NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Tusculum College has announced the committee members for this year’s Pioneer Club Campaign, according to 2010-2011 Pioneer Club Campaign Chairman Larry Coughlin.

Named to this year’s committee are Bill Henry, Mark Easterly, Thom Wood, a 1989 alumnus; Ken Earl, a 1998 and 2000 alumnus; Tom Smith and James Smith. All have been and are currently members of the college’s Pioneer Club.

The newly formed committee will work with Coughlin to support the Pioneer Club student-athletes and to support the efforts of the campaign. They will promote and attend special Pioneer Club events and will seek to encourage others in the community to support the program and the student-athletes at Tusculum College.

According to Coughlin, the committee members were selected based on their previous service and relationships with Tusculum.

The Pioneer Club is the college’s vehicle to provide athletic scholarships and program support to all athletic programs. The program began in 1991, and with the help and support of friends of the college, each year the goals have been met in both membership and dollars raised.

The goals for the 2010-2011 campaign are 375 members and $100,000. Members of the Pioneer Club are invited to tailgates, hospitality suites or other special events prior to selected home games, matches or tournaments. Depending on giving level, members may also receive discounts at the Tusculum College Bookstore, game passes and public address announcement recognition during games.

For more information about the Pioneer Club, visit the Tusculum College website at http://www.tusculum.edu/athletics/pioneerclub/ or contact Cody Greene at 423-636-7303 or at ccgreene@tusculum.edu.

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Faculty and staff from Tusculum College recently returned from a conference held at Lees-McRae College that focused on learning about the tools and technology available with the use of the Sakai online course management system used by the college.

The group of five spent several days at the Banner Elk, N.C., campus attending workshops and working collaboratively with representatives from other colleges and universities. Attending the conference were B.J. Roberts, instructional technology specialist; Gary Quinton, instructional technology specialist; Dr. DiAnn Casteel, associate professor of education; Dr. Kathy Stone, assistant professor of mathematics, and Amy Lyttle, assistant professor of education.

The conference is sponsored by the Learning Asset Management Project (LAMP). Tusculum College is one of 15 schools who make up the LAMP consortium. Through the College’s participation in LAMP, the Sakai program is available to all staff, faculty and students.

According to Roberts, the workshops are a valuable opportunity to sharpen skills in teaching with technology, to develop a course, to investigate collaborative projects with faculty from other schools and to become a more integrated member of the LAMP community. 

“The faculty workshops focused on using Sakai in the classroom to achieve learning goals,” said Roberts. “There were some important workshops focused on utilizing various tools on Sakai, as well as strategies for employing the use of Sakai in the classroom.”

One of the more interesting new features added this year is a video conference tool that will be available for use on the Tusculum campus this fall.

In addition to attending sessions, Roberts was also a co-presenter at one session. His session focused on a new evaluation tool that was recently piloted at Lenoir-Rhyne College. Roberts, along with Sabrina Crawford of Lenoir-Rhyne, focused on the basics of the tool, the implementation of the pilot program and the assessment of the results. Tusculum also piloted the tool in the 2009-10 spring semester.

“I think this will be a popular tool with our faculty, as it will benefit them by allowing them to receive the evaluation results more quickly,” he said.

 Others that attended the conference also felt it was a good investment of their time and effort.

“I can’t imagine teaching without Sakai,” said Casteel, who uses the system in all of her education classes. “The students really appreciate having it implemented so that they can always know where they stand in the class. They know their assignments, due dates and their grades at any point in time.”

She added, “This year I will be giving students the opportunity to use Sakai to encourage group collaboration on specific projects. I feel much more confident in moving in this direction after having attending the workshop.” 

Roberts, who was elected to serve as one of five members of the LAMP Advisory Council at the conference, said that the group has plans to share what they learned at the conference with other members of Tusculum’s faculty and staff. 

“There is information here that can benefit everyone who works with Sakai, either in the classroom or for administrative purposes,” he said. “Sakai is a very effective way of delivering a course management system online and is extremely cost effective.”

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Time is winding down for members of the Tusculum College Alumni Association to submit nominations of individual or individuals who have made significant contributions to Tusculum College for an award in one of the following award categories:

 Pioneer Award

Frontier Award

National Living Faculty Award

National Alumni Recognition Award

Sports Benefactor Award

 Below you will find a description of the awards and a list of previous winners. These awards will be presented at the annual meeting of the Tusculum Alumni Association during Homecoming 2010.

