Message From President Mann

Dear friends and partners at Bryan College,

As we start this day I wanted to send a note to all faculty and staff. First, as a community each of you have been very gracious as we have transitioned in executive leadership. Such circumstances can be difficult to navigate, and I am grateful for the entire team here that has handled this transition so admirably. Second, I want to personally thank you for your words of encouragement to Susi and me since we arrived just over two years ago. We have come a long way in these two years! Finally, I want to acknowledge that I, along with each of you, stand on the shoulders of the men and women who came before us here at the College. They, like we do today, served our students by providing an excellent education that is solidly grounded in Biblical Truth as well as a community that supports and promotes each student’s goals and aspirations. We honor God and them by continuing their work on this campus.

Recently, someone asked me about Bryan’s niche in the market. I have thought about that question, and there are certainly a lot of excellent contenders for what makes Bryan unique: great faculty; a wide range of programs; and competitive athletics.Those aspects are important, and we are blessed to boast all three. But many colleges and universities have those elements and claim to be the best. My thinking has moved toward a slightly different question: “Why is Bryan relevant?”

Bryan is relevant because we are a school that unabashedly holds to the centrality of God’s Word in all that we do and say. For the 90 years of Bryan College’s existence, we have been animated by two core principles:

• The transformative power of the gospel in an individual’s life. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing and apart from His salvation. We are not able to achieve all for which we were created — honoring and glorifying God in all things. For its first 90 years, the men and women at Bryan College have sought to proclaim the gospel and hold Christ Above All.
• The transformative power of education and equipping students with the knowledge, values, and skills needed to make a difference in the world.

We approach our students and curriculum holding to these two principles. Our curriculum is shaped and taught from a Biblical perspective and the belief that an education, rightly constructed, can transform a student’s life and impact the world. The hiring of faculty, staff, coaches, and administrators is shaped around these same core values. Secular institutions obviously do not hold to such values. This void is why Bryan College is relevant and needed in today’s world. These core principles are why I want every student, who is able, to come to Bryan. I believe Bryan’s commitment to Scripture, to Biblical values, and to a curriculum such as business, history, psychology or engineering grounded in Biblical truth and values is greatly needed in today’s world. I want every student who God calls to Bryan College to have this kind of college experience.

I am deeply humbled to be a part of the team at my alma mater. The days ahead will be challenging but I am convinced that our best days are ahead of us. We’ll take some missteps along the way but as we work and serve graciously alongside each other, and with God’s guidance, we will accomplish great things on Bryan Hill! Please know that each of you are in my prayers as we launch into this new semester.

Douglas F. Mann, Ph.D.

President

Bryan College ’92