President Jon C. Gering has announced the appointment of Vicki Daniel, PT, DPT, MBA, as dean of Employment Experiences, beginning July 17.
Daniel has 27 years of experience in higher education including as a clinical instructor, clinical education coordinator, medical educator and program director in physical therapy.
From 2005-09, she was director of rehabilitation at Newton Medical Center, now NMC Health.
As a clinical instructor and program director, Daniel “was responsible for placing students in jobs and assessing their performance in those settings,” Gering said. “As director of rehabilitation, she successfully coordinated clinical placements and represented the hospital at the Newton Chamber of Commerce, building essential business-to-business relationships.”
Most recently, she served as director of assessment, accreditation and institutional research at Hesston (Kan.) College, from June 2022 to December 2023.
“In this role, she led the college’s assessment systems and accreditation efforts, demonstrating expertise in creating and maintaining effective educational practices in alignment with strategic goals,” Gering noted.
Daniel has an M.S. in physical therapy from the University of Kansas and a doctor of physical therapy degree from Des Moines University (in addition to an M.B.A. from Georgia Southern University) and has worked as a PRN physical therapist for Powerback Rehabilitation and Summit Care Inc.
“Vicki has worked with diverse student populations, and articulated the importance of open-mindedness and bias reduction in the context of serving the needs of students,” Gering said. “Her leadership style is characterized by a commitment to excellence and a passion for student success.
“She has demonstrated the ability to improve programs, revise curricula to meet learning objectives, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. These outcomes will be necessary as we move towards recognition as a federally designated work college.”
“A work college strives to integrate work, learning and service through a comprehensive program designed to enhance the education experience though various on-campus and off-campus work assignments,” Daniel said.
“Bethel College has fully committed itself to this unique student learning pathway and I’m proud to be a part of this groundbreaking program.”
“I am excited for how she will contribute to the continued growth and success of the Employment Experiences program,” Gering said, “and I look forward to the positive impact she will have on our community and the exciting opportunities she will create for our students.”
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel ranks at #23 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of “Best Regional Colleges Midwest” for 2023-24. Bethel was the first Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center, in 2021. For more information, see https://www.bethelks.edu