 Nominations must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, August 30. Names and supportive documentation submitted for the awards will be reviewed by the Alumni Awards Committee, which is nominated by the Alumni Executive Board President.

 Following this process, nominations are submitted to the Alumni Executive Board. Award recipients are chosen at the discretion of the Alumni Executive Board by a vote of general consensus.

 Pioneer Award

The Pioneer Award was established by the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association in

1962 and is presented each year to an outstanding alumnus or alumna, in recognition of outstanding or meritorious achievement in his or her chosen field; for distinguished service to church, community, country and humanity; and for continuing and loyal service to Tusculum College.

 Frontier Award

The Frontier Award was established by the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association in

1995 and is presented each year to an outstanding alumnus or alumna in recognition of outstanding or meritorious advancement in his or her career. Consideration will be given to former students who have been graduated from the College at least five years, but no more than fifteen years.  Consideration for this award should include continuing and loyal service to Tusculum College.

 National Living Faculty Award

The National Living Faculty Award was established by the Executive Committee of the Alumni

Association in 1996 and is presented each year to an outstanding member of the Tusculum College Faculty. The purpose of the Living Faculty Award is to bestow recognition on those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the College’s academic program(s). Persons shall not be eligible for consideration until they have maintained an academic relationship with the College for at least five years. To be considered for recognition, faculty members should have excelled during their service to Tusculum College by demonstrating a commitment to the students of the College and the academic program(s).

 National Alumni Recognition Award

The National Alumni Recognition Award was established by the Executive Committee of the

Alumni Association in 1996 and is presented each year to an outstanding member of the Tusculum College Community. The purpose of the National Alumni Recognition Award is to bestow recognition on those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the College. Persons shall not be eligible for consideration until they have maintained an academic relationship with the College for at least five years. To be considered for recognition, Tusculum College community members should have excelled during their service to Tusculum College by demonstrating a commitment to the students of the College and the academic program(s).

 Sports Benefactor Award

The Sports Benefactor Award was established by the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association in 1995 and is presented each year to an outstanding friend of the College in recognition of outstanding support of the Tusculum College athletic program. Consideration for this award should be based on the person’s contributions to the athletic program and loyalty to Tusculum College athletics.

 Submit nominations to:

Office of Alumni Relations, Tusculum College, PO Box 5040, Greeneville, TN 37743.

You may also fax to: 423-636-7335 or email at: bsell@tusculum.edu

Lists of Previous Award Winners:

Pioneer Award:

Roger Abramson ‘64, Sanda Montgomery Abramson ‘65, Arthur Argauer ‘30, Robert H. Bailey ‘48, Leslie W. Bateman ‘42, Ray L. Bowman ‘42, Peggy Brewer ‘89, Frank M. Brogden ‘50, Thomas F. Byrd, Sr. ‘05, Oliver Burkey ‘48, Marjorie Nelle Hyder Cardwell ‘48, Howard E.Cole ‘31, Paul W. Cordova ‘50, Mabel Sheddan Faulds-Dennis ‘32, Marguerite Brumley Dette ‘31, Walter T. Dette, Jr. ‘31, Alpha Doak ‘20, Maurice J. Doak ‘20, Samuel A. Doak ‘16, Samuel L. Doak ‘49, John H. Dugger ‘21, T. Moody Dunbar ‘30, James F. Durham ‘79, Marion C. Edens ‘30, John W. Faulds ‘32, Margaret Gaut  ‘40, A.B. Gilland ‘26, Mary Wilson Gray ‘26, Brenda Thompson Gulledge ‘64, Edward L Heinz ‘42, Ted J. Heinz ‘68, Arthur L Hellyer ‘22, Hal Henard ‘30, Jack Hennessen ‘45, Josephine Doughty Higgs ‘29, Sarah Lippard Hoyt ‘45, Thomas Gray Hull ‘50, Eleanor M. Tom Jaynes ‘51, Hugh O. Jaynes ‘52, Charlie Justice ‘33, Sarah Justice ‘27, Herman C. Kennedy ‘29, Josef Kolenski ‘47, Ethel Steele Kuckoff ‘49, Leon J.Leslie ‘51, Nancy Lick ‘64, Ralph Linfoot ‘33, Clyde R. Lovingood ‘29, H.C. McAmis ‘13, Samuel E. Miller ‘35, Walter M. Mitchell ‘42, Roger M. Nichols ‘50, Aahmes T. Overton ‘38, Stella Lawing Percy ‘30, L. William Pilloni ‘60, Jane Shanks Pilloni ‘59, Wilbur W. Piper ‘20, Frederick A. Serral ‘52, D. Bruce Shine ‘69, Joe Stallard ‘56, John B. Strange ‘58, Rodney T. Taylor ‘33, James V. Tomai, Jr. ‘44, Joseph J. Vogt ‘53, Dexter Walters ‘50, Munell D. Weesner ‘50, Joan Faulkner Weesner ‘51, Stanley R. Welty, Jr. ‘51, Jack Whitelaw ‘ 49

