Williams Baptist University

WBU Homecoming & Family Weekend is almost here! Join us Nov. 5–8 as we celebrate 85 years of Williams with a weekend full of music, reunions, basketball, family fun and plenty of Eagle spirit.

THURSDAY, NOV. 5
Evan Egerer Concert | 7 p.m. | Manley Chapel

FRIDAY, NOV. 6
Homecoming Bonfire | 8:30 p.m. | The Pavilion

SATURDAY, NOV. 7
The Nest will be busy all day!
• 50th Anniversary Singers Reunion
• Family Fun Zone
• Faculty Meet & Greet
• Fine Arts Showcase
• 50 Years of Women’s Basketball Reunion
• Lady Eagles Basketball | 1 p.m.
• Eagles Basketball | 3 p.m.
• Homecoming Court & Crowning of the King & Queen
• Homecoming Dance | 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOV. 8
Homecoming Chapel | 10 a.m. | Manley Chapel
Lunch | 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Whether you’re an alumnus coming home, a parent visiting campus, or part of our current WBU family, we hope you’ll join us for a weekend celebrating the people, traditions and memories that make Williams special.

85 Years. One Nest. We Are All Eagles.

Thank you to everyone who made our first fundraising event, Mahjong That Matters, such a huge success!🀄️✨

Whether you were in the room playing tiles with us or following along from home, you can be part of the momentum: Join Women of Impact today.💙

As a member, your support directly funds projects that enrich student experiences, enhance campus life, & impact the campus and community of Williams Baptist University. Best of all, members get a seat at the table to vote on which campus initiatives we fund each year!

We offer multiple membership tiers with flexible monthly or annual options, so every woman can find a level that fits her goal!

📲 Ready to make an impact?

🌟Become a member: https://forms.gle/dV6fssL9vJnYGgb49
🌟Find out more: https://www.impactwbu.org/home

Join today, cast your vote, & help us make an impact on the student experience at WBU!💙✨

HOME OF THE EAGLES: SHELL FIELD

Generations of Eagles baseball players have called Shell Field home. Take a look back at the history of Shell Field and the legacy of Frank Shell, whose impact on WBU extends far beyond the diamond.

🔗https://wbueagles.com/general/2026-27/releases/20261029ojqesu

Pastors, youth ministers, and church families: you probably already know a student who's serving.

Today is the Ministry Pathway.

Williams Baptist University is a Christian university where faith shapes the classroom, the chapel, and the friendships. One WBU parent put it this way: "I wasn't looking for a school that mentioned Jesus in their brochure. I was looking for one that meant it."

Students on the ministry path serve about 16 hours a week in a Southern Baptist church while earning an accredited, Christ-centered degree, with tuition covered.

Your church gains a faithful young leader. They gain real experience and mentors who know them.

Tag the student who came to mind first.

Several students at today’s Preview Day joined us for a special ministry luncheon. We shared a meal, got to know them, and explored how one of our new scholarship pathways through Williams Works can help them gain hands on ministry experience while earning their degree. It was a joy to spend time with them and consider how we can help equip them for the work God is calling them to do.

Our Preview Day guests also joined us for our weekly chapel service, getting to experience what it’s like to pause, worship, and grow together as a campus community.

And we couldn’t have asked for a prettier day to welcome around 50 students and their parents! With the leaves changing and fall all around campus, it was a perfect day to walk together, ask questions, and picture a future at Williams.

A special congratulations to Brady, who won a $1,000 scholarship in today’s random drawing!

Thank you to every student and family who spent the day with us. We loved getting to know you!

Your next chance to experience Williams firsthand is next Thursday, November 5. We’d love to welcome you to campus!

WBU Students Take on the Arkansas Student Leadership Forum in Little Rock!

Hannah Wilson, Isaiah Doty, Archer Dienst, Jordan Walker, Kenley Smith, Lilly Quarles, & Emma Nordwald

We’re proud of these students for representing Williams and taking the opportunity to grow as Christ-like leaders on campus and beyond!

🍎 Preparing teachers to reach every learner.

WBU Education students welcomed Tonya Hutsell, a proud Williams alumna and ESOL/Title I Part C (Migratory) Coordinator for the Pocahontas School District, to campus this week for a hands-on look at supporting English Learners in today’s classrooms.

Hutsell shared practical strategies future educators can use to engage English Learners across every content area, including SWIRL: Speaking, Writing, Interacting, Reading, and Language. Students also learned about building relationships, scaffolding instruction, and recognizing the important role language plays in a student’s access to learning.

One message stood out:

💬 “Scaffold the language—not the learning.”

At Williams, learning to teach doesn't happen only in a college classroom. Through partnerships with area school districts, WBU education majors gain field-based experiences working with diverse student populations in one-on-one settings, small groups, classroom observations, and residency placements.

These experiences are helping prepare the next generation of educators to be intentional, reflective, and growing in their teaching practice—and ready to meet students where they are. 💙💛

Thank you, Mrs. Hutsell and Pocahontas School District, for investing in our future educators!

🍎 Interested in becoming an educator? Learn more about the Williams Teacher Education Program and explore your path to the classroom: https://williamsbu.edu/education/

You already love playing. What if college helped you take it further?

At Williams, you can learn from Brandon Green, grow your skills on banjo, guitar, fiddle, dobro, mandolin, or bass, and play with our Bluegrass and American Roots band. You don’t have to major in music to keep making music.

Brandon’s path began with church banjo in West Virginia and led to stages around the world. It eventually brought him to Williams. Hear more in “A Banjo, a Family Band, and an Unexpected Door” on the Lifework podcast with WBU president Dr. Stan Norman.

Your next chapter could start here. Apply to Williams: williamsbu.edu/application

Parents and music teachers: tag a young musician who should know this opportunity is here.

📣 NEW PARTNERSHIP | Equipping Pastors Across Arkansas

Williams Baptist University is expanding opportunities for ministry training across the state through a new partnership with Pastor Training Schools.

WBU President Dr. Stan Norman signed the agreement during the Arkansas Baptist State Convention meeting in Rogers, along with PTS Director Jay Parks, creating a pathway for pastors and men called to ministry to earn certificates in ministerial training through cohorts offered in communities across Arkansas.

“This program is for those who feel called to pastor churches but are not at a place in life where they can pick up, move to Walnut Ridge and work toward a bachelor’s degree,” said Norman.

Through the partnership, students will complete a two-year course of study covering areas such as biblical interpretation, preaching, theology, pastoral ministry, evangelism and missions, discipleship, and church revitalization and planting.

WBU and Pastor Training Schools hope to launch the first new Arkansas cohorts by March.

🦅 Equipping those called to serve—where they are.

🔗 Read more: https://williamsbu.edu/2026/10/23/williams-enters-partnership-with-pastor-training-schools/