by jowens | Sep 20, 2018
Dr. Kevin L. Hester, Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Dean of the School of Theology at Welch College, has been selected as a Presnell Fellow in the Executive Leadership Institute of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA), according to President Matt Pinson. The Executive Leadership Institute is an initiative of TICUA president Dr. Claude Presnell to provide specialized training for up-and-coming leaders in the private higher education sector in Tennessee.
“I am so glad Dr. Hester will be taking part in this institute,” President Pinson said. “As one of our senior leaders at Welch, he will benefit greatly from interaction with top leaders in higher education and will be able to use his training in his leadership at Welch College.”
Faculty for the Institute will include distinguished higher education leaders such as Dr. Nicholas Zeppos (chancellor of Vanderbilt University), Dr. John McCardell (president of Sewanee, The University of the South), and Emma Jones (Chief Brand Officer of CREDO Higher Education). The Institute will also provide opportunities for the fellows to interact with numerous local, state, and federal officials who will speak on educational policy. The Institute will gather at nine different independent college and university campuses across Tennessee, once a month, over the 2018-19 academic year. The last meeting and graduation from the Institute will be in May of 2019. Last year’s ELI graduation was held on the Welch campus in Gallatin.
A native of Russellville, Alabama, Hester is a 1993 graduate of Welch College’s pastoral ministry program. An M.Div. graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary, he received his Ph.D. from Saint Louis University. He has served full-time at Welch since 2003, teaching as well as serving in a number of administrative roles.
Hester has represented Welch in the higher education community, serving as a team member on several accrediting teams for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). He serves as secretary of the Commission on Accreditation with ABHE and on the editorial board of the association’s Biblical Higher Education Journal. Hester has written numerous articles for popular and scholarly periodicals and is author of Eschatology and Pain in St. Gregory the Great and Free Will Baptists and the Priesthood of All Believers. He and his wife, Leslie, a registered nurse, live in Gallatin, Tennessee. They have four sons, Spencer, Seth, Justin, and Jackson. Spencer and Justin are students at Welch.
by jowens | Sep 17, 2018
On September 12 the Welch Graduate Admissions Committee voted to admit the first students to its new Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Graduate Dean at Welch College. College officials anticipate program approval from college accreditors in December 2018 and courses for the 33-hour master’s program will begin on January 19.
“Our alumni and denominational supporters have long sensed the need for a Welch College graduate program in education,” Ketteman said. “Admission of these MAT students is a truly historic moment that demonstrates God’s provision for our needs. There has never been a greater need for teachers who have a biblical worldview and who pursue their calling with excellence. Our vision for the Welch MAT is to foster excellence in teaching from a distinctively Christian perspective.”
The Welch MAT offers tracks in teaching, special education, and higher education pedagogy. The MAT is designed so that all ten-week courses, offered both on campus and live online, may be completed in 18 months. Scholarships and financial aid are available for qualifying students.
Provost Matthew McAffee said, “I commend Dr. Ketteman for his hard work in getting this program off the ground. We are thankful for the Lord’s blessing in bringing the MAT to fruition.”
It is not too late to apply for admission to the MAT. For more information go to https://welch.eduma-teaching or contact Dr. Greg Ketteman at gketteman@welch.edu or 615-675-5312.
by jowens | Sep 10, 2018
Welch College received notification that the institution ranks 13th among “Best Regional Colleges” (South Region) in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 edition of America’s Best Colleges rankings, according to Welch president Matt Pinson. The numerical ranking of 13 in the 2019 South Region indicates a rise of 13 places above the 2018 edition ranking of 26. Welch had the fifth highest ranking of all the colleges and universities in Tennessee in the “Best Value” category, which combines quality and price.
“This is a tremendous blessing!” President Pinson said. “Although one of our eventual goals was to move this high in the rankings, it was a pleasant surprise that we were able to do so this year. This ranking demonstrates our quality to not only our students and supporters but also those outside the Welch family. It also reassures prospective students and their parents that Welch remains a top-quality institution of higher learning that delivers on their educational investment, while keeping Christian learning and spiritual formation at the heart of their college experience.”
The “Best Regional Colleges” category where Welch is ranked includes 248 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 opportunities 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 received especially high marks in four strategic areas—percent of classes with under 20 students (90%), student/faculty ratio (9/1), first-year student retention rate (72%), and freshmen in the top 25% of their high school class (66%). Welch’s peer reputation ranking also increased from 2.4 to 2.7.
Provost Matthew McAffee said, “I am excited to see such a remarkable increase in our ranking this year. Welch College is committed to excellence in our academic programs, and our momentous rise in this national ranking underlines our efforts. We thank the Lord for His continued favor upon the ministry of Welch College.”
