Bridgewater Roundtable RYC - March 20-22

The Roundtable regional youth conference is held at Bridgewater (Va.) College on March 20-22, on the theme “Follower and Friend: Our Relationship with God” (John 15:12-17). Leadership is provided by Carol Elmore, music and youth minister at Oak Grove Church of the Brethren. The event includes worship, small groups, workshops, a variety show, singing, vespers, recreation, and more. Participants stay on the college campus for the weekend and eat meals in the college dining hall. “Brethren from different districts come together to reconnect with NYC friends, or to make new friends,” said an announcement from Virlina District. Estimated cost is $50 per participant. Roundtable is open to senior high youth in grades 9-12. Pre-registration is recommended. For more information, go to http://iycroundtable.wix.com/iycbc or contact iycroundtable@gmail.com.

Source: 3/10/2015 Newsline

Bridgewater Roundtable - March 20-22

Roundtable, a Church of the Brethren regional youth conference, takes place at Bridgewater (Va.) College on March 20-22. The theme, “Follower and Friend: Our Relationship with God,” is inspired by John 15:12-17. The speaker will be Carol Elmore, minister of youth and music at Oak Grove Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va. Friday night entertainment will feature Jessica Crawford, a Christian recording artist and former member of the youth group at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren. The event also includes small groups, workshops, a variety show, singing, vespers, recreation, and more. Participants will stay on the college campus for the weekend and eat their meals in the dining hall. Estimated cost is $50 per participant. The event is for high school age youth and adult advisors. Information is being posted, with registration opening soon, at http://iycroundtable.wix.com/iycbc. For questions e-mail iycroundtable@gmail.com.

Source: 2/3/2015 Newsline

Bridgewater College Spring Break Volunteers

A group of Bridgewater (Va.) College students and two staff will travel to Florida over spring break to volunteer as construction workers with Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge Spring Break 2014, said a release from the college. The students, accompanied by Stacie Horrell, assistant director of student activities, and David Nicholas, student accounts coordinator, leave for Delray Beach, Fla., on March 8. For the Spring Break Challenge, the group will work in partnership with the South Palm Beach County Habitat for Humanity. To raise money for the trip, the group held a chili cook-off and a Spirit Night fundraiser at New York Flying Pizza in Bridgewater. The campus chapter, established in 1995, is one of nearly 700 campus chapters worldwide, and is affiliated with Central Valley Habitat for Humanity in Bridgewater. This is the 22nd year that Bridgewater students have used spring break to work on various Habitat projects.

Source: 3/4/2014 Newsline

Youth Roundtable will be held at Bridgewater (Va.) College on March 21-23.

This is an annual event for senior high youth and their adult advisors from the Church of the Brethren districts in the area. The event includes workshops, small groups, singing, an open mic night, and worship. The speaker will be Eric Landram, a Bethany Theological Seminary students, Bridgewater College alumnus, and member of Staunton (Va.) Church of the Brethren. Cost is about $50. For more information and to register go to http://iycroundtable.wix.com/iycbc.

Source: 1/3/2014 Newsline

Students at Church of the Brethren-related colleges are doing services projects.

Foregoing “fun in the sun” spring breaks, several groups of students at Church of the Brethren-related colleges are doing services projects instead.

• At Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., 21 students in the Habitat for Humanity club will take on the construction of an entire house in Albany, Ga., and other students will organize the affiliate’s ReStore location. The college’s Hillel chapter for Jewish students is traveling to the Dominican Republic to work on the “My Roof” project that focuses on building shelters for people who don’t have adequate, safe housing, and will volunteer at a health clinic and a school. Juniata’s Christian Ministry Board is traveling to North Fort Myers, Fla., to volunteer on a demonstration farm working with Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization. The college’s Community Service Board is going to Apopka, Fla., to work with immigrant families in collaboration with a local organization called Hope CommUnity Center.

• At Bridgewater (Va.) College, 18 students and 2 staff members will spend spring break volunteering with Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge Spring Break 2013. The group, accompanied by college chaplain Robbie Miller and Stacie Horrell, assistant director of student activities, will leave for Sumter, S.C., on March 10 to work in partnership with the Sumter Habitat for Humanity helping to build several houses. To raise money for the trip, they held a chili cook-off and sponsored a faculty/staff car wash. This is the 21st year that Bridgewater College students have used spring break to work on various Habitat projects.

