NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Theatre-at-Tusculum will bring a world full of whimsy and romance to the stage in November in its production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

The beloved musical will be performed at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 with two Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 15. All performances will be in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus.

A cast of more than 100 brings to the stage the story of the young prince (the Beast) and his household, who are under an enchantress’ curse until the prince learns to truly love, and how he discovers true love from the beautiful Belle. As with any love story, there are complications such as the village’s hunter and local hero’s pursuit of Belle as a suitor.

Certain to be audience pleasers are the musical’s numerous show-stopping tunes such as “Be Our Guest,” choreographed by Kim Berry featuring a stage full of dancing napkins, plates and silverware, and “The Wolves,” featuring choreography by Ben Sparks and Elizabeth Ruggiero that creates an exciting mix of classical ballet with martial arts.

Audiences will notice one difference to the popular Disney film and other stage productions as the show begins not with actors but with puppets created by Greenevillian Judith Flohr, which allows the introduction of village children and the enchantress.

Director Marilyn duBrisk has brought together a cast of many of the most well known acting talent in Greeneville and the region as well as some newcomers in roles such as Emily Lowe as Belle and Dan Burkey as the Beast/Prince. The cast includes actors from the region, such as Morristown and the Tri-Cities, and one cast member from North Carolina is crossing the mountain to be involved. Eighteen different schools are represented among the cast including Tusculum College, Walters State Community College and East Tennessee State University and 15 public schools.

Angie Clendenon is serving as musical director and coordinating the show’s orchestral accompaniment.

An army of volunteers have been hard at work preparing creative, colorful costumes under the direction of Barbara Holt and building the fantastical world of Belle and the Beast under the direction of Frank Mengel, stage and technical director. Garry Renfro, who has designed the production’s distinctive marketing pieces, has also shared his artistic talents in creating the village and town sets.

Tickets are now on sale for the production. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (60 and over) and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets may be reserved prior to the performances, and individuals with tickets are guaranteed a seat. However, please note that the auditorium has open seating, thus the doors will open one hour prior to the performance.

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.

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Students in Dr. Angela Keaton’s “Theory and Practice of Citizenship” class recently spent two days educating their fellow students about health issues, the flu, the perils of alcohol and drug use and several other health-related educational topics.

The students hosted a campus mini health fair in October and set up displays in the Niswonger Commons focusing on how to prevent flu on campus, emotional wellness and stress relief strategies, safe sex practices and drug and alcohol abuse.

“The projects were part of the service learning component of this course,” said Keaton, assistant professor of commons and history. “Instead of going into the Greeneville community, they wanted to do something for fellow students at Tusculum in their campus community.”

Students conducted research and prepared displays and were ready to attract student attention to the issues that they felt most affected the college-age student.

Free hand sanitizer was distributed at the flu station and at the emotional wellness booth students were able to make their own stress balls in a hands-on activity.

“Several students worked with the college nurse and counselor and with the Greene County Health Department to learn about their topics,” said Keaton. “They educated themselves and then worked to make their displays appealing to other students so they could share the information.”

She added that two groups also conducted independent research for the project, conducting surveys on the sexual habits of students and on drug and alcohol use.

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Tusculum College’s Candace Babb is this year’s winner of the Miss Greene County scholarship pageant and will represent the community in the Miss Tennessee Pageant this June when the pageant is held in Jackson, Tenn.

Babb is a senior this year at the College, majoring in elementary education. She is from Greeneville and is the daughter of Curtis and Teresa Babb.

This will be her third year to compete in the Miss Tennessee pageant, having previously won qualifying competitions as Miss Knoxville and Miss Bristol. The Miss Tennessee pageant is a preliminary competition for the Miss America pageant.

According to Babb, the Miss America organization is the largest provider of scholarships for women, and she has received $5,800 in scholarship assistance to date from her participation. She has used all of her scholarship assistance toward her education at Tusculum College.

“Participating in the pageants has helped me so much,” said Babb, who got involved because she was interested in the scholarships and saw it as a way to utilize her talent. A singer and pianist, her talent in the Miss Greene County pageant was a vocal performance of “I Told You So,” by Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis.

Winning Miss Greene County is also special to her, allowing her to represent the community in which she grew up, where she resides and where she works and goes to school.

“The biggest difference is the community support,” said Babb of representing Greene County. “There is a huge difference when the community actually knows the candidate representing them, there is more of a personal connection.” She added that the outpouring of support and encouragement has been incredible already.

And, Babb will be using that as her “secret weapon” for her return to the Miss Tennessee pageant. “You learn something new every time you go. It’s a very reflective process. This year I am just focusing on being the best representative for Greene County that I can be. The judges are essentially looking for the best representative for Tennessee, and the best way to show them that I’m the one for the job is to do the best job I can representing Greene County.”

Babb also has found an outlet for supporting programs she believes through the pageant system. Her chosen platform is MUSIQ - advocating the benefits of music on the mind, hands and heard.

