Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Greetings from Bryan College, as we anticipate Sunday's observance of our Lord's resurrection. May the joy of His presence encourage you this Easter season.

April will be a busy month at Bryan College, as the end of the academic year draws near. In addition to the groundbreaking for Phase II of the new entrance project, the college will host the second William Jennings Bryan Opportunity Program dinner, and Honors Day will recognize outstanding accomplishments by students, faculty and staff.

We hope you can join us for these and other events. Please know that you are welcome any time.

7:30 p.m. – Music Concert Series: Musical Showcase, featuring the Bryan College Music Department. Rudd Auditorium.

E-Lumine

Phase II groundbreaking set April 17

Groundbreaking for Phase II of the new entrance is set for April 17, as work on the first phase gives an idea of what to expect as construction nears on the campus side of the project.

Michael Gerson, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, will headline the groundbreaking service, which will include participation by local and state officials, former trustee Don Efird, and student leaders. Mr. Gerson also will speak the night before at the William Jennings Bryan Opportunity Program fund-raising dinner in Chattanooga.

“Our first groundbreaking in February was planned as a community celebration,” President Livesay said. “This will be a college celebration, so we are particularly pleased that Don Efird can be with us. Don told me at my first trustee meeting that he and others had been praying for an entrance for more than 40 years. We are thrilled to see how God, in His perfect timing, is bringing this project to fruition.”

Work on the second phase of the entrance will begin after school ends for the summer, as excavation and transporting fill dirt will disrupt at least one student parking lot. College officials also are concerned that some aspects of the project could pose safety issues with large numbers of students on campus during early phases of the project.

Visit the Bryan web site to see pictures of construction which are posted regularly.

Dr. Charles to lead Bryan Institute

Dr. J. Daryl Charles has been named director and senior fellow of the Bryan Institute for Critical Thought and Practice, Bryan College President Dr. Stephen D. Livesay has announced.

Dr. Charles, associate professor of religion at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., will assume his new position at the beginning of the 2009-10 academic year.

“We are delighted to have a scholar of Dr. Charles' stature come to lead the Bryan Institute for Critical Thought and Practice,” Dr. Livesay said. “His professional work has focused on a biblical worldview perspective on contemporary issues, which is precisely the mission of the Bryan Institute. As affiliates of the Bryan Institute examine issues such as origins and law and public policy, Dr. Charles will provide leadership and support to help the Institute and the college make thoughtful, biblically consistent contributions to matters of public concern.

Dr. Charles the author, co-author or translator of 11 books on topics including natural law, “just war” and the biblical book of Jude, and is the author of more than 100 articles published in scholarly journals.

He is a member of organizations including the National Association of Scholars, Christians in Political Science, the Evangelical Philosophical Society and the Evangelical Theological Society. He serves on the editorial advisory boards of the journals Pro Ecclesia, Cultural Encounters, and Regeneration Quarterly, and is contributing editor to Touchstone.

The Bryan Institute for Critical Thought and Practice includes the Center for Origins Research, Center for Leadership Studies, Center for Worldview Studies, the William Jennings Bryan Center for Law and Public Policy and the Center for International Development. The centers provide educational and research opportunities for Bryan students and the public.

Softball, golf coming in 2010

Bryan will add women's softball and men's and women's golf as intercollegiate sports in the 2010-11 academic year, college officials have announced.

Athletics Director Dr. Sandy Zensen said coaches for the teams—a full-time coach for softball and a part-time coach for golf—will be hired after July 1. The coaches will spend the 2009-10 year recruiting, arranging schedules and logistics, and securing equipment in preparation for the new sports' launch.

“We are the only college in the conference that does not offer softball,” Dr. Zensen said. “Softball is an important sport in the Chattanooga area, and I think this will make Bryan more attractive to a number of students. Plus, it's a great sport.”

Adding golf as an intercollegiate sport also has been discussed for some time, and officials decided this is the time to move.

Vice President for Enrollment Management Michael Sapienza said adding the three teams fits the overall strategy to raise traditional enrollment to 1,200. “We have a high percentage of students involved in intercollegiate athletics, so we could grow by lowering that percentage or we can use athletics as a tool to help us reach our goal,” he said. “This fits with what we're trying to accomplish."

180 set to graduate May 9

More than 180 students are expected to receive degrees during Bryan's 78^th commencement service May 9, including seven MBA students, members of the third cohort of Bryan's first Master's program.

A highlight of the weekend will be recognition of more than 20 members of the Class of 1959, who are expected to return to campus for their Golden Anniversary reunion. “Golden Grad” Marilyn Laszlo will serve as alumni marshal for the graduation ceremony, and will welcome members of the class of 2009 into the Bryan Alumni Association.

Festivities are to begin May 8, when the Class of 1959 gathers for lunch and campus tours. That evening, seniors will present a Vespers service reflecting on their years at Bryan.

Commencement begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Faculty members will present a number of awards to graduates, and senior Michael Reneau, from Ooltewah, Tenn., a communication studies major, will deliver the commencement address.