NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Countless hours spent studying textbooks, writing papers and doing research came to fruition Saturday for 315 individuals who received degrees during Tusculum College’s winter commencement ceremonies on Saturday.

One hundred and seventy four earned Bachelor of Science degrees in organizational management during a morning ceremony. During an afternoon ceremony 49 earned Master of Arts degrees in education and 92 received Bachelor of Arts degrees.

The new graduates were addressed by Dr. Nancy B. Moody, participating in her first commencement ceremony at Tusculum College. Moody encouraged the students “to keep the College in your heart and in your mind.”  Adding, “You have made a commitment and stuck with it to the point that you have forever changed the direction of your life.”

Tammy Meadows of Bristol and Leslie England of Oliver Springs, who both earned Bachelor of Science degrees in organizational management (BSOM), were chosen by the faculty as speakers to represent their classmates in the morning ceremony.

England focused on her classmates, calling them “profound, memorable and inspirational.”  She added, “Tusculum is a good program, and excellent College and gave us the opportunity if we worked hard. We have a degree we can be proud of and that is respected by the business community.”

Meadows recognized her fellow graduates as “hard-working adults who endeavored to make their lives better. She spoke of the various reasons many of them returned to school - to improve their job position, to open doors of opportunity or to serve as an inspiring example to others. She encouraged them to continue their journey and to “recognize their accomplishment as one that no one can ever take away from them.”

In the afternoon ceremony, Robbie Mitchell of Greeneville, who earned her Masters of Arts degree in education, encouraged her classmates to “remember who you are.” Mitchell told her fellow graduates that they now bear another name - Tusculum College graduate. “Spend some time reflecting on who you are and recognize that you have a sphere of influence that is unique to you.”

Brian Hand of Morristown thanked his classmate for their support and encouragement. “We have worked together to accomplish our goals.” He also thanked the faculty and staff who helped him to reach this point. After a career in law enforcement and service as a United States Marine, Hand plans to begin a new life as a teacher in Hamblen County. “It’s a chance for me to inspire and influence the future.”

Jarrell NeSmith of Russellville, Ala. was selected to speak as the representative of the Tusculum College residential college.  As one of the most decorated scholar-athletes in the College’s history, the pre-med major talked about the difficulties he found starting out and the tremendous support he found at Tusculum that helped him succeed.

“The faculty and staff here truly cared about their students,” he said. “We leave here equipped with the necessary skills to enter society and make a difference.”

Also speaking was Dr. Stephen R. Weisz, chaplain and associate professor of religious studies. Weisz presented a sermon titled, “The Heartlessness of Greed.” Weisz said that “wealth in and of its self is not evil. It’s what you do with it.” He encouraged the graduates to be successful, but to think of others and not just accumulate possessions and wealth for oneself.”

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 If you intend to make a gift to Tusculum College before the end of the tax year, the Office of Institutional Advancement would like to remind you of a few things to keep in mind.

 Online giving is both easy and efficient. However, for your gift to be accepted as a 2009 calendar year gift, please submit your online gift no later than 3 p.m. Eastern time, on Thursday, December 31, 2009. Because IRS laws dictate that gifts must be in our control by December 31 for same-year tax credit, provisions will be made to ensure that on-line gifts are processed on the day they are received. Gifts made after 3 p.m. on December 31 will be posted to your record as of January 1, 2010. Online gifts can be made with VISA, MasterCard or Discover Card (Tusculum College does not accept American Express) at <http://www.tusculum.edu/giving>.

 If you are sending your gift through the United States Postal Service, it will need to be postmarked no later than December 31, 2009. We do not suggest using Federal Express or UPS since gifts that come from these carriers are not considered in our control until we actually receive them, whereas a postmark on US Post is the point where the IRS considers a gift in the recipient’s control.

 If you would like to drop your gift off in person, the Institutional Advancement offices will be open on December 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., and someone will be available to accept your gift.

 If you have any questions or concerns regarding your gift to the College, please call the Office of Institutional Advancement at 423-636-7303.

 We are grateful for your support of Tusculum College and thank you for your consideration of making a year-end gift as Tusculum depends on contributions of all sizes from alumni, parents and friends in order to sustain and enhance her excellence in liberal arts education.