 The Sports Benefactor Award

Joseph J. Vogt ‘53 , Murrell D ‘50,  Joan ‘51 Weesner, Joseph L. Stallard ‘56, Ralph Horne ‘57, Chuck Williams, Jim Allen ‘01, Scott Niswonger ‘87 H’ 06,   Mark Williams, Joyce Combs, Mary Helen Paxton ‘48, Dick Cooter, Jack Kilday ‘57, Bill Isbell,  Ed and Linda Hoffmeyer,  Brian Stayton, Dom Donnelly   

Frontier Award:

Carol Bailey ‘91, Cynthia A. Gardipe ‘90, H. Wayne Hughes ‘90, Karen A. Jones ‘94 ‘97, T. Paige Malone ‘87, Terry Yanish Muhlhahn ‘84, Ronald D. Osborne ‘93, Chris Poole ‘92, Arthur B. Spell ‘87, Angela D. West ‘89, Beverley Lay ‘94, Sean Bride ‘94 ‘98, Ken Earl ‘98 ‘00, Susan D. Vance ‘91, Nick Hirschy ‘02

National Living Faculty Award:

Don Sexton, Bob Davis (received the award in 1999 and 2005) , Clem Allison, Steven Weisz, Suzanne Hine, Katherine Crozier ‘32, Arnold “Doc” Thomas, Ruth Thomas, Ruth Sharpe, Dr. Jim Fields, Wess duBrisk

National Alumni Recognition Award:

Mitzi Williams, Susie Jones, Sam Doak ‘49, Mary Helen Paxton ‘48, Nancy Kilday, Marilyn duBrisk, Mark Stokes, Dolph Henry, Melinda Dukes, Frankie DeBusk,

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Students, staff and faculty at Tusculum College’s Knoxville Regional Center recently completed a clothing drive to benefit FISH Hospitality Pantries and Community Chest of Knoxville that generated more than 1,500 article of clothing for those who are in need.

 ”We are grateful for the recent collection of clothing at Tusculum College,” said Jim Wright, president of Community Chest of Knoxville and FISH Hospitality Pantries. “Hundreds of local people, who must struggle for the basic necessities of life, will benefit from the generosity of students, faculty and staff.”

According to Tom McKay, student support specialist at Tusculum College, more than 100 staff, faculty and students participated.

“The genesis of this project was two successful food drives we had previously conducted for Fish Hospitality Pantries in 2008 and 2009,” said McKay. “This year in keeping with the community outreach and service ethic on the campus, we decided after a tour of their facility to support Fish Pantries’ sister agency Community Chest of Knoxville.”

The group plans to have a second clothing drive in the spring in addition to a fall food drive.

“These initiatives are in addition to the hundreds of hours each year of service given by learning teams at the Knoxville Regional Center of Tusculum College,” said McKay.

The Community Chest of Knoxville serves those in distressed situations and those with low incomes by providing access to clothing and small household items.

Tusculum College, through its mission, strives to perpetuate the free societies of the world by teaching the tenets of the civic arts, including the role of not-for-profit service, the history and foundations of democratic governance and the fundamentals of a virtuous free enterprise system.

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The Niswonger Foundation has awarded a mini-grant to support the National History Day program efforts of Tusculum College’s Department of Museum Program and Studies and the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association.

