Whatever your future occupation may be, we want you to know that life is about God. That’s why we dedicate ourselves to the spiritual formation of our students.
At Welch College, you will be part of a community where students and professors know who you are.
Our students love it here, and you will too! You will have a great time making friendships that last a lifetime while learning in a safe, wholesome environment.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College President Matt Pinson announced that this year’s Strong and Courageous award will be presented to Mrs. Joi Wasill at the college’s annual banquet celebrating Christian faith in the Sumner County community.
Mrs. Wasill is the Founder and President of Decision, Choices, and Options, Inc., a faith-based ministry that provides public and private school-based sexual risk avoidance/abstinence education programs. DCO serves over 295,000 students, youth, parents, and communities in Tennessee, Alabama, and several other states with programs that lead, equip, and provide the knowledge to adolescents that enables them to pursue a life of success and optimal health—physically, spiritually, and mentally.
Mrs. Wasill, a graduate of the University of Mississippi, has 34 years of experience as an educator, serving in both public and private schools. In addition, she is a nationally certified Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Specialist and a member of the Protect Child Health Coalition.
Mrs. Wasill has been married to her husband, Bill, for forty years and they have one son, Jacob, a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Joi and Bill are active members of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville.
Welch College’s annual Strong and Courageous banquet is a scholarship event to raise funds for Sumner County students. Strong and Courageous has raised almost $250,000 for student scholarships at Welch. Past Strong and Courageous award winners are: Rev. David Landrith (posthumous), Dr. David and Congressman Diane Black, Mr. Bob Goodall, Dr. Charles Lea, Rev. Doug and Linda Varnado, and Mr. Jerry Moll.
To support this event, contact the Office for Institutional Advancement at Welch College (615-675-5302) or email dblack@welch.edu
GALLATIN, TN—Dr. Philip E. Dearborn, President of Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), and Dr. Jeffrey A. Crabtree, Head of Biblical Instruction for the Ohio Free Will Baptist Bible Institute, will address the Welch College graduating class of 2025 on May 8–9. Crabtree will bring the baccalaureate sermon Thursday evening, May 8, at 7:00 p.m. Dearborn will address the graduates during the commencement ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 9.
Phillip Dearborn has over twenty-six years of higher education leadership experience including teaching at the Ph.D. level. His research interests include organizational theory, leadership development, and board governance. Dearborn holds M.Ed. and Ed.D. degrees from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to leading ABHE, he served as Provost of Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary and Graduate School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Amy, have three adult children, Michaela, Ryan, and Jack.
Jeff Crabtree, a 1979 Welch graduate, has served on the college’s Board of Trustees for the past fifteen years, nine as chairman. A native of Ohio, he has ministered in Tennessee and Virginia and served as a church planter and pastor for twenty-seven years in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He holds the M.Div. and Th.M. from Liberty University and the D.Min. from Acadia University. He currently serves the Ohio Free Will Baptist Bible Institute as Head of Biblical Instruction. He and his wife, Donna, have two adult sons, Ben and Eric, both Welch alumni. His granddaughter Elly will be graduating from Welch in May.
To learn more about Welch College, visit welch.edu.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College recently announced an agreement with Volunteer State Community College that gives Welch students the opportunity to earn a Vol State associate’s degree in the fields of Accounting, Communications, Criminal Justice, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Journalism, and Marketing, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Welch.
“It’s exciting that Welch students can now graduate with a four-year Welch bachelor’s degree in areas like Biblical Studies, Business, English, Math Education, or Psychology and, at the same time, complete another academic credential in Accounting, Communications, Criminal Justice, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Journalism, or Marketing—all with no additional time for the four-year degree!” Ketteman said.
Students can complete the associate’s degree as an embedded component of a Welch College undergraduate degree in no more time than it would take to complete a regular four-year degree. “Students will take 15 to 19 credit hours at Vol State during their four-year bachelor’s program at Welch,” Ketteman said. “All other credit required for the degree will be earned through Welch courses already in their program of studies at Welch.”
Mitchell Moody, a 2023 Welch College graduate, first navigated this co-enrollment pathway at Volunteer State while he completed his bachelor’s degree at Welch. Moody said, “I was able to earn additional credit hours at Vol State while completing my bachelor’s degree at Welch. This helped make it possible for me to enter a graduate program in Mathematical Sciences at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Additionally, I’m able to work in a Missile Defense Agency while being active in various ministries at my local church.”
The Welch-Volunteer State agreement was approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents in March and is effective immediately. Prospective students who want to earn one of the degrees while they are earning their Welch bachelor’s degree should notify Mr. Daniel Webster at gotowelch@welch.edu. Current Welch students should notify their advisor.
Surveys of recent Welch graduates show that 95% are actively involved in local church ministry after graduation and 49% of them are actively involved in teaching ministries. A growing number of current and prospective students are interested in additional professional credentials as they plan for future bi-vocational ministry.
Ketteman said, “We pray that this new agreement illuminates a pathway that will support Welch graduates during lifetimes of ministry for Christ, His world, and His Church for many years to come.”
GALLATIN, TN—The Welch College Choir will conduct a four-state spring tour March 12-18, according to Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The 28-member choir, directed by Dr. James Stevens, dean of the Welch College School of Music, will minister in six churches and two Christian schools.
The tour program, Songs of Grace and Praise, will consist of sacred choral selections and gospel songs designed to edify, encourage, and evangelize.
“We ask youth groups and local churches to join us in worship and attend a service in their area,” Parrish said. “We ask people to pray for the health and safety of the choir as they travel and present the Gospel message through music. Join us in prayer that the Holy Spirit would be evident in every service.”
GALLATIN, TN—The School of Education at Welch College scored third in Overall Rating among teacher education programs in Tennessee colleges and universities on the annual Educator Preparation Report Card, according to Dr. Stephen Beck, Undergraduate Dean of Teacher Education.
The Report Card evaluated teacher education programs at 33 colleges and universities and six other teacher preparation programs in Tennessee. Welch was one of seven colleges and universities that “Exceeded Expectations,” joining Christian Brothers University, Union University, Tennessee State University, Lipscomb University, University of Tennessee—Knoxville, and Vanderbilt University in this designation. Other categories included “Meets Expectations” and “Does Not Meet Expectations.”
“Our students Exceeded Expectations on nation-wide pedagogical and content assessments,” Beck said. “Welch’s recent graduates scored among the highest in Tennessee on evaluations by their school principals. Based on Tennessee-standardized testing of pupils, Welch graduates are also among the highest in the state in enabling their students to grow beyond grade level expectations. We are extremely proud of our teacher education students and graduates.”
Welch College has offered a teacher education program since 1976 that now includes teaching licensure programs in Mathematics, Special Education, English as a Second Language, Biology, English, History, Music, Physical Education, Elementary Education, and Instructional Leadership. Hundreds of Welch graduates have taught not only in Tennessee but also across the nation, indeed, around the world.
For more information on bachelor’s and master’s degrees in teacher education at Welch, please contact Dr. Stephen Beck at sbeck@welch.edu.
