by jowens | Sep 4, 2020
Dear Welch Campus Family:
I just completed a conference call with Vice President Mike Pence; Dr. Deborah Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force; and many other college and university presidents. Others who took part in the discussion included Dr. Scott Atlas, President Trump’s new Coronavirus advisor; Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota; and Dr. John Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame.
I am happy to tell you that, according to the recommendations these leaders reinforced on the call, we are doing very well on the Welch College campus, not only in the rate of people who have tested positively for the Coronavirus or are in quarantine, but also in following the best practices recommended by the White House and the CDC. This is because of the efforts you are making to follow Welch’s guidelines, and I cannot thank you enough!
One of the things they emphasized on the call, which they said many had not previously understood, is this: In addition to physical distancing and the wearing of face coverings, it is vital that as many as possible students be kept on campus whether they have symptoms or not, and it is important that colleges and universities do everything in their power to keep students as close to campus as possible.
Having travel policies and other policies that make this a reality will keep down the incidence of the disease on campus, because students will not bring the disease back to campus from across the United States. However, such policies will also keep COVID-19 from going back into households and communities, thus mitigating the spread of the disease. Vice President Pence and Dr. Birx reiterated this over and over again.
They stressed the avoidance of what they called “crowding.” Avoiding crowding, maintaining a physical distance of six feet, and wearing a face covering are imperative. Also, they highly recommended that we encourage everyone to get a flu vaccine.
The incidence of the Coronavirus among adults under 25 is on the rise. Even though the health risks are lesser for this population, the risk of this age group’s infecting people in the cross-generational population who are at greater risk is growing, they said. Dr. Birx reiterated repeatedly how important it is to understand that many young people who have no symptoms still have the disease and are passing it on to others.
So I want to congratulate you for doing the very best you can to continue to maintain six-foot physical distancing, to wear your face coverings, even when you are in the dorms and in other people’s rooms, to stay in the Gallatin area, and to fill out the form on the Ascend app each morning.
I also want to thank the Mr. Mahler, Coach Fawbush, and Dr. McAffee, as well as the members of the Special Committee on the Coronavirus, for having already put into effect a plan that precisely mirrors what we were advised on today’s conference call.
Thank you for all you are doing, Welch family! If we can keep this up, we feel confident we can make it to Thanksgiving!
The Lord bless you and keep you.
Sincerely,
Matt Pinson
President
by jowens | Aug 13, 2020
Eleven residents of Sumner County completed degree requirements at Welch College last month, according to Matthew McAffee, Provost at Welch. The college relocated from 73-year-old campus in midtown Nashville to Gallatin in the spring of 2017, constructing its new campus across the street from Station Camp High School.
“The residents of Sumner County have been so kind and welcoming—even to the point of enrolling themselves and their children,” McAffee said. “We’ve really been welcomed with open arms, and we’re so proud to be a part of this wonderful community and are excited to congratulate our local graduates.”
Welch, currently ranked 16th among Southern Regional Colleges in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges, offers regionally accredited associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. The roster of Sumner Countians includes:
Master’s Degrees
Rejyna Beck, Master of Arts in Teaching
Cassie Davenport, Master of Arts in Teaching
Bachelor’s Degrees
Jerushah Blackburn, Bachelor of Arts in English
Josh Burgus, Bachelor of Science in Music w/ Performance Emphasis
Brenton Driscoll, Bachelor of Science in General Christian Ministry
Deborah Driscoll, Bachelor of Arts in English
Allison Pogue, Bachelor of Science in History
Craig Pope, Bachelor of Arts in English
Noni Wright, Bachelor of Science in Business
Associate’s Degrees
Tanner Carson, Associate of Science in Business
Angelina Waller, Associate of Science in Biology
Welch president Matt Pinson said, “I want to congratulate these residents of Sumner County upon the completion of their degrees. This is evidence that we’ve settled into our new community, and we love it!”
Welch College is proud of its Sumner community and its Sumner county graduates. Please join us in congratulating these graduates.
For more information on Welch, its degree offerings, or its scholarships, email recruit@welch.edu.
by jowens | Aug 6, 2020
Welch College has announced an adjustment to the athletic department for 2020-2021, according to Greg Fawbush, Welch Athletic Director. “College athletics has been deeply affected by COVID-19,” Fawbush said, “and Welch is having to make changes to accommodate the global pandemic.”
Among the changes Fawbush outlined, women’s volleyball will play a hybrid season, eleven games in the fall starting September 28 and ending November 7, followed by ten more games during March and April of 2021, for a total of twenty-one matches over the course of the year. Men’s and women’s soccer will play in the spring of 2021 for this season only. Cross country’s schedule will remain in the fall. Fawbush stated that he expects men’s and women’s basketball teams to play their games starting in November and ending in late February.
Fawbush said, “Several factors contributed to these difficult decisions, including the recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases through the south’s geographical footprint, the safety of student-athletes, and the inability to maintain a full schedule due to cancellations.” He went on to add, “By carefully realigning when our teams play, we can better realize our overall goal of keeping our athletes healthy while also still participating in athletic competition.”
For more information on athletics at Welch, email Coach Fawbush at gfawbush@welch.edu.
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 | 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.
