NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

The first three graduates from the Tusculum College Student Alumni Association were recognized recently when the group met to discuss plans for the organization in 2009-2010 school year.

Cody Greene ’08, Megan Hart ’09 and Rachel Barnard ’09 were each given token of appreciation for the work they have done in growing the organization since its inception in 2006.

Greene is still shepherding the program in his role as coordinator of development for the Office of Institutional Advancement, while Hart and Barnard are still involved in providing guidance to the group as it continues to grow.

“It has been very fulfilling to watch as the Student Alumni Association at Tusculum College grows, and the involvement of our initial group of students was a key factor in the success of the new organization,” said Susan Vance, interim vice president for institutional advancement.

“Our first graduates of the program are now out in the world and continuing to serve, not only their Alma Mater, but also the community in which they live and work.”

The purpose of the Student Alumni Association is to build a body of servant leaders who upon graduation will advance the interests and connectivity of alumni and Tusculum College; establish, foster and promote the development of beneficial relationships among and between the college’s students, alumni, staff, faculty and the college community; and furthering the quality of Tusculum College as an institution of higher education.

The group has been active in a variety of service projects, including the recent “clean-up” of the Tusculum Arch, a landmark on the National Historic Register. Last year’s Student Alumni Association members also implemented the “Mentors for Kids” program which works on two levels, allowing the college students the opportunity to work with young people, while helping the elementary students develop their ideas of what college is about and what it can mean for their futures.

“The goal of the ‘Mentors for Kids’ program is to motivate youth to achieve their potential by fostering inspiration to transform lives, education to change attitudes and connections to increase opportunities by pairing elementary students with Tusculum College students for weekly activities that expose the youth to the opportunities of higher education,” said Greene.

The Tusculum College Student Alumni Association is coordinated by the Department of Alumni and Parent Relations in the Office of Intuitional Advancement. Students are selected to participate in the program based on their academic work, involvement in campus activities and desire to give back to the College and the community.

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Entrances to the Tusculum College campus are more colorful and tidier thanks to a beautification project by the college’s President’s Society. Members of the President’s Society spent the morning of Aug. 18 helping prepare the campus for the arrival of new students and return of upperclassmen for the beginning of the fall semester. The 12 members of the President’s Society cleaned around the campus entrance sign near the intersection of Erwin Highway and Shiloh Road, planting flowers and shrubs near the brick sign. George Collins, director of the College’s Museum Program and Studies, helped in providing the pressure washer for the brick sign and guidance in the cleaning, planting and mulching. Members also pulled weeds and cleaned up brush from around the Tusculum Arch and cleaned around the brick entrance sign near the intersection of Erwin Highway and Gilland Street. The President’s Society is an elite student organization dedicated to promoting and fortifying the mission of the college.  The students serve as ambassadors to the college, serve as hosts for campus visits, participate in leadership and ethics training and assist with campus events.

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Leah Walker, site and events manager at the Doak House Museum on the Tusculum College campus, has been awarded a scholarship to attend a leading regional museum conference.

Walker was selected to receive the 2009 LaPaglia/Historic House Museum Group Scholarship Award to attend the annual meeting of the Southeastern Museum Conference to be held in October. Only one scholarship is awarded in the 12 states that form the Southeast region.

“It is an honor for Leah to be selected to represent the Historic House Museums,” said George Collins, director of the Tusculum College Museum Program and Studies.  “This will be a tremendous opportunity for her to network with other museum professionals and learn about the latest developments in the museum profession.”

The scholarship recognizes young museum professionals who have recently undertaken expanded responsibilities and have been identified as a future leader in the profession. The scholarship is named for the late Pete LaPaglia, who was a renowned leader of the museum community.

Walker has also been selected to be the secretary of the organization. She will serve in the position for a two-year term.

