NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

A wreath representing Tusculum College was among the Christmas decorations featured in the recent “Festival of Trees” at Niswonger Performing Arts Center.

The beautifully designed wreath was decorated by Deborah Davis, associate athletic director, compliance officer and senior women’s administrator. The theme for the wreath was “A Tapestry of Pioneer Pride,” reflecting the theme of the recent inauguration of Tusculum’s president, Dr. Nancy B. Moody.

Wellington Place Assisted Living and the Niswonger Performing Arts Center hosted the Festival of Trees, which featured trees, wreaths, swags, topiaries center pieces and gingerbread houses all decorated for the holidays.

The Festival of Trees was open to the public from November 15 through 22. Admission was a can of food to be donated to the Greene County Food Bank. A silent auction was held of the various items with proceeds benefitting the Niswonger Performing Arts Center and A Safe Harbor Home, Inc., a transitional shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Both the Food Bank and Safe Harbor Home have received the assistance of Tusculum students in the past. For example, students have volunteered at the Food Bank and painted murals for Safe Harbor Home’s new consignment store during the last Nettie Fowler McCormick Service Day.

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The Doak House Museum will be open for a special Christmas event on Saturday, Dec. 4.

The museum will host a Christmas Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with special activities for all ages. The museum is located on the Tusculum College campus at 690 Erwin Hwy.

For the open house, there will be games and toys for children and free tours on the hour of the home of the 19^th century home of the Rev. Samuel Witherspoon Doak, a co-founder of Tusculum College. The home has been decorated for an early 1800s Christmas.

A storyteller will perform in the central hall of the Doak House at 1 p.m.

Discounts on a variety of items, including toys and Christmas decorations, will be available in the museum’s gift shop, located inside the Doak House.

For more information about the open house, contact the Doak House Museum at 423-636-8554 or lwalker@tusculum.edu.

The Doak House Museum and the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library are operated by the Department of Museum Program and Studies of Tusculum College. In addition to the museums, the department is responsible for the College Archives and offers one of the few undergraduate Museum Studies degree programs in the country. The two museums are also part of the National Historic District on the Tusculum College campus. Follow the museums of Facebook and Twitter to learn the latest news and upcoming events.

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Tusculum College student-athletes raised nearly $1,400 to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness and Research.
  
Members of the Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Council (PSAAC) raised the funds in October to benefit the efforts of breast cancer awareness and research.  Numerous sporting events during the month were designated by the student-athletes, including the Tusculum volleyball team as their “Dig for the Cure” match raised over $1,000 to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The PSAAC serves as the voice for student-athletes at Tusculum College to institutional leaders in matters of NCAA rules, regulations and policies that directly affect the student-athlete experience at Tusculum. 

The PSAAC works diligently to give back to the local community, most notably its support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Since 2003, NCAA Division II student-athletes have raised more than $1 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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The Community Band will hold a Christmas Concert on Tuesday, November 30, at the Annie Hogan Byrd Auditorium on the Tusculum College campus.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Special guest for the performance will be Jimmie E. Self. Self is a retired Chief Master Sergeant from the United States Air Force Band Program. He has performed for four U.S. Presidents and many foreign heads of state in over 20 countries. 

The concert is set to be enjoyable for the whole family with a variety of music and styles.

Self teaches tuba and euphonium at East Tennessee State University and is the principal trombonist with the Symphony of the Mountains.

 ”The music is from almost every style and time period, from Bach to Sinatra” said Mike May, director of the Community Band.  “It should be an enjoyable concert for all, not to mention the amazing euphonium performance of Jimmie Self.”

  The Community Band is a musical group that consists of amateur musicians from the local area and includes all age groups. The group has regular practices each week at the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus.

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William Kelly, a 2009 graduate of Tusculum College, returned to his alma mater on Thursday to tell current students about his career in the field of environmental science.

Kelly, who earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and creative writing from Tusculum, is a chemist for Triumvirate Environmental, one of the leading environmental firms in the New England region.

One of the best characteristics of his job is that it varies from day to day, Kelly told a group of students, faculty and staff attending the presentation.

While the title “chemist” may bring images to mind of a person working in a lab, he said, his position is very different as a majority of his time is spent in the field at customer sites.