 And remember, regardless of the amount you give, it is the act of giving that truly matters. Giving participation helps to increase the College’s standings in national ratings, like U.S. News and World Report. Even small gifts will help us maintain and improve our standing, ensuring that we continue to attract the best and brightest students.

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Rows of ribbons, shelves of hats, stacks of shoes and a colorful burst of fabrics delight the eye when entering the Arts Outreach Costume Shoppe on the campus of Tusculum College.

More than 20 years of dramatic history unfolds along the walls of the Costume Shoppe, with costumes from “The Wizard of Oz” snuggling next to the silky fabrics used for the eye-popping costumes of “The Mikado.”  A lion head towers over the room and a bejeweled crown sits by waiting on the next King Lear or King Midas.

Now bursting at the seams, the Costume Shoppe got its start in 2002 and is funded in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. In addition to serving the College and its annual theatre and music productions, the Costume Shoppe also strives to meet the mission of the Arts Outreach program and offers its unique service to local schools and community groups.

The costumes are not rented, but are loaned out to schools and groups who use them for school plays, special events and community productions. The Costume Shoppe offers a wide assortment of costumes for Arts Outreach programs and any school performance, from full-scale musicals to single-student presentations. The only fees involved are that the garments must be cleaned before they are returned.

Last year there were 10 area schools that participated in the costume lending program, as well as the Jonesborough Reparatory Theater, Central Ballet Theater and a community group in Johnson City who borrowed several Civil War costumes, according to current Costume Director Barbara Holt.

But the marvel of visiting the Costume Shoppe is the history of the past and the heart and soul of years of costume-makers who have brought the fabric to life in productions ranging from the “Bye Bye Birdie” to “Guys and Dolls,” and according to Holt, many of the pieces have be used, repurposed and used again. “It is not uncommon for some of these pieces to have been a part of two or more productions through the years.”

The Costume Shoppe allows for the storage of past costumes as well as donations that come in from local individuals and businesses that support the Arts Outreach program at the College. There are walls of thread and zippers, patterns and zebra prints that have been purchased, donated or reused for other garments through the years.

“This is a labor of love for me,” said Holt. “I love working with fabrics, and I love to sew. I am energized by the actors and have met some of the most amazing people. My life is enriched by just being part of the Arts Outreach program.”

Holt has been with the Arts Outreach program for the past 16 years in one capacity or another and took over as costume director in 2008. She has worked tirelessly to catalogue and organize the materials they have amassed through the years.

“There are some amazing pieces here from people like Judith Plucker, Ann Birdwell and Debbie Close. There were such amazing people involved here through the years,” said Holt.

And while they do reuse many of the costumes in each production, each year the call comes for new costumes to be made. According to Holt, each production may take 1,000 or more hours in costume production. Much of the work is done by Holt and her army of volunteers (more than 90 on a production such as “The Wizard of Oz”), but in some cases outside help is needed.  Holt said it took upwards of 60 hours to make one kilt used in the production of “Brigadoon.”

“Barbara has been with me for more than 16 years when I first came to know her through her son, Seth, one of our performers,” said Marilyn duBrisk, artist-in-residence and director of arts outreach. “She is an absolute joy to work with and Tusculum College is so lucky to have her.”

She added, “There have been so many times when in the middle of production and she has literally 100 or more cast members to costume and she just manages to stay calm and inspire her volunteers.”

The Costume Shoppe and its many wonders are part of the magic of Tusculum College’s Arts Outreach programs and productions. And to make it all come alive, in the words of Peter Pan, all you need is “faith, trust and pixie dust” and maybe a zipper and a snap and a bolt of shiny, gold fabric.

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One of Tusculum College’s oldest traditions was renewed on Tuesday (December 15) as seniors passed on their legacy of campus leadership to underclassman in the Lantern Festival.

The evening also included one of the College’s newest traditions, the Golden Lantern presentation, in which the graduating seniors recognize the professors who made the most significant impact on their lives at Tusculum. Both ceremonies were held in the lobby of the Thomas J. Garland Library.

