AP Images |
Teaching
operations at the nation’s oldest Assemblies of God college have been
halted, and hearts are heavy.
Bethany
University, founded in 1919, will be closing its doors this fall. The
closure comes after a deal fell through between private investors
seeking to purchase the university and the owner, the
Assemblies of God Northern California and Nevada District.
The
announcement was made June 13. As the institution begins its shut
down, Rev. James Braddy, chairman of Bethany’s board of trustees,
calls for prayer. “This will not be a quick or easy task. Your
prayers are desperately needed as we face this very difficult time of
transition.”
The
close comes as a transition and change of season for more than just
university administrators. More than 70 faculty members will stop
teaching at the school, and about 400 students will no longer be
learning on the Scotts Valley, Calif., campus.
Summer
2011 courses, as well as current online courses, are in the process
of completion as the summer semester—and Bethany’s last—ends
August 15.
Nearly
two dozen colleges and universities across the nation are stepping up
in various ways to help their brothers and sisters in Christ. Some
have developed extensive Memorandums of Understanding stating the
services they are willing to provide to each incoming student. In
addition, others will create specific scholarships, provide
relocation funding, and/or make certain exceptions to policies,
allowing easier transfer of class credits.
One
of Bethany’s sister colleges, Southwestern Assemblies of God
University, in Waxahachie, Texas, is offering a 50 percent grant
transfers from Bethany University. “We were sad to see a sister
school close its doors,” says Eddie Davis, vice president for
enrollment. “So, we felt compelled to help Bethany students
smoothly transition into another accredited university that shares
Bethany’s values.”
Though
the close has ultimately come because of a matter of funds, God was
ever-present in the process. The Santa Cruz Sentinel
reports that Bethany University President Rev. Lewis Shelton said he
tried to save the university from closing through prayer and fasting,
but God made the final decision.
Cheri Fuller and Cindy Lamb Curry 
Marilyn Hickey 
Charisma Staff 