His responsibilities vary depending on the assignment, Kelly said. He has inspected the waste handling and disposal procedures at university research labs, driven a truck of waste to a disposal site, cleaned up hazardous material spills and directed the implementation of better waste disposal procedures by a hospital following an inspection by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Kelly, who is from Sevierville, said his classes at Tusculum provided a good base of knowledge for him in his position although he has received much on-the-job training. In his job interview, Kelly said it was beneficial to him to be able to note that he had taken a course in industrial hygiene.

Another key, he said, to his hiring by the firm was the people skills he was able to learn through his leadership roles in the Upward Bound program and as an editor for the student newspaper at Tusculum, as well as his experience working in a retail store.

Triumvirate Environmental focuses on customer service, Kelly said, so the ability to relate to people and be able to handle a variety of situations including those in which people may not be receptive to what you have to say or challenge what they are directed to do is crucial.

The company also provides opportunities for advancement to a variety of positions in its various divisions, he said, noting that each person at the firm, even the accountants and the president, has served at some point as a chemist so each person has an understanding of the scope of the work the firm handles.

Kelly advised students to serve in an internship while in college if possible as employers want applicants who have had some experience in the field.

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Twenty-two Tusculum College students were inducted into one of the most prestigious organizations on campus, the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, during a ceremony before family and friends Saturday (November 13) in the Chalmers Conference Center on campus.

To be eligible to join Alpha Chi, students must be either juniors and seniors who rank in the top 10 percent of their classes academically. Members are admitted to the honor society from all academic disciplines. The invitation to join the honor society, extended by the college’s faculty, recognizes previous accomplishments and provides opportunity for continued growth and service.

Inducted were:

• Kelly Dixon, a junior from Chuckey, Tenn., majoring in elementary education.
• Kirstie Gust, a junior from Hartford, Tenn., majoring in accounting and business management. Gust is president and founder of the Pioneer Green Team, vice president of the Business Club, a Bonner Leader and SOS (Service on Saturday) coordinator. She has been nominated for membership in the Professional Women of America. She is a volunteer at the Middle Nolichucky Watershed Alliance, at which she served in an internship last summer, and multiple community programs. Gust is also active in campus ministries.
• Michelle Hoover, a junior from Murfreesboro, Tenn., who is majoring in English.
• J. D. Howard, a junior from Perry, Ga., majoring in accounting. Howard, who is a member of the baseball team, also serves as a campus ambassador as a member of the President’s Society.
• Katie Kelley, a junior from Tellico Plains, Tenn., who is majoring in biology and pre-medicine and balancing her school work with her work at a local pharmacy.
• Elizabeth McConnell, a junior from Memphis, Tenn., majoring in English

writing.  McConnell recently was honored with the Meacham Writers’ Conference Nonfiction Award for one of her essays.

• Marci Moore, a senior from Parrottsville, Tenn., majoring in business and business education. Moore is a member of the Tusculum Cheerleading Squad.
• Kaitlyn Morgan, a junior from Hartford, Tenn., who is majoring in mathematics education.
• Derek Murrell, a junior from Bulls Gap, Tenn., who is majoring in biology and pre-medicine. Murrell has maintained a 4.0 grade point average while at Tusculum and serves as a tutor in chemistry and biology on campus as well as playing rugby.
• Quyen Nguyen, a junior from Greenbrier, Tenn., who is majoring in biology and

pre-medicine.  Nguyen serves as a resident assistant and is a member of the Student Activity Board.

• Erica Pomana, a junior from Pauline, S.C., who is majoring in athletic training.
• Taylor Rakes, a junior from Norcross, Ga., majoring in international business. Rakes has been very active in community service with the Tusculum baseball team and has been named to the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Athletic Director’s Honors Roll.
• Jordan Reams, a junior from Hampton, Tenn., majoring in education.
• David Roncskevitz, a senior from Franklin, Tenn., majoring in English writing. Roncskevitz is a two-time winner of the Curtis Owens Literary Prize at Tusculum College. His play, “The House of Autumn Fire,” was published in October 2010 by Connotation Press.

• Lucas Shipley, a senior from Greeneville, Tenn., majoring in mathematics education.

• Alex Smith, a senior from Greeneville, Tenn., majoring history. Smith was scheduled to graduate in spring of 2010, but was called to by the U.S. Army to active duty overseas. He served in Iraq and Kuwait and has been nominated for the Purple Heart award. He has served in Tusculum’s Student Government Association as a senator and chief justice.

