NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Tusculum College Graduate and Professional Studies students Jordan Eggleston and Wes Baessler, both of Knoxville, who created The Military Assistance Group (TMAG) at Tusculum College in 2009, are pleased with the groups success in its first few years.

TMAG was created when Eggleston saw the need for veteran students to have assistance with their GI benefits. He enlisted Baessler’s help and, with the support of Tusculum College staff, the group and its activities have grown and evolved. It is the first certified Graduate and Professional Studies student organization at Tusculum.

 ”A lot of veterans are out of their element and have to adjust to a new environment when they come into the college environment,” said Eggleston. “Tusculum is very military friendly, and we can provide that extra bit of guidance and feeling of acceptance as they work to better themselves through education.”

Eggleston has spoken at student events to provide information on the military to educate the student body as a whole.

TMAG has provided care packages to deployed service members and assisted at a recent “Stand Down” event for homeless veterans as well.

Both Eggleston and Baessler are SPO II Bearcat Operators at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., as well as students at Tusculum. Both also served five years in the U.S. Army as Military Police.

The group is currently focused on implementing its “Blue Star Program.” They are working with Tusculum on this program, which could eventually allow for a tuition discount for veterans’ family members. Veterans who have exhausted their GI benefits would also be eligible for this program.

 ”Families serve in the military as well, just in a different way,” said Baessler. “A distracted solider is a dead soldier and the family members ensure that things are maintained at home so the solider can focus on his or her duties. The family members are not thanked enough and this is one small way we can try to do that.”

WSI Oak Ridge Security Police Officer Brad Carter is also involved with TMAG and serves as its treasurer. Lauren Venable, is also very active with the group and serves as Secretary. Eggleston and Baessler credit Venable with being the driving force of the group. Carter served in Security Forces in the U.S. Air Force and Venable’s husband Ben served in the U.S. Army as Military Police.

The group has been successful in communicating its efforts to Tusculum students and has a page of the college’s internal website. Sixty students are currently members. TMAG is actively working to expand the group to include the other Tusculum campuses in Morristown, Greeneville and Gray, Tennessee.

Companies, organizations or individuals interested in donating to TMAG can do so by designating a donation to Tusculum College for the cause. For more information contact Tom McKay, Assistant Director/Academic Coordinator for Tusculum College at 865-693-1177 ext. 5020 or tmckay@tusculum.edu.

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The Thomas J. Garland Library Lobby at Tusculum College will be filled with the sounds of one of the most popular periods of jazz music on Thursday, April 14.

The Smooth Sounds of Route 66 will perform favorite songs from jazz’s swing era at 6 p.m. in the lobby of the library on the Tusculum campus. Admission is free and the public is welcome. The swing era was the most popular form of music in the country from the 1930s and the 1940s. Some of the most well-known swing musicians include Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong.

The musical duo of Marsha Griffith, public services librarian at Tusculum, and locally known artist Amy Saxonmeyer are the Smooth Sounds of Route 66. The duo plays a repertoire of jazz and standards as easy on the ear as its name suggests.

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Tusculum College’s Bonner Leader student service organization will hold a “Tag Sale” on Saturday, April 16, to benefit the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The Bonner Tag Sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Pioneer Gym in the Niswonger Commons on the Tusculum campus. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to the American Red Cross’s Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief fund.

A car wash to collect donations will also take place at the same time as the tag sale.

Donations such as clothing and household items for the tag sale are being accepted by the college’s Center for Civic Advancement through Monday, April 11. Please call (423) 636-7327 for more information about making donations.

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Elizabeth McDonnell, a senior majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing, was named “Student of the Block” for the Sixth Block at Tusculum College.

McDonnell, who is from Memphis, Tenn., was recognized in a ceremony on March 24. The Student of the Block Award is presented each block by the Office of Student Affairs to recognize students for academic achievement, leadership on campus and contributions to the college community. A plaque describing McDonnell and her accomplishments will be displayed in the Niswonger Commons and then rotated through other academic buildings on campus.

An academically gifted student who also devotes much time to community service, McDonnell’s accomplishments, quiet and modest demeanor and reflective personality have made her a favorite among the Tusculum English Department faculty and staff. She received an unprecedented four nominations for the award.

“Elizabeth has lived up to every hope I had for her,” said Wayne Thomas, assistant professor of English and journalism. “I have asked Elizabeth to facilitate a class or two in my Intermediate Creative Writing course this spring. I asked Elizabeth to do this for me because I’ve noticed that students look forward to the days she’s up for a workshop as much as I do.”

“In addition to her hard work and intelligence, Ella (as Elizabeth is known to many on campus) has many other stellar qualities,” said Dr. Shelia Morton, assistant professor English. “She has won several awards … with all of this, however, one of the things that further impresses me about Ella is her very real consideration of ethics and her responsibility to a world in need.”

“Early in her time at Tusculum, Elizabeth set her goals and her primary focus remained aimed at reaching those goals,” said Pat Stansberry, administrative assistant to the Academic Resource Center. “And four years later, she has reached them with excellence … she is articulate, dependable, creative and an all around example of what a Tusculum graduate is expected to be.”

Noting that McDonnell won the Meacham Workshop Creative Nonfiction Award in 2010, Assistant Professor of English Dr. Desirae Matherly said that in addition to doing promising work in non-fiction, “she is dependable and dedicated to her craft and her dedication to service learning at projects at Tusculum College represents her commitment to helping other people.” McDonnell was also recently named winner of the non-fiction category of the Curtis and Billie Owens Literary Awards, which recognizes Tusculum students for excellence in creative writing, and was a presenter at the Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference.

