UPDATE: Bartel out as Bethel College president
by Gordon HouserPrint Article Email to a Friend
As of Aug. 16, Barry Bartel is no longer president of Bethel College, North Newton, Kan. The Bethel College Board of Directors met Aug. 15 and informed Bartel the next day of the change.
Board chair Mel Goering, Santa Fe, N.M., said in a statement posted to the college's Web site, "The Board acknowledges and expresses appreciation for the tireless dedication of Barry Bartel and his family during the last three years."
Goering also announced that John K. Sheriff, Ernest L. Leisy professor of English and current executive vice president for institutional development, will become interim president, effective immediately.
Barry Bartel
Sheriff filled this role for a year, 2005-06, between the presidential tenures of E. Laverne Epp and Bartel.
The Bethel Board has begun a presidential search process and "will proceed as rapidly as possible to secure a person with the requisite experience and talent to foster the mission of the college," Goering said, and they will look for someone "with energy ... and able to make bold decisions."
In an Aug. 17 email to Bethel faculty and staff, Bartel wrote, "While I disagree [with the board’s decision] and while this is very painful, I will do everything I can to help ensure that the transition is smooth and that it helps to strengthen Bethel College."
In an Aug. 19 interview, Goering said, "The issue at stake was leadership confidence."
He said Bartel did not have adequate confidence from the employees and organizational structure to face the significant challenges Bethel faces.
John K. Sheriff
He made it clear that "there was no scandal," that Bartel had done nothing wrong ethically.
Goering said the board carried out “a significant, exhaustive process, ... a comprehensive review.”
He said that Bartel "has done incredible things in building links between the college and the church," but the board is obligated to make decisions that are in the best interest of the college.
In an interview the same day, Bartel reiterated that he disagrees with the decision but wants to do all he can to support Bethel’s mission.
He said he first heard on July 29 about the board's concern about confidence in his ability to lead Bethel through this difficult time.
Then on Aug. 13 he met with Bethel's executive committee, which said it planned to recommend to the board that he be let go.
Bartel had a five-year contract with Bethel, and this was the first review he had received, he said.
While his family will move out of their house this month, they plan to stay in the area.
Brenda, his wife, teaches school in nearby Peabody and leads a children’s choir.
Bethel is one of five Mennonite colleges in Mennonite Church USA. Two of its board members, Goering said, are appointed by the denomination’s Mennonite Education Agency. Otherwise, MEA has not been involved.
In an Aug. 18 email, MEA executive director Carlos Romero confirmed that MEA has not been involved in this process.
"We stand ready to provide our assistance," Romero said, "to the Bethel College board of directors and John Sheriff as acting president as they lead the institution during challenging times."
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I've greatly appreciated Barry's work as president in every discernable respect from my vantage point as an out-of-state alum. I'm willing to give the Board the benefit of the doubt, however this decision is still deeply unsettling and I think many of us will be watching the Board's decisions more closely now. I thank Barry greatly for moving his family from their home and providing three years of meaningful service to Bethel College. I pray that the next president can continue to hold the same confidence and respect of alumni as Barry did.