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From the President
BY GENE PFEIFER • PRESIDENT, BETHANY LUTHERAN COLLEGE
Challenge accepted
By the time you receive this edition of the Bethany Magazine, we'll be busy welcoming students back to campus for the 2021-22 academic year. It will indeed be a special time as we open our academic buildings and residence halls to new and returning students. God willing, there will be far fewer restrictions when compared to the 2020-21 year with the myriad regulations in place during the COVID pandemic. To be sure, Bethany won't be completely back to normal this fall, but I'm certain campus life will be more enjoyable for our students and employees than during the height of the outbreak.
The 2020-21 academic year was unlike anything we've experienced in recent times. The pandemic caused the College to closely follow hundreds of instances of students being tested, isolating, or quarantining on campus. At times, it seemed as though the rules for safe campus operations were changing every day. No sooner would a decision be made about how to address a concern or operational strategy, and the plan would seemingly need to be adjusted moments later.
Our Student Affairs Department was among the busiest on campus adapting to the changing landscape. A team of six employees called the COVID Campus Response Team handled most of the work related to COVID protocol on campus. This group was headed by Vice President Ted Manthe.
The COVID Response Team assisted students and employees who contracted the virus, and provided guidance to those exposed to it. Services included helping students to get settled into isolation and quarantine facilities, and delivering meals to those who were holed up in their rooms during the mandatory seclusion period. Records indicate that 142 known students, faculty, and staff contracted COVID19 during the 2020-21 academic year. That equated to about 20% of our on-campus population. During one particularly busy week, there were 74 Bethany students either isolating or quarantining. This is just one indicator as to how monumental of a logistical challenge this was for the College. Of course, Bethany was not alone in dealing with these types of problems, but it was certainly a trying time.
The primary team managing isolation, quarantine, and contact tracing included our Sports Information Coordinator KatieJo Svenson, International Student Coordinator Paula Torres, Athletic Trainer Paul Osterman, Residential Life Director Renee Tatge, Assistant Men's Basketball Coach Brandon Polesky, and Manthe. Many thanks also must be given to our maintenance, housekeeping, residential life, and dining services employees who often had to pivot quickly and adapt services. Much admiration goes out to these employees for their tireless work.
Another area that was feeling the effects of the pandemic was our Athletic Department. All of our fall varsity programs—men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyball were forced to cancel their traditional seasons. It was a gut-wrenching decision for these athletes and their dedicated coaches. As the fall semester dragged on, it became apparent that the winter and spring sports also would not be able to begin their seasons on time. But after the Christmas break, our affiliated collegiate athletic conference— the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference made the decision to give the green light for all sports (fall, winter, and spring) to begin. Basketball and indoor track and field were allowed to start just after the first of the year. The postponed fall sports began their seasons in March with abbreviated, conference-only
It was a challenging year for activities, but a socially-distanced Christmas at Bethany (left) was recorded and posted for viewing, and athletic contests were able to take place in the spring with athletes being frequently tested for COVID.
Photo by David Norris
All of these modifications by our employees and students were made possible by our faculty's willingness to adjust and adapt to new learning scenarios during the pandemic. This included their shifting of classes to a "HyFlex" model that enabled students to attend classes either in-person or synchronously online via live-stream technology. Of note, nearly 100 full-time students each semester unable to return to campus took their classes completely online via this live-stream technology.
While it's true that the vast majority of our classes were held in-person in 2020-21, there were a variety of occasions where class sizes needed to be modified or class sessions had to be held in alternate locations. For example, our concert band directed by Benjamin Faugstad held several concerts outdoors, and our concert choir under the direction of Dennis Marzolf recorded a socially-distanced Christmas at Bethany performance which was (and still is) available for viewing on Bethany's YouTube channel. And our Theatre Department held several short, socially-distanced productions throughout the year. Just like the athletic department, events still happened and our students received the best possible experience.
When I sat down to write this article, the intense planning for student housing, dining services, and campus activities for the new year was well underway. There are still a number of unknown variables, such as how vaccination percentages of students and staff will influence operations and a return to normalcy. But this past year our Lord blessed the efforts of those who helped tirelessly to manage the pandemic. Not only did Bethany "survive" the worst of the pandemic, but by God's grace and blessings we thrived and excelled in 2020-21. These successes are noted in the fact the College attained a record enrollment and record student retention, achieved record financial support from among our constituency for the Bethany annual fund, and launched our first master's degree program this summer.
By God's grace and through our prayers, we are hopeful that the worst of the COVID storm is now over. Indeed, it was a year like no other on the Bethany campus. Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers for the College as we look forward to seeing how God continues to bless Bethany's mission in this new academic year.
Serving in His name, Gene R. Pfeifer
