Written by: Mathäus Schwarzen, staff writer
DAYTON, Tenn.—Bryan College quietly changed its administrative format over the summer of 2019. Rather than individual academic departments reporting to the Office of the Provost, the departments have now been put under three distinct schools.
The Vogel School of Engineering has retained its name while also gaining the Biology and Mathematical and Physical Science departments. The Exercise and Health Science, Education and Psychology departments will be under the School of Professional Studies along with the department of Business, Communication and Economics. The School of Humanities and Christian Studies will contain the Humanities, Performing Arts and Christian Studies departments. The college has also combined the English, Criminal Justice, History and Liberal Arts departments into one new Humanities Department.
The change was announced to college faculty during the faculty workshop on August 12, 2019 according to English professor Daniel Gleason. Humanities Department Chair Ray Legg said the decision was made to streamline the decision-making process within the school by reducing the number of voices in discussions.
“I think that’s probably the biggest reason,” Legg said. “Not that that’s punitive or negative in any sense. It’s just that if you want anything done, you’ve heard the old expression, ‘too many cooks in the kitchen.’ It’s advantageous for us to be able to streamline the process of making curricular decisions or administrative decisions.”
Provost and Vice President of Academics Douglas Mann (1992), who came to Bryan College in the fall of 2018, has been working to streamline the school’s administrative process. The division into schools has been in the works since Mann’s arrival, according to Gleason.
“That’s the direction colleges move when they’re looking to grow,” Gleason said. “It’s also a way for there to be less of a strain on Dr. Mann.”
While the current changes have already been enacted, Bryan College will be making more changes in the near future. Current college president Stephen Livesay recently announced his retirement after the current school year, and the Board of Trustees has appointed Mann as his replacement. Similarly, Legg plans his retirement for the end of the school year.
The Bryan College 2019-20 catalog lists Tom Marshall as Dean of the Vogel School of Engineering, while the School of Professional Studies is led by Dean Adina Scruggs. Samuel Youngs is currently the Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Christian Studies.
Mathäus Schwarzen is a staff writer for the Bryan Triangle specializing in campus news, and a sophomore at Bryan College, majoring in creative writing. He spends his free time writing, drawing and listening to music.
