MOVING PIECES

Planning for campus remodeling and building projects over summer

BY LANCE SCHWARTZ • CHIEF COMMUNICATION OFFICER

If you want to recall how the interior of Tweit Hall looks, or how the lower level of Meyer Hall is laid out you’d better look soon because several construction and remodeling projects will change the look of the Bethany campus during the summer of 2021.

The largest of the renovations will be a nearly complete interior remodeling in Milton Tweit Hall. This building has seen considerable changes throughout the years. It once served as the Bethany Seminary and Headquarters for the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS). When the ELS built a new facility just down the street, Bethany assumed ownership of the building and named it Tweit Hall in memory of the longtime Regent of the College. The building was first equipped as the home of the Communication Department—Bethany’s first bachelor’s program. It’s most recently served as the headquarters for the Exercise Science Program, and portions of the Art Department were housed in the building. The upcoming changes will see walls removed and classrooms expanded for both programs.

Bethany’s new esports program is growing, and so is the space the varsity sport will occupy. A classroom on the lower level of Honsey Hall will become the program’s second gaming space. It’s located next to the team’s existing varsity competition space. Also happening in Honsey Hall is an upgrade to the College’s broadcast facilities. The renovation will give Bethany the ability to produce multi-camera event broadcasts in a single facility while tapping into remote cameras at event sites. It’s a model used in mainstream media production and the new arrangement provides real world experience for students in Bethany’s communication program.

A couple of outdoor projects will also bring a new look to the Campus Green and the entrance to Honsey Hall. The long sidewalk running through the Green will be removed and replaced with a wider walkway. The rock garden outside Honsey will be refurbished and redone and will shine as a spectacular new entrance to the College’s largest academic building.

Less obvious, but much needed projects will include new roofs on Luther Hall and the College’s warehouse/maintenance facility located on the north side of the campus. The Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center will see new windows installed. Plumbing will be upgraded in parts of Old Main and Teigen Hall.

Graco Foundation Provides Support

A generous gift from the Graco Foundation will transform smaller classrooms on the lower level of Meyer Hall into the The Mast which will be a large lab for Bethany’s Engineering Department.

Graco is a multi-national corporation headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company supplies technology and expertise for the management of fluids and coatings in both industrial and commercial applications. Graco designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide.

When Bethany made the decision to add the new engineering program to the College’s academic offerings, 1992 alumnus Brian Ketel, a product engineering manager at Graco, introduced the idea of pursuing a grant from the Graco Foundation to college executives. After reviewing the program, the Graco Foundation graciously chose to support Bethany’s engineering program.

Among the Graco Foundation’s stated objectives is the idea to “help organizations grow their ability to serve community needs through grants focused on capital projects, specific programs, and technology needs.” Another of the Foundation’s goals prioritizes organizations that have a proven track record of enabling people to become self-sufficient and more productive. Bethany’s recent national rankings for graduates’ social mobility, combined with our innovative engineering program were a unique fit for Graco Foundation’s priorities. In addition, Bethany’s goals for the engineering program meshed well with Graco Foundation’s emphasis on educational programs, especially STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs and the promotion of workforce development.

Charlotte Boyd is the Graco Foundation Manager. She remarked about the gift for Bethany Lutheran College. “We’re happy to support the development of a new engineering program in our state, and excited to see Bethany’s program grow! We believe The Mast fabrication lab will be a great opportunity for present and future students to make meaningful connections to engineering concepts and the community in a hands-on, real-world makerspace.”

Bethany’s Vice President of Academic Affairs Jason Lowrey commented, “With the generous gift from The Graco Foundation, The Mast will become a reality on our campus. It will be a sought-after location for current students to engage in community enhancing projects, as well as for future students to see opportunities for their participation in a program that offers theory and practice every day. The very nature of technology requires a constantly changing and broadly diverse set of critical thinking skills. The learning and work in The Mast will make that happen in a significant way for Bethany’s students. We owe a debt of gratitude to Graco for this significant gift.”

Engineering students will soon be able to take advantage of a new lab / makerspace in Meyer Hall.

Photo by David Norris