by jowens | Aug 4, 2020
The annual Welch College Strong and Courageous event originally scheduled for August 18is going virtual. Welch president Matthew Pinson announced the change in plans today.
“It was our hope that COVID-19 pandemic would be dissipating by late summer, but it has not done so,” Pinson said. “As a result, to protect our sponsors and participants, the event will be professionally filmed in segments and released later in the fall.”
All aspects of the event will remain, including entertainment, a keynote address by LifePoint president David Dill, a student address, special recognition of event sponsors, and the awarding of the 2020 Strong and Courageous award.
Dr. Charles Lea, Special Assistant to the President, said, “We are making every effort for this event to continue its tradition of excellence as we highlight the impact of Christian faith in our nation and community.” As the release date of the event is finalized, event sponsors will be encouraged to invite their guests to a preview showing of the event.
Now in its third year, Strong and Courageous provides valuable scholarship support for Sumner County students who desire a Christian worldview education at one of U.S. News and World Report‘s “best regional colleges” in the South. As Welch nears its fall opening, it remains committed to academic excellence and face-to face instruction.
For more information about this event, contact Derek Altom at daltom@welch.edu.
by jowens | Aug 4, 2020
Dear Member of the Welch College Class of 2020:
It is with a heavy heart that I write and tell you that we are forced to cancel our planned Commencement ceremony for the class of 2020. Earlier this year, before the second wave of COVID-19 that swept the country, we had every expectation that we could provide a safe, physically distanced Commencement ceremony for you and your family. However, with recent developments, it has become impossible for us to go through with those plans.
Our reasons for cancelling the ceremony include, but aren’t limited to, the fact that the Governor of the State of Tennessee has issued an order that keeps us from having indoor gatherings on campus of more than 50 people. This means that we couldn’t even accommodate the Class of 2020 and the administration of the college in the ceremony. Thus none of your family could attend, which defeats the entire purpose of having a special ceremony. We deemed it far too risky to host an outdoor ceremony, only for you and your guests to travel here and it rain that day, with no ability to move the ceremony indoors. Furthermore, many of the states from which our graduates would have been traveling have orders that require lengthy quarantining after returning from Tennessee.
Many other considerations went into the difficult decision to cancel this special ceremony we had hoped and planned to have for you. I want you to know how deeply we regret that we could not follow through with our plans. You mean so much to us, and we celebrate with you upon the occasion of your graduation from Welch College. We will be shipping your diploma and (where applicable) your cap and gown.
We look forward to great things from you as you serve Christ, His church, and His world. We hope you will keep in touch with us and come back to visit your alma mater very soon.
Sincerely,
J. Matthew Pinson
President
by jowens | Aug 1, 2020
You are what you eat! At Welch College, we share our meals together in the cafeteria. So if you are what you eat, everyone at Welch must be one of the cafeteria faves! Take this short quiz to find out which Welch food favorite you are!
[tqb_quiz id=’21586′]
by jowens | Jun 19, 2020
Welch College has scheduled a special Commencement ceremony to be held during the Fall 2020 semester on Saturday, September 19, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. Owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, the college was unable to hold its May Commencement exercises for the 2019–20 academic year. A virtual awards ceremony was held directly following the spring semester to honor 2020 graduates publicly, as well as outstanding continuing students.
The focus of this special commencement ceremony will be the conferral of degrees. “Our 2019–20 graduates have worked hard against unprecedented odds to complete the requirements for their degrees,” McAffee said. “We look forward to being able to award these degrees to a special group of graduates in the history of Welch College.”
In addition to conferring degrees, the special ceremony will also include the hooding of graduates receiving one of Welch’s two master’s degrees (Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry and Master of Arts in Teaching). The first group of Master of Arts in Teaching recipients will have completed their program in time to participate in the special ceremony. The graduate hooding ceremony is usually held as a separate event but will be combined with the main ceremony for the convenience of graduates and guests traveling longer distances to attend.
The Saturday Commencement ceremony will also coincide with the spring 2020 musical, which was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns. Three showings are tentatively scheduled: Friday evening (September 18), Saturday evening (September 19), and Sunday matinee (September 20).
More details regarding the logistics of these events are forthcoming. In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, college officials are continuing to monitor federal and state recommendations for public gatherings and will make adjustments to these plans as necessary.
For more information, visit Welch.edu or email COVID-19@welch.edu.