“Music has always been really important to me,” she said. Babb has played the piano and performed vocally for most of her life. As a winner of the various pageants, Babb has spent numerous hours in local and regional schools working with students through music and encouraging support of music education in public schools.

Last year she supported the Music Education National Conference in their efforts to include music education standards in the “No Child Left Behind” federal legislation by collecting more than 500 signatures on a petition that was presented to the Secretary of Education in Washington, D.C.

In addition to her participation in the pageants, Babb is a member of the Tusculum College Student Alumni Association and participates in the Mentors for Kids Program. She is the pianist and director of music ministries for Greenwood United Methodist Church. She is also an advocate for Children’s Miracle Network and to date has raised $1,350 for the cause.

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Recently members of the Tusculum College Staff Council attended a workshop on the history of Tusculum College.  The workshop was presented by George Collins, director of museum programs and studies, and was held at the President Andrew Johnson Library and Museum. “This was a great opportunity for us to learn more about the history of the College,” said Michelle Arbogast, assistant bookstore manager and chairperson for the staff development committee for this year’s Staff Council. Those attending the workshop were: Arbogast, Bette Dowd, assistant certification officer and COG office supervisor; Christy Norris-Bowling, tutor coordinator and Amanda Waddell, director of career development.

 According to Arbogast, the Council is looking into offering a similar session for others on campus who would be interested in participating. The next Staff Council meeting will be November 17, at 11:30 a.m. in the Brotherton Boardroom in the Garland Library. Dr. Nancy B. Moody will be the program and will give updates from the October Board of Trustees meeting.

 To RSVP for the November 17 meeting, email awaddell@tusculum.edu. For more information on the Staff Council or the history workshop, contact Arbogast at Ext. 5307 or email marbogast@tusculum.edu.

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Tusculum College Homecoming 2009, with its theme, “Tradition Never Graduates,” is scheduled this year for October 30-31, in conjunction with the Tusculum College - Mars Hill football game on Saturday afternoon.

This year’s Homecoming schedule is packed with activities that provide alumni and friends of the College a chance for good fellowship, enjoyment of autumn in East Tennessee and visits to former campus haunts.

Registration is available online or by contacting Mary Bartel,
associate director of alumni and parent relations, at 423-636-3703. Registration forms can also be found in the inside cover of the July 2009 edition of the Tusculum magazine.

The weekend’s scheduled events include something for everyone, including golf, football, a tea party, campus tours and visits to local attractions. Offered throughout the day on Friday at the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library is “Preserving Your Tusculum Traditions” and special showing of films of campus life from the 1940s-1960s. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Museums of Tusculum College will offer special presentations for those interested in learning how to care for treasures in their own home. There is no charge for the event.

Also available throughout the weekend are campus tours. Alumni, friends and guest can visit memorable spots and discover what’s new on campus. The tours will be given upon request. Guides will be members of the President’s Society. The President’s Society is a group of elite students 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.

The 2009 Homecoming Golf Tournament will be held this year at Nolichucky View Golf Club and will feature a scramble format with the handicap system applied for a net division and a gross division. First place will be awarded for each division.

Registration is required. Alumni, spouses, faculty, staff and friends are invited to participate. The shotgun start is 9 a.m. The fee per participant is $50 and includes a breakfast buffet to begin at 8 a.m. Lunch will also be provided, as well as beverages and goody bags.

Also on the agenda for Friday are visits to Myers Pumpkin Patch (10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.) and Brights Zoo (10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.), a staff and faculty Chili Cook-off and a presentation by Jack Smith, director of the Thomas J. Garland Library at 1:30 p.m. titled, “The Story of the Bell,” which tells the story of the McCormick Hall bell from its service on a Civil War gunboat to how it came to the Tusculum College campus.

On Friday evening, the annual Sports Hall of Fame/All Alumni Dinner will be held at the General Morgan Inn, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the activities gear up with the Pioneer Memorial Walk. A new event for this year’s Homecoming Celebration, the walk is an opportunity to honor the memory for former Pioneers and friends.  The Alumni Association will meet at 10:15 a.m. at Chalmers Conference Center in the Niswonger Commons.

The sixth annual Homecoming Parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. and will pass along the route between the Charles Oliver Gray Complex and Pioneer Park. The Golden Pioneers, the Tusculum College Class of 1959 who are celebrating their 50^th reunion year, will serve as the grand marshals.

The parade will be followed by a pre-game Tailgate Party starting at noon and the big game at 2:30 p.m. as the Pioneers face the Mars Hill Lions in a South Atlantic Conference. At halftime, enjoy the presentation of the Homecoming Court. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children, with children five and under free, and can be purchased at the ticket booth at the football stadium preceding the game.

To end the night, an Alumni Dinner and Dance will be held from 7:30-10 p.m. at Ella’s in Greeneville, and since it is Halloween, costumes are encouraged.

For more information on any of the planned events or to register, contact Bartel at 423-636-7303.

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Visitors to the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library on Friday, Oct. 30, will have the opportunity to learn from two experts the proper care of collectibles and antiques.

