by jowens | Sep 19, 2012
For the first time since 2007, fall enrollment numbers at Welch College rose two consecutive years, according to Provost Greg Ketteman. College administrators reported a five percent rise in student full-time-equivalency (FTE) to 235. Total enrollment statistics indicate 315 students from 22 states and five international countries enrolled for the fall semester. Rebounding from a nine-year low of 283 students in 2010, enrollment climbed to 290 in 2011 and increased another 8.6% to 315 in 2012.
The most significant enrollment rise came in two areas—the state of Tennessee and international students. The Tennessee student population jumped 40% from 95 in 2011 to 136 in 2012, while international students increased 20% from 46 to 57. The rise among international students is due in large part to the warm and growing Welch College partnerships in Cuba and Panama.
Dr. Ketteman said, “We may have turned the corner with student enrollment. Numbers are up for the second consecutive year. Thank God for our students! They have a sense of optimism in spite of uncertainty about the national economy and world-wide political unrest. They’re serious about serving God, and we’re eager to prepare them for ministry in local churches, schools, medical and science fields, and the business community.”
At press time September 19, the college reported 157 dormitory students, 55 commuter students, 18 Adult Degree Program students, 74 Lifetime Learning students, and 17 Online students. Almost one-third of the students are enrolled in ministry-related fields.
By classes, they include 40 seniors, 42 juniors, 77 sophomores, 80 freshmen, 57 non-degree/part-time students, and 19 special students. There are 161 women and 154 men in the student body. Enrollment personnel were pleased that in spite of a harsh economic climate, the number of new students (first-time-in-college and transfer) increased nine percent from last fall, while dormitory student numbers registered a slight increase with a 1.2% rise.
“Enrollment for our Adult Degree Program will continue through mid-semester,” Dr. Ketteman said. “We are still enrolling new students, since enrollment takes place throughout the fall term due to multiple modules. We project a total enrollment of 325 students for the fall term.”
By states, students number:
Alabama 12
Arkansas 13
California 4
Florida 8
Georgia 6
Illinois 3
Indiana 1
Kansas 1
Kentucky 6
Louisiana 1
Michigan 13
Mississippi 7
Missouri 7
North Carolina 17
Ohio 8
South Carolina 4
South Dakota 1
Tennessee 136
Texas 1
Virginia 3
West Virginia 3
Wisconsin 1
International 57 (Canada, Cuba, France, Kazakhstan, Panama)
President Matt Pinson said, “This marks the first time the college has operated with a new name in 70 years. What a great way to launch the ‘Welch College’ era, with a five percent increase in FTE enrollment. We’re excited about relocation efforts as potential buyers inquire about purchasing our current campus. Expanding academic programs in pre-nursing and science, and our Online/Lifetime Learning outreach keep us focused on the denomination’s educational needs.”
To contact Welch College for more information: Email recruit@welch.edu or visit the college’s website at www.welch.edu.
by jowens | Sep 17, 2012
NASHVILLE, TN—Two months after Welch College changed its name from Free Will Baptist Bible College, the name Welch College appeared for the first time in U.S. News & World Report ranked 42nd among “Best Regional Colleges” (South Region) in U.S. News’ 2013 edition of America’s Best Colleges guidebook. The numerical ranking of 42nd in the 2013 South Region was driven by a high graduation rate, peer assessment scores, and strong alumni giving. Highlights of college rankings will be published in the September 18, 2012, issue of U.S. News.
President Matt Pinson said, “This is exactly what we hoped to see happen when the college name change occurred—immediate national recognition as a top quality educational institution. We are so pleased that Welch College is not only ranked among America’s best colleges but is creating name- recognition that will attract prospective students and their parents. This confirms that the college’s academic programs are recognized by the broader academic community as well as our supporters. It’s also another reminder that Welch College delivers on its educational promise.”
The “Best Regional Colleges” category where Welch College is ranked includes 370 institutions that focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts, and in professional fields such as business, nursing, and education. Colleges in this category are ranked within four geographic regions: North, South, Midwest, and West.
U.S. News rankings offer opportunity to judge the relative quality of institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and more.
