by Anna Pinson | Dec 13, 2023
For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—William Slater, Dean of Adult and Online Studies at Welch College, has been awarded the 2024 Harold Bradley Legislative Leadership Award by the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA), according to Welch President Matt Pinson. The award is presented to state legislators who have shown distinguished support for higher education.
“Serving in the Tennessee legislature is a great honor,” Slater said. “I am humbled to be recognized for the work accomplished for the benefit of students enrolled in independent colleges and universities in our state. TICUA member institutions, like Welch College, provide important educational choices and opportunities for our citizens. It is a joy to be a voice for them in the General Assembly.”
Slater serves part-time as the Representative for District 35 in the Tennessee State House of Representatives. In addition to holding this position, he has been broadly active in the civic and community life of Sumner County and is a proponent for the advancement of higher education.
“We at Welch are so thankful for what William Slater has brought to us as Dean of Adult and Online Studies at Welch College,” Pinson said. “He does such an excellent job in his role here, and we’re so thankful to have him representing our interests as vice-chairman of the education committee in the Tennessee House. He’s so deserving of this award.”
The award honoring Slater’s commitment to higher education will be presented at the TICUA Annual Meeting on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.
by Anna Pinson | Dec 12, 2023
For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College Athletic Director Greg Fawbush has announced that Emma Guthrie has resigned as the volleyball coach for Welch. Coach Guthrie has coached the Lady Flames for the past four seasons. She was a four-year starter for the Lady Flames before she was hired as the head coach following her senior year.
“The Flames Volleyball program has shown great improvement under Coach Guthrie,” Coach Fawbush said. “Her leadership was demonstrated when she coached her first season during the pandemic. There were many obstacles that she was able to lead the players through during this difficult time. Coach Guthrie also made program history in her third season when she led the team to regional championship and first ever trip to the NCCAA national tournament.”
While at Welch Guthrie helped produce several all-regional volleyball players and an NCCAA DII player of the year. “Coach Guthrie has been a constant spiritual mentor to the team in the volleyball program,” Fawbush added. “She was a constant professional during her four years as a coach. Welch College has been blessed to have Emma as part of the athletic program for the past eight years as a player and coach. Coach Guthrie believes that God is opening up other ministry opportunities for her. The Welch College Athletic department looks forward to supporting her on her path.”
For information about Welch athletics, email Coach Fawbush at gfawbush@welch.edu.
by Anna Pinson | Oct 20, 2023
For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—The 2023–2024 Rejoice! Ministry Team has been selected, according to Daniel Webster, music director of the group. “After vocal and instrumental auditions and interviews, we have finalized selections for this year’s team,” Webster said. “We had a great number of quality musicians to choose from, but we finally selected these students to be our representatives for this year.”
Female members of the twelve-member team are Malena Campis, Elly Crabtree, Cheyenne Lewis, Abigail McAffee, Brook Proctor, and Rachel Wilkerson. Male members are Marc Edgmon, Silas Houser, Camden Lewis, Jacob Robertson, and Landon Wolfe. Reilly Holloman will be the sound technician.
Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement said, “We are so excited to introduce the 2023–2024 Rejoice! Ministry Team. Their musical ability, along with their desire to serve Christ and share His gospel, will make them great representatives for the kingdom and Welch College.”
by Anna Pinson | Oct 10, 2023
For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—Dr. Matthew Barrett, Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, will deliver a series of guest lectures during the 2023 Leroy Forlines Lectures at Welch College, according to President Matt Pinson. The presentations are scheduled for November 9–10, 10:00 to 12:00, in Celorio Auditorium on the Welch campus. Barrett’s topic will be “The Reformation as Renewal.”
The Leroy Forlines Lectures began in 1993 at Welch College as a means of bringing well known speakers to campus who could address challenging issues of the day related to theology, philosophy, worldview, world mission, and other topics. They are named for long-time Welch professor and dean F. Leroy Forlines. The lectureship, which has not been held in the past few years, was reinstated by means of a generous endowment by Professor Forlines’s wife Dr. Fay Forlines.
“What a privilege it is to host Dr. Barrett on our campus to deliver the Forlines Lectures,” President Pinson said. “He is one of the most distinguished young scholars in the conservative Protestant movement, and it will be a distinct honor having him on our campus and learning from him.”
Founder and editor of Credo Magazine and host of the Credo podcast, Barrett has published widely, including books such as Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit (Baker); None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God (Baker); God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture (Zondervan); Canon, Covenant, and Christology: Rethinking Jesus and the Scriptures of Israel (IVP); 40 Questions about Salvation (Kregel), and most recently The Reformation as Renewal (Zondervan). Currently, he is devoting the next several years to writing The Doctrine of God (Baker).
