College of Arts & Sciences
Brief History and Profile of the Institution
Bethel University is a liberal arts institution committed to a distinctly evangelical Christian philosophy of education. The integration of faith and learning is encouraged in curricular and co-curricular endeavors. Biblical perspectives are applicable and enriching to the entire range of academic inquiry. The college model for student development rests upon Christian assumptions regarding the nature of the self, interpersonal relationships, values, and life purposes.
The university is sponsored by the churches of the Baptist General Conference and is affiliated with Bethel Seminary. The history of the institution may be traced to the founding of the seminary in 1871. Preceded by a secondary academy and a junior college, the liberal arts college was established in 1948 and has experienced dramatic growth, both in quality and in size. Master's degree programs as well as degree completion programs are offered through the College for Adult & Professional Studies and the Graduate School.
The majority of Bethel students are from the upper Midwest, although nearly all the states and numerous foreign countries are represented. Students report affiliation with a wide range of religious denominations. Bethel is primarily a residential campus with freshmen and sophomores generally required to live in college housing, which includes a variety of options such as traditional dorms, apartments, and townhouses.
A well-qualified faculty of men and women is responsible for the academic programs, a large majority of whom have completed the terminal degree in their respective teaching fields. The faculty, with assistance from the coordinator of faculty development, maintains a comprehensive program for personal renewal and professional growth.
The curriculum is flexible, allowing students to major in traditional liberal arts areas or to fulfill special programs designed to meet individual needs, backgrounds, and abilities. Majors and minors cover a wide range of interests and can be found in the Bethel University College of Arts & Sciences Catalog.
The College of Adult & Professional Studies offers baccalaureate degree-completion programs. The Graduate School offers several master's degree programs as well as a doctorate in Education.
Bethel University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602-2504), and cooperates with the credentialing processes of various disciplinary and professional organizations. The college is a member of the Minnesota Private College Council and Fund, the Christian College Consortium, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and the Upper Midwest Association for Intercultural Education. Through its affiliation with the latter three organizations, Bethel provides for its students a rich variety of opportunity for off-campus study, both in the United States and abroad.
The Bethel University Library contains hundreds of thousands of titles and current journal subscriptions in paper or film format. The electronic catalog is shared with the Cooperating Libraries in Consortium (CLIC), providing faculty and students with access to literally millions of volumes. These holdings are supplemented by the nearby collection of the Bethel Seminary Library. Information access is enhanced with Internet resources and other electronic databases.
Bethel is committed to providing relevant, state-of-the-art technology for students. Examples of this commitment include: lifelong e-mail accounts; high-speed Internet access on campus and in residential housing; wireless networking accessible in several public areas including the library; storage space for a personal homepage at www.bethel.edu; access to high-quality black and white as well as color laser printers; access to hundreds of lab computers connected to the campus network, including both PCs and Macintoshes with CD-RW and DVD capabilities; access to a comprehensive Web-course management tool used by many professors to facilitate teaching and learning; access to the latest Microsoft operating system and office productivity suite from most public systems; access to other specialized resources located in numerous academic departmental labs; and access to a Help Desk staffed during regular computer lab hours that provides assistance with computing problems.
Bethel's campus, 231 acres of wooded hills on the shores of Lake Valentine in suburban Arden Hills, is equidistant from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. There is easy access to the many cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities of the Twin Cities. The academic buildings and student residences have been planned to take advantage of the natural beauty of the campus site and to help achieve a sense of community among students and faculty members in carrying out the objectives of the college. The Community Life Center, with its 1,700-seat Benson Great Hall, greatly enhances this sense of community.