Happy New Year from Bryan College!
We trust you had a wonderful Christmas season and that the New Year will be filled with blessings from our gracious Father.
We are looking forward to students returning to campus next week and a new semester beginning. Some students will leave shortly for a semester in Italy, others will head to Spain to polish their language skills, and others will take up internships to refine the skills they have learned in the classroom.
We invite you to visit our web site frequently to keep up to date with what's happening at Bryan. From construction of the new entrance and apartment complex, to community service projects, to changes in academic programs, Spring 2010 promises to be an exciting, busy semester.
Jan. 9
Orientation for Cohort IX of the MBA at Bryan, 1 p.m., the Krystal Building, Chattanooga.
PCI retreat.
Jan. 11-12
Student Government Association winter retreat.
Student registration.
Classes begin.
Engage Conference, featuring Andy Crouch, author and senior fellow at the International Justice Mission Institute.
Tickets on sale for the Hilltop Players' production of "Steel Magnolias” at the box office or online.
7:30 p.m., Story & Craft Series, at Create Here in Chattanooga.
Online spring session I begins with classes U.S. history II, freshman English II, and precalculus.
Aspire classes start in Cleveland, Tenn.
Jan. 23
Classes begin for Cohort IX of the MBA at Bryan.
Jan. 25
Aspire classes start at Chattanooga State.
7 p.m., The financial aid office offers a financial aid workshop at Berean Academy in Chattanooga.
7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. Friday), Hilltop Players' dessert theatre production of "Steel Magnolias,” Brock Hall.
Decosimo Lecture Series featuring Walt Jackson, Goldman Sachs managing director and Bryan alum.
6 p.m., Aspire classes start in East Brainerd.
4 p.m., Performance Repertoire, featuring music department students.
6 p.m., Aspire classes start in Dayton.
Application deadline for Dean's Scholarship.
Feb. 2
Summer camp fair.
4 p.m., Senior Recital for pianist Molly Gehring and flautist Allyson Underwood.
Presidential/Music Performance Scholarship event.
8 p.m., Student Showcase concert featuring music department students.
E-Lumine
Articles in this issue:New semester begins next week - [ Article Below ] 109 receive degrees in December - [ Article Below ] Student attitudes exceed national average, survey finds - [ Article Below ] Students prepare for MLK Service Day - [ Article Below ] |
New semester begins next week
Work has continued through the Christmas break on the new entrance, and site preparation for new apartments is progressing toward a goal of beginning construction later this month. "Frozen ground this week hasn't helped, but the projects are on schedule to meet our deadline to have them ready for the fall semester,” Vice President for Operations Tim Hostetler said.
On the enrollment front, the Admissions office is expecting some 30 new students to enroll, "about normal for the spring,” according to Vice President for Enrollment Management Michael Sapienza. "The early information looks like retention fall to spring will be very good, and total enrollment for the spring will be well over our projections.”
New this semester will be two art classes, drawing and introduction to painting, the first art classes since a ceramics course was offered four years ago.
109 receive degrees in December
One hundred nine graduates received diplomas during Bryan's 79th commencement exercises Dec. 18, at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga.
Fifteen graduates received the Master of Business Administration degree, 12 the Bachelor of Arts degree, and 82 the Bachelor of Science degree.
"We thank God for who the graduates are,” President Dr. Stephen D. Livesay said. "But we also thank God for what they will become in the years to come.”
Dr. Robert Haskins, pastor of Tyner United Methodist Church in Chattanooga, used the word "Bryan” as the basis for his graduation address.
"‘B' is for belief,” he said. "A lot of people have difficulty believing in anything today. My aim tonight is to help you reach belief in God that is worth holding on to.
"‘R' is for realizing. This is not the end but the beginning of realizing something of value in your life. If you leave yourself open, you will realize something far better than you could imagine.
"‘Y' is for you yourself. By receiving your degree, it shows a level of determination, of ‘stick-ability.' It shows that you trust in yourself that you are able to do it, and you have done it.
"‘A' is for attitude. Attitudes are formed. Tonight you form an attitude about where you go from here that will guide you the rest of your life. Your attitude from here on out is key to your future.
"‘N' is for navigate. Life is like a voyage, with many ports of call. The direction your life takes is a personal decision. I hope you can say at the end of your life that you have” finished the course and kept the faith.
Awards were presented to Teresa Curl, an Aspire degree completion graduate, for the outstanding research project, and to Carolyn Candland, a traditional program graduate, for having the highest academic average.
Student attitudes exceed national average, survey finds
Bryan College students are more satisfied with their college experience than are their counterparts at other four-year private schools, a national survey again has found.
For the 12th year, Bryan has participated in the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory of students at private institutions. This year, 253,000 students at 368 schools responded.
"Since the first year Bryan participated in this survey, findings have been unmistakably clear that our students' rankings have exceeded on average the way students in other CCCU (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities) and four-year private colleges rank their institutions,” Dr. Ken Froemke, Bryan's accreditation liaison, said.
Michael Sapienza, vice president for enrollment management, explained that the survey's 89 questions are grouped into 12 areas. "While many schools consider exceeding national averages on one or two scales a great success, Bryan students have once again rated their satisfaction higher than peers at other private colleges in each of the 12 major categories.”
Overall, when Bryan students responded to the question "if you had to do it over, would you enroll here again?” Bryan's score was 6.29 (on a seven-point scale) compared with 5.21 for other institutions.
"One of the reasons we administer the Noel-Levitz survey is to find an objective measure of what students think about their Bryan experience,” Mr. Sapienza said. "We want students to have a positive experience, so the survey results help us know where to focus our attention to continue to achieve that goal.”
Students prepare for MLK Service Day
Hundreds of students, faculty and staff will tackle service projects in the Rhea County community Jan. 18, as Bryan College celebrates its 6th annual MLK Community Service Day.
"We are joining a tradition across the country of service, humility, and unity,” said Danielle Rebman, MLK Day coordinator and associate for spiritual formation in the office of student life. "This year our goal is to help more in some of the smaller communities around Dayton which have not previously been reached, such as Dayton Mountain and Graysville.”
Other new project locations this year include the YMCA Family Center in Dayton, the Wears Valley Ranch children's home in Sevierville, Tenn., and La Paz de Dios Hispanic ministry in Chattanooga.
Every MLK Service Day is meant to develop a love for service in students, faculty, and staff, for Rhea County and beyond, Ms. Rebman said. Besides aiding organizations, teams also provide help to individuals in the community who are in need. Although new work venues are added each year, Bryan makes an effort to continue relationships established on previous workdays.
"A lot of people look forward every year to this day, when students help them do something they couldn't do themselves,” Ms. Rebman said. "Students can build really significant friendships through service.”