A graduate of the Museum Studies program at Tusculum College, Walker earned a master’s degree in storytelling from East Tennessee State University. After completing her graduate degree, she worked for the National Park Service in Death Valley, Calif. She rejoined the Tusculum College community last year as a museum educator at the Doak House Museum. On July 1, she assumed a new and expanded role as site and events manager at the museum.

A second recent graduate from Tusculum’s Museum Studies program also received a scholarship to attend another of the Southeastern Museum Conference’s professional development programs. Julia Jones received a scholarship to attend the Jekyll Island Management Institute in January.

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The life, legacy and cultural perception of Abraham Lincoln will be explored during a special symposium on Sept. 10 at Tusculum College.

The symposium, “Lincoln’s Living Legacy: 200 Years of Interpretation” will explore the 16th president as a vital American icon. The symposium, sponsored by the Museums of Tusculum College in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon in the Niswonger Commons on the college’s campus.

Four experts will discuss Lincoln as we have come know him through stories, literature, museum exhibitions and educational programs.

Dr. William Forstchen, faculty fellow and professor of history at Montreat College, will focus on “Carl Sandburg and Lincoln: A Living Relationship.” Dr. Forstchen is a noted author of more than 40 books. He has written or co-written a number of novels focusing on the Civil War period, including three novels with former Congressman Newt Gingrich. He has also authored three World War II-period novels with Gingrich.

Among his other works are the award-winning “We Look Like Men of War,” a young adult novel about an African-American regiment that fought at the Battle of the Crater in the Civil War; the “Lost Regiment” series that has been optioned by both Tom Cruise and Paramount Studies, and his latest, the apocalyptic thriller, “One Second After,” published earlier this year.

In addition to his writing, Dr. Forstchen hosts a weekly radio program about history, has led archeological and anthropological research trips to Mongolia and continues research into World War II, particularly aviation.

Thomas Mackie, director of the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum at Lincoln Memorial University, will discuss “Keeping Lincoln Alive.” Mackie began his museum career as a registrar and tour guide at a museum in Michigan and moved on to head to Virginia’s Amherst County Historical Museum for six years, during which time the museum tripled in size. He then took over the Ontario County Historical Society in New York and prior to coming to East Tennessee, he directed educational efforts at Historic Roscoe Village in Ohio.

A skilled modeler, Mackie has also served an archival manager and exhibits fabricator. He has undertaken several research projects dealing with historic architecture and material culture. Mackie also has several years of classroom teaching experience.

“The Lincoln and Seward Legacy” will be explored by Peter Wisbey, director of the William Seward House in Auburn, N.Y.  Wisbey has been the executive director of the Seward House since October 2000.  Prior to that he was curator of collections at the Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, N.Y. He has also held curatorial positions at the Worcester Historical Museum, in Massachusetts and the Monmouth County Historical Association in New Jersey.

Professionally, Wisbey is New York State representative for the American Association for State and Local History, a national museum support organization.  He is a graduate of St. Lawrence University. He holds a master’s degree in history museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program-SUNY Oneonta and a second master’s degree in early American culture from the Winterthur Program of the University of Delaware.

Chris Small of The Lincoln Project will moderate a panel discussion of the experts following the individual presentations.  Small is well known in the region for his first-person portrayals of the 16th president. The Lincoln Project recently released two films, “Abraham Lincoln’s Faith” and “Lincoln and Emancipation” that were both filmed in Greeneville.

Early in the afternoon, symposium attendees will have the opportunity to take a special guided tour of the National Historic District of Tusculum College. The college is the oldest in Tennessee and the 23rd oldest in the country. Ten structures on campus dating between circa 1830 and 1930 are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Attendees may also want to visit the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library on campus. The museum, located in the oldest academic building on campus, houses a collection of books, papers and memorabilia of the 17th president of the United States. It also houses the Charles Coffin Collection from the original college library and the College archives containing documents related to the history of Tusculum.

The symposium has been made possible through the support of the Arts Outreach of Tusculum College, the Lincoln Project, and the Museums of Tusculum College.

