The Grand Opening of the Welch College Student Activities Center is scheduled for Friday, November 10, according to President Matt Pinson.
Friends and members of the Welch College community are invited to celebrate with an evening of festivities. A brief grand opening ceremony will begin at 4:00 p.m. followed by a tailgate party and cookout at 5:00. The Flames basketball team will then play the first game in the brand new gymnasium as they face St. Louis Christian at 7:00.
The Student Activities Center houses the gymnasium, coffee shop, student recreation area, and fitness center. A tour will be given following the 4:00 ceremony.
“We invite all our friends to come celebrate this wonderful occasion of the completion of the Student Activities Center, which also marks the conclusion of phase one of the construction of the new Welch campus,” President Pinson said. “The students have been eagerly anticipating the opening of this new facility that will be at the center of student life. It’s going to be great to have our first Flames basketball game in the new facilities in conjunction with Welcome Days.”
To see photographs of the new campus and get information about giving toward the funding of this effort, visit Buildingonthelegacy.com.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College has enrolled 367 students from 25 states and two other countries for the 2017 fall semester, according to Provost Matthew McAffee, a near-8% increase from last year’s numbers. Enrollment statistics indicate a diverse student body with a wide range of academic interests.
“We are grateful for the Lord’s blessing on Welch College in granting us this increase in student enrollment,” McAffee said. “We have a wonderful group of gifted students who are ready to pursue God’s calling on their lives. My impression of this group of Welch students leads me to anticipate a great year of academic excellence and spiritual formation.”
Two of the most exciting developments are the number of new students and dormitory students enrolled this semester. College officials report 94 new students, an increase of 57%, and 194 dormitory students, a 12% increase over last year’s numbers.
At press time the college reported 194 dormitory students, 16 commuter students, 17 graduate students, 11 Enriched Adult Studies students, 58 Online/Lifetime Learning students, and 71 dual enrollment students. Officials set the fall semester 2017 full-time student equivalency (FTE) at 275.
By classification they include 90 Freshmen, 64 Sophomores, 42 Juniors, and 55 Seniors, as well as graduate, non-degree part-time, and dual enrollment students.
By states, students number:
Alabama
15
Arizona
1
Arkansas
14
California
4
Colorado
1
Florida
14
Georgia
9
Illinois
13
Indiana
3
Kansas
1
Kentucky
2
Michigan
6
Mississippi
5
Missouri
14
North Carolina
26
Ohio
4
Oklahoma
6
Pennsylvania
1
Rhode Island
2
South Carolina
8
South Dakota
1
Tennessee
181
Texas
4
Virginia
8
West Virginia
1
International
23
President Matt Pinson said, “There’s nothing like the excitement of fall enrollment on the Welch campus. The dreams of graduating seniors combine with the energy of incoming freshmen to put a smile on every face. Our prayer is that not the increase in numbers but the Holy Spirit, by the power of His Word, will create an unparalleled zeal in our students this year.”
To contact Welch College for more information, email recruit@welch.edu or visit the college’s website at 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.
