NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Since the 1880s, a particular school has been part of the Nashville story. Five years ago, its merger with another longtime name in education caused a debate. Today, an author is looking to share a story he says is similar to the struggle of many small colleges.
"Watkins had been such an important part of Nashville history for 135 years," said author Steven Womack. "My family had a connection to Watkins. My grandmother went to Watkins over a hundred years ago."
It's still feels strange for Steven to walk by the site where Watkins College stood and not see it there. He taught film at Watkins for 25 years.
"It was one of the most exciting places I'd ever worked," he said. "It just took you over. People were incredibly creative. We took an innovative approach to visual arts education. Watkins always had a mission of providing education to students who might not have been able to afford it. We were a blue collar guerilla filmmaking kind of operation."
It was five years ago January 2020 when the announcement happened. Watkins College and Belmont University agreed to merge as Watkins College of Art at Belmont University.
"Most people were just stunned," Steven remembered.
Those who supported the merge cited Watkins' declines in enrollment and said this was the best path forward for the name.
There were many students who spoke out. They cited a lack of transparency in the decision to merge, and they feared Watkins' culture would change if connected to a Christian university.
"That's terrifying. We're going to possibly be teaching art through the lens of censorship," a student told NewsChannel 5 in 2020.
"It wasn't what they wanted," Steven said. "They wanted Watkins."
Steven actually not only taught at Watkins, but he'd taught adjunct at Belmont. He liked both schools, but he wished Watkins could continue on its own through some other way.
"It was just that Watkins had a unique identity and unique place in the community, and with the closing of Watkins, that was gone," Steven said.
Steven has written mysteries and thrillers and is about to release a very personal project on Jan. 21. It's an eBook called Death of a College: A Memoir. It covers the story of the merger and also gives a glimpse at a place as he remembers it. It's now available to pre-order on Amazon.
"This is a very personal memoir of my time there and the students I worked with and the incredible faculty and staff I worked with," Steven said. "I just wanted to set that down as part of the record. For a long time, we thought we had something really special and really powerful, and we did. Sadly, it wasn't able to last."
We all know Dolly Parton as a Tennessee treasure, I believe Mr. Jimmy Wren might join her. In honoring his 101st birthday, we got to know this WWII veteran and Orlinda native. His stories are captivating, and he'll leave you in stitches. Enjoy this story from Chris Davis and photojournalist, Catherine Steward.
-Carrie Sharp
