NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Several organizational and staffing changes have been made within the Department of Education at Tusculum College, according to Dr. Lisa Johnson, director of the School of Education and director of Graduate and Professional Studies at the College.

“Efforts to keep the curriculum in both the residential and Graduate and Professional Studies education programs parallel required several changes in our organizational structure. These changes allow us to work towards more unity in all our teacher education programs,” Dr. Johnson said.

Among the changes include a move for Polly Johnson who was the director of student teaching and is now the director of field experience for both student teaching in both residential and GPS programs and field experience for GPS students. In addition, the practicum supervisors are now field experience coordinators and include Michelle Clupper in the northeast region and Stephanie Kirby in the southeast region.

According to Dr. Johnson, these changes allow the College to not only increase the rigor of the program that will result in better teachers, but also provide a greater level of support to all students.

The changes were initiated in order to address the difficulty that GPS students were having finding good placements that could tie in to their classes. “With the new structure, the College is better able to provide excellent and relevant opportunities for all the students we serve through the GPS program,” she said.

In addition, the GPS coordinators are also responsible for making sure the programs meet all state requirements and keeping the program up-to-date with new regulations and requirements. Colleen Everett, who served as the program coordinator for the Northeast Region of GPS, will coordinate these efforts as program and compliance director, and Janie Perry will continue in her role as southeast coordinator.

Dr. Diane Robinette, associate professor of special education, is currently on sabbatical in Puerto Rico where she is helping to establish schools for the deaf and will return in May.

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The Greeneville-Greene County Human Resources Association is continuing its support for Tusculum College students through its sponsorship of annual scholarships. The association provides two scholarships annually to juniors or seniors from Greeneville or Greene County majoring in business.

Pictured in the photo above, from left, are Susan Vance, interim vice president of Institutional Advancement for Tusculum College; Kim Kidwell, associate director of development for Tusculum College; Tabatha Smith, Tusculum College student and recipient of the $1,000 scholarship; Danelle Sells, vice president of the GCHRA and payroll officer and benefits administrator for the Town of Greeneville, and Michelle Myers, president of the GCHRA and human resource generalist at Huf North America.

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Former Tusculum College cross country coach Dr. Jim Fields will return to guide the Pioneer harrier program announced Director of Athletics Frankie DeBusk.

Fields served as head coach of the Tusculum cross country program for five seasons (2000-04) as his runners garnered All-South Atlantic Conference honors 11 times, including two SAC Freshman Runners of the Year and the 2003 SAC Female Runner of the Year. The Tusculum women’s program recorded three third place finishes in the conference (2001, 2002, 2003), while the men’s squad posted a sixth place showing at the 2003 SAC Championship.

Fields was responsible for bringing in two of the best cross country runners in the history of program in All-Region harriers Amanda Musick and Sue Lewis. In 2001, Musick and Lewis became the first Tusculum student-athletes to compete at a NCAA Division II national championship event.

Musick advanced to the NCAA National Championship three times in her career (2001, 2003, 2004), while also earning All-Region distinction an amazing four times. In 2003, she was the SAC Runner of the Year as she won a remarkable five events that season. She still holds the school record with 10 individual titles.

During Fields’ tenure as cross country coach, the Pioneers captured eight team championships and 14 individual titles.

“I’m very happy to have Coach Fields back with us at the helm of our cross country teams,” said DeBusk. “He is committed to making Tusculum one of the premier cross country programs in the South Atlantic Conference and I look forward to working with him once again.”

He also mentored two-time All-SAC runner Ross Lewis (2002, 2003). Lewis posted some of the best 8K times in school history, including his personnel best 27:08 at the 2003 SAC Championship. Lewis recorded three individual title wins, while guiding the team to a pair of meet championships.

“I’m excited about returning to coach at Tusculum,” said Fields. “Working with college cross country runners is extremely rewarding because of their self discipline and goal setting. I have always enjoyed interacting with the runners and seeing their continued improvement as runners, students, and human beings.”

From 1996-98, he served as Director of Athletics at Tusculum. He ushered in an era of growth for the Pioneer athletics program. Under his watch, Tusculum achieved NCAA Division II membership, opened the new Pioneer Arena, while completing TC’s initial steps for admission to the South Atlantic Conference.