• At McPherson (Kan.) College, a group of students is planning to serve for a week at a Brethren Disaster Ministries project site in Holton, Ind., in late March. Tom Hurst, director of Service for the college, is organizing the trip with help from Western Plains District.

Source: 3/8/2013 Newsline

Bridgewater College Named Among the Best Colleges in the Southeast

Bridgewater (Va.) College is one of the best colleges and universities in the Southeast,  according to the Princeton Review. The New York City-based education services company selected Bridgewater as one of 136 institutions it recommends in its “Best in the Southeast” section on its website feature, 2013 Best Colleges: Region by Region, reports a release from the college. “In the profile on Bridgewater at PrincetonReview.com, the college is described as one concerned with ‘personally developing students in every aspect of life and making each individual physically, academically, socially, and mentally fit for the real world,’” the release said. Students at Bridgewater were surveyed on a range of issues from accessibility of professors to quality of campus food. According to the Review, students say, “You know you’re getting your money’s worth” thanks to consistently small class sizes and ample personal interaction with faculty. One senior is quoted as saying, “I’ve never been turned away from a professor’s office; they always make time for their students and advisees.”

Source:8/22/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College Students Recognized by Department of Philosophy and Religion

Bridgewater (Va.) College students recognized by the Department of Philosophy and Religion for academic excellence at the annual awards convocation on May 1 included two Church of the Brethren members: Rebekah L. Miller of Bridgewater Church of the Brethren and Jesse Winter of Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren. Miller was presented the Outstanding Senior Award in Philosophy. Winter, a junior, was selected for the Ruth and Steve Watson Philosophy Scholarship Award, receiving a scholarship for the 2012-2013 academic year. Also receiving an award from the department was Blake Strother, who received the Outstanding Senior Award in Religion.

Source:5/16/2012 Newsline

5 Summer Christian Experience Scholarship Recipients from Bridgewater College

In more news from Bridgewater, five students including Church of the Brethren member Tyler Goss, are recipients of a 2012 Summer Christian Experience Scholarship and will spend 10 weeks in the summer working at church camps. Each student was awarded $2,500 from the scholarship program, which is funded by the Bridgewater College endowment fund. Goss will serve at Camp Bethel near Fincastle, Va. Also receiving the scholarship are Morgan Elkins and Whitney Fitzgerald, who will serve at Shepherd’s Spring in Sharpsburg, Md.; Stina Kang, who will serve at Camp Swatara in Bethel, Pa.; and Emily Ridenour, who will serve at Camp Eder in Fairfield, Pa.

Source:5/16/2012 Newsline

Seminary and College Commencement Ceremonies Set for May

Bethany Theological Seminary will be holding its graduation ceremony on May 5, in Richmond, Ind., just one of several Church of the Brethren-related schools that have announced May commencement ceremonies.

This will be Bethany’s 107th commencement, and 16 graduates will be recognized. The academic ceremony for conferring degrees will take place in Nicarry Chapel at 10 a.m., with admittance by ticket only. A worship service, open to the public, will be held in Nicarry Chapel at 2:30 p.m. Nadine S. Pence, a former member of the Bethany faculty and currently director of the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion in Crawfordsville, Ind., will give the commencement address. Graduates Rebekah Houff, Jeanne Davies, and Andrew Duffey will speak during the afternoon worship service.

At Bridgewater (Va.) College, Robert Neff, president emeritus of Juniata College and a former general secretary of the Church of the Brethren and past faculty at Bethany Seminary, will deliver the message at a baccalaureate service at 6 p.m. on May 11 in Nininger Hall. Darla K. Deardorff, a Bridgewater alumna who is executive director of the Association of International Education Administrators and an authority on intercultural competence, will deliver the commencement address at 10 a.m. on May 12 on the campus mall.

Elizabethtown (Pa.) College holds its 109th commencement May 19, with traditional and adult learning programs celebrating graduates. There will be two ceremonies: at 11 a.m. the commencement ceremony for about 450 traditional undergraduate students held in the Dell will feature speaker Pauline Yu, president of the American Council of Learned Societies; at 4 p.m. the commencement ceremony for the 170-some Edward R. Murphy Center for Continuing Education and Distance Learning undergraduate students will hear from speaker Edward R. Murphy of the Board of Trustees, in the Leffler Chapel. This is the first time at the college that adult learners--students who have earned an undergraduate degree through the non-traditional degree program--will have a separate commencement.

At Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., James Madara, chief executive officer of the American Medical Association and a nationally known expert of epithelial cell biology and gastrointestinal disease and also a 1971 Juniata graduate, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and deliver the commencement address at 10 a.m. on May 12. Others to receive honorary degrees from Juniata are Timothy Statton, retired president of Bechtel Power Corporation and a former member of the board of directors of Bechtel Group Inc., and Henry H. Gibbel, chairman and chief executive officer of Lititz Mutual Insurance Co.

Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., will laud Dow Chemical Co. scientist and Manchester sciences benefactor Herbert E. Chinworth with an honorary Doctor of Science degree at commencement on Sunday afternoon, May 20. Chinworth, who attended Manchester in the early ’40s, also is the speaker for the 2:30 p.m. ceremony, before the college confers more than 250 bachelor’s degrees and two Masters in Athletic Training degrees.

At McPherson (Kan.) College, the 2012 Commencement Day is scheduled for May 20. Also on the weekend of May 18-20 is McPherson’s Alumni Weekend with class reunions for 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, and 1977. At the annual Alumni Awards Luncheon, Harold and Lynda Connell (’62 and ’61), John Ferrell (’51), and Eldred Kingery (’72) will be presented the distinguished Citation of Merit.

University of La Verne, Calif., will hold its Commencement Weekend on May 25-26.

Source:5/3/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College has a New Strategic Plan

Bridgewater College has a new strategic plan to guide the college through 2020. “BC 2020: The Strategic Plan for Bridgewater College” identifies key areas critical to success in the next eight years and strategies for achieving goals in those areas, said a release. Areas include student success, the Bridgewater Experience, enhanced and new programs, access and affordability, alumni and community, and facilities. Nathan H. Miller, chair of the board, noted that in the future, higher education must focus on realities of living in an international community, fast-changing technological environment, and an educational environment in which new majors and curricula abound. For more go to www.bridgewater.edu/strategicplan.

Source:5/3/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College Presidential Search Committee

Bridgewater (Va.) College has announced a search committee for its next president. President George Cornelius announced March 6 that he will let his contract with the college expire at the end of this academic year. Executive vice president Roy W. Ferguson Jr. will serve as interim president. The search committee includes Judy Mills Reimer, former general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, along with chair G. Steven Agee, judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; Debra M. Allen, certified public accountant and treasurer of Sidney B. Allen Jr. Builder Inc.; William S. Earhart, certified public accountant and treasurer of Heatwole/Miller real estate management and development company; Michael K. Kyles M.D., orthopedic surgeon on the staff of Halifax Regional Hospital; Robert I. Stolzman, partner in the law firm of Adler, Pollock & Sheehan; James H. Walsh, partner with the law firm of McGuireWoods LLP; W. Steve Watson Jr., Lawrence S. and Carmen C. Miller Chair of Ethics and associate professor of philosophy and religion; and Kathy G. Wright, logistics coordinator for Philip Morris USA Inc.

Source:4/19/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College Alumni Awards

In more news from Bridgewater College, five alumni including three Church of the Brethren members will be honored as part of the annual Alumni Weekend celebration April 20-22. At the annual banquet of the Ripples Society on April 20, Dr. J. Paul Wampler (class of 1954) and Doris Cline Egge (1946) will receive the 2012 Ripples Society Medals. At the Alumni Awards ceremony on April 21, the Distinguished Alumna Award will be presented to Dr. Elizabeth Mumper (1976). The Young Alumna Award will be presented to Emila J. Sutton (2002). The West-Whitelow Humanitarian Award will be presented to Dr. Kenneth M. Heatwole (1979).

Source:4/19/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College Celebrated Founder’s Day on April 3

Bridgewater (Va.) College celebrated Founder’s Day on April 3, marking 132 years since the founding of the school. The college presented three awards to faculty: James D. Bowling, associate professor of mathematics, received the Ben and Janice Wade Outstanding Teaching Award; Barbara H. Long, chair and assistant professor of health and human sciences, received the Martha B. Thornton Faculty Recognition Award; and history professor Brian M. Kelley, associate professor of psychology, received the Faculty Scholarship Award.

Source:4/5/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College "March for Justice"

Bridgewater (Va.) College students are planning a “March for Justice” to protest the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida. The march is planned for March 26, starting at 6 p.m., according to a release from the college. Marchers will wear hoodies and walk from the Kline Campus Center down Dinkel Ave. to a 7-Eleven store where they will purchase Skittles and a bottle of iced tea--items found on the body of Martin, who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watchman who has claimed self defense. After making the purchase, the group will march back to the college mall for a candlelight vigil. The march is organized by Visible Men, a college-based enrichment program that “focuses on meeting the unique needs of underrepresented male students through leadership, personal, career, and professional development.”


