Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As this edition of E-Lumine goes out, the end of the semester and Christmas are just a little more than a week away, and 2009 is rushing headlong our way. God certainly has been good to Bryan College this year, and we appreciate your prayerful support along the way.

Tonight and tomorrow are the Christmas concerts produced by the Bryan Music Department. We hope you can attend.

December

Dec. 12

6 p.m., MBA Commencement Banquet

Dec. 12-13 

7:30 p.m., Music Concert Series: "Christmas on the Hill," featuring students, faculty, and  guests, the Metropolitan Bells. Rudd Auditorium

Dec. 18

Faculty/Staff Pot Luck Christmas Hall Party

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Dec. 19

Christmas Break

Students’ Christmas break begins after their last final exam. Students return Jan. 12, 2009.

7 p.m., Commencement at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga

Dec. 24, 2008 – Jan. 2, 2009

Bryan College Offices Closed

Dec. 30, 2008 – Jan. 8, 2009

Fine Arts/Theatre London Trip

January 2009

Jan. 5

Online Distance Learning application deadline for online classes including Christian Worldview, General Psychology, Freshman English I, and Precalculus

Jan. 6

Spring tuition payments due

Jan. 12

Faculty Workshop

Students return to school to begin the spring semester

6 p.m., Aspire classes start in Athens, Tenn.
 

Jan. 13

Registration for spring semester

Jan. 14

First day of classes

Jan. 14-16

Missions Conference

Sessions 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. Friday

December 12, 2008

Graduation completes a long journey

Graduation will be the end of a long road for one member of the Bryan Class of 2008—literally.

Chris Young, a psychology major from Campaign, Tenn., has driven 75 miles one way, almost every day, to attend classes for the past seven semesters.

He is among some 120 students who will receive their degrees in ceremonies at Chattanooga’s Tivoli Theatre Dec. 19.

Chris came to Bryan after the company where he worked closed about four years ago. “Part of the severance package was that they would pay for tuition and books for people who wanted to go to school,” he explained. “This was an opportunity for me to do something I’d always wanted to do.

“I live only 25 minutes from Tennessee Tech, but I wanted to go to a Christian school,” he said. “I wanted Christian integration with my major, and I wanted a minor in Bible. I was interested in Bryan because of the Christian influence and the motto ‘Christ Above All.’”

Before enrolling at Bryan, he had served as a youth minister at churches in his community and developed a heart to work with troubled teens. His Bryan education, he believes, is a step in that direction. He hopes to pursue a graduate degree to make that dream a reality.

Dr. Steve Bradshaw praised Chris as “a really good student (who) has done really well. I think he could do a lot of good modeling what it means to be a man, particularly for boys.”

Sapienza named Vice President for Enrollment Management

Michael Sapienza has been named to the newly created position of vice president for enrollment management at Bryan College, President Livesay announced this week.

Dr. Livesay said Mr. Sapienza, who most recently served as director of enrollment management, “will be working actively with many departments on campus, coordinating a campus-wide effort in attracting students and maximizing our retention efforts.”

Mr. Sapienza came to Bryan five years ago as director of financial aid, and was named director of admissions and financial aid before taking the enrollment management post. Dr. Livesay said his new responsibilities also will include “evaluating and streamlining our multiple points of student data entry and collections.”

Mr. Sapienza’s appointment comes as the college is pursuing Vision 2020, its master development plan for the next 12 years. Among Vision 2020 goals is raising traditional enrollment at the college from the present 750 students to 1,200. “We want to position the college for whatever comes in this economic downturn,” he said. “Looking beyond that, part of my job is to research best practices to see what we need to do to reach the Vision 2020 goals.”

Mr. Sapienza is a graduate of Franklin Pierce College with a degree in financial management. He is nearing completion of a Master’s degree in communication leadership from Spring Arbor University. He and his wife, Claudia, are parents of Cammie, 5, and Colin, 2.

Bryan gearing up for MLK community service projects

Nearly 600 students, faculty and staff are gearing up for Bryan’s fifth annual MLK Community Service Day Jan. 19.

Danielle Rebman, associate for spiritual formation in the Office of Student Life who is coordinating planning for the day, said between 80 and 100 work sites will be targeted during the day.

“About half the projects involve people and organizations we have built relationships with over the past several years,” Miss Rebman said. “We are working with Practical Christian Involvement ministries in the community and college employees to find the other work sites.”

Workers will gather for breakfast and prayer in the college dining room on Jan. 19, then head to their assigned sites. A new feature this year will be a wrap-up meal at supper for workers to celebrate their efforts.

“Our main goal is to help the campus experience serving as a community, realizing that our faith is an active faith,” Miss Rebman said. “We want to help everyone understand that service is a lifestyle.”

Past work sites have included Cumberland Springs and Cedine Bible camps, the Women’s Care Center, churches, ministry organizations, and homes of senior citizens.

Miss Rebman added that she is trying to secure funding to purchase t-shirts for workers. Anyone wishing to help with this project may contact her at 423-775-7251 or by email.

Bush speechwriter Gerson to speak at dinner

Michael Gerson, former speechwriter and assistant to President George W. Bush, will be the featured speaker for Bryan’s second William Jennings Bryan Opportunity Program dinner April 16, 2009.

Proceeds from the dinner support the William Jennings Bryan Opportunity Program, which provides financial aid to help deserving students from low-income families attend Bryan College. Some 30 students are enrolled at the college this year as a result of assistance through the program.

Steve Keck, director of advancement, said the dinner will be held at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo beginning at 6 p.m. College personnel are inviting interested persons to support the program and the dinner. For information or to register for the event, contact Mr. Keck by email or at 423-775-7581.

Mr. Gerson, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and columnist for The Washington Post, worked closely with President Bush to prepare speeches following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the unfolding War on Terror. He is recognized as one of the key intellectual architects of the Bush presidency, particularly on issues of compassionate conservatism at home and the freedom agenda abroad.