The grant will be used to assist with the placement of a National History Day resource coordinator in Greene County and regional schools to work with students and teachers as well as furnish program materials.

“We are pleased to be able to assist the Museums of Tusculum College and the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association with providing this national curriculum-based program in our schools,” said Linda Irwin, director of school partnerships for the Foundation.

The National History Day program was founded more than 30 years ago. The program was started in Greene County eight years ago and has grown steadily with many students progressing to the district, state and national competitions. To date more than 3,000 students in Greene County have participated in the program. Mosheim Middle School, which has participated in the program the longest, has experienced improved achievement test scores since it was implemented.

Students prepare exhibits, documentaries, papers and plays related to a national theme as part of the National History Day program. As they complete their projects, students learn important skills such as conducting research, identifying primary and secondary materials, engaging in critical thinking skills and preparing their work for presentation and judging.

Last year, a mini-grant from the Niswonger Foundation helped provide funds for the creation of the resource coordinator position.  Darlene McCleish, who served as the resource coordinator, worked with 600 students in local schools over the course of the 2009-10 academic year. McCleish also met with teachers in almost all the schools in Greeneville and Greene County about National History Day, and there are other schools interested in participating in the annual event during the upcoming academic year. In addition, she was involved in workshops in Carter and Hawkins counties sharing information about the program.

With the exception of the mini-grant from the Niswonger Foundation, the program is totally supported through the membership and fund-raising efforts of the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association.

For more information on the program and the Association, contact George Collins, museum program advisor with the Department of Museum Program and Studies at Tusculum by e-mailing gcollins@tusculum.edu or calling 423-525-0240.

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Tusculum College’s new Pioneer Band Program gets underway on Sunday, August 22. David Price, director of music and special events, is extending invitations to local high school students, faculty and staff and community members to join with Tusculum students in participating in the new Tusculum Band at upcoming football games and other special events. 

The Sunday rehearsal will be held in the Annie Hogan Byrd Auditorium.  Participants will need to bring their instrument and a lyre (if applicable.)

The schedule will be as follows:
12:30 - 1:00 - Registration
1:00 - 2:45 - Rehearsal
2:45 - 3:30 - Meal
3:30 - 4:30 - Run through

After Sunday, the band practices will be Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 4-5:30 p.m. and will also be held at Annie Hogan Byrd in the band room downstairs near the Behan Arena Theater.  The times participants will need to be at the games will vary so these times will be communicated a week before each game by email.   

 Participants will be provided food at the first practice and at the football games and will be provided a band shirt to wear at all events.  There are five home games and the dates and game times are as follows:
Aug. 28, 2010 with CHARLESTON (W. Va.)  - game time 1 p.m.

Sep. 18, 2010  with URBANA  - game time 1 p.m.  

Oct. 9, 2010 with NEWBERRY (Homecoming) - game time 2 p.m.    

Oct. 30, 2010 with BREVARD - game time 1:30 p.m.            

Nov. 13, 2010 with CARSON-NEWMAN - game time 1:30 p.m.

If you are interested in participating or need more information, please contact Price at 423-636-7303 or email daprice@tusculum.edu.

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Tusculum College is celebrating the return of residential campus students this month in anticipation of the start of fall semester classes on Monday, Aug. 23.

Members of the Pioneer football team and athletic training students returned to campus on Wednesday, August 4, to move into their residence halls. Those upperclassmen who were selected last spring to serve as residence hall assistants returned last week as well for training and orientation activities. Student Orientation leaders, soccer and volleyball program participants will move into their rooms on Friday, August 13.

Student leadership groups, such as the President’s Society and the Student Government Association officers, and other students who participate in pre-term programming will return to campus the week of August 16, and all new students will be welcomed on Friday, August 20.  Returning students will have their Move-in Day on Sunday, August 21.

Move-in Day for new students at Tusculum College is a campus wide event and includes staff members from nearly every department. To simplify the move-in process, Tusculum students and their parents check in at the Pioneer Arena where representatives from each department greet them. Once they have received their room assignments and keys, staff and faculty assist the students and parents in the actual move into their new residence.

Beginning on Monday, August 23, Welcome Week activities are planned for all students and include a student picnic, a pool party and “A Taste of Tusculum,” event, an organizational and activities forum which introduces students to opportunities to participate in various groups and organizations on campus.

