Greetings from Bryan College.

It's hard to believe we're nearing the end of the fall semester, but Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Christmas is right behind that. Graduation this fall is set for Dec. 18 (see story at right).

The past month has been exciting as we have seen work continue on the new entrance, the Hilltop Players presented their fall play, “The Crucible,” the William Jennings Bryan Center for Law and Public Policy presented its first symposium on health care, and the music department offered a “Musical Showcase” which included introducing the new Community Children's Choir.

As you read through the list of events below, or view the full calendar on the Bryan web site, we hope you will plan to join us as often as possible for a first-hand look at what is happening on The Hill.

We hope to see you soon!

Opera Workshop Program, featuring students of the Bryan College Music Department, Rudd Auditorium, 7:30 p.m..

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Business honor society inducts 6

Six business majors have been inducted into the Bryan College chapter of Sigma Beta Delta, an international business honor society.

Chapter advisor Dr. Jeffrey Boyce said the society recognizes outstanding scholars in business. “Students must be nominated, must be in the top 20 percent of their class, and have a minimum of a 3.8 grade average,” he said. The society stresses the attributes of wisdom, honor and aspiration toward worthy goals.

Inductees include Heather Jones, a junior from Winchester, Va.; Faith Martin, a senior from Athens, Tenn.; Brian Mullennix, a junior from McDonough, Ga.; Olivia Pool, a senior from Powell, Tenn.; Stephen Russell, a senior from Stuarts Draft, VA.; and Amy Whisman, a junior from Hixson, Tenn.

MBA, Aspire students learn about global business

Students in the MBA and Aspire degree completion programs are hearing first-person accounts of world-wide business and competition through an International Lecture Series this fall.

Speakers were selected in collaboration with Bryan College's Center for International Development and are experts in international business, economics, and leadership. Representing Slovakia, the United States, Scotland, and the Czech Republic, each of the speakers offers a unique and professional perspective. Lecture topics include “Developing Small Businesses in Emerging Nations,” “The Monetary Teachings of Jesus,” “Thoughts on the Obama Stimulus Plan,” and “Leadership Development in a Former Socialist Republic.”

Dennis Miller, executive director of the Center for International Development, said, “Response has been super. We have had numerous Aspire and MBA students tell us how much they have enjoyed the sessions, and faculty members have said they have learned from the presentations.

“We want students to know about the impact of international business on American corporations and individuals. For example, speakers have addressed how the European Union is impacting American business and individuals since Europe is our fastest-growing competitor.”

Lectures are held in the Krystal Building in Chattanooga, the location of Bryan's MBA program. For more information and a complete schedule of lectures, visit the Center for International Development's web site.

Graduation set Dec. 18

Approximately 130 students are to receive their degrees in Bryan's fall graduation Dec. 18, at the Tivoli Theatre in downtown Chattanooga.

Speaker for the event will be Dr. Robert L. Haskins, pastor of Tyner United Methodist Church in Chattanooga. Dr. Haskins is a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he served as a police officer before beginning theological training in 1970. After serving several churches in Northern Ireland, he transferred to the United Methodist Church in the United States in the early 1980's.

Lynn Lane of Dayton, Tenn., father of graduating senior Cameron Lane, is to be the parent marshal.

Among the graduates are 15 MBA students and 20 from the traditional program. The remaining graduates are from the Aspire degree completion program.

College officials made the decision two years ago to move the ceremony from the Bryan campus to the Tivoli Theatre because of space limitations in Rudd Auditorium and because so many of the MBA and Aspire students are from the Chattanooga area.

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Vocalists to entertain at Opportunity Program dinner

Vocalists Laurie Gayle Stephenson and Steve Amerson, whose talents have been featured on Broadway and film and television, will highlight the third annual William Jennings Bryan Opportunity Program (WJBOP) dinner April 15, 2010.

WJBOP is designed to help make Bryan College accessible to all academically qualified Tennessee students who demonstrate significant financial need. The program guarantees that eligible students will receive assistance that will meet or exceed the cost of tuition at Bryan College.

Vice President for Advancement Blake Hudson said this year 40 students are benefitting from WJBOP, and a goal of $250,000 has been set for the 2010 dinner. “Thanks to the efforts of our host committee and its chairman, Mr. Joe Decosimo, we already have raised some $90,000 of that goal to benefit Bryan students,” Mr. Hudson said.

Laurie Stephenson made her Broadway debut in the Tony award-winning The Secret Garden where she performed the role of Lily. She starred for two years on Broadway as Christine Daae in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. She has performed at events for Campus Crusade, Concerts of Prayer, and Child Evangelism Fellowship.

Steve Amerson can be heard on movies and television shows including Get Smart, Matrix Reloaded, King Kong, The Patriot, Amistad, Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom, Glory, Home Alone, Aladdin, Touched by an Angel, The Hunt for Red October, and commercials for Ford Trucks, Honda, Toyota, Texaco, IBM, and Delta Airlines. He has been a soloist for Billy Graham Crusades, the National Religious Broadcasters and Christian Booksellers conventions and Founders Week at Moody Bible Institute.

For more information about the WJBOP dinner and concert or to order tickets, click here.