• Jessimine Strauss, a junior from Walterboro, S.C., majoring in psychology. Strauss is a member of the Psychology Club. A research study, “Predicting the Quality of Romantic Relationships,” which Strauss completed with two other Tusculum students was presented at the general session of the Southeastern Psychology Association Convention in Chattanooga in March 2010.

• Katy Stuckwish, a junior from Friendsville, Tenn., who is majoring in biology and pre-medicine. Stuckwish is a member of the softball team.
• David Terrell, a junior from Saltillo, Tenn., majoring in biology and pre-medicine.
• Storm Vance, a junior from Elizabethton, Tenn., majoring in accounting.
• Priscilla Wampler, a junior from Greeneville, Tenn., majoring in mathematics education, and
• Kayla Watts, a junior from Greeneville, Tenn., majoring in elementary education.

Tusculum College President Dr. Nancy B. Moody congratulated the new Alpha Chi inductees on their achievement. “Alpha Chi Honor Society shares many of the core values that we value and display at Tusculum - personal integrity, civic responsibility and commitment to continual improvement as a life-long enterprise,” she said. “It is the highest academic honor that Tusculum College offers its students. … Your successes are many and tonight Tusculum College is proud to recognize your hard work, efforts and commitment to excellence.”

Troy Goodale, faculty sponsor for Tusculum’s Alpha Chi chapter, presented the candidates and welcomed them into the organization. Goodale is an assistant professor of political science at the college.

Jason Seaton of Midway, president of Tusculum’s Alpha Chi chapter; shared history and information about the honor society. Alpha Chi has been a respected college honor society since its beginning in 1922 and is an active member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The society’s purpose is to promote academic excellence and exemplary character among college and university students and to honor those who achieve such distinction. Its name is derived from the first letter of the Greek words meaning truth and character, and its motto is “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” taken from John 8:32 in the Bible.  Tusculum’s chapter was the first one established in the state.

Participating in the induction ceremony were Danielle Armstrong of Blountville, vice president of the Tusculum chapter; Brandon Gann of Newport, the chapter’s secretary/treasurer, and Dr. Kim Estep, Tusculum provost and academic vice president.

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The international flags in the Niswonger Commons Living Room at Tusculum College were revitalized with new flags representing the College’s international student population in a ceremony on Friday, November 12. Four new flags were added to those that represent current students and alumni, and the ceremony was held as part of the College’s International Education Week activities.

Tusculum College currently has 44 flags representing current and former students, including the four added in the ceremony. Currently enrolled students come from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, Germany, Guatemala, Holland, Ireland, Ukraine, Venezuela and Wales.

The four new flags added included those for Denmark, Kenya, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico, according to Bonnie Weston, student life coordinator at the college and coordinator of the International Education Week events.

As part of the ceremony, which included several of the college’s international students, senior Simon Holzapfel, of Nuremburg, Germany, spoke to the group about attending Tusculum College and his experiences as an international student.

Simon told the group the story of his first day on campus when he was delivered to campus by a coach and unpacked his two bags - one of which contained his bicycle. “I put my bike together and rode to Wal-Mart to get a blanket. The next day I rode back to get a pillow.”

The sports science and sport management major talked about his slow integration in the Tusculum College culture that ended with a quiet young man becoming one of the most active and well-known students on campus. Holzapfel has been honored over the years for his successes in athletics, academics and for his contributions to the community.

“Each of these flags add a different color to the tapestry of this College, I too will have added variety and diversity,” said Holzapfel.

Also speaking was Luis Zamora of Chile, a sophomore management and economics major. Zamora was born in Germany and later moved to Chile.

He told the group he felt the international efforts in which Tusculum College was embarking was increasingly important as the world becomes a smaller place.

“The opportunity to study abroad has opened and broadened my mind in many ways and I wish that everyone could have that opportunity to experience another culture in this way,” he said.

Also on the program was Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of the college. Dr. Moody told the group that seeing the broad range of cultures through the flag display made her realize how truly blessed the Tusculum community is to have such diversity on such a small campus.

“As we look to these flags and what they represent, I am proud to be a part of this institution that recognizes the value of diversity and the role of international education in providing diverse learning opportunities,” she said.