He also served as the College’s Faculty Athletics Representative during the 1995-96 year before assuming the athletic director’s post.

Following high school, the Spring Grove, Va. native served three years in the U.S. Navy, specializing in communications. After the Navy, he attended Virginia Tech where he earns his Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education in 1972. He later earned his Master’s from Virginia State in 1977 and an Ed.D from East Tennessee State University in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in 1993.

Fields replaces Phil Roberts, who served as Tusculum cross country coach from 2005 to this past fall.

Coach Fields is married to the former Gayle Gilliam of Greeneville and they have two grown children, Kenneth and Melody. They are also the proud grandparents of two grandsons, Kenton (3) and Kade, who was born this past November.

Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn. is a affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference which is comprised of nine colleges and universities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

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The pleasure of fresh air in a beautiful landscape, the camaraderie of friends and the challenge and excitement of combining personal skill and speed to project an object toward a target are all part of the attraction of golf, but on the Tusculum College Campus, they are part of the draw of the newest hybrid of the sport, disc golf.

According to Kenny Lawson, former student life coordinator and current assistant baseball coach at the College, Disc Golf will become the newest intramural sport on campus, but is also a game that can be played recreationally by students, staff and faculty for health and entertainment.

Goals for the new campus course were installed by the College grounds crew in November, and tee boxes are currently going up, Lawson said. The course is located on campus, directly behind visitor side of the football stadium.

According to Lawson, the course has been in the works for the last couple of years, as the right location was sought. Now that it is in place, it will be the first disc golf course in Greeneville. There are nine holes with regulation tee boxes and disk baskets that would allow the College to host club or collegiate tournaments.

And while there are some regional club teams in the Tri-Cities and in Morristown, there are none in Greeneville at this point, said Lawson.

Disc golf is a lot like traditional “ball” golf, except players use specially made plastic flying discs instead of balls and clubs, and throw them for par at an above-ground target instead of a hole in the ground. There are different types of discs used for different purposes, much like ball golfers use different clubs.

There will be between 50-75 sets of discs available to be check out from the Student Activities Center located in the Pioneer Gym, Lawson said, and scorecards will be available with layouts, distances and par for each hole.

For more information on disc golf or the campus course, contact Stephanie Rhea at 638-7300, Ext. 5830. Rhea, senior student life coordinator, said the Grand Opening of the course will be held during the spring semester. There will also be events throughout the semester at the course for students and the community.

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A Financial Aid Night and College Day at Tusculum College that was cancelled due to weather conditions has been rescheduled for Feb. 12.

On the new date, all students who are interested in attending college, as well as their parents, will have the opportunity to get a head start learning about college financial aid and will have the opportunity to explore higher education options. The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“No matter which college or university a student plans to attend, this college night and financial aid information session is designed to assist them and their parents,” said Melissa Ripley, director of admissions operations and marketing for residential admission at the College.

“Representatives from area colleges and universities will be on hand to answer questions about college admission and the financial aid processes,” Ripley said. “There will also be a special guest representative from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation.”

Information will be provided about the Tennessee Lottery, Pell Grant information and various grants and scholarships from participating schools.

The event will allow parents as well as students to learn about the many different options available to young people to continue their education following high school graduation. The event will take place in the Pioneer Arena, and there is no admission charge. Door prizes will be given away to attendees.

Although the event is sponsored by Tusculum College, each year, a wide variety of colleges and universities as well as vocational schools set up displays that provide information about the institutions’ academic programs. Most also have representatives on hand to answer specific questions about programs or the school.

Last year, 40 colleges, universities, technical schools and the military had displays at the College Fair, and the participants included schools from Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and across the state of Tennessee. There has already been a great response from exhibitors for this year’s event who are eager to come share information with students, said Ripley.
The College Fair, coordinated by the Tusculum College Department of Admission, has grown in size in recent years, and the department is appreciative of the opportunity to bring this service to area students and their families.

The event is represented on the official Tennessee Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers calendar.
For more information about the College Fair, please contact the Office of Admission at 1-800-729-0256 ext. 5374 or 423-636-7312, or e-mail mripley@tusculum.edu.

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