Greeting Bryan College!

An exciting but physically exerting day of community service in January, an outstanding Presidential Scholarship interview weekend in February and continuing work on North Hall – not to mention the educational aspect of college life – have made Bryan College an exciting place to be this past month.

Visitors to campus catch this excitement as they talk with students, faculty and staff, and it is apparent that prospective students like what they see as well. Admissions Director Michael Sapienza and his staff report encouraging contacts with students and their families who are considering Bryan. This was particularly evident during the Presidential Scholarship weekend.

We invite you to visit campus when you can, particularly if you haven’t been on The Hill in some time. Come see for yourself what God is doing. We think you’ll be encouraged!

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Coming events at Bryan College

Feb. 12
6 p.m. – Chamber Singers Concert at Christian Bible Fellowship Church , Evensville, TN.

Feb. 15
4:30 p.m. – Senior vocal recitals by Jessica Reed and Katie Fridsma.

Feb. 16
Day of Prayer. The students, faculty and staff will meet throughout the day in a variety of locations to pray for the college, community and the world.

Feb. 22-24
10 a.m. each day – Music Department Guest Lecture Series with Don Wyrtzen. The lectures will be held in Rudd Auditorium and are open to the public.

Feb. 24
7:30 p.m. – "Piano Praise Concert" in Rudd Auditorium featuring Don Wyrtzen.

March 3
Spring break begins after classes.

E-Lumine

Presidential Scholarship weekend

Bryan’s biggest visitation event of the year brought some 120 Presidential Scholars to campus the weekend of Feb. 3-4, and college officials are in the process of contacting the top scholarship winners to inform them of their selection.

Admissions Director Michael Sapienza said he was impressed with the credentials of the prospective students, who came from 30 states and two foreign countries. As has been the case in recent years, students from public, private and home schools were vying for the 11 Presidential Scholarships. Candidates who do not win Presidential grants will receive Dean’s Scholarships.

“It’s important for us to get prospective students and their families on campus because the interaction with faculty and students is one of our most important recruiting tools,” Mr. Sapienza said. “The Presidential Scholarship weekend draws some outstanding prospects, and even before the weekend was over we heard reports of students making up their minds to come in the fall.”
 

According to evaluations left with the admissions staff, the overwhelming majority of scholarship candidates rated every aspect of the weekend “above average” or “good.” Favorite parts of the weekend, according to free comments from the surveys included “meeting current students” and the “friendly faculty and staff.”

North Hall update

Workmen prepare forms for the walkway to the second floor of North Hall early in February. Later this month, the prefabricated wall sections are to be delivered and erected.

Martin Luther King Jr. community service day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is designed to be a time when Bryan College gives to the community, but Dr. Travis Ricketts said workers received as well as gave.

More than 500 students, faculty and staff spent Jan. 16 at 75 locations throughout Rhea County and surrounding areas painting, cleaning, building, baby sitting, doing yard work and digging a hole for a septic tank. “It’s safe to say that everyone who participated got something out of it,” Dr. Ricketts said.

The day began with breakfast and a devotional by Bryan President Dr. Stephen D. Livesay, then workers grabbed sack lunches and headed to their job sites.

Response from the work sites was positive, Dr. Ricketts said. A letter from the We Care community service agency in Dayton was typical: “The Bryan students and faculty assigned to We Care did an outstanding job and were an inspiration through their positive attitude and work effort. We are better off materially and spiritually after their visit.”

Students enjoyed the day, as well. In a note to Dr. Ricketts, one student said, “I really enjoyed going to the Deer Ridge Apartments last week for my service project. I met some of the most amazing people, some of whom had some of the most awesome connections to, and stories about, Bryan!”

Chorale on tour

Deconstructing Scopes

Unraveling the Mythology of the World’s Most Famous Trial

Bryan College’s year-long 75^th Anniversary celebration will culminate March 20-21, with a national symposium on the antecedents, action, and aftermath of the Scopes Evolution Trial of 1925.

Presenters during the Heritage Week program will include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dr. Edward J. Larson; science historian Dr. Ronald L. Numbers; former president of the H. L. Mencken Society and Bryan benefactor Dr. Ray Stevens; former editor of The American Biology Teacher Dr. Randy Moore; and Judge James W. McKenzie, a descendant of two Scopes Trial prosecutors. Other scholars include Bryan alumni Dr. David L. Llewellyn Jr. and Judge Lawrence H. Puckett as well as Bryan faculty Dr. Richard Cornelius, Dr. William Ketchersid and Dr. Kurt Wise.

In addition there will be a dramatization of the Scopes Trial and a concert of Scopes Trial songs and period music, special exhibits and tours of Scopes sites including the Rhea County Courthouse where the Trial was held.

Dr. Larson’s two lectures, Dr. Numbers’ lecture and the play will be free and open to the public. View the complete schedule here.

Cost of the entire symposium is $70 for adults and $50 for students. In addition, through arrangements with the University of Tennessee College of Law, 14 hours of Continuing Legal Education credit is being offered to lawyers for a conference cost of $350.

For information and registration contact Stephanie Mace at (423) 775-7321 or e-mail info@bryancore.org or see the symposium website at www.bryancore.org/scopes.