman and Dan Quinlin

(by directed study)

German

Dan Quinlin

Spanish

Jenny Masias

Joel Boettger, previously the Bethel College Director of Jazz

will take over the Wind Ensemble in a combined position

called Director of Bands beginning FY 2020-2021.

A masterclass on improvisation and music business skills will

be presented by pop jazz fusion group “The Saplings” to

members of the BC Jazz Ensemble on March 31st, 2020.

Joel was awarded a professional development grant to study

composition with Dave Rivello, an Eastman School of Music

Associate Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies. Joel

hopes to premier three new works as a result of his studies in

the coming months.

Instrumental Music / Jazz

Instrumental Music The Bethel College Wind Ensemble and Philharmonia

Orchestra created and performed “Un Pomeriggio en Italia! (An

Afternoon in Italy)” this past fall. Inspired by the Summer 2019

Art Class trip to Italy, the performance incorporated local

business (Crust & Crumb), playing, singing, and visual art from

and inspired by the student’s experience abroad.

Adam V. Fontana, DMA, was one of eleven conductors chosen

from around the world to conduct in the Frederick Fennell

Memorial Masterclass at the Eastman School of Music in

October 2019.

Dr. Fontana presented “Tie It All Together: Innovative

Approaches to Programming and Rehearsal” at the 2020

Kansas Music Educators Association State Conference in

Wichita.

Dr. Thea Groth, instructor of bassoon at Luther College,

presented as masterclass to students on musician health and

injury prevention in March 2020. Her masterclass was

sponsored by the Bethel College Women’s Association Carolyn

Shultz Lectureship Fund. She also performed with the Bethel

College Philharmonia Orchestra Strings on their March 2020

concert.

Dr. Derek Shapiro, director of bands at Virginia Tech, was a

guest conductor with the Bethel College Wind Ensemble on

their March 2020 concert.

Music Piano

She had multiple students compete in local young artist competitions during the

school year. In addition to teaching, she is the director of the Bethel Summer Music

Day Camp.

Christina will be performing with Hugo Vera (tenor; director of Vocal Academy of

Orvieto Italy and Lawrence Opera Theater) in April on campus and in Lawrence,

KS. She is serving as a judge for the upcoming Newton Music Teachers

Association (NMTA) Spring Piano Festival (March), Bach Festival (March), and

Wichita Metropolitan Music Teachers Association (WMMTA) Music Progressions

Festival (May). This summer, she is a guest teacher at Illumine Star Academy

(Canada), serving as an administrative intern at the Rebecca Penneys Piano

Festival (RPPF) in Florida, and collaborative pianist for Lawrence Opera Theater.

Dr. Christina Liu, NCTM presented at the 2019

Kansas Music Teachers Association (KMTA) State

Conference in October on options for injuries and

recovery for musicians. She also served as music

director for Music On-Site, Inc. (non-profit local

opera company) in December, conducting and

playing piano for 6 performances of “Amahl and

the Night Visitors” in 5 consecutive days.

Music

Athletic Bands/Steel Drums

Brad Shores continues to lead the very active and

full Athletic Band, supporting football and

men’s/women’s basketball through their seasons.

He also introduced a successful interterm course

MUS110 Steel Drum Ensemble that culminated in

a community performance.

In addition to his teaching duties, Brad continues to be a sought-after clinician

and adjudicator in the area, with active support from the Newton High School

instrumental director. He is also Director of Summer Camps.

Music

Choral

Choir continues its long legacy of success under the baton of Dr. William Eash.

The 3rd annual Small is Beautiful Choral Festival was well-attended, with over

200+ area high school students from 8 different high schools on-campus.

The Concert Choir is embarking on a week-long tour during spring break through

the states of Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska.

Visual Arts and Design

David Long, Professor of Art, will display his photographs in an

exhibition entitled “Forthcoming,” in the Regier Art Gallery,

March 16 – April 3, 2020.

Visual Arts and Design

Last year’s exhibition, Campaign for a New China: Posters

from the Cultural Revolution, 1966-1976, curated and

designed by students and led by Dr. Rachel Epp Buller,

won two awards this fall: Award of Excellence, from Kansas

Museums Association, and Publication Design Award from

Mountain Plains Museum Association.

Visual Arts and Design Graphic Design instructor Donalyn Manion leads the

Beyond Studio, which functions as a classroom space, oversees production of the yearbook, and offers student work opportunities. Beyond Studio will close at the end of this academic year, with the elimination of the graphic design major.

Visual Arts and Design

Adjunct instructor of Painting Kathleen Schroeder exhibited

her paintings, drawings, and artist books in our gallery

during Fall Fest in “Read the Pictures: Notes from a Visual

Learner.”

Visual Arts and Design

Rachel Epp Buller’s new co-edited book, Inappropriate

Bodies: Art, Design, and Maternity, was published in

September.

Visual Arts and Design

Visiting artists continue to be part of our pedagogy. Some

highlights from our year included Chicago artist Sarah Beth

Woods’ BRAID/WORK exhibit and hair-braiding event and

London professor Elena Marchevska’s presentation about

artists who work with migration and border crossing.

Visual Arts and Design Pakistani artist Ayesha Durrani was on campus for a

week in March to work with students, exhibit new paintings, and speak with community members. Thanks to several endowment funds for supporting her visit!