A tough act to follow: How Brett Esch has transformed The Collegian
Outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Brett Esch, reflects on his time at Bethel, and specifically his experience with The Collegian.
The Bethel Collegian has existed for over 100 years in numerous forms. While the average reader of The Collegian – or even writer for it – doesn’t have to think much about how the publication looks and where it goes, there is somebody who does. For the last two years, that person has been Brett Esch, Editor-in-Chief of The Collegian.
Esch, a senior Communication Arts major from Carrollton, Texas, never expected to end up leading The Collegian. Speaking about his road to the organization, Esch said, “I actually joined [The Collegian] my freshman year, stayed for the first meeting, and didn't come back. Sophomore year, I was like, ‘Alright, I've got to do it. I've got to stick with it,’ so I joined as a staff writer.”
Despite his reluctance, though, Esch was a gifted journalist. In addition to The Collegian, Esch wrote for the Butler County Times-Gazette and the McPherson Sentinel. His talent was noticed by Bethany Powls, then Editor-in-Chief, and Christine Crouse-Dick, The Collegian’s faculty advisor.
In the fall of 2022, Esch shared, “[Powls and Crouse-Dick] announced that they were accepting applications for Editor-in-Chief. I didn’t apply. I was like, ’No, I don't want to do that.’” However, after they encouraged Esch to apply for the position, he decided to throw his hat in the ring.
“It was a highly contested field, with some really good candidates. I thought I had no shot,” Esch said. Much to his surprise, though, Esch was chosen as Powls’s successor.
Esch has done much in his two years running The Collegian. Moving from a standard newspaper format to a glossy magazine style has made the publication more colorful and readable.
By prioritizing online media, Esch has been able to grow readership on social media and the Internet. “Our social media presence has been at the forefront of what we've done over the past two years,” he said.
In addition to changing The Collegian’s written content, Esch aimed to expand what the organization does outside of print news. With the TBC Podcast, Esch introduced an audio component to The Collegian.
In 2023, The Collegian attended the Golden Leaf Awards – the annual conference of the Northern Plains Collegiate Media Association (NPCMA) – for the first time, where they won five awards. In 2024, The Collegian, thanks in large part to Esch’s leadership, more than doubled their awards, receiving 11 in total.
Although Esch accomplished much with The Collegian, his goals were simple: “The thing that I strived to do through The Collegian was to connect people on campus, create conversations, and bring a sense of community,” he said.
“The thing that I strived to do through The Collegian was to connect people on campus, create conversations, and bring a sense of community,” he said.
Brett Esch
Outside of The Collegian, Esch stayed busy, including as a student assistant football coach, a role which he has filled for two years. “I actually played football my freshman year and half of my sophomore year,” Esch said. “That's why I came to Bethel — I had a football scholarship. Then the previous coach left, and Coach [A.B.] Stokes came in … he asked if I wanted to come help out with the team.”
After Bethel, Esch hopes to combine his love for football with his passion for teaching. “I’ve been interviewing for coaching and teaching positions, and have been student-teaching this semester at Newton High School. … I've really enjoyed working with the kids and helping them grow in the classroom,” he said.
Reflecting on his time at Bethel, Esch said, “I'm gonna miss the opportunities. … I mean, I think about directing a one-act play [in Theater Production and Direction] – I wouldn't have bet a bag of chips on me doing that when I first showed up to Bethel. Being able to be a part of the crew of The Addams Family, work for [campus radio station] KBCU, and be Editor-in-Chief of The Collegian. I’ll leave Bethel so much more of a well-rounded person than I was when I came here.”
“I always tell people when they ask me about Bethel, ‘it is what you make of it’ … and I feel that I did what I could to make the most out of it,” Esch said. “I'm very, very proud to say that I'm going to be a Bethel College alum.”