The special presentations will be made throughout the day at the museum on the Tusculum College campus. The presentations are part of the museum’s efforts to commemorate National Archives Month.

During the morning, Myers Brown, curator of extension services at the Tennessee State Museum, will make two 30-minute presentations about the care of clothing, memorabilia and decorative arts. The presentations by Brown will be at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m.

Amy Collins, archivist at East Tennessee State University’s Archives of Appalachia, will give two 30-minute presentations during the afternoon about the care of paper, photographs and film. Collins’ first presentation will be 1:45 p.m. and her second will be at 3:15 p.m.

The presentations will alternate with 30-minute screenings of historic films of Tusculum College campus life in the 1920s-70s. The films were unreadable a year ago and represent an on-going process to migrate antiquated media onto new media. The first film, college scenes of 1930, will be shown at 9 a.m. and college scenes from 1940-42 will be shown at 10:30 a.m.

In the afternoon, a film featuring college scenes from 1940, 1948-1952 May Day activities and basketball from 1950 will be shown at 1 p.m., and at 2:30 p.m., the film will feature Tusculum College students/fire department in 1970, scenes from the play, “Blazing the Trail from 1969, and scenes from the Heritage Trust Christmas Tour of Homes in 1970.

The final film, to be shown at 4 pm., will feature campus scenes from 1929-30 and May Day activities in 1948 and 1951.
While at the museum, visitors can also view the exhibit, “Preserving Your Traditions,” which provides an overview of archives and shares information on how to care for personal collections. It features some of the treasures in the Tusculum College Archives.

The Tusculum College Archives are also available anytime as a research source for academic papers and projects. For more information about the Archives, call 423-636-7348 or e-mail kcuff@tusculum.edu. Walk-in researchers are welcome. The museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  It is recommended that anyone planning a visit call in advance.

Admission fee is $5 for the general public. Guests will receive a “getting started” archival kit and are encouraged to bring a personal artifact to receive preservation tips.

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Myron J. “Jack” Smith, Jr., professor of library science/history and director of the Thomas J. Garland Library, will offer an illustrated talk on the history of the McCormick Hall bell in on Friday, October 30, in Room 206 at 1:30 p.m. All alumni, students, faculty, and staff are invited to this free event.

According to a story by “Daddy” Haynes in the 1942 college yearbook, the bell now housed in the tower came to Tusculum in 1890 as payment in kind for student tuitions.  Over the years, the bell has been rung to call the community to various events, to note the achievement of  significant milestones or just to hear its rich sounds. Smith will profile the exciting history behind the 400-pound brass bell.

At Tusculum since 1990, Professor Smith is the author of 80 books, including five on the Civil War. He authored the bicentennial college history Glimpses of Tusculum with Professor Emeritus Donal Sexton in 1994.  Several of his latest titles are available for purchase at the College bookstore.

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Get in the Halloween spirit and learn about hauntings past on the Tusculum College campus and around the region as the Thomas J. Garland Library staff present “Haints and Boogers: Conversations on Ghosts and Spirits at Tusculum College and Upper East Tennessee,” on Tuesday, October 27 at 6 p.m.

The event is open to the public and will be held on the main floor of the Library.

For more information, contact Jack Smith, director of the library, at 423-636-7300.

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The October 2009 issue of InfoLine features work by a Tusculum College Graduate and Professional Studies professor.

Dr. Cynthia Solomon, associate professor of education and coordinator of the Human Resource Development and Organizational Training and Education concentrations, is the author of the October 2009 issue of InfoLine, a publication of the American Society for Training and Education. The issue features the models for selecting an Organizational Performance Management Model. Solomon’s article addresses a comprehensive and current view of how organizations engage the usual management functions directed at organizational performance outcomes.

According to Solomon, Organizational Performance Management is the “use of deliberate actions that direct the provision and use of all necessary resources into the design and implementation of systems and processes used by members of an organization so that performance - in all key domains - is optimal; and vision, mission, goals and objectives are met in a well-managed manner, using best management practices.”

Solomon stated that inherent to this definition is the inclusion of the management and leadership style that is the most strategically supportive set of behaviors and practices that will support ideal performance.  

“Organizational performance management is all about inspiring, enabling and leading others to ultimate achievement,” said Solomon.

Her publication includes a general description of each of the 22 unique models organized by five originally created model types she created for this publication: Work Redesign, Strategic Planning, People Empowerment, Quality and Compliance models. The American Society for Training and Education editors of InfoLine contracted with Solomon to develop the professional definitions of performance management and complete this work as the first in a series of other monthly publications, each addressing one of the models of organizational performance management.

Organizational performance management is included in the curriculum leading to the master’s of arts in education degree in the human resource development concentration at Tusculum College. 

This is the second edition of InfoLine that Dr. Solomon has authored. Her December 2005 work focused on auditing organizational culture. 

The InfoLine publication is available through the Tusculum College Thomas J. Garland Library Knoxville branch by contacting Ext. 5035 on campus or 865-691-6391.

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