Many local schools and organizations have benefited from the legacy left behind by the Bethany University campus.
Bethany University closed its doors in 2011 after about 90 years of instruction. Since then, the 1440 Foundation has purchased the campus with the intention of creating an adult education facility, said Scott Kriens, foundation’s director.
“We are excited to be part of the Scotts Valley community and we are hopeful that the Bethany University legacy can be valuable to any of the folks who have come to put it to continued use,” Kriens said.
The 1440 Foundation’s new school will be called the 1440 Multiversity. This new facility will hold workshops focusing on developing the social, emotional, and relational aspects of a person, he said.
“A lot was left behind when the university closed down,” Kriens said. “There were beds, and chairs, and desks, and musical equipment, and work-out equipment.”
Once the 1440 Foundation purchased the property, he said, they found a vast inventory of items that could be utilized by the community.
The organization then called upon schools, individuals, and other organizations to collect the remnants of the university’s past.
“The legacy of Bethany University ended up as gifts to lots of organizations and it was great to be part of it because it was kind of a farewell for Bethany University after 95 years in Scotts Valley,” Kriens said. “It was a chance to help a lot of schools and organizations, to be able to donate the things that they need.”
Monterey Coast Preparatory Middle and High School, which recently moved into a former administrative building on the Bethany Campus, has been the recipient of many Bethany items, said Executive Director Jay Dunlap.
“We did an estimate of value of the items and our conservative estimate was in the $30,000-dollar range,” Dunlap said.
Science equipment, chairs, white boards, office furniture, computer lab furniture, and sports equipment were among the 200 items donated by the 1440 Foundation from Bethany University, he said.
“The legacy of Bethany College lives on in the campus,” Dunlap said, “and a lot of the instructional material and furniture from the original Bethany University is now on our campus to be used every day by our students”
Michelle Stewart, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the Scotts Valley Unified School District, also received several items from the previous Bethany University campus for schools within the district.
“We received several wooden chairs, padded chairs, office chairs, a full set of weights, a few desks, and we got a filing cabinet,” Stewart said.
The weights will be used by Scotts Valley High School as part of the physical education and after-school programs, said Scotts Valley High School Athletic Director Louie Walters.
“We are very thankful [for the donation],” Walters said. “The way school funding is these days, it would have been impossible for us to purchase new weight equipment.”
Stewart said she obtained a desk from Bethany University for use in her office.
Having attended Bethany University for her teaching credential, she said she now cherishes the desk.
“It was a piece of home for me,” said Stewart. “It has special significance for me personally to be able to have a Bethany desk.”
Stewart said that the 1440 Foundation would clean up the Bethany University campus and bring a positive vibe back to the area.
“Bethany sat empty for a long time and it is going to be nice to have a real reputable company in there and I welcome them to our community,” Stewart said.
