NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

With critical decisions about their future looming just around the corner, hundreds of Greeneville and Greene County high school juniors took advantage of expert advice about educational opportunities and careers at the first ever Junior Conference sponsored by Tusculum College.

More than 800 juniors from all area high schools attended the conference which focused on higher education opportunities and career awareness.

According to Jacquelyn D. Elliott, vice president for enrollment management, the first-year event was a success.

“Overall the Junior Conference was able to offer a wide variety of personalized information on education and career choices directly relating to life decisions these students will be making in the next two years,” said Elliott.

“We had tremendous community support and could not have provided the comprehensive event that we did without all the wonderful volunteers who served as educational and career speakers, moderators and guides.”

The day opened with Nathan Honeycutt, the keynote speaker for the conference. Honeycutt shared with the high school students his journey from high school to working as an architect on such projects as the Georgia Aquarium to working on high profile developments in Dubai, Beirut and Tripoli.

Honeycutt then challenged the students to “define your own story. From this point forward, what are you going to do? While you cannot change the past or control what is going to happen in the future, you can control what you do today.”

In thinking about a future career path, Honeycutt advised the students to think about what makes them happy or what they enjoy. “Do what you love,” he counseled.

“It is okay to fail,” Honeycutt said. “There are very few guarantees in life, but one is that everyone will experience failure. But, what matters is how you respond.” 

Honeycutt also told the students that they are responsible for their lives once they get to college. Parents and teachers are guides, he continued, but it is a young person’s responsibility to learn and seize the opportunities to achieve his or her dream.

“I was in your seat 14 years ago,” he concluded. “Now it is your time to define your story.”

Students attended a variety of sessions that provided career information first-hand from local company representatives and from area professionals who shared experiences and information about their fields.

Students could choose from sessions such as “Preparing for your College Interview” and “College Lingo and Terminology” as well as from sessions from community representatives such as the Wal-Mart Distribution Center and John Deere Power Products.

Additionally, sessions were also provided on career/professional topics including sport management, nursing, education, athletic training, information technology, medical technology, business, politics and law.

 ”It is our hope that students not only enjoyed the sessions and speakers, but also that they learned something that will help them with their future decisions about career and education choices,” said Elliott.

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More than 50 students, faculty, staff and community members attended a Diversity Fair at Tusculum College on Sunday, February 28, which highlighted the cultural richness of the college campus and the East Tennessee Region.

Students in Assistant Professor of Social Science Robin Fife’s service-learning class at Tusculum coordinated and hosted the event which featured a mix of presentations, skits and displays.

The students also worked with the George Clem Multicultural Association of Greene County in hosting the event, and in some cases, in preparing their presentations. Tusculum College is proud of its diversity, with a mix of genders, races and students representing 17 countries, in addition to the United States.

According to Fife, diversity has been part of the class’ overall focus. The presentations, skits and display tables focused on a variety facets of diversity such as cultural and religious groups they may not have been exposed to prior to their research.

“We want our students and the people in our community to learn about different religions and cultures and also gain a better understanding of the uniqueness and richness of the diversity here,” said Fife.       

“I think it’s great for the students to sometimes get out of their comfort zone and experience different situations and populations, “she added.

Some of the student-developed presentations focused on gender and religious differences, while others focused on cultural and race topics, such as one group’s skit about “resume whitening.”

International student Simon Holzapfel of Nuremberg, Germany, a junior and sports science/sports management major, introduced the student skit about why resume whitening is used and explained that it is designed to give black applicants the opportunity to make it to the interview process and not be “screened out” based on items in their resume that may indicate their race. He added that while not all companies do this, there are some that make it more difficult for non-white applicants.

In addition to the skits and presentations, students also showed off a variety of displays based on their research and several community groups provided information as well.

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Tusculum College alumni were among those named Teachers of the Year for Hamblen County School System in February.

 Each of the 18 schools in Hamblen County chose a teacher to represent their school.  Of the eight winners in the PreK-4 category, three of the teachers earned their Master’s in Education (MAED) from Tusculum College’s Graduate and Professional Studies Program in Morristown.  They are: Laura Reece ‘05, kindergarten teacher at Hillcrest Elementary in Morristown; Heather Stubblefield ‘07, kindergarten Teacher at Lincoln Heights Elementary School in Morristown, and Scott Helton ‘05, fourth-grade teacher at Russellville Elementary School in Russellville. 

