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Bethany, a small college of national distinction, was founded March 2, 1840. For
170 years, Bethany College has been a highly contemporary institution based in
the tradition of the liberal arts.
The College offers a wide array of
studies, awarding Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in more than
25 fields of study, many with options for emphasis. Students also have the
option of including one or more optional minors as part of their
programs.
The College's program of classical liberal arts education
prepares students for a lifetime of work and a life of significance. Bethany
places particular emphasis on leadership and incorporates pre-professional
education in dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, physical therapy, public
administration, theology and veterinary medicine.
Bethany's 1,300-acre
campus is located in the northern panhandle of West Virginia in the foothills of
the Allegheny Mountains. Pittsburgh, America's Most Livable City, is a 50-minute
drive from campus. Wheeling, W.Va.; Washington, Pa.; and Steubenville, Ohio are
less than a half-hour away.
Founded by Alexander Campbell, who provided
the land and funds for the first building and served as the first president,
Bethany has been a four-year private liberal arts college affiliated with the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), since its inception. This religious
body, of which Campbell was one of the principal founders, continues to support
and encourage the College, but exercises no sectarian control. Students from
virtually every religious community attend Bethany.
The approximately 850
Bethany students represent 28 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and
nine countries.
Mission
- Teaching and learning form the mission
of Bethany College. Central to this broad purpose is providing a liberal arts
education for students, including the preparation of professionals, in an
atmosphere of study, work, and service.
Values
- Bethany College
is an academic community founded on the close interaction between students and
faculty in the educational process. Bethany College values intellectual rigor
and freedom, diversity of thought and lifestyle, personal growth within a
community context, and responsible engagement with public issues. Its programs
are designed to
-engage the mind through emphasis on discipline in
thinking, motivation in the search for knowledge, and acquisition of the
intellectual resources for a lifetime of learning
-embolden the spirit
through the opportunity for intellectual challenge, collaborative enterprise,
athletic competition, artistic expression, personal growth, and meaningful
work
-enlarge the world through exposure to the abundant diversity of
thought and lifestyle of the human community, support for personal engagement
with societies and cultures different from one's own, and commitment to service.
Goals
- In its charter, granted in 1840 by the Commonwealth of
Virginia and recognized in 1863 by the newly organized state of West Virginia,
the mission of Bethany College is defined as
the instruction of youth in
the various branches of science and literature, the useful arts and the learned
and foreign languages.
- Alexander Campbell set the purpose of the
College in the context of western religious tradition and the thinking of the
American Enlightenment, interpreting it to imply that the goal of education is
to prepare students to become useful and responsible members of society by
liberating them from superstition and ignorance, the tyranny of others, and
"vulgar prejudices." Campbell envisioned that upon graduation, students would
become their own teacher(s) and pupil(s) and continue their education throughout
life.
- Bethany College continues to accept the implications of its
mission as understood by its founder. It continues to accept the responsibility
for educating effective, honorable, humane, and intelligent citizens who believe
in and will promote the creation of a world of worth and value, integrating
critical reason with the convictions of faith, personal accomplishment with
ethical responsibility, and individual development with service to
others.
Objectives
- The Bethany experience encourages students
to realize their intellectual capabilities, moral capacities, and leadership
potential by assisting them in their quest to achieve the following
objectives:
- the ability to write well and to read with discrimination
-
the ability to speak with facility and to listen effectively
- the ability to
use the liberal arts and sciences in the application of critical thinking
-
the ability to recognize and to appreciate the ethical, moral, and spiritual
dimensions of the human experience
- the ability to recognize and to
appreciate the experiences of diverse populations
- the ability to recognize
and to appreciate the importance of lifelong learning and the responsibilities
of world citizenship
- the preparation for post-baccalaureate education and
career opportunities
Nondiscrimination Policy
Bethany College
admits students of any race, color, sex, religion, disability, and national or
ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities
generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Bethany does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion or national or ethnic
origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan
programs, athletic activities or other school-administered programs.
In
all matters related to employees and students, Bethany College does not
discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, national origin, religious
preference, sexual orientation, status as a Vietnam-era veteran, documented
disability or infection with AIDS or associated diseases. Further, the College
takes affirmative steps to recruit members of minority groups and women, and in
accordance with federal law it gives preference in employment matters to
Vietnam-era veterans and persons with physical handicaps.
Bethany
College will not tolerate harassment of its employees. Any form of harassment
related to an employee's race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or
documented disability is a violation of this policy and will be treated as a
disciplinary matter. For these purposes, the term harassment includes, but is
not necessarily limited to slurs, jokes and other verbal, graphic or physical
conduct relating to an individual's race, color, sex, religion, national origin,
age or physical or mental handicap. Harassment also includes unwelcome sexual
advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, graphic or physical
conduct of a sexual nature. |
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