Welch President Matt Pinson Announces Capital Campaign Success, Increase in Campaign Goal

by jowens | May 6, 2016

Dear Friend of Welch College,

God is doing great things in the ministry of Welch College as we move forward with campus construction and plans for relocation. I am writing to give you a brief update on campus relocation and the Building on the Legacy capital campaign.

I want to thank you for your prayers for the Building on the Legacy campaign for campus relocation. The early stages of the campaign have been more successful than we had ever dreamed possible. We currently have about $8 million in cash and commitments (about $6.5 million of that in cash) toward the Building on the Legacy campaign. We give thanks and praise to God for His bountiful blessing!

These early blessings will allow us to increase our campaign goal to $14.4 million (our original goal was $6.5 million). This will enable us to build a full auditorium/chapel, which was left out of the original first-phase plans for the campus. It will also allow us to be debt-free after the completion of the five-year campaign.

I encourage you to go to BuildingontheLegacy.com to read more about our campaign and see the latest videos of campus construction. We thank you, our alumni, friends, and supporters, for your prayers and support thus far, and we ask you to join us in this campaign for the relocation of Welch College, as we continue Building on the Legacy!

In Christ,

J.Matthew Pinson
President

Dr. Jack Williams, Former Welch College Communications Director, Dies at age 73

by jowens | May 2, 2016

Dr. Jack Williams, former communications director at Welch College, died suddenly April 29. He was 73. Reverend Williams suffered a stroke in November 2012, from which he fought hard to recover.

Williams graduated from Welch College in 1966. He received his M.A. from Sacramento Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Louisiana Baptist University. Dr. Williams served 27 years as editor of Contact, the official publication of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, and 24 years as convention coordinator, plus eight years as academic dean at California Christian College. He pastored in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Louisiana. He also served on the Free Will Baptist Historical Commission.

Jack came to Welch in 2005 as the director of communications and served there until 2014. His knowledge of the college history and Free Will Baptist history made him a perfect fit for writing and editing. Welch President Matt Pinson said, “Jack Williams was just the man we needed when he came to Welch. In addition to his first-rate writing and editing, he brought to the table a deep love for the Free Will Baptist denomination and the college, as well as a keen understanding of our history and culture. He was a great encourager to me personally.”

He is survived by his wife Janis; daughter, Dr. Rebecca Deel (Recardo), Business teacher at Welch; son, Brad Williams (Tina); and four grandchildren, Austin and Andrew Deel (both Welch students) and Kristen and Kullen Williams; sister, Carol Mariche; and brother, Jerry Williams. He was preceded in death by a grandson, Kyler Williams.

A funeral service will be held Wednesday, May 4, 7:00 p.m. at Woodbine Funeral Home Hickory Chapel (5852 Nolensville Road, Nashville, TN 37211) with visitation prior at 5:00.

Virgin Islands School Principal Stephen Beck Joins Welch Faculty

by jowens | Mar 25, 2016

By Josh Owens, Director of Media and Marketing

Nashville, TN—Stephen Beck, principal of the Free Will Baptist Christian School in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, has been hired as a full-time faculty member in Teacher Education at Welch College, according to Provost Greg Ketteman.

Beck will assume the position this fall as Dr. Thurman Pate shifts to a part-time role, the beginning of a planned, phased retirement. Pate began serving the college in 1999 as chairman of the department of Teacher Education. “Dr. Pate’s wife’s healthcare needs are a primary consideration in the timing of this change,” Ketteman said. “Mrs. Ann Pate, who herself served 14 years as a faculty member in the TE department, and Dr. Pate have been such a blessing to the TE Department at Welch for a combined 30 years. Dr. Pate will continue to teach some courses and serve as mentor to Mr. Beck. He is excited about the future of the department and pleased to see Stephen in this position.”

“Stephen started out as an engineer.” said Ketteman. “While attending Vanderbilt University, where he received his B.S. in engineering with minors in math and computer science in 1997, he took Bible and missions courses at Welch, where he met his wife Rejyna.”

Beck, an ordained minister and the grandson of Welch’s founding president Dr. L. C. Johnson, served as an engineer for a defense contractor in Huntsville, AL, until sensing a calling to the school in the Virgin Islands, where he also served as associate pastor of the Free Will Baptist Church there. In that capacity, he was appointed an associate home missionary with Free Will Baptist North American Ministries. In addition to his administrative and pastoral work, he coached championship soccer and cross-country teams.

“The college has long envisioned offering a program for math teachers,” Ketteman said. “Having Stephen here will allow us to pursue that goal. He will teach full-time in the department and take over many of Dr. Pate’s administrative duties as well. Our plan is to have Dr. Etta Patterson serve as interim chairman of the department while Stephen completes his doctorate, after which time he will assume the chair of the department.”

Beck completed most of his coursework toward a master’s degree in engineering at the University of Alabama in Hunstville. He holds a master’s degree in mathematics education from the University of Virgin Islands, where he is an adjunct assistant professor in mathematics.

President Matt Pinson said, “I am delighted that Stephen Beck will join our Welch team. He has an ideal mix of administrative background, ministry experience, and fit with Welch’s mission. Plus, he has the public relations skills to recruit students, build the program, and relate to accrediting and approval agencies. He’s not only qualified, but he also combines deep spirituality with a hunger for truth and intellectual curiosity.”

Stephen, Rejyna, and their five children, Opal Ruth (12), James Foster (12), Stephen Linton (10), Samuel Fletcher (9), and Charlotte Grace (6), will move to Nashville this summer, when he will assume his new role.

Welch President Matt Pinson Elected to TICUA Board

by jowens | Mar 1, 2016

By Josh Owens, Director of Media and Marketing

Nashville, TN—In February Welch College President Matt Pinson was elected to the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA). The sixty-year-old organization serves as the professional organization for the 34 regionally accredited, private colleges and universities in the state of Tennessee.

According to the TICUA website, the Association “engages Tennessee’s private colleges and universities to work collaboratively in areas of public policy, cost containment, and professional development to better serve the state and its citizens. TICUA’s 34 member colleges and universities educate over 80,000 students from across the state, country, and throughout the world and confer more than 19,000 degrees a year. TICUA is dedicated to the preservation of student opportunity and choice in higher education.”

The 15-person TICUA board is currently chaired by Dr. Randy Lowery, president of Lipscomb University in Nashville. Most of TICUA’s directors are presidents of Tennessee private colleges and universities; however, board members are also elected from the Tennessee business and non-profit sectors.

TICUA President Claude Presnell said, “I’m so excited the TICUA Board chose and the full membership ratified Dr. Pinson to serve as a Director on the TICUA Board of Directors. He will bring a wealth of experience and unique perspective toward advancing the future of TICUA. Dr. Pinson’s leadership at Welch College suits him well for keeping TICUA focused on serving the more than 80,000 students enrolled at TICUA member colleges and universities.”

For more information on TICUA, please visit their website at TICUA.org. For more information on Welch College, please visit Welch.edu.