Welch College received especially high marks in five strategic areas—percent of freshmen in top 25% of high school class (57%), percent of classes with under 20 students (89%), student/faculty ratio (9/1), freshman retention rate (62%), and graduation rate (51%).
Provost Greg Ketteman said, “We are so pleased that Welch College is included in U.S. News’ list of best colleges. Our dedicated faculty and staff pour their lives into our students. They make a difference that matters. Our goal is to create a stimulating learning environment for our students where education is more than books and classes. At Welch College, we are truly a community of faith and learning. We want every Free Will Baptist student to consider Welch College first when looking for a college.”
More information is available about the rankings and methodology in the annual America’s Best Colleges guidebook at: www.usnews.com/collegemeth.
by jowens | Sep 13, 2012
NASHVILLE, TN—Dr. Ken Riggs, interim Psychology program coordinator at Welch College (formerly Free Will Baptist Bible College), has written a 104-page, 12-chapter book for the Evangelical Training Association titled Teaching Techniques: Becoming an Effective Teacher. The soft-cover book came off the press in August 2012.
Dr. Riggs said, “This book is an attempt to define effective teaching by looking at three aspects: the teaching methods of Jesus, examining one of the most influential books for Christian teachers (The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory), and the two key ingredients of teaching—preparation and presentation.”
The book concludes with an eight-page section titled “Three That Mattered,” focusing on the impact of three influential teachers on society—John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Robert Raikes (1736-1811), and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827).
“I may do more writing for the Evangelical Training Association,” Riggs said. “I believe in ETA’s biblical philosophy of education and support their commitment to publish materials that help good teachers to become great teachers.”
Ken and Carolyn Riggs have been married 50 years. They have three sons.
The first four chapters in the book study Jesus’ example as a teacher. The next three chapters address what it takes to be an effective teacher. The last five chapters deal with understanding the psychology of learning.
Dr. Riggs has written two other books. They Call Me Doc (2011) follows his own journey from new convert to professional educator. By the Way (2012) chronicles his father’s ministry as a Free Will Baptist visionary, pastor, and international missions leader. Riggs also wrote three booklets—The Runaway, How to Live Right, and You Can Know—as well as several gospel tracts.
A long-tenured educator, Dr. Riggs taught 23 years (1971-1993) on the Welch College Teacher Education faculty. He has been an adjunct professor at Nashville State Community College since 1992 and served as administrator at Pleasant View Christian School (2004-2010).
by jowens | Sep 7, 2012
NASHVILLE, TN—Reverend Ralph Hampton, former chairman of the Biblical and Ministry Studies Department at Welch College and a member of the college faculty for 50 years, died September 7, 2012, after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 77. The Oklahoma native was converted at age 12 during a youth camp and ordained to preach in 1960.
President Matt Pinson said, “Ralph Hampton was a rock of stability on campus for five decades—a man of prayer, a scholar with a warm heart, and a teacher who challenged students to give their best. He demonstrated spiritual and intellectual leadership as a faculty member, and faithfulness in his local church. We thank God for the influence of this great man.”
Hampton’s ministry to the broader denomination included six pastorates in Tennessee and Missouri, articles for Contact and ONE Magazine, and curriculum writing for Randall House Publications. His signature leadership role came during a 15-year span when the National Association of Free Will Baptists elected him moderator nine times (1987-1996) and assistant moderator six times (1981-1987). He moderated during several controversial and pivotal sessions, including the emotionally-charged 1995 national convention.
“That was a crisis moment in our history,” Reverend Hampton said during a 2008 interview. “Men had reached a point where they felt they couldn’t be brethren and friends with those who disagreed with them. The 1995 convention and Leadership Conference called us back to our roots as Christian brothers and Free Will Baptists.”
Ralph began his 50-year tenure at Welch College in 1958 at age 23. Like most young educators, he wore several hats, which meant that he taught 15 hours per semester, served as Christian Service director, and was the dormitory supervisor. The son of a Free Will Baptist preacher and oldest of four brothers, he spent half a century changing the landscape of denominational education, preparing students for ministry in a world-wide community, and raising a family of three children with his wife Margaret—all three children graduated from Welch College.
