Bryan College - A Stronghold for Creationism
During the Scopes Trial of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, lead prosecutor William Jennings Bryan expressed a wish to help lay the foundation for a men's junior college in the city. Arguing against the theory of evolution, Bryan had voiced his desire to establish a private institute of higher learning centered on faith-based study and an adherence to Christian ideals.
When Bryan died five days after the conclusion of the trial, a contingency of Dayton citizens sought to memorialize him by working to institute the college of which Bryan had dreamt. Thus, five years later, on September 18, 1930, William Jennings Bryan University officially opened on the grounds of the same Dayton high school in which evolutionary theory was first taught and then remanded, eventually leading to The State of Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes Trial.
Originally named William Jennings Bryan University, the institution's name was changed in 1958 to William Jennings Bryan College and shortened further in 1993 to Bryan College. Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Bryan College has held fast to a strict interpretation of the Bible and the principles of conservative Christianity.
To further this agenda, Bryan College founded the Center for Origins Research (CORE) in 1989. Under the guidance of Dr. Ken Hanna, president of Bryan College from 1986-1993, the Center for Origins Research has become a leading institution of Creationist biological research. In an effort to promote Creationism throughout the world, the center has conducted research in five different areas (recognizing and interpreting design, the origin of natural evil, the origins of species, biogeography and biosystematics).
Bryan College currently offers 16 different associate's and bachelor's degrees, including programs in athletic training, the Bible, biology, business administration, Christian education, community studies, computer science, elementary education licensure, English, health sciences, history, liberal arts, mathematics, music, psychology, and Spanish. In addition, 95 percent of the student body receives some form of financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans or work-study programs. The college also offers a wide array of online courses for those students unable to attend a traditional four-year residential program.
If you would like to learn more about Bryan College, please visit us on campus or on the Web (www.bryan.edu). We would be delighted to show you around our school and welcome you to our family of learners!