Ten students from Sumner County Schools will participate in Project SEARCH at Welch College this fall, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Dean of Graduate Education at Welch.
Ketteman said, “These young adults will continue their preparation to transition into the workforce after high school in the nationally acclaimed program designed to provide professionally-coached, on-the-job experiences for special needs students.”
According to Ketteman, “Welch College is one of just two Tennessee colleges hosting Project SEARCH. A partnership involving Sumner County Schools, Project SEARCH, the ACCESS Project, and the Tennessee Department of Human Services provides resources and personnel for the program while Welch College provides the program and job-training venue.”
Lead teacher Mrs. Cindy Hamblen, a 30+ year veteran employee of Sumner County Schools, and two Workplace Readiness Specialists will coach these students. Well known in Sumner County for her community leadership in establishment of sports programs for children with special needs, Mrs. Hamblen most recently worked with special needs students at Whitten Elementary School. “I am very enthusiastic about being a part of the continuing development of our Sumner County special needs students,” Hamblen said. “We have a solid partnership and outstanding professional team in place.”
Sumner County Schools Project SEARCH Liaison Shelley Vanegas said, “We are pleased for Welch College to open its doors to this experience for our Sumner County students. We are confident that under Mrs. Hamblen’s guidance, Project SEARCH at Welch will provide an outstanding learning experience for our transitioning students.”
ACCESS Project Liaison Tim Robbins said, “The Access Program is thrilled to be a part of the Sumner County Schools/Welch College Project SEARCH program. Our mission is to help prepare students for life and employment after high school. Project SEARCH is an awesome program that helps fulfill that mission.”
Tennessee Department of Human Services Liaison Linda Suddarth said, “Public-private partnerships like this one are an important part of the comprehensive effort to equip all individuals for success after high school.”
“Project SEARCH is a great way for Welch College to be authentic about our belief in the dignity and worth of each individual,” Ketteman remarked. “Providing a supportive, Christian venue for this life-changing, practical experience is a very concrete way for us to really make a difference in the lives of these students and their families, and in our community.”
Dr. Sarah Bracey has been chosen to serve as program coordinator of the psychology program at Welch College, according to Welch Provost Matthew McAffee.
“I am pleased to announce Dr. Sarah Bracey as program coordinator for the psychology program,” McAffee said. “Dr. Bracey has been serving as interim program coordinator for the spring 2019 term, and has distinguished herself as the best candidate to fill this position. I have been impressed by her genuine care for our students and commitment to this institution. It’s an honor to welcome her to the faculty.” Bracey succeeds Mr. Michael Oliver, who completed his tenure as psychology program coordinator in December, 2018.
Bracey received a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.A. in Psychology from Ball State University in 2003. She completed an M.S. in Professional Counseling from Lipscomb University in 2010 and most recently defended her dissertation for the CACREP-accredited Ph.D. in Leadership-Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of the Cumberlands.
She has served as an adjunct faculty member at Welch College over the past five years. She has already been successful in recruiting students to the psychology program. Dr. Bracey has also served as an on-campus counselor, which she will continue alongside her program coordinator responsibilities.
“Sarah Bracey brings a wonderful combination to her new position at Welch,” Welch President Matt Pinson said. “She’s a godly mentor of students, a classroom teacher who’s well-loved by her students, and a scholar who is sensitive to how the Christian worldview transforms her subject matter. She will be a tremendous blessing to Welch.”
Bracey is married to Matthew Steven Bracey, Vice Provost for Academic Administration and lives in the Nashville area. For more information on Welch College, visit welch.edu or email recruit@welch.edu.
The Welch College School of Education announced two new tracks in its Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree program, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Graduate Dean of Education. The college will offer tracks* in Instructional Leadership and in English Language Learningalong with existing tracks in Teaching, Special Education, and Higher Education Pedagogy.
The Instructional Leadershiptrack is designed for school leaders and aspiring school leaders. The English Language Learning track is designed for teachers who work with multilingual student groups and English language learners.
“The English Language Learning track is based on Welch’s existing, state-approved English Language learner endorsement,” Ketteman said. “Welch College and Sumner County Schools leaders have established a collaborative agreement to make the English Language endorsement available to Sumner County teachers.”
