by jowens | Nov 2, 2018
Welch College has announced a new collaboration with Project SEARCH, according to Greg Ketteman, vice president for strategic initiatives. “Project SEARCH is a program of Sumner County Schools in partnership with The ACCESS Program (a statewide supported employment agency), and Tennessee’s Department of Human Services. The college will host Project SEARCH’s Welcome to Welch! on Monday, November 12. Project SEARCH facilitates job market entry for special needs students who are transitioning after high school,” Ketteman said.
Beginning in fall 2019, Project SEARCH students will come to the Welch campus each day for a class taught by the program teacher, followed by on-the-job mentoring and work in varied roles such as clerical assistance, maintenance and janitorial assistance, and food service assistance. Welch College is currently the only middle Tennessee collegiate site for Project SEARCH and The ACCESS Program.
The Welcome to Welch! event takes place from 5:00-7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 12, with campus tours scheduled from 5:00-5:30. For more information, contact Dr. Greg Ketteman, Welch College Vice President for Strategic Initiatives.
by jowens | Oct 24, 2018
Welch College Athletics is proud to announce a new streaming partnership with the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Network hosted by BlueFrame Technology, according to Josh Owens, Welch’s Director of Media and Marketing.
“Over the last several years we’ve seen thousands of family members, friends, and fans of the Welch athletic teams enjoy viewing games on various streaming platforms such as Livestream and Facebook LIVE,” Owens said. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking for the right platform and partner for our streaming, and we believe we have found the best with the NCCAA Network and BlueFrame Technology. Our partnership with the NCCAA Network will provide a more reliable, stable, and quality viewing experience for each fan.”
Athletic Director Greg Fawbush said, “By adding the NCCAA Network, our loyal fan base will be able to stay connected with our student athletes. Also, with athletes from so many different areas of the country, the network will allow their families a greater opportunity to be a part of the excitement that is occurring on campus.”
Beginning October 26, fans will be able to watch all Welch College home basketball games on the NCCAA Network. The NCCAA Network is available on desktop and mobile/tablet devices at www.thenccaa.org/network, as well as over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV.
In addition, the NCCAA Network is available on the NCCAA App for iOS in the App Store and Android on Google Play. Mobile devices including iPhone, iPad, and Android will work with the default web browser. Devices should be kept up-to-date and connected to a reliable data connection for optimal playback. Apple users and owners of an AppleTV device can simply ‘throw’ the webcast from their iPhone or iPad using AirPlay.
The Welch College channel on the NCCAA Network has been set up to stream all games at welch.edu/live.
To see a full schedule of Men’s and Women’s Flames basketball games go to Welch.edu/athletics.
by jowens | Oct 20, 2018
Welch College is working to help with hurricane relief for victims of Hurricanes Florence and Michael, according to David Williford, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Welch.
“Welch’s students, administration, faculty, and staff are once again providing help and assistance to churches and individuals following devastating storms and flooding,” Williford said.
Students used their fall break to travel to flooded parts of North Carolina under the supervision of John Murray, Director of Christian Service at Welch. “Students have stepped up to the plate, volunteering to travel to New Bern, North Carolina, to help with the gutting of homes damaged by flooding from Hurricane Florence,” Murray said.
“Another group of students plan to go to the Wilmington, North Carolina, area during their upcoming Christmas break in December,” he continued. “By that time the weather will have turned cold and the labor will be more difficult because of the temperature, but they have said, ‘Let’s go.’ That’s the Welch spirit that characterizes our students.”
Shortly after Florence hit North Carolina, Hurricane Michael devastated much of the panhandle of Florida with 150 mph winds, causing damage up into Georgia. Welch delivered supplies to aid in the relief effort after Hurricane Michael. Immanuel Church Free Will Baptist, a Gallatin church plant under the auspices of Free Will Baptist North American Ministries, also contributed toward the project.
“Welch and Immanuel sent a trailer with food, water, cleaning supplies, roof tarps, and other supplies to the stricken area of Clarksville, Florida,” Williford said. “Pastor Allan Austin is coordinating relief efforts through his church, Traveler’s Rest Free Will Baptist Church. Bob Bass, building and land consultant for Welch who is also an alumnus and former Welch trustee, made the trip from Gallatin to Florida, using a trailer provided by the National Master’s Men’s ministry. Welch is also planning to send funds for hurricane relief for our people in Southwest Georgia.”
“These efforts add to a long history of Welch students and staff stepping up to the plate when our churches and people are hurting,” Williford continued. “Other trips like this have been made not only to North Carolina, but Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee. Students have even traveled as far as Haiti to help build a boys’ dormitory at an orphanage. We are grateful for the spirit of service found in our students.”
by jowens | Sep 21, 2018
For the Fall 2018 semester, Welch College enrolled the highest number of students in 34 years, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. Total enrollment statistics indicate 404 students from 22 states and five foreign countries.
“I am delighted to see this impressive increase in our enrollment numbers,” McAffee said. “We pray the Lord will continue His transformative work in the lives of these students He has entrusted to our care.”
“Particularly exciting is the increase in new students this year, both freshmen and transfer students,” McAffee said. This fall 93 new students enrolled in on-campus programs at Welch, a 21% increase from last year’s new freshman and transfer enrollment of 77. A total of 116 new students joined the student body for the new school year, including graduate, online, and adult studies enrollments. 1984 was the last year fall enrollment was higher, with a headcount of 417.
At press time the college reported 200 dormitory students, 53 commuter students, 27 graduate students, 18 Enriched Adult Studies students, 38 Online/Lifetime Learning students, and 68 dual enrollment students. The fall’s full-time equivalency (FTE) is 300 students, the highest in 12 years.
President Matt Pinson said, “We’re thankful to God for this blessing of another increase in dormitory and FTE enrollment. This is the most dorm students we’ve had in many years, and we’re grateful to the Lord for His providential blessing. In a time when most college and university dorm enrollment is flat or declining, it’s wonderful to see ours going up.”
President Pinson continued, “I commend Daniel Wester, Debbie Mouser, and the entire enrollment team for their diligent work in bringing in this excellent class of new students, our largest incoming class since 2006.”
To contact Welch College for more information, email recruit@welch.edu or visit the college’s website at www.welch.edu.
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.
