NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Family and friends of more than 250 new graduates celebrated as they watched family members walk across the stage to receive their degrees during Tusculum College’s winter commencement ceremonies on Saturday.

One hundred and eighteen earned Bachelor of Science degrees in organizational management during a morning ceremony. During an afternoon ceremony 60 earned Master of Arts degrees in education and 73 received Bachelor of Arts degrees.

The new graduates were addressed by Dr. Nancy B. Moody, the 27^th president of the college. Moody encouraged the students “to keep Tusculum College in your thoughts, prayers and in your heart.”  Adding, “You have forever changed the direction of your lives.”

Paul K. “P.K.” Lee of Newport and Ethan Brewer of Knoxville, who both earned bachelor of science degrees in organizational management, were chosen by the faculty as speakers to represent their classmates in the morning ceremony.

Lee talked about how he excelled as an adult student when he could not have as a young adult. He said that while he matured through work, “he was stuck in my career path because of a lack of a college degree.”

Lee said that returning to school not only developed his business acumen, but also gave him confidence and improved him as a person.

Brewer talked to the group about how his need for a degree became more apparent when he opened and began running his own business. He realized he needed tools to be able manage and lead his employees.

“The change in me is subtle, but even I can’t deny the boost in my own sense of self-esteem. My business is running more smoothly, and I have more confidence to meet the challenges that come my way, like speaking to you all here today.”

In the afternoon ceremony, Carolyn Tallman of Limestone, who received her master’s of arts in education, spoke about her decision to return to school despite being well into her career as an educator.

“The thoughts that plagued me were what if some family crisis occurs, and I can’t finish. I took the plunge, and I faced some my worst fears,” said Tallman. “My family dealt with several family crises. I struggled with emotions that I have never had to deal with before. What I feared the most had happened, but what I did not expect was that the masters program would be what pulled me through. The battles I faced were long-term, and knowing that I had class every Tuesday night and had homework before then kept me focused and moving forward.”

 Tony Fairbanks of Oak Ridge, who received a bachelor’s of arts in education, encouraged his peers to be more than teachers in the classroom, to be a mentor “all day, every day.”  In addition, he encouraged continued unity as he had found in the Tusculum College program. “As educators, we need to rely on one another.”

Zach Smith of Granville, Ohio, was selected to speak as the representative of the Tusculum College residential college.  He spoke to his peers about their shared experiences on campus and set out a challenge to them to do more and be more as is expected of a Tusculum graduate.

“I want to take this opportunity to implore you invest in the lives of others,” said Smith. “Wherever you may end up in the next few years, there will be high schools, middle schools and elementary schools teeming with children who need our help and teachers who want them to take that help. Tutor, mentor, inspire. Become the influence for another young life like the ones we have had on ours. Perpetuate the investment in others.”

Also speaking was Mr. Mark Stokes, director of religious life, church and community relations at Tusculum College. Stokes presented a sermon titled, “Trail Mix.” Stokes said that while trail mix is nourishment that strengthens the body, we also need nourishment for the soul and that comes from God.

“Time with God is soul food. God provides our spiritual nourishment.”

He added that that nourishment can come from any time with God, through worship, prayer life, study of the Word or through creating a strategy for quiet time and reflection.

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Three students from Tusculum College will be heading to Salzburg, Austria, just after the first of the year to participate in the Mellon Fellow Community Initiative Student Session on Global Citizenship, part of the Salzburg Seminar program.

Sam Underwood, a sophomore business major from Muncie, Ind., Mitchell Taylor, a sophomore business major from Kodak, Tenn., and Altoine Wilson, a sophomore broadcasting major from Covington, Ga., will head to Austria on January 2 as Tusculum College’s representatives for the program.

The three were nominated by members of the faculty and then selected and approved by the Advisory Council of the Center for Global Studies. “We are pleased to have three such outstanding students who will represent the college well,” said Dr. Geir Bergvin, director of the college’s Center for Global Studies and associate professor of marketing.

Because the college has participated in the Salzburg Seminar program for the past two years while working to expand the global studies program at Tusculum College, the institution was given the opportunity to send student participants to the session being held this January. Students will be gone from January 3-10, returning back just in time to begin the spring semester at Tusculum.

The Mellon Fellow Community Initiative Student Session provides an intensive international experience for participants to explore issues of worldwide concern and to view them from a perspective both literally and figuratively outside the borders of the United States. Students will be helped to develop the tools to be more discerning in their assessment of information pertaining to world affairs and to understand what it means to be a “global citizen.”

And, with the exception of Taylor who has been out of the country on a trip to Nicaragua, this will be a first-time global experience for the others.

“I think it will be a great experience to advance our global awareness and come up with ways to get Tusculum more globalized,” said Underwood.

Taylor added, “We are expecting to learn a lot, and I’m looking forward to the small group sessions and participating with students from other colleges.”

Each of the students also received a $500 travel scholarship to help with expenses that they incur on their trip.

And while they will be working and learning, there are also excursions planned and several opportunities for them to learn more about Salzburg and its culture.

“I’m looking for a culture explosion,” said Wilson. “It will be a real experience to see a whole other nation and way of life.”

According to Bergvin, in addition to participating in the program, the three students will be preparing a presentation to share with the campus community upon their return.

Anyone interested in more information on the Salzburg Seminar program or who would like to find out about Tusculum College’s Center for Global Studies should contact Bergvin at 423-636-7300.

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Several administrative offices at Tusculum College will be open on an abbreviated schedule over the Christmas Holiday in order to meet the last minute needs of our students, alumni and friends.