Pennsylvania State University Press’s Eisenbrauns imprint has published Welch College Provost Matthew McAffee’s book entitled, Life and Mortality in Ugaritic: A Lexical and Literary Study, according to Welch President Matt Pinson. Released in June, McAffee’s book represents a significant revision of his University of Chicago doctoral dissertation.
“We are so pleased to have this new book out from Dr. McAffee,” Pinson said. “He is distinguishing himself as the chief academic leader at Welch and also as Professor of Biblical Studies. He’s a tremendous communicator of biblical truth to all ages and to both general and scholarly audiences. I’m confident this will be the first of many books he will write that will defend the Bible and edify the Church in general and the Free Will Baptist Church in particular.”
The book provides a thorough study of the concepts of life and death in Ugaritic texts. The Ugaritic language is known from a cache of tablets discovered in 1928 in Ras Shamra on the Syrian coast. These texts are dated to the latter part of the second millennium B.C. and provide an important window into the Canaanite culture of the Old Testament world.
This study on life and death from this context provides important background for the beliefs exhibited in the Bible, demonstrating both similarity with and distinction from the biblical worldview. As McAffee explains, “It is clear the biblical authors were expressing these concepts within an ancient Near Eastern context, but they were doing so through the aid of divine revelation. In many instances, the biblical authors are challenging ideas that are found in these texts.”
McAffee is currently under contract for an intermediate textbook on Biblical Hebrew and is working on a book designed to introduce biblical studies to college students. He writes regularly for ONE Magazine. In addition to his most recent article published in Integrity: A Journal of Christian Thought, published by the Commission for Theological Integrity of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, he has authored a number of articles in publications such as Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, and Journal of the American Oriental Society.
McAffee is also a frequent preacher and conference speaker, preaching at churches and association meetings as well as teaching and lecturing on biblical and theological subjects. For more information on Welch College and its associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in theology and ministry, email jcockrell@welch.edu. For information about scheduling Dr. McAffee for a speaking engagement, email tcockrell@welch.edu.
The spring 2019 semester at Welch College ended with 90 students receiving academic recognition, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. This honor roll includes both online and Enriched Adult Studies students whose spring courses ended in late May. “We congratulate these students on their academic accomplishments,” says McAffee. “These students are the academic leaders among their peers at Welch College, and we hope their example will encourage others to strive for excellence in their academic work.”
Twenty-four made all A’s and were placed on the President’s List—6 seniors, 5 juniors, 7 sophomores, and 6 freshmen. Sixty-six earned a 3.25 GPA and all A’s and B’s and were placed on the Provost’s list—6 seniors, 14 juniors, 25 sophomores, and 21 freshmen.
Welch College received notification that the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Educator Licensing and Preparation has approved Welch’s Special Education licensure program for Pre-K through 5th grade and as an additional endorsement for licensed teachers, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Dean of Graduate Education at Welch.
“This represents a major expansion of teacher education offerings at both the graduate and undergraduate levels at Welch,” Ketteman said. “These new programs combine Welch’s commitment to quality and the desire to meet the needs of Christian schools and local public school systems.”
Welch will now offer special education degrees qualifying graduates to be licensed special education teachers. The licensure program is available to both undergraduate teacher education students and graduate students in the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program. The M.A.T. enrolled its first students in January of this year and anticipates its first master’s graduates in 2020.
The Special Education Track joins accredited M.A.T. tracks in Teaching and in Higher Education Pedagogy as a part of the 33-hour master’s program. Welch Teacher Education faculty are already seeking approval for newly developed M.A.T. tracks in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Instructional Leadership (IL) that will lead to licensure for classroom teachers and school leaders respectively. Enrollment in the M.A. (EL) track opens in the upcoming fall 2019 term followed by M.A. (IL) track enrollment soon thereafter.
Dr. Matthew McAffee, Provost at Welch College, said, “We are excited about this news from the Tennessee Department of Education. Adding special education to our degree programs at Welch, on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, continues our commitment to quality, affordable Christian education in a format easily accessible to full-time students and the working adult.”
