Written by Amanda Davis, Editor-in-Chief
DAYTON, TN – To Bruce Morgan, God’s Kingdom can be compared to tiny shards of glass or colored stones. The glass does not amount to much when it is isolated, but when a great artist pieces them together, they create a beautiful mosaic.
Morgan is the Dean of Student Support and Care at Bryan and leads the Mosaic Council. His job is to make underrepresented students, such as commuters, international students, and ethnic minorities, feel more seen on campus.
“You may not look like the majority of people here, but we can still celebrate you and make sure that you are welcomed here at Bryan,” Morgan said.
Morgan’s efforts have garnered national attention. He was the recipient of the Jane Higa Multicultural Award, an honor started in 2012 that is given out annually by the Association of Christian’s Student Development, an organization that supports people working in student affairs. Higa was the Vice President of Student Affairs at Westmont College, and Morgan’s friend.
“I often feel like I don’t get much accomplished in that area, so I think it was just nice that someone said, “Yeah, you’ve done something,” Morgan said.
There were only two female African American students during Morgan’s four years as a Bryan student in the late seventies and early eighties. According to Morgan, there were a half dozen African American males not involved in athletics, and another eight or 10 African American athletes on campus.
Morgan believes that Christians should be at the forefront of promoting ethnic diversity. “Christ tells us, that people will know we are his followers by how we love and that we ought to love one another,” Morgan said.
Morgan taught in high schools spread out across different states for 17 years. Teaching combined his two favorite things – working with young people, and history.
Morgan has learned through years of discipleship that no one wants to be a project. “When we talk about discipline and people, the main thing I believe is that you love people and you want to let people know right away that you care about them, and you will continue to care about and love them, even when they don’t respond the way that you want them to respond,” Morgan said.
He reconnected with Bryan in the mid-nineties while serving as a coordinator for Summit Ministries on campus. The position for Dean of Students opened, and Morgan was offered the job, which he stayed in until starting the Mosaic Council in 2021.
Morgan’s work with the Mosaic council typically involves advocating for commuters and ethnic minorities. During his time, he has added commuter lockers and a commuter lounge. Morgan also leads a Bible study for African-American students with no church background, and he enjoys pouring into students.
Amanda Davis is a senior communications major and creative writing minor at Bryan College. She is a Kansas City native and loves reading, writing and photography.
