NASHVILLE, TN—Welch College has named Matthew Steven Bracey as cross country coach at Welch College, according to Athletic Director Gary Turner. “Welch has taken a big step toward building a strong cross country program with the hire of Matthew Bracey as its new cross country coach,” Turner said. “An avid runner himself, Bracey has a real heart for running and is excited about the prospect of building a really strong, vibrant program. He looks forward to working and running with students, as well as building personalized training programs for them.”
Bracey has run numerous marathons, including, most recently, the Mercedes-Benz Marathon and the Walt Disney World Marathon. He has also run several smaller races, winning his age category in a recent 5k.
“I’m honored to serve in this capacity as the coach for Welch’s cross country team,” Bracey remarked. “The opportunity to combine two things that I love—Welch and its students on the one hand, and running on the other—is an awesome blessing. I look forward to building a great cross country program and team. And I’m especially excited about working even more with students.”
Bracey, a 2008 graduate of Welch College, received an M.T.S. from Beeson Divinity School and a J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He began working for Welch in 2013, where he serves as Associate Vice Provost and teaches law, theology, and history. He has also co-edited and contributed to two books and written a number of scholarly and popular articles.
“I believe Coach Bracey will take our cross country program to a whole new level,” said Turner. “With his love of Welch College and his passion for running, I think we’ll see the program flourish. If you’re interested in cross country, or know someone who is, contact Coach Bracey at mbracey@welch.edu.”
NASHVILLE, TN—The City of Gallatin and Mayor Paige Brown hosted a “Welcome to Gallatin” reception for Welch College February 10 at Gallatin City Hall.
“From the very beginning, when the announcement was made that Welch College was coming to Sumner County and to Gallatin, there was a lot of excitement,” said Tennessee State Senator Ferrell Haile. “As the buildings have gone up, the excitement has certainly gone up also.”
Welch President Matt Pinson stated, “We saw Gallatin, not only as a warm and welcoming community, but also as a community on the move. Gallatin is one of the fastest growing areas in Tennessee, and we believe it is going to be great to partner with the city to move forward with the mission of our college.”
“Only 5% of Tennessee cities have a residential college,” said Mayor Paige Brown. “Welch College brings to our community, not only a four-year residential college, but also a student base which gives over 10,000 hours of community service each year.”
To view a video published by the Gallatin City Communications Office, click here. To read the newspaper article in The Tennessean, click here.
For more information about Welch or to apply, call 615.844.5000 or go online to welch.edu.
As Welch College prepares to begin holding classes at its new campus in Gallatin next month, plans to increase the school’s educational opportunities for high school students and adults are already underway.
During a welcome reception held Friday at Gallatin City Hall, school officials announced plans to offer dual-enrollment courses for Station Camp High School students in addition to relaunching an adult studies program for working adults who never completed their degree.
Welch also plans to partner with Volunteer State Community College and has been in discussions with Union University and Sumner Regional Medical Center regarding the development of a program aimed at increasing the number of nurses in the community.
“We are an institution that intends to be a part of this community and to affect this community in profound ways,” Welch President Matt Pinson said Friday. “Over these next few weeks we intend to open the new campus and begin to express to this community what we’ve been doing in Nashville for the last 75 years – a mission… not only of academic excellence but of spiritual commitment and of traditional moral values.”
Students began taking online classes earlier this month until the college’s new campus, located just north of Station Camp High School between Bison Trail and the Stone Creek subdivision, is complete.
The first phase of the new campus will include an administration building, separate male and female dormitories as well as a cafeteria/multipurpose building. A gymnasium/student activities center is expected to be completed this summer.
“What Welch College is bringing to our city is much, much more than buildings and a business,” Mayor Paige Brown told those in attendance Friday. “This school is going to enhance our culture, our vibrancy and our character, which makes this great institution one of the most exciting additions that Gallatin has ever realized. Our small city will not only have a wonderful comprehensive community college but also a four-year residential college.”
Established in 1942, the regionally and nationally accredited four-year Christian school offers 40 majors with its top programs including theological studies, pre-med/nursing, business, teacher education and music. Welch has approximately 400 students enrolled annually who take part in 10,000 total hours of community service work each year.
In September, Welch and three other Free Will Baptist ministries purchased an additional 64 acres adjacent to the college’s new campus in Gallatin. The deal came one year after Mike Ford Custom Builders purchased 7.14 acres of Welch’s 7.6-acre West End Avenue property in Nashville for $11.25 million.
The school and associated Free Will Baptist groups now own all of the property along the northern stretch of Bison Trail between Lower Station Camp Creek Road and Big Station Camp Boulevard across from the Station Camp schools complex.
“I consider this a monumental addition to our county,” Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt said. “We actively pursue new (higher education) opportunities for our citizens. That’s what it’s all about.”
Nashville, TN—The fall 2016 semester at Welch College ended with 71 students receiving academic recognition, according to Provost Greg Ketteman. This honor roll includes online students whose fall courses ended in late December.