 In the Grades 5-8 category, there were seven winners, one of whom was Karen Holweg ‘09, a sixth-grade teacher at East Ridge Middle School. 

 One teacher in each category will be chosen to represent Hamblen County schools as School System Teachers of the Year.  Winners are selected by a committee by McMinn County and will be announced later in the school year.

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Leah Walker, left, site and events manager at the Doak House Museum, and Wanda Rahm, right, administrative assistant for the Tusculum College Center for Civic Advancement, were among those who helped celebrate Dr. Seuss’ 106th birthday and “Read Across America” at Doak Elementary School on Monday, March 1. The Tusculum students and staff were joined by members of the community to read works by Dr. Seuss to students in the pre-K, kindergarten, second and third grade classes. The program was sponsored by the Doak House Museum, which is located on the Tusculum campus, and the college’s Center for Civic Advancement. It was part of “Read Across America” the National Education Association’s celebration of reading that takes place during the first week of March.

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Dr. John Paulling, professor of mathematics at Tusculum College, is back from London, where he spent the fall semester teaching a course on the mathematics of political decisions and as part of the College’s participation in the “London Program” study abroad program.

In addition to his teaching duties, Paulling served as academic director for the one British and five American professors who taught courses to American students, mostly from colleges and universities in Tennessee and Missouri. The program allows these students to study in London for a semester, while still earning credits from their home colleges and universities.

While participating in the program Paulling and his students were able to explore the city in depth, as well as visit surrounding cities such as Bath, Cambridge, Stonehenge and nearby Paris, France.

“The Paris trip was a very significant foreign language experience for the students,” he said. Adding that the students also had opportunities to experience the cultural highlights of London, including performances of William Shakespeare plays and attending a performance of the “Messiah” at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Paulling, who in the past studied in Germany as a student and has traveled to Europe several times, enjoyed the opportunity to discover new parts of the city as well as revisit some attractions with students participating in the program and seeing them for the first time.

His “Political Calculations” course dealt with the mathematics of social choice, including topics such as, voting, power, conflict, escalation and fairness.

 In coordination with his own teaching, Paulling took his students to visit sites relating to the “two fathers of statistics – John Snow and Francis Galton.”

Snow is known for trying to solve the problem of cholera using what are today the basic ideas in statistics. Galton is known for creating the statistical concept of correlation and promoting “regression toward the mean.” According to Paulling, he was considered to be the cutting edge of science and inquiry.

By visiting sites dedicated to the two statistical pioneers, Paulling hoped to bring the course alive and incorporate London into the curriculum.

Paulling’s opportunity to teach is part of Tusculum College’s participation in the Private College Consortium for International Study (PCCIS), a partnership of 14 colleges mostly in the Appalachian College Association. The Private College Consortium for International Studies was developed for the promotion of study abroad programs, and for the participating institutions, it is the opportunity to design their own academic programs abroad using their own curriculums, standards and styles.

As part of their agreement to participate with other American colleges and universities in the London Program, each year one PCCIS participant school must send a professor to teach in the program.

 Tusculum College has provided the professor in the past, but this was Paulling’s first opportunity. In addition, students at Tusculum College are also eligible for participation, and while there are no current students enrolled, senior Lynnsey Jett of Jefferson City recently returned from her semester of study in London.

The London Program is part of Tusculum College’s efforts to increase the number of students who have an international experience during their college career. As part of this campus wide goal, the College formed the Center for Global Studies in spring 2008, with a mission to “enhance the capacity of individuals and organizations to address local and global challenges through building relationships with communities, institutions of higher learning and organizations globally.”

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The Corporation for National and Community Service has honored Tusculum College with a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to America’s communities.

“Tusculum College is proud to have been recognized for the efforts that our staff, faculty and students put into the Civic Arts and community service projects,” said Tusculum College President Nancy B. Moody.

Joyce Doughty, director for the Center for Civic Advancement at the College added that service projects and service learning experiences are part of the core of Tusculum College’s mission that includes the Civic Arts and service to others as part of its overall mission.

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

Poverty, homelessness and hunger were among many of the issues addressed by the most recent group of students participating in service projects in the East Tennessee region, according to Doughty. Students have worked with the Appalachia Service Project, George Clem Multicultural Association, Greeneville-Greene County Community Ministries, Greene County Habitat for Humanity, the Manna House (a transitional shelter for the homeless), the Melting Pot soup kitchen and the Mission Soup Kitchen at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church.

In addition, numerous projects have been completed by staff, faculty and other volunteer groups associated with Tusculum College.