Campus Safety will continue to provide 24-hour on-site coverage.

The offices of Institutional Advancement, Admissions, Financial Aid, the Business Office, Graduate and Professional Studies (Greeneville only), Information Systems and Student Affairs will have staff coverage on an abbreviated schedule from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following days during the College’s Christmas Holiday, December 22 through January 2:

• Monday, December 20
• Tuesday, December 21
• Wednesday, December 22
• Thursday, December 23 (Admissions and GPS will be closed this day)
• Monday, December 27
• Tuesday, December 28
• Wednesday, December 29
• Thursday, December 30

The Office of the Registrar, Maintenance and Housekeeping staff will be on-call over the break if an emergency arises. Should an emergency arise relating to one of these areas, please contact security at Ext. 5318. There will be limited trash pickup on the morning of December 20, 22, 27 and 29.

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Tusculum College, all sites and all campuses, will be closed for the day on Thursday, December 16, 2010. No evening classes will be held. The Faculty-Staff Holiday Luncheon will be rescheduled to Friday, December 17, at 11:30 a.m.

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A new program developed by the Tusculum College Center for Global Studies has resulted in the creation of a global classroom for discussing global business issues with other college students from around the world.

“The new program is based on the technology that Tusculum College has invested in that allows us to link up to classrooms across the globe for one coordinated classroom discussion,” said Dr. Geir Bergvin, director of the Center for Global Studies and associate professor of marketing at Tusculum College.

Along with Tusculum’s technology, a partnership with the Greeneville City Schools that allows for other universities across the world to link with Tusculum has provided a unique opportunity on campus to participate in worldwide interactive discussions and other shared classroom activities, according to B.J. Roberts, instructional technology specialist at the College.

“To begin the program we have coordinated with the college’s Business Club, the Study Abroad and Global Awareness organization, as well as other interested students,” said Bergvin.  Also working with the students in a mentoring capacity is Dr. Tom McFarland, director of the college’s School of Business, associate professor of business administration and advisor for the Business Club.

In the first session, the connection was made to HIH University in Harstad, Norway, and included students from that university who were studying abroad from several countries, including Ghana, France, Germany and China. Students from Tusculum College also included study abroad students from Chile and Venezuela.

During the second session, held on Monday, December 6, the videoconference classroom was expanded further, with four classrooms connecting: Tusculum College, with 10 students participating; Norway, with 11 students participating; Russia with 12 students participating and Ghana with 10 students participating.

The second session focused on the role of energy in the global environment, with students led by faculty moderators at each site. The four groups held an open dialogue regarding issues such as standardization of environmental policies and laws, as well as the economic drivers that affect the economic policies of individual countries.

According to Bergvin, each group of students was able to speak and interact as part of a group discussion based on previous work and an international dialogue was able to occur. The class, despite the varied locations, operated like a discussion group in a regular classroom setting.

“This has been a good first step,” said Bergvin, who hopes to continue the video conference discussions, as well as expand the program to use for other classroom and community purposes.

“Being in the United States, I have seen how much easier it is to have a global viewpoint,” said Luis Zamora, a Tusculum College sophomore international student majoring in management and economics. Zamora was born in Germany and later moved to Chile. “Being a multicultural country helps with global competencies.”

Added McFarland, “For all of us who participated, it has been an exercise in becoming more globally competent, and we want to continue to advance the understanding of the world’s cultures and encourage more active dialogues like we have had here.”

Several more sessions are planned for the spring semester, and as the program develops, Bergvin and McFarland said they would like to be able to expand the number of students who are able to participate.

Anyone interested in more information on the program or who would like to find out about Tusculum College’s Center for Global Studies should contact Bergvin at 423-636-7300.

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GED Testing scheduled for Thursday, December 16, on the Tusculum College campus has been canceled.

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On Friday, December 10, the staff of the Office of Institutional Advancement participated in a Holiday service project by donating their time to the Greene County Food Bank, a community agency operated by Greene County Community Ministries.

Staff members and a spouse contributed more than 18 hours throughout the day, working with clients of the Food Bank, helping to fill out paper work, unloading donated food, stokcing shelves and packaging food for those in need.

“This opportunity was brought to us by Mark Stokes, director of religious life, church and community relations, and the staff felt it was a wonderful chance to celebrate the spirit of giving during the holidays,” said Susan Vance, interim vice president of the Office of Institutional Advancement. “It was a wonderful experience for all the staff.”

Anyone interested in service opportunities through the Greene County Food Bank may call Director Carmen Ricker at 423-638-1667.

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The Community Chorus Concert originally scheduled for last evening has been rescheduled for tonight, December 14, and will begin at 7:30 p.m. Participants should arrive by 6:30 p.m.

 The concert will be held at Annie Hogan Byrd Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

 The program will feature a stirring cantata by Felix Mendelssohn, based on Psalm 95, and a variety of carols from countries around the world.  Soloists include Jill Jones, Tom Sizemore, Joanna Malcolm, John Maddux, Phyllis Verducci, Phil Thwing, Tim Saylor, J. Grady Worley, and Martha Wiley. David Hendricksen is the conductor for the group; James Winfree is accompanist. 

 Founded in 1996 as a way to involve singers from throughout the community in a broad range of sacred and secular repertoire, the Tusculum College Community Chorus has grown to more than 50 singers.

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Tusculum College is operating on a regular schedule for Tuesday, December 14. Classes will be held and offices open at all campuses and all sites. When weather conditions are questionable, but classes are not cancelled, students should consider safety a primary factor in determining attendance. It is the student’s responsibility to contact his or her instructor if unable to attend due to unsafe travel conditions.

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