Source:3/22/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College Recognized by CNCS

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has recognized Bridgewater (Va.) College as a leader among institutions of higher education for its support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. Bridgewater was named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its students, faculty, and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.

Source:3/22/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College announces change in leadership.

The Board of Trustees of Bridgewater (Va.) College accepted a request by George Cornelius to allow his contract as president to expire at the end of the current academic year. The Board of Trustees has appointed executive vice president Roy W. Ferguson, Jr. as interim president to succeed Cornelius, with the transition to be completed on May 14.

“After significant reflection I have decided not to pursue an extension of my contract as president of the college,” Cornelius stated. “I would like to conclude the efforts I’ve started on campus and then focus my efforts elsewhere. I look forward to partnering with my friend and colleague Roy Ferguson to ensure a smooth transition.”

“We thank George and Susan, his wife, for their service to Bridgewater and wish them the best in their future endeavors,” Nathan H. Miller, chair of the Board of Trustees, affirmed. “The college has benefited from George’s broad business experience across an array of industries during its current strategic planning efforts. And we are pleased to have a leader of Roy Ferguson’s caliber to maintain the college’s momentum and history of providing a valuable education to our students.”

“Today the board invites the campus community to join its leaders in the next chapter of our strong story,” Miller continued. “Together, we are a campus that is keeping pace with change and embracing our robust future. Bridgewater College has and will continue to be a home for students, faculty, staff, and alumni who believe in our values and the college’s approach of educating the whole person.”

“I am honored to be asked to serve in the vital role of interim president of Bridgewater College,” stated Ferguson. “As begun by my predecessors, I look forward to leading the transition of a strong campus with a bright future.”

A search for the ninth president of the college will commence after discussion by the board at its regularly scheduled meeting in April. Under the board’s leadership, the search will progress with input and involvement from the campus community.

For more about Bridgewater College go to www.bridgewater.edu.

-- Mary Kay Heatwole is editorial assistant for Media Relations for Bridgewater College.

Source:3/7/2012 Newsline

Bridgewater College - Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge

Eighteen students and two staff of Bridgewater (Va.) College are volunteering with Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge Spring Break 2012, according to a release from the school. The group, accompanied by Jarret and Whitney Smith, director of admissions and director of student activities respectively, left for Maryville, Tenn., on March 4 and return to campus March 10. The group is working in partnership with the Blount County Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the Great Smoky Mountains. To raise money for the trip, they held a chili cook-off and sponsored an evening of childcare for Parents’ Night Out. This makes the 20th year that Bridgewater students have used their Spring break to work in various Habitat projects.

Source:3/7/2012 Newsline

The Senior High Roundtable at Bridgewater College

The Senior High Roundtable at Bridgewater (Va.) College is scheduled for March 16-18. The theme is "Following Christ: Step by Step...Remember, Rejoice, Repeat" (1 Peter 2:21). Guest speaker is Shawn Flory Replogle, former Annual Conference moderator and a speaker at National Youth Conference 2010. Register at www.bridgewater.edu/orgs/iyc.

Source:2/8/2012 Newsline

Brethren students and chaplains meet from East and Midwest colleges.

What does it mean to be Brethren today? About 20 Brethren students and the campus chaplains from Bridgewater (Va.) College, Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., and Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., explored that question as they met April 1-3 at Grand Vue State Park in Moundsville, W.Va.

The idea of a joint retreat for Church of the Brethren colleges in the East and Midwest grew out of student brainstorming and gradually materialized over the past year. The West Virginia spot, just south of Wheeling, was chosen as a central point for the colleges attending.

Students led informal discussions on topics including peace, justice, simplicity, sustainability, and community during the weekend. Each of the three college groups also planned and led a worship service. Free time offered opportunities for hiking, disc golf, games, and further conversation. Juniata chaplain Dave Witkovsky contributed his culinary abilities in the kitchen for on-site meals.

The retreat ended with a mountaintop closing circle and hopes of doing another such gathering in the future. The schools are among six colleges/universities affiliated with the Church of the Brethren, stretching from eastern Pennsylvania to California. According to "Church of the Brethren Yearbook" statistics, they enroll a combined total of more than 300 Brethren students.

-- Walt Wiltschek is campus pastor at Manchester College.

Source: 5/5/2011 Newsline