The Lantern Festival derives part of its significance from the College’s motto of “Sit Lux,” (Let There Be Light) and the lantern as a symbolic representation of that motto. The Lantern Bearers are selected from senior students who attain the honor through their leadership on campus, and the Lantern Festival gives those seniors the opportunity to pass the honor of being a Lantern Bearer to another upperclassman who will continue student leadership on campus.

The graduating seniors were welcomed by Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of the College, who commended them for all their hard work in reaching their educational goal. She also encouraged the students to use the occasion as a time to reflect on their friends who had helped them reach their goals as well as the faculty and staff members who assisted and mentored them.

Each of the graduating seniors then had the opportunity to pass their lantern and robe to a fellow student and briefly tell how that individual had made a difference in their lives at Tusculum.

Together the seniors and their chosen recipients placed their lanterns with others displayed at the ceremony to form a “T.”

Heather Newton of Greeneville, Tenn., then addressed her fellow graduating seniors and the underclassmen in attendance. She encouraged the underclassmen to not give up even when the challenges look insurmountable and to seek help from those around them on campus because they will find friends, staff and faculty who are willing and want to help.

The ceremony then turned to the Golden Lantern pinning, in which the graduating seniors shared about the professor (s) who had had the most impact in their lives at the College. Recognized by the students were Dr. Angela Keaton, assistant professor of commons and history; Dr. David Key, assistant professor of history; Jeff Lokey, assistant professor of management; Dr. Debra McGinn, assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Stephen Weisz, assocciate professor of religious studies. The faculty members received a golden lantern pin and a card written by the student expressing why he or she was chosen for the recognition.

A reception for the seniors followed the ceremony.

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Internships can help college students discover their specific area of interest in their career field or be instrumental in securing employment after graduation

For Kayla Webb, a museum studies major at Tusculum College, her senior internship has done both.

To fill a major requirement, Webb served this fall as an intern at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend. Webb, who is from Hartford, said she choose the Heritage Center as the place to complete her internship because “I grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains and wanted to know more about my heritage, and the center looked like a place where I could fit.”

And she did in many ways. Early in her internship, she worked in the collection storage area of the Heritage Center, which works to preserve, present and promote the heritage of East Tennessee mountain communities through gallery exhibits, demonstrations, festivals and special events.

Working in the Heritage Center allowed Webb to integrate what she had learned previously in the classroom and her experiences in museums outside of the classroom, she said.

In the storage area, she had the opportunity to learn more about the proper care to preserve the exhibit items and a chance to add to her previous classroom experience using the Past Perfect software package for museum data collection, record keeping and other operational functions.

Webb also assisted with special events at the Heritage Center. Preparing for the Blue Ribbon County Fair, Webb was able to use her art talent and skill to make signs for the event. She has minored in art at Tusculum.

However, on the day of the event designed to give children hands-on experience of what it was like to live on a farm long ago, it rained almost the whole day.  “That torrential downpour taught me a lot about flexibility,” she said.

Assisting with children’s programs that were originally supposed to be outside, Webb and the other staff members quickly organized events the children could do under a covered tent at the site.

The value of flexibility - not panicking but finding a solution when a problem arises - was the most important lesson Webb said she learned during her time at the Heritage Center. Working with the many educational programs that the center provides for children also helped emphasize that lesson, she said, as plans had to be changed at the last minute because groups arrived early or late, changes in program scheduling were wanted or students did not show up at all.

At first, Webb assisted the educational director with the children’s programs, but then taught on her own. In one program, she taught children three Native American games designed to improve basic counting skills and also introduce them to the lifestyle of the region’s earliest inhabitants. She then taught a clay pottery program that guided children through the steps of making a Native American clay pot of their own.

Using her art skills, Webb helped the education director improve the targets used in programs demonstrating Native American hunting methods. The target used for the blowgun demonstration was a traditional bull’s-eye. “I wanted to give the students an idea about what the Native Americans would be hunting with blowguns so I drew pictures of a squirrel, rabbit and pheasant that can be copied and used as targets.”

Her experience teaching at the Heritage Center has helped her decide that museum education is the area in which she would most like to work. When she sought the internship, “I wanted to do a little bit of everything because I wasn’t sure what area I wanted to pursue for a career,” she said.