Thursday, September 2, will be the official Opening Convocation, the ceremony formally opening the academic year and attended by students, faculty and staff.

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Larry Coughlin of Greeneville has been announced as the chairman of the 2010-2011 Pioneer Club Campaign. Coughlin previously served as co-chairman of the 2009-2010 campaign.

Coughlin has been a long-time supporter of Tusculum College and its student-athletes and is respected in the community as a member of Notre Dame Catholic Church and the Greeneville Exchange Club.

The Pioneer Club is the college’s vehicle to provide athletic scholarships and program support to all athletic programs. The program began in 1991, and with the help and support of friends of the college, each year the goals have been met in both membership and dollars raised.

The goal for the 2010-2011 campaign is and $100,000. Members of the Pioneer Club are invited to tailgates, hospitality suites or other special events prior to selected home games, matches or tournaments. Depending on giving level, members may also receive discounts at the Tusculum College Bookstore, game passes and public address announcement recognition during games.

Athletics at Tusculum College are a big part of campus life; in fact, nearly 50 percent of the students are student-athletes.

“On campus, student-athletes have a higher graduation rate and higher GPA than those who are not student-athletes. They have seen quite a bit of success on the field and court as well,” said Coughlin.

During the 2009-2010 athletics season Tusculum College exemplified academic and athletic achievement, as Tusculum led the league in honorees with three South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athletes and four SAC Players of the Year.  The Women’s Basketball Team won the NCAA Southeast Region Championship and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight and Men’s Cross Country runner Simon Holzapfel of Nuremburg, Germany, won his first five individual meets. Add to that that nine of Tusculum’s 14 intercollegiate athletic programs boast a 3.00 cumulative team grade point average.

“What an exciting program to be a part of, and as a Pioneer Club member, you can help student-athletes enjoy the unique Tusculum College experience,” Coughlin added.

For more information about the Pioneer Club, visit the Tusculum College website at http://www.tusculum.edu/athletics/pioneerclub/ or contact Cody Greene at 423-636-7303 or at ccgreene@tusculum.edu.

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Theatre-at-Tusculum has scheduled audition dates for its fall production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s fabulous and glittering musical, “The King and I.”

A large cast of leads, supports, singers and dancers will be needed for the production, which will be performed Nov. 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14. All auditions will take place in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building, and no prepared material is required.

Auditions will begin on Monday and Wednesday, Aug. 16 and 18. Auditions for children will be held from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. each day. Sought for the cast are boys and girls from 4 to 11 years of age who are no taller than 4’10’’.

A special “dancers only” audition for “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” a Thai character dance, will be held Tuesday, Aug. 17, from 3:30 – 6:30. This audition is for both male and female dancers ages 10 years through adult.

Auditions for teens and adults will be Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 23 and 24. Registration will begin at 5:30 p.m. with auditions from 6 – 8:30 p.m.

Callbacks will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26.

Adapted from “Anna and the King of Siam” by Margaret London, the “King and I” was first performed in New York in 1951 and has stood the test of time. It has been made into a movie twice and has been performed on stages around the world continuously since its debut.

The show’s director, Marilyn duBrisk, has a special place in her heart for the show as she spent an exotic year in Bangkok, Thailand. duBrisk, director of the Arts Outreach program and artist-in-residence at Tusculum College, taught at Chula Longkoren University, which was established in the late 1800s by Prince Chula, a pupil of Anna Leonowens, governess to the King’s children.

In addition to duBrisk, the production staff includes Angie Clendenon, music director; Barbara Holt, costumes; Frank Mengel, technical and sets; Jennifer Hollowell, box office, and a host of talented musicians, volunteers, and of course, family-of-the-cast.

For more information about the auditions, call Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620.

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Professors and staff members of the School of Education spent Monday morning removing brush, trimming trees and spreading mulch to clean and beautify the porch at the side of COG North and ready it for use. The porch area will be available for use by faculty and students for a quiet place to study or work or for classes to meet outside to enjoy nice weather. Participating in the project were, above from left, Dr. Lisa Johnson, director of the School of Education and assistant professor of education; Bette Dowd, assistant certification officer and COG office supervisor, and Pauletta Johnson, assistant professor of education and director of field experience.

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