Finding balance and building connections: Kiley McCord's dual role at Bethel College
Kiley McCord reflects on her positions as both the dance coach and the student account manager at the college.
Kiley McCord has become a familiar name to Bethel College students, whether they’ve encountered her during their campus visits or through emails throughout the semester. McCord plays two pivotal roles at Bethel as both the dance coach and the student account manager.
McCord graduated from Wichita State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Later on, she worked in the Newton School district as the Newton High School dance coach for seven years before coming to Bethel. “They needed an interim coach for dance,” McCord explained, and in early 2021, she accepted the role of head coach.
Reflecting on her coaching transition from high school to college, McCord highlighted that working with college students allows her to focus more directly on their development, as they’re much more self-motivated and less reliant on others to push them in comparison to high schoolers.
Building connections with her team has been a rewarding experience for McCord. “When I can get them as freshmen and they stay committed and want to be on the team then usually by even the second year then it’s like okay, I feel like we have this connection,” she explained. “When you can build a connection with your player, then they want to work harder for you.”
This year, McCord has emphasized technique and motivation, and shared some of the rationale for this focus. “We’re going to have a long break from December to January,” said McCord. “So I need to keep them motivated so they can get to the end goal instead of just thinking about it.”
With that being said, McCord noted that it is extremely important to find a balance between hard work and enjoyment, and shared, “They’re going to remember having fun. Not always what their comp score was.”
As McCord continues to work with the program, she hopes that they continue to improve and grow together as a team. “That’s the best part, when it can continue to get better, with each girl continuing to put in hard work, staying motivated, and finding talent to bring to the team,” explained McCord. She added, “And the more people you bring in with talent, the more the girls push each other to be better, then we can all start to combine and be a better team together.”
“That’s the best part, when it can continue to get better, with each girl continuing to put in hard work, staying motivated, and finding talent to bring to the team.”
Kiley McCord
Abigail Boese, a senior on the dance team from Newton praised McCord’s supportive nature. “Having Kiley as a dance coach for the last 4 years has been an amazing experience. Coach Kiley has been extremely supportive in and out of practice, and I know I can count on her to lift my mood if I'm having a bad day.”
Boese also highlighted the positive environment that McCord creates for her athletes. “We often say as a team that when we come to practice, all of our issues go away, and we can be ourselves. I am forever thankful for Coach Kiley.”
Outside of coaching, McCord enjoys working in student accounts, where she connects with students and campus community members. “I like the student accounts here because I get to see more of the people on campus and get to know more of the students here,” explained McCord.
Organizational skills and effective communication are essential for McCord in this role, especially as she helps students navigate difficult conversations around finances. She shared, “It can be uncomfortable for people to talk about money, and I don’t want it to feel that way because having conversations about it is better than not, so then you don’t get yourself in a place that you can’t get out of.”
Missy Green, the admissions visit coordinator and office manager at Bethel, praised McCord’s work, noting her compassionate approach to the difficult role of bill collector. “She is not to be feared like most bill collectors, she wants to help students figure out their situations.”
Green added that McCord manages this challenging role with kindness, helping sustain Bethel while also caring deeply about students’ success. “The money collected is crucial to keep Bethel up and running, which is an absolute necessity that not many have the stomach for. Kiley cares for students and is passionate about seeing them succeed here at Bethel, but more importantly at life.”
“…Kiley cares for students and is passionate about seeing them succeed here at Bethel, but more importantly at life.”
Missy Green
McCord finds balance between her roles by using dance as a break from student accounts. “There’s really not a balance until I hit Mem Hall and then it’s like okay, student accounts are over, we’re going to forget about it for two hours.” McCord added, “That’s one thing I love about my coaching is so much of my brain goes straight to my dancers and to my team.”