The registration fee for the symposium is $10. The registration deadline is August 28. A registration form is available online at the Museums’ Web page.

For more information, please call (423) 636-7348, e-mail gcollins@tusculum.edu or visit the Museums’ Web page or the Lincoln Project Web page.

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Representatives from the Tusculum College Graduate and Professional Studies program will be holding two information drop-in sessions on Thursday, August 27, at the Tri-Cities Tusculum College site.

Sessions will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and a second session from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Gray site, located at 104 Dillon Court in the Gray Industrial Park.

Any interested persons can drop by and speak to an enrollment representative about the exciting programs offered by Tusculum College geared toward adults. Generally the classes in the Graduate and Professional Studies program meet one night a week and are six weeks in length, which accommodates the schedule of the working adult learner.

According to Sherri Storer, assistant director of enrollment and academic advising for the Northeast Region, programs are available for those with little or no previous college experience and for those who have already earned a bachelor’s degree.

“We have programs to meet the schedules of working adults who want to build new skills or add a degree in order to make themselves more marketable in the job market,” said Storer.

At the sessions, information will be provided on all programs offered and time will be provided for questions and answers as well as individual consultations regarding specific degree programs, qualifications and financial aid.

For more information call 423-283-0071 or stop by the campus to talk with an enrollment representative.

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Mike Rayburn will bring his unique mix of guitar virtuosity and hilarious songs to the stage Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Tusculum College.

Known as the “World’s Funniest Guitar Virtuoso,” the award-winning entertainer has a show like no other. Rayburn will perform at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center on the Tusculum College campus. The event is the first in Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s Acts, Arts, Academia 2009-2010 performance and lecture series.

Rayburn uses his astounding guitar creations, uproarious songs and truly masterful guitar skills to create memorable and acclaimed shows.  His performances are hard to classify. First of all, Rayburn is a hilarious stand-up comic. His “Questions” bit and self-effacing commentaries are funny and wonderfully-warped.

But, what sets him apart is his virtuosity on the guitar. Combining musical arts and styles in unexpected ways is another trademark of Rayburn’s performances – “Bob Marley sings Garth Brooks,” “Led Zeppelin sings Dr. Seuss,” “Dan Fogelberg sings AC/DC,” “Bruce Springsteen sings Green Acres,” etc.

A new challenge for Rayburn is putting his guitar skills to work in instrumental comedy. His first piece in this genre appears on his live, “Mike Rayburn at Carnegie Hall” CD, which has cuts in current rotation on XM Comedy and Sirius Comedy as well as on countless morning radio shows nationwide. “Hang the Jury” is a piece said to have been performed for his classical guitar juries (final exams) in college, just to find out if his music professors were really listening. His latest is a convoluted version of “Dueling Banjos.” He performs both the guitar and banjo parts as if the banjo player is from the Middle East.

Rayburn has recently been featured in USA Today and Newsweek, Billboard, Gig, American Entertainment and Campus Activities Today magazines. He received standing ovations at all eight of his Carnegie Hall performances and has performed more than 4,000 shows worldwide. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Rayburn was voted “America’s Campus Entertainer of the Year,” three times in four years. He has been featured on the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom” and “John Boy and Billy” radio shows.

In 2008 he was honored with the title “Best Solo Artist” by readers of American Entertainment Magazine and has been nominated for the award once again in 2009. Currently, Rayburn is starring in the newest hit on the Las Vegas strip, “Amazed: The Magic of Music & Comedy.”

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (60 and over) and $5 for children 12 and under.

For more information about the performance, contact Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620, e-mail jhollowell@tusculum.edu or visit http://arts.tusculum.edu. To get a taste of Rayburn’s unique show, visit his Web site.

The Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series is supported by Dr. Sam Miller in memory of Mary Agnes Ault Miller, Tusculum College Arts Outreach, Society of Cicero, Hearts for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Susan D. Vance, interim vice president for institutional advancement at Tusculum College, was recently named vice president/president-elect for the Tennessee Advancement Resources Council (TARC).

Vance, who has been with Tusculum College’s Institutional Advancement Office since 2003 and has served as interim vice president since February 2007, is a 1991 graduate of the College.

“I am honored and eager to make a positive contribution to the organization in support of our mission to promote both professional and educational excellence in the schools, colleges and universities of Tennessee,” said Vance.

The announcement of the new slate of officers for the organization was made at a luncheon held at the Hotel Preston in Nashville, Tenn. in July.

“The Tennessee Advancement Resources Council is excited and honored to welcome Susan Vance as its vice president/ president-elect,” said TARC President John Smith of Tennessee Technological University.

“Susan brings a wealth of knowledge to our organization.  As interim vice president of institutional advancement at Tusculum College, Susan is responsible for all the areas for which TARC serves. Her position gives her valuable insight to serve our constituency as well as move our organization forward.  I consider it a privilege to have Susan on our board.”

The Tennessee Advancement Resources Council was established in 1973 to promote both professional and educational excellence in the schools, colleges and universities of Tennessee. The council strives to serve as a forum for exchanging thoughts on how to build and enhance alumni and development programs and services.

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Tusculum College will offer high school students and their parents the opportunity to explore higher education options during the Greeneville-Greene County College Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

For the second year, the annual event will be held in two sessions. A morning session, primarily for visiting high school students, will be 9 to 11 a.m. An evening session will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. to allow parents as well as students to discover the many different options available to high school graduates to continue their education. The event will take place in the Pioneer Arena, and there is no admission charge.

Participating in the event will be a wide variety of colleges and universities as well as vocational schools. Each institution has a display providing information about its academic programs. Most also have representatives on hand to answer specific questions about programs or the school.

In 2008, about 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. A similar number and range of exhibitors are expected for this year’s event.

The College Fair, coordinated by the Tusculum College Office 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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Tusculum College’s Dr. Lin Stepp, who teaches developmental and educational psychology and a research writing course at the Knoxville Regional Center, has reason to smile these days. With a recent acceptance for publication of her 12-book Smoky Mountain Series and a glowing review from Dolly Parton, Dr. Stepp is enjoying positive reviews from the first book, released this spring.

“Well, I’ve finally come across someone that believes in all the things that I do … love, family, faith, intrigue, mystery, loyalty, romance and a great love for our beloved Smoky Mountains. Dr. Lin Stepp, I salute you,” reads the inscription from Parton on Stepp’s novel, “The Foster Girls.”

According to Stepp, the series is set in the Smoky Mountains, with “The Foster Girls” set in Wear’s Valley. The second book in the series, “Tell Me About Orchard Hollow,” is set in Townsend and will be published this spring.

“The Smoky Mountain series are all contemporary southern fiction - with a generous sprinkling of romance, a dash of suspense, a touch of inspiration and a big dollop of Appalachian flavor,” said Stepp.  “Unlike many series books, each novel is a complete story in itself - with a warm, satisfying ending.  The link in the series is that each book is set in a different region of the Smoky Mountains, giving the reader a visit to those areas around the mountains with each read.”

She added that the books are interwoven in a way in which characters from one book might walk into another book.  For example, a minor character and social worker in “The Foster Girls” becomes the main character in the third book in the series called “For Six Good Reasons.”

“I am fortunate to have nationally-acclaimed artist Jim Gray’s beautiful art work on the cover of all my novels and very grateful to have the praise and support of Dolly Parton for my books,” said Stepp. “My national and regional reviews have been very good - such as the one from the well-known Midwest Review.”

Stepp is frequently out promoting the new series and has an upcoming book signing scheduled for Saturday, September 5, from 2-4 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble store at the Franklin Terrace in Johnson City.

