It's almost fall again, and students are due back on Bryan Hill in just a few days.

The beginning of an academic year is always an exciting time. We look forward to welcoming returning students, anticipate getting to know our new students, and gear up for convocation and the work of “educating students to become servants of Christ to make a difference in today's world” which follows the opening festivities.

We appreciate your interest in Bryan College, and invite your prayerful support as we begin a new year. We hope you will be able to join us for many events on campus, or just come by to say “Hi.”

PCI retreat.

Faculty Workshop, to plan for the coming year.

Online Fall Session I begins. Classes include general psychology, Christian worldview, freshman English I, environmental science.

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

Aspire classes start in downtown Chattanooga, 6 p.m.

Convocation, 7 p.m. Address by Dr. Daryl Charles, followed by a reception for students, faculty and staff.

E-Lumine

 Academic VP, Admissions Director named

Two top administrators have been appointed as Bryan begins the academic year; Dr. Bradford Sample is the new academic vice president and Mr. Michael Nichols is the new director of admissions.

Dr. Sample comes to Bryan from Indiana Wesleyan University, where he has served for the past six years as director of liberal arts and electives, dean of the college of adult and professional studies, and most recently as an historian and associate dean of the school of social and behavioral sciences and business.

He said he was attracted to Bryan because “I have always wanted to be a part of a community of scholars and a school dedicated to spreading God's Word to the world. I love Bryan's commitment to God's Truth and its reputation as a place of great community and instruction. In addition, who wouldn't love to move to Tennessee?”

Core values he brings with him include working to ensure the college “remains true to the mission that is inspired by our faith; upholds high academic standards; and enhances our commitment to innovation and creativity that will inform administrative decisions and curricula and aid our students after they leave our institution.”

Dr. Sample and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of Caleb, 7, and Grace, 5.

President Stephen Livesay said, “We're excited to have Dr. Sample lead our academic team.He brings a breadth of academic experience and a deep passion for a Christian liberal arts education. His academic credentials, scholarly work, biblical worldview, and commitment to Jesus Christ make him a great fit for Bryan.”

Mr. Nichols has more than 15 years experience as an executive in educational, religious, corporate, and non-profit institutions. Most recently he served as director of enrollment management at Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Fla. In addition, he has spoken extensively as a consultant in the U.S. and 11 foreign countries.

He is nearing completion of a Doctor of Education degree in organizational leadership at Liberty University.

Mr. Nichols and his wife, Sarah, are the parents of Madison Andree', 4. Mrs. Nichols also has joined the Bryan staff as coordinator of institutional effectiveness and planning.

Bryan ready for new academic year

Exciting progress on the new entrance and a new academic support center will greet students when they arrive on campus in the coming weeks to begin the 2009-10 school year.

Already, a number of student athletes have returned to begin pre-season workouts, but the trickle will turn into a flood next week, as student leaders come in for their planning sessions, and new students arrive on Aug. 22. Continuing students are due back Aug.24.

Professor Bill Harle said the academic support center's new location on the first floor of the library will offer increased space for face-to-face and online tutoring, a new Design Center for film and multimedia development, and a large conference/classroom for various workshops and group presentations.

Work is continuing on the new entrance, with earth-moving machines continuing to cut down a hillside on the northwest side of campus to provide fill for the roadbed and space for a new practice field and softball field. Vice President of Operations Tim Hostetler said students soon should have a good idea of how the road will connect with existing campus facilities.

A new academic vice president (see related story above) and three new faculty members also will greet students.

Michael Sapienza, vice president for enrollment management, said he expects this year's entering class to meet or exceed the number of new students in 2008. He said officials expect strong traditional enrollment and continued growth in the degree completion program, MBA, and distance learning to produce an overall increase in the college's total enrollment this fall.

Donated computers to aid Honduran school 

Director of Information Technology Services Stefon Gray said the computers have been donated to Destino del Reino, a ministry operated by alumna Rhonda Jackson, '77. “We have to dispose of old equipment,” Mr. Gray said. “This way we pull the computers out of service before they die and we don't have to send them to the landfill.”

While the computers may be old by American computer standards, they have been thoroughly tested and reprogrammed with “open source” educational programs that do not violate copyright laws.

Serge Yurovsky, Class of '98, who helped arrange the gift, said the school at Destino del Reino does not have any consistent computer equipment that is needed for an educational environment. “Bryan's gift will allow them to create two computer labs, help develop a network, and eventually place a computer in each classroom,” he said. “Most of the students who attend the school at Destino cannot afford to attend any of the other schools in this very poor region. This gift will give students access to technology and learning that are otherwise unimaginable.”

Mr. Gray said since the college builds its own computers using high-quality components, the machines often have longer useful life than the two to three years of a commercially procured computer. “Annually we cycle computers off the network during the year and have student workers get them ready to ship. They may be outdated for us, for they still have useful life for someone else,” he said.

And Mr. Gray said David Snyder, '87, who owns an Internet service business in Dayton, Tenn., is considering going to Destino del Reino to install the network for the computers.

“This really is a Bryan thing,” Mr. Yurovsky said. “We have alumni from different generations working together on this project. We have Bryan in common.”

Summer interns learn, contribute

Businesses, a policy research center, local churches, and international missions organizations have benefitted from Bryan students working in internships this summer.

Internships ranged from international placements arranged through the Acts Project to Stateside opportunities in Tennessee, Florida, and New York, in addition to others developed by students on their own.

Marlene Wilkey, director of career planning and corporate relations, said, “At Bryan College we encourage students to pursue experiential learning in the form of internships. Most often this means participating in a substantive work experience that is combined with structured and supervised learning activities. The purpose is to promote critical thinking, development of skills, and personal and professional growth.”

In the June edition of E-Lumine we highlighted the Acts Project internship. Click here to re-read that story. The links below will take you to new stories about other internships our students have experienced.

• Bailey Payne, Jessica Etress, and Charlee Marshall were among a dozen students from across the U.S. who interned at North Shore Baptist Church in Bayside, N.Y., this summer.

• Senior Tori Stewart is spending her summer in Nashville, TN, working as a policy intern at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.

• Cami Plaisted's plans to intern in a financial institution fell through, but a new church in Florida invited her to be their first summer youth minister.

• Ali Ibsen's internship was at the Red Door Playhouse in Roswell, Ga.