She added, “Thank you for the opportunity you have given us to know you and to learn from you. I urge each of you to take a serious look at the opportunities afforded to you through your college education.”

International Education Week was held the week of Nov. 7, and included events such as programs focused on soldiers abroad and a sushi-making course. Activities were scheduled to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Tusculum College campus through education.

“International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of efforts to prepare students for a global environment and to attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the United States,” said Bonnie Weston, student life coordinator for multicultural affairs.

For more information on Tusculum College’s multicultural programs or to find out more about upcoming events, contact Weston at 423-636-7300.

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Representatives of Tusculum College and East Tennessee State University signed an affiliation agreement on Monday, November 15, that gives qualifying Tusculum College graduates priority candidate status for entry into the Doctor of Pharmacy program at East Tennessee State University’s Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy.

The signing was held at 2 p.m. in the Brotherton Board Room at the Thomas J. Garland Library on the Tusculum College campus.

Under the agreement, Tusculum College students who meet coursework and grade point average requirements as well as meet required scoring on the Pharmacy College Admission Test will be guaranteed an admissions interview for the next entering class of the pharmacy program at the Gatton College of Pharmacy.

“This is an opportunity to further support Tusculum College students with their goal of continuing their education in graduate school, as well as an opportunity for East Tennessee State University to keep our best and brightest students right here in East Tennessee,” said Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College.

The agreement went into effect immediately after the signing.

“Each year during the admissions process, we are always eager to receive applications from the region’s best and brightest undergraduate students - and that makes this partnership with Tusculum College a natural for the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy. I am confident our institution will benefit through an increase in the number of Tusculum students who aspire to become pharmacy students at ETSU, and, in turn, we will provide qualified Tusculum students with a competitive boost by ensuring they will receive an interview for admissions consideration,” said Dr. Larry D. Calhoun, dean of the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy.

Tusculum College currently has two former students enrolled in the Gatton College of Pharmacy program, Brittany Bible ‘10 and Stacy Parks ‘09, both of whom were in attendance at the signing.

Tusculum College, the oldest college in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the nation, is a liberal arts institution committed to utilizing the civic arts in developing educated citizens distinguished by academic excellence, public service and qualities of Judeo-Christian character. Approximately twenty-two hundred students are enrolled on the main campus in Greeneville and three off-site locations in East Tennessee. The academic programs for both traditional-aged students and working adults served through the Graduate and Professional Studies program are delivered using focused calendars whereby students enroll in one course at a time.

East Tennessee State University’s Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy is a fully accredited college of pharmacy by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The college is guided by a mission to prepare pharmacists who can improve the health and quality of life of residents of Northeast Tennessee and the Appalachian region. To learn more about the Gatton College of Pharmacy, visit www.etsu.edu/pharmacy.

At the signing ceremony were, pictured below, front from left, Dr. Wilsie S. Bishop, ETSU vice president for health affairs and chief operating officer; Dr. Larry D. Calhoun, dean of the Gatton College of Pharmacy, and Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College; and back row, from left, Alan Corley, a member of the Tusculum College Board of Trustees and the Gatton College of Pharmacy Advisory Council and Admissions Committee; Dr. Kim K. Estep, Tusculum provost and academic vice president; Steve Ellis, assistant dean for student affairs and director of enrollment and student services for the Gatton College of Pharmacy; Stacy Parks ‘09 and Brittany Bible ‘10, Tusculum alumni and current Gatton College of Pharmacy students; Dr. Debra McGinn, Tusculum assistant professor of biology, and David Hawk, state representative (R-5) and an alumni of both Tusculum and ETSU.

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Tusculum College students recently conducted a drive to collect food and other supplies for Second Harvest Food Bank. The students, members of a “Service-Learning in Northeast Tennessee” class, organized, promoted and conducted the drive as a way to combat hunger in the region. The two-week drive collected 1,605 in pounds of canned and boxed food as well as items such as diapers for Second Harvest Food Bank. The students placed containers to collect items in high traffic areas in a number of buildings on campus and also collected items and cash donations at athletic and theatrical events on campus. “These students really do care about helping others, and now they are learning how to take those feelings and put them into action,” said class instructor, Robin Fife, assistant professor of social sciences.  Below the donations have been collected to the Pioneer Perk and ready for delivery to Second Harvest.

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