The Bethel Vision and Priorities

The mission of Bethel University is to be a community of learners building lives of commitment for leadership in the Church and world. Bethel's liberating academic programs challenge the mind, enlarge the vision, and equip the whole person for lifelong service.

In Spring 2018, Bethel launched its GROW Agenda 2018-2022, focused on opening new doors to Bethel for future students.  The value behind this focus is, we can't influence students we don't have.  Throughout Fall and Winter 2017, a multi-disciplinary research and planning team produced four initiatives of highest return, which was later unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees in early 2018 and endorsed to very high levels by faculty, staff, and administrators. 

The primary foci are: (1)  adding several new sports teams and an athletic facility, (2) adopting new recruitment methodologies and external partners in digital marketing and Web development, (3) double the number of online-format programs from 11 to 22, and (4) a variety of small, niche enrollment projects (e.g. a debt-free path through Bethel for the poorest students, launching a Computer Science major in Fall 2019, launching a corporate partnership to provide MA in Counseling degrees in house, etc.).  Simultaneously, to support a 60% growth in Admissions visitors over the past three years, a Welcome Center facility is already funded.