More information is available about the rankings and methodology in the annual America’s Best Colleges guidebook at: www.usnews.com/collegemeth. For more information about Welch, email gotowelch@welch.edu or visit www.welch.edu.
by jowens | Aug 13, 2018
Welch College has an opening for a full-time accounting employee in the Business Office according to Craig Mahler, vice president for financial affairs. The position requires intermediate computer and strong interpersonal skills, and ability to manage details well. Ideal candidates will have a background in higher education.
“This is an important hire for the college at this time,” Mr. Mahler said. “We’ve had some staffing adjustments the past few years due to retirements and other career moves. We’re taking a fresh look at the organization and staffing of the Business Office. The college needs a professional who loves God and strongly supports the mission of Welch College. The person who fills this key position will interact directly with Welch students on billing and other financial matters and assist the Business Office with accounting and other administrative tasks.”
The full-time salaried position is immediately available, with the intent to hire as soon as possible.
General Requirements:
- Have a clear Christian testimony and commitment to Welch College
- Hold membership in good standing at a local church
- Work well both independently and collaboratively
- Manage time and task priorities well
- Consider him/herself a detail person
- Prioritize friendly and effective communication with campus stakeholders
- Have intermediate-level skills in Microsoft Excel and exposure to accounting software such as QuickBooks
- Hold a business-related bachelor’s degree
- Preferably, with at least one year of accounting coursework
- Some experience in task management and supervision
- Demonstrate how past experience fits well with this role
Responsibilities:
- Student billing: prepare and distribute student bills according to schedule set with campus stakeholder input
- Maintain and reconcile student collections information, actively seeking collection of late payments
- Apply financial aid to accounts at the direction of the Financial Aid Coordinator
- Reconcile activity between Populi and Accounting office records monthly
- Some task management and employee supervision responsibilities
- Other accounting tasks as assigned
Skills/Proficiency testing may be required.
Salary based on experience. Welch College offers a generous benefits package and provides tuition assistance for employees enrolling in on-campus coursework.
Interested persons may send their resumes to Mr. Craig Mahler at the address below, or e-send resumes and references to cfo@welch.edu.
Craig Mahler
Business Office
Welch College
1045 Bison Trail
Gallatin, TN 37066
by jowens | Aug 9, 2018
Welch College Vice President for Financial Affairs, Craig Mahler, recently announced upcoming staffing changes in the Business Office. Jill Ketteman, who has served at the college nearly twenty years will retire on August 3. Additionally, Leigh Ann Smith recently announced her departure effective August 8.
Jill Ketteman, who is a Welch graduate, currently serves as the Financial Aid Assistant. She said, “I am so grateful for the manyopportunities to get to know the Welch students while serving in both Student Services and Financial Aid offices over the duration of my almost-20-year tenure. My Welch colleagues will remain lifelong friends.” In March Jill began discussing the possibility of reconfiguring her work schedule to devote more time to family and other interests. After prayerful consideration, she and her husband, Dr. Greg Ketteman, Welch’s Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, determined it was God’s timing for her to retire. Our college family wishes her well in retirement and congratulates Mrs. Ketteman for a job well done!
Leigh Ann Smith has served at the college as Staff Accountant since late 2013, first as a contract employee supplied by a local accounting firm. She was then hired by the college full-time in March 2014. Recently, Mrs. Smith and her family determined it was time that she drastically cut her nearly eighty mile daily commute to the college’s new campus in Gallatin. The Lipscomb University graduate will return to her alma mater to work in the Financial Aid Department and in order to be near her teenage sons who are students at Lipscomb Academy.
Smith said, “In my four years at Welch College, I have enjoyed working with wonderful men and women who love the Lord. I treasure these friendships and feel privileged to have been a part of Welch’s historic move to the Gallatin campus. The final result was worth the sacrifice and hard work.”
Mahler said, “Both these ladies have a servant’s heart and have excelled in their unique roles. I am beyond grateful for their support, faithful service, and strong love for the mission of Welch College. Jill Ketteman and Leigh Ann Smith are among the committed faculty and staff whose service results in Welch College achieving its mission to educate Christian leaders. They will be missed. The college’s administration will assess personnel needs in the Business and Financial Aid offices and determine the path forward in the near future.”
More information about Welch is available at the college’s website, www.welch.edu
by jowens | Jun 20, 2018
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College men’s basketball team has agreed to play Presbyterian College next season according to Greg Fawbush, Athletic Director and head men’s basketball coach. This will be the first time in the history of the college that a Welch athletic team will play an NCAA Division I team. The game will be played on the campus of Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, at 7:00 p.m. on November 12.
Welch College is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association division II and primarily plays NAIA and NCAA III colleges for out-of-conference games. Presbyterian College is a member of the Big South Conference and plays some of the top teams in the nation. “Our student-athletes work hard, and this gives them an opportunity to showcase their God given talents,” Coach Fawbush said. “We hope this opportunity not only gives us the chance to display our testimonies through competition but also demonstrates the uniqueness of Welch College.”
