Dr. Harley Schreck

email: schhar@bethel.edu

Harley Schreck brings his passions for understanding urban life, an enhanced quality of life for the elderly, and social and cultural justice to Bethel University.

He comes to Bethel after working with World Vision as a Senior Researcher, where he helped support World Vision’s work around the world through applied research and training of World Vision staff. He has carried out ethnographic fieldwork in Micronesia, Ecuador, and the cities of Seattle and Minneapolis. In this work Dr. Schreck has focused on understanding the formation of community in urban areas, advocating for the elderly, and helping the church be a more powerful force in its quest for positive change in today’s world.

Harley teaches a broad array of courses, including courses focused on urban life, modern American culture, the cultures of the Pacific, missions, methods, and gerontology. Dr. Schreck has developed and led a January course to Amsterdam over 8 times since 1990. He has taken a central role in the development of the Frogtown Neighborhood Urban, an intentional Christian learning community in an urban neighborhood in St. Paul. He also is the Program Director for the Masters of Arts in Gerontology Program at Bethel University. In 2000, Harley received the Bethel College Faculty Excellence in Service Award.
His current research and writing interests include ethnographic research on community change and the needs of the elderly in Northeast Minneapolis.
Harley is married with two adult children and one aging dog.