“Many of my students from the past have come out to support me,” said Stepp. “That has been very heartwarming.  I love my students - and often keep in touch with them for many years.”

Stepp has taught at Tusculum College for almost ten years and teaches in organizational management program at the Knoxville Regional Center. In the past she has also taught a wide variety of psychology courses.

“My husband’s explorations and hikes in the Smoky Mountains since the 1990s inspired the basis for my novels,” said Stepp. “I found that there were few contemporary novels set in the Smokies region - and yet the Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited park in America.  My own relatives trekked down the Appalachian Trail to settle this East Tennessee area. I liked the idea of celebrating this area with contemporary, warm and wholesome novels set right here in our part of the world.”

For more information about Stepp and her novels, see her author’s website at www.linstepp.com.

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A truckload of supplies left Tusculum College Wednesday (Aug. 5) afternoon to begin its journey to reach the impoverished African village of Atorkor.

Volunteers at Tusculum College helped load a number of large totes and boxes of supplies collected by the college’s Center for Civic Advancement to send to Atorkor, a fishing village in southern Ghana on the western coast of Africa.

“The response from so many individuals and groups, both in our community and on campus, has been wonderful,” said Joyce Doughty, director of the Center for Civic Advancement. “I want to express special appreciation to the Tusculum football coaches and team members who pitched in at the last moment to help load the truck. We are truly blessed by the strong spirit of helpfulness and cooperation shown by everyone.”

When it reached the college, the truck was already more than half full of items collected by local churches, educational organizations and through individual efforts from people in the region that had been gathered for shipping at the farm of Ken and Dr. DiAnn Casteel. Casteel, associate professor of education at Tusculum, worked in schools in Atorkor last summer as part of an educational research project.

The volunteer effort has been in partnership with the Atorkor Development Foundation to provide needed supplies to the village. The foundation, which provided for the shipping of the collected items to Ghana, is a non-profit development organization based in Ghana and the United Kingdom. It was established in 2001 to help overcome poverty in Atorkor with a vision of transforming the village from an impoverished community into a self-sustaining one with basic amenities – jobs, a health center, clean drinking water for all, well-equipped schools and vocational center, electricity and affordable community facilities for all.

Items collected included school supplies, books, textbooks, clothes, linens, kitchen utensils, blankets, other household supplies and even bicycles.

“The items will benefit a wide range of people in the village,” Samuel Adjorlolo, the village’s chief and chairman of the Atorkor Development Foundation commented in an e-mail about the collection effort. “The school supplies will enhance the children’s educational experience and will undoubtedly contribute immensely to raising the standard of education in the village.”

“On behalf of the ADF, the school and the people of the village, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to all those who donated the items,” Adjorlolo continued. “I am very humbled by your kindness and generosity. I would like to thank the president of Tusculum College, the students and all the volunteers who helped load the container including the kind driver of the truck. Finally, a very big thank you to DiAnn (Casteel) for her vision, dedication, sacrifice and all the enormous efforts she put in to make this donation possible. God bless you all.”
The collection has been successful due to the efforts of many people, organizations and churches who deserve a special word of thanks,  Casteel said. They include Mary Lynn Nicholson and the Cornerstone Sunday School class at First Christian Church, Christine Keys and Salem Presbyterian Church, Danielle Trent and McKinney’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Alpha Delta Kappa, the Greneville-Greene County Retired Teachers Association and the Sally Casteel estate.

Individuals to whom Dr. Casteel expressed special appreciation included Dr. Joe Parkins, director of schools for the Greene County School System; Dr. Lyle Ailshie, director of schools for the Greeneville City School System; Virginia Cooter, who collected science textbooks and materials; Joyce Doughty, director of the Center for Civic Advancement at Tusculum College; Trisha Wilhoit; Camille Berkley, who collected items in Knoxville; Mike Haner of Kingsport; Diana Blanco of Johnson City; and her husband, Ken Casteel, for all his support.

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