The 2022 Bethany Lutheran College spring semester commencement ceremony will be held on Friday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m. in Bethany’s Sports and Fitness Center. One hundred fifteen graduates will receive their bachelor of arts or bachelor of science in nursing degrees.
Mr. Chad Janzen of Rock Valley, Iowa, is the commencement speaker. Janzen graduated from Bethany with an associate in arts degree in 1994. He continued his education at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, earning a degree in history and secondary education. He has also earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from California State University, Northridge, and an education specialist degree from the University of Sioux Falls. Janzen has served schools in California – Los Angeles (LA) Lutheran Jr/Sr High School, Baltic, South Dakota, Canistota, South Dakota, and has been the superintendent in Rock Valley, Iowa, for the last 11 years. Next fall he will be the new superintendent of the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Community School District (Iowa). Janzen was recently recognized as a candidate for the Iowa Superintendent of the Year. He also currently serves on the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and the Iowa Business Education Alliance.
During the commencement ceremony, Dr. Daniel Schaefer will receive the 2022 Bethany Lutheran College Distinguished Alumni Award. Schaefer is a 1971 Bethany graduate. He is regarded as an expert and leader in meat and animal sciences. Schaefer earned bachelor and master’s degrees in meat and animal science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) and a doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree from the University of Illinois-Urbana in nutritional sciences. Schaefer taught and conducted research at Purdue University from 1979 to 1981 before joining the faculty at UW-Madison in the Meat and Animal Science Department. At UW-Madison, he was elected to chair the department in 1999 and continued until 2016. After completing forty years in academia and retiring as a faculty member, he was awarded with the title of Professor Emeritus of Animal Sciences. Schaefer has received numerous honors and awards for his work over the years including induction as a Fellow of the American Society of Animal Science.
Joining Janzen and Schaefer on the commencement stage will be Dr. Gene Pfeifer, President of Bethany Lutheran College, Dr. Jason Lowrey Vice President of Academic Affairs, Rev. Donald Moldstad, College Chaplain, and Rev. Herbert Huhnerkoch, Chair of the Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents.
The ceremony will be live streamed and available for viewing on the Bethany Lutheran College website.