He pushed himself hard as an educator, earning five degrees—A.A. degree from East Contra Costa Junior College (1955), B.A. degree from Welch College (1958), M.A. degree from Winona Lake School of Theology (1961), M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary (1970), and the D.Min. (ABD) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Dr. Robert Picirilli, Professor Emeritus and retired academic dean at Welch College, said, “Ralph graced the campus with a lifetime of quiet, dependable service. We could always count on him to be there, to do what was needed, and to do it without making a fuss. He was dedicated to keeping the school true to its founding mission, and he never swerved in his thinking from that ideal.”
Two of Ralph’s brothers (Charles and Larry) eventually joined him on the faculty at Welch College. His younger brother Larry said, “Ralph had a profound influence on my life. I came to the college as a student because of him. He was my teacher—one of the best I ever had. I am convinced there has been no better man who has taught here. I once told a young lady I dated that I wished I was more like Ralph. She asked why and I replied, ‘Because he’s more like Jesus than I am.’ ’’
Old Testament Professor Dr. Garnett Reid served alongside Reverend Hampton. He said, “Ralph left an indelible imprint on this school and on all of us he taught, and that imprint bears a striking resemblance to the Savior whom he loved and whom he taught us to love.”
Ralph Hampton is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mrs. Margaret Evans Hampton, who served 37 years at Welch College as manager of Welch Library; daughter Mrs. Laura Fleming; sons Reverend Clayton Hampton and Mr. Kenny Hampton; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and one brother, Reverend Larry D. Hampton.
by jowens | Sep 4, 2012
NASHVILLE, TN—Dr. Ralph Lightsey, who served as a faculty member and administrator at Welch College in the mid-1940s and early 1950s, died September 2, 2012, in Statesboro, Georgia, at age 93. Dr. Lightsey was ordained in 1940 and had a remarkable career as an educator, pastor, and businessman.
The Georgia native joined the Welch College (formerly Free Will Baptist Bible College) faculty in 1945 to fill a vacancy created when World War II ended and Laura Belle Barnard (another Georgia native) returned to India as a missionary. He taught a broad spectrum of courses from English to Personal Evangelism to Pedagogy, and more, in addition to his administrative responsibilities.
The denomination quickly recognized Dr. Lightsey’s skills and potential. At age 26, he was elected to the Welch College Board of Trustees and served 14 years (1946-1960). By age 29, he was elected executive secretary of the National Association of Free Will Baptists.
The drive to pursue graduate studies and his love of pastoring beckoned Dr. Lightsey from Welch College to distant campuses and pulpits. He pastored 52 years in Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia—frequently in bivocational pastorates, the last 28 years at New Light Free Will Baptist Church (Morgan, GA).
A life-long professional educator, Dr. Lightsey graduated four times in 20 years: 1945 (A.B. degree at Mercer University), 1951 (B.D. degree at Emory University), 1955 (Th.M. degree at Columbia Theological Seminary), and 1965 (Ed.D. degree at the University of Georgia). He served 16 years as Professor of Educational Research at Georgia Southern University and assistant to the vice president. When he retired, the Board of Trustees conferred on him the title of “Professor Emeritus of Educational Research.” He also received the Dean Day Smith Service to Mankind Award.
He was the original owner of Lightsey Construction Company, Inc.
Georgia pastor William (Buddy) Morris, one of three ministers who officiated at Dr. Lightsey’s funeral, said, “Ralph was a real friend to me in the 21 years I’ve been in Statesboro. He gave me quiet encouragement and frequently reminded me of the important role of bivocational pastors. When I had by-pass surgery in 1990, he filled the pulpit for me. He was a builder as well as a pastor and educator, and he built some things inside me with his counsel and advice. I’m going to miss him.”
Dr. Lightsey is survived by his wife of 67 years, Wavine Reeves Lightsey; daughter June Pool; son Nelson Lightsey; three grandchildren, and a sister, Ruth Johnson.
President Matt Pinson said, “Dr. Lightsey had a great impact on Welch College in its early years, as a teacher, administrator, and member of the Board of Trustees, and in the college’s more recent history as a donor and supporter of this ministry. I thank God for this man, his ministry, and his impact on our denomination.”