Twenty-three students made all A’s and were placed on the President’s List—12 seniors, 5 juniors, 3 sophomores, and 3 freshman. Forty-eight students earned a 3.25 GPA and all A’s and B’s and were placed on the Provost’s list—18 seniors, 17 juniors, 6 sophomores, and 7 freshmen.
Welch College Vice Provost Matthew McAffee has been selected as a 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 a new initiative of TICUA president Dr. Claude Presnell to provide specialized training for up-and-coming leaders in Tennessee independent colleges and universities.
“I am excited that Dr. McAffee will be taking part in this new institute,” President Pinson said. “As a promising young leader at Welch and our new Vice Provost, he will benefit greatly from the interaction with some of the finest higher education leaders in the industry and will be able to bring these experiences to bear in his leadership at Welch College.”
Speaking of the first session of the institute, which was held at Rhodes College in Memphis, Presnell said, “It was an incredible success! The Fellows were hosted by Rhodes College president Bill Troutt for the two-day event. During this first Session we provided the Fellows with their personalized leadership assessment profile, explored the ‘thriving leaders’ framework, and dug deep into the Institute’s first topic of institutional governance and board development.”
Faculty for the Institute have included distinguished higher education leaders such as Dr. Rich Morrill (chancellor of the University of Richmond), Dr. Bill Troutt (president of Rhodes College), and Tim Fuller (senior VP/owner, CREDO). The Institute will gather at nine different independent college and university campuses across Tennessee, once a month, over the 2016-17 academic year. The last meeting and graduation from the Institute will be in May of 2017.
A native of New Brunswick, Canada, McAffee is a 1999 graduate of Welch College. An M.Div. graduate of Southern Seminary, he received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from University of Chicago. He has served full-time at Welch since 2010, teaching as well as serving as Campus Pastor, a role he gave up in August to serve as Vice Provost.
McAffee has written numerous articles in popular and scholarly periodicals such as ONE Magazine, the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Journal of Biblical Literature. He recently jointly authored the Welch College Press book, Sexuality, Gender, and the Church: A Christian Response in the New Cultural Landscape. He and his wife, Anna, who serves as women’s resident director at Welch, live on-campus with their four children, Abigail, Lydia, Samuel, and Marianne.
North Carolina pastor Daniel Webster has been selected as director of enrollment services at Welch College, according to David Williford, vice president for institutional advancement at Welch.
“We’re so excited to announce Daniel’s appointment,” Williford said. “He is already working part-time as director of marketing and recruitment for the online program. He’ll come on in a full-time capacity in February 2017, continuing his online work and serving as a field representative and enrollment counselor for the college. Then he’ll move to Middle Tennessee in June and assume his role as director of enrollment services.”
Williford continued, “When Debbie Mouser began her more intensive role as director of recruitment, we needed someone to come on board to direct the administrative and strategic operation of enrollment and retention at Welch. As we discussed potential candidates, Daniel’s name quickly rose to the top.”
Webster will continue to serve as an adjunct instructor in theological studies, a post he assumed earlier this year. Derek Altom, acting director of enrollment services, said, “Daniel has been doing an excellent job as director of recruitment and marketing for the online program, and this year I’ve been using him to help us plan Welcome Days and Senior Days. He’s a natural with numerous ideas on how to make the on-campus events better with the ability to look at things from all angles. When we began discussing Daniel’s candidacy for this position, I thought, ‘What a wonderful fit for this job!’”
Webster comes to Welch with thirteen years of full-time ministry experience and a background in promotion, marketing, and recruiting. During and after college, Webster played an active role in the promotional department at Gateway Christian College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Sacred Music. His ministry there included singing in groups, preparing and leading student groups, and representing the college at conferences and association meetings. He has also worked in marketing and customer relations for GEICO.
Webster served ten years as an associate pastor at Gateway Free Will Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he managed various ministries, including music, media, worship, and single young adult ministry. Since 2013 he has served as lead pastor of Glad Tidings Free Will Baptist Church in Asheboro, North Carolina. Webster has written for The Brink, the young adult curriculum at Randall House Publications, since 2014, and he currently serves as clerk of the North Carolina State Association of Free Will Baptists.
Webster holds two master’s degrees, a M.A. in Biblical Studies from Maranatha Baptist Seminary and a Master of Biblical Studies from Virginia Beach Theological Seminary. He is concurrently seeking a M.Div. and a M.A. in Church Music at Maranatha.
Daniel met his wife Kimberly (Fisher) while in college at Southeastern Free Will Baptist College. Daniel and Kimberly have three children, Aaron (8), Julianna (6), and Noah (4).
President Matt Pinson said, “We’re elated to have Daniel Webster coming on board full-time in this capacity. He has just the right combination of background, talents, and skills for this job. But what’s more, he sees this as a calling and ministry. Daniel is a great fit and will move us forward as we get out on our new campus in Gallatin.”
For more information on Welch College, visit welch.edu.
