Bryan College
Encyclopedia
Bryan College is a Christian
liberal arts college
in Dayton, Tennessee
. It was founded in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial
to establish an institution of higher education that would teach from a Christian
worldview.
in 1925, William Jennings Bryan
expressed the wish that a school might be established in Dayton, "to teach truth from a Biblical perspective". Following his death on July 26, 1925, a national memorial association was formed to establish such an institution in Bryan’s honor.
William Jennings Bryan University was chartered in 1930. Its stated purpose was to provide “for the purpose of establishing, conducting and perpetuating a university for the higher education of men and women under auspices distinctly Christian
and spiritual, as a testimony to the supreme glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and to the Divine inspiration and infallibility of the Bible,” and it's mission statement is "Educating Students to become Servants of Christ to make a Difference in Today's World." In 1958, it was designated William Jennings Bryan College, and the name was shortened to Bryan College in 1993
(CHEA), the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
, the Appalachian College Association (ACA), and the Association of Christian Schools International
(ACSI).
Its association with the Scopes Trial has led to its addition as a stop along the Southeast Tennessee Religious Trail.
since 1969.
Bryan is currently ranked by U.S. News & World Report at sixteenth for Baccalaureate Colleges in the South.
, the bachelor's degree
in 20 majors with 40 distinct options, and two Masters degrees: the Master of Business Administration
degree and the Master of Arts in Christian Studies degree. 77% of their professors hold terminal degrees in their fields of study.
degree in Business Administration with several concentrations.
The Bryan College Lions compete in the Appalachian Athletic Conference
(AAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA).
The college fields intercollegiate teams for men's and women's basketball
, men's and women's soccer, men's baseball
, and women's volleyball
and women's softball
and women's cheerleading
. The college also fields co-ed teams in cross-country running and track and field
and golf
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
in Dayton, Tennessee
Dayton, Tennessee
Dayton is a city in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,180 at the 2000 census. The Dayton, TN, Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends south to Graysville, Tennessee, had 9,050 people in 2000...
. It was founded in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial
Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial—formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and informally known as the Scopes Monkey Trial—was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it unlawful to...
to establish an institution of higher education that would teach from a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
worldview.
History
During the Scopes TrialScopes Trial
The Scopes Trial—formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and informally known as the Scopes Monkey Trial—was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it unlawful to...
in 1925, William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
expressed the wish that a school might be established in Dayton, "to teach truth from a Biblical perspective". Following his death on July 26, 1925, a national memorial association was formed to establish such an institution in Bryan’s honor.
William Jennings Bryan University was chartered in 1930. Its stated purpose was to provide “for the purpose of establishing, conducting and perpetuating a university for the higher education of men and women under auspices distinctly Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and spiritual, as a testimony to the supreme glory of the Lord Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
Christ, and to the Divine inspiration and infallibility of the Bible,” and it's mission statement is "Educating Students to become Servants of Christ to make a Difference in Today's World." In 1958, it was designated William Jennings Bryan College, and the name was shortened to Bryan College in 1993
Presidents (1930-present)
- George E. Guille (1930-1931)
- Malcolm M. Lockhart (1931-1933)
- Judson A. Rudd (1933-1955)
- Theodore C. Mercer (1956-1986)
- Kenneth G. Hanna (1986-1992)
- William E. Brown (1993-2003)
- Stephen D. Livesay (2003-present)
Affiliations
Bryan College is a member of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA), the Council for Higher Education AccreditationCouncil for Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education...
(CHEA), the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities is an organization designed to help primarily Protestant and evangelical Christian institutions of higher education cooperate and communicate with one another...
, the Appalachian College Association (ACA), and the Association of Christian Schools International
Association of Christian Schools International
The Association of Christian Schools International is an association of evangelical Protestant Christian schools.-Purposes:ACSI, a protestant association for Christian schools, impacts nearly 23,000 schools and transforms the lives of more than 3.9 million students worldwide...
(ACSI).
Campus
The Bryan College campus in Dayton is 128 acre (0.51799808 km²) in size with 20 buildings, 9 of which are dormitories.Its association with the Scopes Trial has led to its addition as a stop along the Southeast Tennessee Religious Trail.
Accreditation and ranking
Bryan has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
since 1969.
Bryan is currently ranked by U.S. News & World Report at sixteenth for Baccalaureate Colleges in the South.
Academics
Bryan offers the associate's degreeAssociate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
, the bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 20 majors with 40 distinct options, and two Masters degrees: the Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree and the Master of Arts in Christian Studies degree. 77% of their professors hold terminal degrees in their fields of study.
Adult Degree Completion Program
The Adult Degree Completion Program is a degree completion program designed for adult learners to attend school part-time, and offers a Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Business Administration with several concentrations.
Athletics
Appalachian Athletic Conference
The Appalachian Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference that competes in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II competition. Members of the conference are located in the Southeast United States in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia...
(AAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA).
The college fields intercollegiate teams for men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, men's and women's soccer, men's baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and women's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and women's softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
and women's cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
. The college also fields co-ed teams in cross-country running and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.