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—The fall 2024 semester at Welch College ended with 74 students receiving academic recognition, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. This honor list includes both online and Enriched Adult Studies students whose fall courses ended in December. “These students have exemplified faithfulness in their academic work here at Welch,” McAffee said. “We are thankful for their commitment to excellence in the classroom.”
Eighteen made all A’s and were placed on the President’s List—8 seniors, 5 juniors, 4 sophomores, and 1 freshman. Fifty-six earned a 3.25 GPA and all A’s and B’s and were placed on the Provost’s list—23 seniors, 11 juniors, 15 sophomores, and 7 freshmen.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College plans to unveil a new Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Psychology this fall, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. Pending accreditor approval, the program is set to launch August 25, 2025.
This new program will be the sixth master’s degree available from Welch College, joining existing master’s programs in Humanities, Organizational Leadership, Teaching, Theology and Ministry, and the Master of Divinity degree.
The proposed 34-hour program will be available online and on-campus. Including a 16-hour psychology core with planned clinical and research tracks, the program builds on existing strengths in the B.S. in Psychology and will make use of a limited number of existing courses in other master’s programs.
“The M.A. in Psychology offers us an exciting opportunity to shape future practitioners in the social sciences with a distinctly Christian worldview approach to soul care,” McAffee said. “Under the able leadership of Dr. Sarah Bracey, we believe this program will garner success in drawing a unique set of students to graduate studies at Welch.”
The program is designed to provide a shorter, more general psychology master’s for students who are unsure of which specialty within psychology they wish to pursue.
Graduates of the proposed program would be well positioned to transfer coursework into more specialized programs at other institutions. Upon approval, Welch plans to pursue transfer agreements with other graduate programs in areas like clinical psychology, counseling, and social work.
The degree is also designed to meet the needs of pastors and ministry workers who may have an interest in pursuing coursework that will help them better serve their churches and communities. “This program has been designed not only to benefit students interested in an advanced degree from a Christian worldview,” Bracey said, “but the dividends of their training and skill sets will also spread to local churches and the communities they serve.”
Welch will begin enrolling students in the program after accreditor approval, yet prospective students interested in the degree may contact Dr. Bracey at sbracey@welch.edu for more information.
In other program news, Welch College intends to close its Associate of Science in Business Technology and Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood. The college will teach out these programs for any current students but will not enroll students in these programs after August 23, 2025.
The Associate of Science in Business Technology is being closed for a lack of interest. Individuals with questions related to this closure should contact Dr. Rebecca Deel at rdeel@welch.edu.
The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood is being closed because of recent changes in the Tennessee Department of Education. Welch will continue to offer the Associate of Science in Early Childhood (which has become the industry norm for daycare workers rather than the four-year degree).
Additionally, the college will continue to offer the Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Learning (K-5), which can be applied in preschool settings and has the added benefit of providing state licensure for elementary school teachers. Individuals with questions related to this closure should contact Dr. Stephen Beck at sbeck@welch.edu.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College will restart its men’s and women’s intercollegiate soccer programs and men’s golf program, according to Athletic Director Greg Fawbush. Welch paused both programs following the COVID pandemic owing to recruiting restrictions at that time and will bring all three teams back in the fall semester of 2025.
“We are excited to restart these three programs after four years of stabilizing our athletic department following the pandemic,” Fawbush said. “Having the ability to field both soccer and golf programs will increase opportunities for Welch students and the students in our community.”
The restart of the soccer programs is made possible by a large donation from a generous donor, as well as significant gifts from the Free Will Baptist Foundation and funding from the Alumni Project of the Welch College Alumni Association. These gifts will make possible the construction of a soccer field on the Welch campus as well as other associated costs. “We encourage friends and alumni to give to help fund the restart of these teams,” Fawbush said. “Those who want to help can give by visiting welch.edu/give.”
“We’re planning to begin construction on the new field immediately in hopes that it will be finished by the fall of this year,” Fawbush continued. “The generous donation will also allow us to restart the golf program, which is a growing sport in our community.”
Students or prospective students interested in men’s or women’s soccer or men’s golf may contact Coach Fawbush at gfawbush@welch.edu for more information.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College has named Ellie Simpson as Financial Aid Coordinator, according to Craig Mahler, Vice President for Financial Affairs. “I am delighted that Ms. Simpson has agreed to join Welch to serve in this important role that helps with the financial needs of students and ensures compliance with federal and state regulations.”
Currently a senior majoring in Business Administration, Simpson will work part-time until graduating from Welch College in May 2025, after which she will serve in the role full-time. “Ellie’s love for Welch College, attention to detail, outgoing and friendly personality, and experience serving as a student employee in the Provost’s Office uniquely qualify her for this role,” Mahler said.
Originally from Missouri, Simpson is a member of Calvary Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church in Fenton, Missouri. For more information about Welch College, visit welch.edu.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College has been ranked 1st in social mobility and 10th overall among “Best Regional Colleges–South” in the 2025 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges, according to President Matt Pinson.
The social mobility ranking measures the percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who go on to graduate. The Regional Colleges–South category comprises 96 other colleges and universities in the South.
“We’re excited that Welch has climbed to 10th overall and 1st in social mobility in U.S. News Best Colleges,” President Pinson said. “This shows students, parents, and alumni our commitment to academic excellence and that Welch’s academic program is competitive and has recognition in the academic community.”
The Best Regional Colleges category includes institutions that focus on teaching undergraduate students. These schools offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts and in professional fields.
“Colleges go up and down in these rankings each year,” Pinson said. “When we first entered the rankings fourteen years ago, we were ranked 52nd. In the past six years we’ve consistently been in the top 20. Our ranking this year at 10th is exciting.”
“We are thankful to be ranked so high again this year,” Provost Matthew McAffee said. “It’s especially gratifying to see that our faculty and staff’s diligent efforts to help students from economically challenged backgrounds graduate from college has been recognized in this #1 ranking for social mobility.”
U.S. News rankings judge the relative quality of institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence in higher education: what peer institutions think of the institution, how many freshmen return their sophomore year, how many of them go on to graduate, student-faculty ratio, faculty quality, financial resources, how many economically challenged students go on to graduate, and more.
“To put our ranking in perspective,” Pinson said, “the other top-ten institutions in our category have an average enrollment more than 5 times higher than Welch’s and an average endowment more than 30 times higher than Welch’s. We’re striving to be good stewards of the resources God has given us.”
Out of the 97 institutions in the Best Regional Colleges–South category, Welch received especially high marks in five strategic areas, ranking as follows:
1st in social mobility 2nd in graduation rate 2nd in student-faculty ratio 4th in ACT/SAT scores 5th lowest among private colleges in student debt after graduation
For more information about Welch, email gotowelch@welch.edu or visit welch.edu.
