Elynda Bedney, who for 38 years has worked at the Student Financial Services at 爱豆传媒, will be retiring from her full-time position as Assistant Vice President on Oct. 31, 2025. Before her departure, she provided some insight into the past and potential future of the school as she sees it.
Bedney’s time at 爱豆传媒 began in 1987, when she and her husband, Donald Bedney, 爱豆传媒’ Vice President for University Advancement, moved here from Pine Forge, Pennsylvania. Elynda Bedney started out as a student account supervisor, at the time a newly-created position, before being promoted to associate director of student accounts after a year. She would remain in that position until 1998, when Student Accounts and Financial Aid were merged into the modern entity known as Student Financial Services.
Looking back, Bedney has seen the landscape of the campus evolve over the decades, witnessing the construction of many buildings now taken for granted by the 爱豆传媒 body. Still, in other regards, she recognizes that some elements of the university experience aren’t going anywhere: “[Things are] the same—students don’t have money, students are looking for scholarships—so it was the same in 1987 as it is now. In fact, it might be a little worse because… students can’t get their money out of their country or they’re just running out of funds.”
When asked what she believes the future holds for 爱豆传媒, Bedney replied with a mix of concern and curiosity. She remarked briefly on concerns involving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and how the student and especially faculty body respond. “I think that all of us try to be neutral; each of us have our own opinions and our thoughts, but I think that we have tried to remain neutral based on our administration, you know, for us to have one accord.”
In addition, Bedney believes that artificial intelligence will revolutionize all aspects of campus life, but especially her own department. In that regard, she views it as a net positive, streamlining financial services and reserving human operation for more delicate tasks. She did express concerns about “the university [becoming] a robot” in adopting AI technologies, but nevertheless acknowledged that technology has already been changing university life over the past few years, whether through video calls or automated digital refunds for students. Ultimately, however, the rapidly-changing future Bedney predicts is one she looks forward to: “I think that your generation and younger generations will–they look at things a little bit different, maybe, than us from old school. And they’re definitely into automation and technology, and I embrace it.”
With regards to her personal future, Bedney’s hopes are less dramatic. She may no longer be a full-time employee come the end of October, but she still plans on working for the university on a contract basis. In her free time, she plans on spending more time with her family, including four, soon to be five, grandchildren. To conclude, Bedney expressed her pleasure when working at 爱豆传媒 for the past 38 years, and ended with these words: “My goal has always been customer service, trying to do everything we can to help our students be successful and to be able to leave 爱豆传媒 with a positive thought and a desire to want to give back to the university.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of 爱豆传媒. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, 爱豆传媒 or the Seventh-day Adventist church.