MISHAWAKA—You have probably noticed the multiple changes Bethel is going through as we switch from college to university. The process is a sticky one and there are many tasks to left to complete, but progress has been made and excitement grows along with that progress.
Erin Kinzel, marketing and communications director, said, “Not only are we changing our name but we are also changing our visual and virtual identity. So much of what we do hinges on our web domain. With the new domain we will be Bethel University, and that affects our emails and different accounts that people have. There are really a lot of layers of change which are affecting every office and department at Bethel.”
The date for the official transition from Bethel College to Bethel University is set for May 6. There will still be a few things to wrap up after that, but the goal is to be completely done by May 31. There was a plan put into place at the beginning of the transition, but it has been modified many times. The two main focuses have been on internal and external rebranding. The internal includes emails, stationary, nametags and business cards. The external is more the visual appearance of Bethel, such as the website or signs on campus containing the logo. Each rebranding task has its own checklist, including the specific things needed to be completed for the official change to be made.
Something to take into consideration as this transition takes place, is the historical weight of the name change. Though it may seem like an inconvenience to be involved in the change and while there are many hiccups along the way, this is a unique experience that everyone on campus has the privilege to witness as it takes place.
So far, there have already been many changes, one of the most noticeable and impactful being the email change; as we get closer to the end of the semester, we will be able to see more and more of Bethel University.