GALLATIN, TN—Interim Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Donnie Stevanus, announced his resignation March 23. Stevanus, a full-time teacher in the Metro Nashville Public School System, had agreed to coach the men’s Flames basketball team on an interim basis until the new campus was built in Gallatin.
In Stevanus’s two years at the helm, he was instrumental in moving the program forward both on and off the court. Not only did this year’s Flames squad have the highest winning percentage for a Flames team (16-14) since 2006, but he had his teams attend and participate in numerous churches while on road trips over his time at Welch College.
“Don has done an amazing job,” said Gary Turner, Athletic Director. “He came in and got us through a critical period of transition in Welch College’s history. He gave the Flames the stability needed to go forward. He was truly a blessing to our campus.”
The Spring 2017 semester at Welch College is going to be historic. The semester will see the college leaving its West End campus and occupying the brand new Gallatin, Tennessee campus. The timeline of the construction process and unforeseen circumstances of relocation are going to cause Welch College to cancel the March 2017 Senior Days event.
However, we are excited to announce that plans have been made to combine the 2017 Spring Senior Days and the 2017 Spring Welcome Days into ONE event. This will be the first event for prospective students to experience all that Welch has to offer at the new location. This event will take place May 4-5, 2017.
“What an exciting time it is in the history of Welch College,” stated Enrollment Services Director, Derek Altom. “We are eager with anticipation to show prospective students, sponsors, and parents what God is doing at Welch College, and to show them how they will have the opportunity in the near future to experience Welch College in a whole new way.”
Both Senior Days and Welcome Days have always focused on students experiencing college life, making new friends, and getting acquainted with all that Welch College has to offer. It is a great opportunity for prospective students to meet professors, attend classes, stay in the dorms with current Welch students, and explore if Welch is the right place to continue their education.
We are expecting a large crowd for this event, therefore, registration is going to be limited with graduating seniors and/or recent graduates receiving first priority. Special activities throughout the event will be designed specifically for graduating seniors and/or recent graduates. For example, there will be a college planning seminar that will prepare future students with all the information that he or she needs to make the transition to Welch College as smooth as possible.
If you have any questions about this combined event, please email events@welch.edu. Once again, this combined event will take place May 4-5, 2017. Early registration for seniors will be Thursday, March 16-29, 2017. Registration for all others will open March 30, 2017 and close on Thursday, April 27, 2017. THERE WILL BE NO ONSITE REGISTRATIONS TAKEN. Make your plans today.
Welch College President Matt Pinson will be speaking at the Radical Christian Scholarship Conference at Houston Baptist University on Friday, February 24, according to Josh Owens, director of Media and Marketing.
The conference is sponsored by The Transdisciplinary Group, a group of evangelical scholars convened by Dr. Eric Johnson, Lawrence and Charlotte Hoover Professor of Pastoral Care at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dr. Craig Bartholomew, H. Evan Runner Professor of philosophy at Redeemer University College, Ontario, Canada.
The Transdisciplinary Group and the Radical Christian Scholarship Conference aim to emphasize the way in which academic disciplines (or fields of study) should be transformed by the Christian worldview. “We are calling this project Radical Christian Scholarship because it goes to the root (radix) of each discipline and also Transdisciplinary Christian Scholarship because it requires the transformation of all the disciplines in accordance with Christian worldview assumptions,” said conference conveners.
In addition to Johnson and Bartholomew, the conference will feature noted evangelical scholars such as Leland Ryken, Andrew Pennington, C. Stephen Evans, Peter Leithart, Kevin Vanhoozer, and Mary Poplin.
Owens said, “President Pinson’s topic will be one of his favorites: mentoring young Christian scholars and students. Let’s be in prayer for him as he travels and presents at this conference.”
NASHVILLE, TN—Welch College has named Matthew Steven Bracey as cross country coach at Welch College, according to Athletic Director Gary Turner. “Welch has taken a big step toward building a strong cross country program with the hire of Matthew Bracey as its new cross country coach,” Turner said. “An avid runner himself, Bracey has a real heart for running and is excited about the prospect of building a really strong, vibrant program. He looks forward to working and running with students, as well as building personalized training programs for them.”
Bracey has run numerous marathons, including, most recently, the Mercedes-Benz Marathon and the Walt Disney World Marathon. He has also run several smaller races, winning his age category in a recent 5k.
“I’m honored to serve in this capacity as the coach for Welch’s cross country team,” Bracey remarked. “The opportunity to combine two things that I love—Welch and its students on the one hand, and running on the other—is an awesome blessing. I look forward to building a great cross country program and team. And I’m especially excited about working even more with students.”
Bracey, a 2008 graduate of Welch College, received an M.T.S. from Beeson Divinity School and a J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He began working for Welch in 2013, where he serves as Associate Vice Provost and teaches law, theology, and history. He has also co-edited and contributed to two books and written a number of scholarly and popular articles.
“I believe Coach Bracey will take our cross country program to a whole new level,” said Turner. “With his love of Welch College and his passion for running, I think we’ll see the program flourish. If you’re interested in cross country, or know someone who is, contact Coach Bracey at mbracey@welch.edu.”
NASHVILLE, TN—The City of Gallatin and Mayor Paige Brown hosted a “Welcome to Gallatin” reception for Welch College February 10 at Gallatin City Hall.
“From the very beginning, when the announcement was made that Welch College was coming to Sumner County and to Gallatin, there was a lot of excitement,” said Tennessee State Senator Ferrell Haile. “As the buildings have gone up, the excitement has certainly gone up also.”
Welch President Matt Pinson stated, “We saw Gallatin, not only as a warm and welcoming community, but also as a community on the move. Gallatin is one of the fastest growing areas in Tennessee, and we believe it is going to be great to partner with the city to move forward with the mission of our college.”
“Only 5% of Tennessee cities have a residential college,” said Mayor Paige Brown. “Welch College brings to our community, not only a four-year residential college, but also a student base which gives over 10,000 hours of community service each year.”
To view a video published by the Gallatin City Communications Office, click here. To read the newspaper article in The Tennessean, click here.
For more information about Welch or to apply, call 615.844.5000 or go online to welch.edu.