The experience teaching, however, answered that question. “When you’re teaching and a student gets that spark in his or her eye from learning something new, that is the most rewarding experience I have ever had.”

Pleased with her artwork, the staff also asked Webb to make safety and directional signs fashioned from wooden shingles to replace existing laminated signs in its Historic Village.

Webb’s main project was to completely revise the center’s docent (tour guide) manual. The existing manual contained a great deal of information, she explained, but it was cumbersome to use.

Organizing and compiling a new manual, Webb’s objective was to make it easier to understand and use. She re-organized the information using a bullet-point format and added a new section of four appendices containing photos of each object on exhibit and its name.

In her experience in museums, Webb said she has noticed that the most frequent question asked by visitors is the name of an object in an exhibit, and the appendices will help guides be able to quickly identify the object and find something about it.

Web also added a resource section that included information about communicating at the appropriate age level of an audience, maps of the facility and a recommended reading list for those who wanted to learn more about areas covered in the manual.

Webb’s next step after graduation is also an opportunity that came to her through her work at the center. The directors of the center learned about a position at the Ramsey House Plantation historic house museum in Knoxville and told her about it. She applied for the position and the directors wrote letters of recommendation for her.

She now has a part-time position at the Ramsey House, which will become a full-time position in February. “I wouldn’t have gotten that job except for my internship.”

Webb also plans to continue her schooling in the future, most likely focusing on the area of museum education.

The college’s Museum Studies program is one of the few undergraduate museum studies programs in the nation, and its graduates have been successful in the museum field. Webb is the third graduate in a row that has a secured a position in the field prior to graduation.

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Students in Tusculum College’s Service Learning class in Block 4 have been working with the homeless as their class project all term and wrapped up their efforts with a homeless awareness display in Niswonger Commons on Tuesday, December 15.  Pictured are Emily Palenkas a junior from Maryville, Travis Heath a sophomore from Union Point, Ga., Ryan Huff a senior from Chuckey and Matthew Poff a sophomore from Copper Hill, Va.  The entire class worked with and researched homeless issues as part of the course and spent three days a week volunteering at the Melting Pot, a soup kitchen in Johnson City that serves more than 100 people a day from children to the elderly.  Robin Fife ‘99, assistant professor of social science, is the instructor for the course.

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Members of the Provost’s Office and the School Directors at Tusculum College recently made a donation of more than $300 to Feral Friends. Instead of exchanging presents, the group decided to make a donation of what they would have spent on gifts to Feral Friends, a non-profit organization that helps to humanely trap feral cats, have them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and then if adoptable, find homes for them. If the cats are not adoptable, the organization returns them to their colony and provides food and shelter.  Robin Quillen, at far left, president of Feral Friends, accepts the donation from (left to right) Dr. Melinda Dukes, associate vice president for academic affairs; Dee Roby, executive assistant to the provost and faculty secretary; Dr. Kim Estep, provost and vice president of academics; Dr. Rhonda Smith, director of the School of Business, and Ron McCallister, director of the School of Arts and Sciences. Also participating was Dr. Lisa Johnson, director of the School of Education, who was unable to be present at the presentation of the donation.

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The staff of Tusculum College’s Enrollment Management Office celebrated the Holiday season by giving back to the community.  The group participated in a service project in recognition of the season by volunteering to help sort, organize and prepare toys for the Gifts for Kids distribution this past weekend. Among those participating and pictured above are Robin Crabtree ‘07, records, resources and communications manager; Eric Allen, admission representative, and Aaron Porter, ‘07, assistant director of admission.

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Tusculum College has been approved as an official GED Testing Center, which will provide a much-needed service on a regular basis to Greene County and the surrounding communities.

The college received notification this week that it had been approved as a testing center to administer the GED (General Educational Development) tests that provide adults who did not complete a formal high school program the opportunity to certify their attainment of high school-level knowledge and skills.

Jan. 23 will be the first GED testing date at Tusculum.