“Congratulations to the awardees and students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities,” said Patrick Corvington, the Corporation’s CEO.

“Our nation’s students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face. They have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew America through service.”

The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is presented during the annual conference of the American Council on Education.

College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector; in 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service. Each year, the Corporation invests more than $150 million in fostering a culture of service on college campuses through grants awarded by its programs; the education awards that AmeriCorps members receive at the conclusion of their term of service to pay for college; and through support of training, research, recognition, and other initiatives to spur college service.

This is the fourth time Tusculum College has been named to the Honor Roll.

The Learn and Serve America program, in particular, is a catalyst for service-learning programs nationwide that connect community service with academic curriculum. Through these programs, in class and in extracurricular activities, college students serve others in their communities while strengthening their academic and civic skills. In addition, service-learning fosters partnerships between colleges and their communities that improve communities and helps meet immediate community needs.

The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

For more information, go to www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.

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A total of $2,300 was raised on Saturday for the American Red Cross and its relief efforts in Haiti at a Tusculum College yard sale, sponsored by the staff of the Campus Security Office.

Staff, faculty and students of the College donated the items for the sale.

According to Campus Safety Officer Josh Jordan, the success of the event was a tribute to the generous donations of items, time and financial resources by everyone who helped with the event, including students, faculty, staff and friends of the College.

In addition, Jordan noted that the Food City store on Snapps Ferry Road in Greeneville also participated by donating 300 plastic bags for use at the sale.

He also thanked all the volunteers who worked the day of the sale, which was coordinated by Campus Safety along with assistance from Student Affairs, the Center for Civic Advancement and the Bonner Leaders student organization.

The check was presented on behalf of Tusculum College to representatives of the American Red Cross on Monday, March 1.

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Tusculum College is offering the opportunity for fans to travel to Greenwood, S.C. on Monday, March 15, to cheer on the Pioneers as they take on 11th-ranked Lander University at 7 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA II Elite Eight in Missouri.

Anyone interested in traveling as a group on a 55-passenger Greene Coach bus should contact Suzanne Richey at 423-636-7304 or email srichey@tusculum.edu as soon as possible. Seats will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis and the deadline for making a reservation is 9 a.m. Monday, March 15.

Seats are being made available to students as well. (Interested students are encouraged to contact Jonita Ashley-Pauley at 423/798-7820.)

In order to absorb the cost of the bus, the College is suggesting a donation for the trip of $50 per person (does not include meal or game ticket), but because we want our Pioneer fans to be able to join us, donations of any size will be accepted. Donations will be collected prior to departure. The bus will leave from Niswonger Commons at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, will stop for dinner and will arrive in time for the 7 p.m. game start.  Game tickets will be purchased at arrival and will be $5 per person.

Everyone participating is encouraged to wear their orange and black and to be prepared to cheer on Coach Adell Harris and the team to a victory over host Lander University.

Again, please let us know if you would like to reserve a seat on the bus as soon as possible, as we will be making a final decision based on a minimum number of reserved seats by 10 a.m. on Monday morning. Those who have made reservations will be notified when the final decision has been made. Hope to see you there!

Go Tusculum Pioneers!

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Home-schooled students will have the opportunity to learn how history shapes the present during a special camp March 22-25 to be hosted by the Doak House Museum.

The day camp, “Forward, Into the Past!” will be open to home-schooled children ages 6-12 at the Doak House Museum on the Tusculum College campus. Activities each day will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.

Youngsters attending the camp will learn how archeologists uncover clues from the past, discover how history is used in every day life, make arts and crafts projects, participate in fun and games from the 19th century and become a history detective and learn how to “read” a building.

The cost of the camp is $85 per child and $75 for additional children from the same family. Campers must provide their own sack lunch. Snacks are included in tuition cost.

Space in the camp is limited, and reservations are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. To reserve a place, please call the museum at 423-636-8554 or e-mail dboyd@tusculum.edu. The reservation deadline is Friday, March 5.

The home-school camp is the first of four camps scheduled at the museum this year. Another camp for home-school students is planned May 24-27. The camp, “Light, Color, Motion,” will focus on art and artists of the 19th century and be taught by Artist-in-Residence, Dr. Fran Church, art program coordinator in the Fine Arts Department at Alabama A & M University.

“Ready, Set, Explore!” is the theme of the museum’s annual summer camp, which will be offered at two different times in June.  The summer camps are open to all children ages 6-12 and are planned June 7-10 and June 21-24.

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