Originally from California, Barrett holds the B.A. from Biola University and the M.Div. and Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Elizabeth have four children.
The Forlines Lectures are open and free of charge to the public. Gifts to help make the Forlines Lectures possible may be made to Welch College by sending a check marked “Forlines Lectures” to Welch College, 1045 Bison Trail, Gallatin, TN 37066, or by giving online at Welch.edu/give with designation to the lecture series.
by Anna Pinson | Sep 19, 2023
For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College recently received notification that it has been ranked 2nd in social mobility and 17th overall among “Best Regional Colleges–South” in the 2024 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges, according to President Matt Pinson.
The social mobility ranking measures the percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who go on to graduate. The Regional Colleges–South category comprises 98 other colleges and universities in the South.
“We’re delighted that Welch remains highly ranked by U.S. News Best Colleges,” President Pinson said. “This communicates to prospective students, parents, and alumni alike that we value excellence and that the education students receive at Welch is competitive, solid, and recognized in the academic community.”
The Best Regional Colleges category includes institutions that focus on teaching undergraduate students. These schools offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts and in professional fields.
“Colleges go up and down in these rankings each year,” Pinson said. “When we first entered the rankings thirteen years ago, we were ranked 52nd. Then five years ago we increased to 26th, after which we’ve consistently been in the top 20. Our ranking at 17th is exciting.”
“We are thankful to be ranked in the top 17% of our category,” Provost Matthew McAffee said. “Our faculty and staff work hard to offer students excellence in Christian higher education. This ranking is evidence of their commitment.”
U.S. News rankings judge the relative quality of institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence in higher education: what peer institutions think of the institution, how many freshmen return their sophomore year, how many of them go on to graduate, student-faculty ratio, faculty quality, financial resources, how many economically challenged students go on to graduate, and more.
“To put our ranking in perspective,” Pinson said, “the ten institutions ranked directly above us have an average enrollment about three times higher than Welch’s and an average endowment about nine times higher than Welch’s. We’re striving to be good stewards of the resources God has given us.”
Out of the 99 institutions in the category, Welch received especially high marks in four strategic areas, ranking as follows:
1st in student-faculty ratio (tied)
2nd in graduation rate for economically challenged students
3rd in ACT/SAT scores
5th in freshman retention
For more information about Welch, email gotowelch@welch.edu or visit www.welch.edu.
by Anna Pinson | Sep 16, 2023
For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College enrolled 393 students for its fall 2023 semester, slightly higher than last fall’s enrollment of 388, according to Matthew McAffee, Provost of Welch College.
“These numbers signal continued institutional stability in our recovery from the pandemic,” McAffee said. “Our campus community especially rejoices over the sizeable enrollment increase of this year’s incoming class. The Lord continues to sustain us in our rebuilding efforts and advancement of Welch’s mission to educate Christian leaders.”
At press time the college reported 148 dormitory students (8 of which are graduate students), 44 commuter students, 35 non-residential graduate students, 27 Adult Studies students, 43 Online Studies students, and 96 dual enrollment students. Full-time equivalency (FTE) was 259 students. Total enrollment statistics indicate students from 24 states, 1 territory, and 7 foreign countries.
This fall, 80 new students enrolled in traditional on-campus programs at Welch, an 11% increase over last fall’s number of new students (72), and a 43% increase over fall 2021 freshman and transfer enrollment (56) during COVID, the lowest number of freshmen and transfers in many years.
“We’re thankful to continue our enrollment recovery after COVID,” Welch President Matt Pinson said. “The latest research shows that enrollment at church-related colleges and universities has declined over the past decade. Thankfully, Welch has been immune to those trends.”
“Even though our full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment plunged by 17% during that first fall semester after the onset of COVID, Fall 2020 FTE enrollment was still 11% higher than Fall 2010,” Pinson said. “And Fall 2019 FTE enrollment, the semester before COVID hit, was 35% higher than Fall 2010. Our new campus here in Gallatin has been a big factor in that upsurge.”
“Small college enrollment is a ‘one-fall-freshman-class-at-a-time’ business,” Pinson continued. “So our rebound back to pre-COVID enrollment is going to take time; those two very small freshman classes during COVID have to cycle out before full enrollment recovery can be achieved. But it’s still good, in view of the across-the-board dip in faith-based college enrollment, that we’re holding our own. The thing that makes it all worthwhile is the quality of our students, not just the quantity, and in terms of spiritual formation, church ministry, and cultural impact, our students are poised to make an amazing kingdom impact.”
For more information about Welch College, email recruit@welch.edu or visit the college’s website at www.welch.edu.