“The main purpose for Tusculum College to pursue becoming an official GED testing center is to provide a community service for Greeneville and Greene County,” said Melissa Ripley, director of operations and marketing for Residential College Admission, who will be chief examiner for the GED testing at the college. “With high unemployment rate and economic uncertainty, we hope this service will benefit people in the community.”

Tusculum College will become the only testing center providing GED testing on a regular basis in Greene County. Most individuals wanting to take the GED in the county have had to drive Morristown, said Kim Gass, director of Adult Basic Education for Greeneville and Greene County. Tests have been administered at Walters State Community College’s Greeneville Center, but on a sporadic basis. The GED is not offered online.

“The GED testing center being here at Tusculum is going to be an immeasurable blessing,” Gass said. “We’re excited. It is just a win-win-win situation for everyone.” The local program tests 300 to 400 people per year, she said, and the testing center at Tusculum will remove barriers that some of those individuals face. For example, finding transportation to Morristown can be a challenge if the person does not have a car, has a suspended license or cannot leave the county due to probation.

With the county’s high unemployment, the cost of gas to drive to Morristown can be a hardship for those who have lost their jobs, Gass continued. Churches and the court system provide assistance to help individuals pay the $65 testing fee, but funds are not as readily available to help with expenses such as gas.

The Tusculum College testing center may also serve individuals from up to 10 surrounding counties, Gass said, as there is just one testing site in the Tri-Cities in addition to the one in Morristown.

Another benefit that Gass said she hopes comes from the new testing center is the introduction of the college environment to those taking the test. “Most of our students have never been on a college campus,” she said. “We hope that once they are there, they will feel comfortable and may begin to consider the idea that ‘college might be the thing for me.’”

The GED test includes assessment in five content areas: language arts – reading, language arts – writing, mathematics, science and social studies.  To complete the entire test takes just over seven hours.

Realizing that it may be difficult for some people to sit for a seven-hour period and that others may have challenges in blocking that amount of time away from family or work responsibilities, the college is going to offer split-day testing as well as Saturday testing in which the entire test will be administered, Ripley said.

The split-day schedule will involve offering half of the test on one day and the remaining half the next day, she explained.

Gass said the split-day testing will eliminate barriers for some individuals in taking the test such as finding child care or having to take a day off from work and lose a day’s pay.

To pass the GED, a test-taker must earn a minimum total standard score of 2250 on all five tests and a minimum standard score of 410 on each content area test.

Nationally, in 2008, 679,861 people took the complete test and 73 percent of those passed the test. Seventy-one percent of all GED test-takers in 2008 had reached grade 10 or higher in their high school education.

Among the most well known GED recipients are Ruth Ann Minner, the first female governor of Delaware; Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy’s restaurant chain; F. Story Musgrave, a NASA shuttle astronaut; the Honorable Greg Mathis, a U.S. District Court Judge; comedian and actor Bill Cosby, who went on to earn a doctorate in education, and Richard Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general.

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The annual Lessons and Carols service was held Wednesday, December 9, in the lobby of the Thomas J. Garland Library. The service featured scripture readings by students, congregational singing of traditional hymns, solos by Director of Academic Advising Jill Jones and musical accompaniment from student Lake Montgomery and local community musician James Winfree. The Rev. Dr. Stephen Weisz, college chaplain and associate professor of religion, directed the service as well as offering the bidding prayer and benediction. Student Joshua Russell served as verger for the service. Reading scripture were students Kelly Dixon, Haley Rye, Cory Hopson, Cherish Lawson, Katie Pittser, Trey Whitfield, Brooke Haymaker, Zachary Norman, Marquise Snead-Johnson, Gareth Rowlands and Brittni Oliver. Serving as ushers for the service were students Caroline Crow and Matthew McIntyre. Following the service, refreshments were enjoyed that had been prepared by Kathy Hipps, information literacy librarian/assistant
cataloger; student Simon Holzapfel; Jack Smith, director of the library; and Gloria Weisz, an adjunct instructor. At top left, Joshua Russell and Dr. Weisz prepare to lead the procession into the lobby as James Winfree plays. Reading scripture, at top right, is Cherish Lawson. Jill Jones performs “What Songs Were Sung,” at bottom left, and at bottom right, Lake Montgomery accompanies “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

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