McDonnell is heavily involved in student organizations, participates in service-learning opportunities on campus and enjoys playing a large role in the English Department writing publications, including the Tusculum Review literary magazine and The Pioneer Frontier student newspaper. “These experiences have heavily influenced the person I am today, in so much that they are in many ways the foundation of growth in all areas of my life,” she said.

That involvement includes being a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, Association of Writers and Writing Programs, English Student Organization, The Pioneer Frontier staff, Sweatshop Press, Residence Hall Association and the Open Door Society.

Balancing her busy schedule of classes, writing assignments and student organization involvement is not easy, but McDonnell finds time to volunteer to help better her community. She has worked as a tutor at Chuckey-Doak High School to help students improve their writing skills and take an active interest in their school work and worked with Common Ground Relief in rebuilding homes in New Orleans as part of a service-learning course. In her native Memphis, she has served as a day care counselor with Cooper Cottage Daycare and served breakfast to the homeless at the Calgary Church soup kitchen.

The daughter of James and Donna McDonnell, she chose to attend Tusculum because she loved the campus and considered the college’s block schedule, which involves taking one course at a time, a good way to become immersed in classes. Though she originally was interested in education and a career in working with the kindergarten age group, she quickly realized that her passion lay in writing and changed her major to creative writing.

McDonnell lists Heather Patterson, assistant professor English; Robin Fife, assistant professor of social science; Dr. Angela Keaton, assistant professor of history; Dr. Troy Goodale, assistant professor of political science; Deborah Bryan, assistant professor of art; Dr. Matherly; Dr. Thomas and Dr. Morton as her favorite and most influential professors.

“The entire English Department has been a family to me throughout my years at Tusculum, including Ms. Stansberry,” she said. “They have offered me support, insight, opportunity, encouraged me to do what I love, and they have been there for me through challenging moments in my life … as both friends and family.”

McDonnell said her proudest moment will be when she graduates in May as the first member of her immediate family to obtain a college degree. “When I graduate, I think I will feel good because I have worked and put everything into the time I have had at Tusculum,” she said. “I am proud of myself for being self-driven, my own motivator and sometimes my own worst critic because it has gotten me where I want to be.”
After graduation, McDonnell plans to attend graduate school. She has received early acceptance into Chatham College’s prestigious non-fiction master of fine arts program.

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Simon Holzapel, a senior at Tusculum College majoring in sports science, has been selected as one of the three student delegates to the Alliance Assembly of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).

The Alliance Assembly is a governing body of AAHPERD with approximately 250 representatives from all states, districts, territories and national associations. The student delegates will represent all student members, both graduate and undergraduate, of the AAHPERD with the authority to vote on behalf of these students.

This is the first time that a Tusculum College student has been chosen as a delegate. In addition to Holzapfel, one student from Purdue University and another from the University of Washington will serve as delegates. They will serve a term ending Dec. 31, 2011.

Tusculum Professor of Education Dr. Kirpal Mahal encouraged Holzapfel, a native of Nuremberg, Germany, to apply for the tremendous learning opportunity that a delegate position would bring. Dr. Mahal said that it is a great honor for the college and the Department of Physical Education and Sport Studies to have Holzapfel selected as one of only three students nationwide. “Although we are small, we have taken long strides because of the brilliance of our students and support of our administration,” he said.

As a delegate, Holzapfel is required to attend the Alliance Assembly Session to be held in San Diego on April 2 during the 126^th National AAHPERD Convention, which starts on March 30. The session, lasting four hours, will be preceded by a number of preparation and discussion forums during the convention.

Delegates have a duty to cast votes in the election of the Alliance’s president-elect and to take action on proposed motions that include adding the District of Columbia as a  different structure from a state or territorial association to the Alliance, recognizing overseas associations as affiliated organizations and not as integral parts of the Alliance. Delegates can also bring forward motions on which the Assembly must take action.

Dr. Mahal will accompany Holzapfel and a group of other Physical Education, Sports Science and Sport Management students to the convention. Also attending the convention will be Elisa Andriano of North York, Ontario; Calvin Britt of Augusta, Ga.; Dean Hopewell of Leicester, England; Cassandra Melnike of Pickering, Ontario; Angie Michaud of Surgionsville, Tenn., and Katie Prisco of Rogersville, Tenn.

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Tusculum College students Brittany Connolly, Elizabeth McDonnell, David Roncskevitz and Ben Sneyd are the winners of the 2011 Curtis and Billie Owens Literary Awards, annually given to recognize the literary achievements of the college’s creative writing students.

Brittany Connolly was the award recipient in the scriptwriting category with an excerpt from “Chateaux en Espange.” Connolly, a junior from Greeneville, Tenn., is majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing.

Elizabeth McDonnell was named the award recipient in the non-fiction category with “Little Ballerina.” McDonnell, a junior from Memphis, Tenn., is majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing.

David Ronckevitz received the award in the fiction category for his story, “Should Dogs Have Dreams.” This is third year that Roncskevitz has been recognized with one of the literary awards. Previously he has been the award winner in the poetry and scriptwriting categories. Roncskevitz is a senior from Franklin, Tenn., majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing.

Ben Sneyd was the recipient in the poetry category for his work, “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” Sneyd, a junior from Unicoi, Tenn., is majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing.

The literary award was named for Curtis Owens, a 1928 graduate of Tusculum College who went on to a teaching career at what is now Pace University in New York.  He and his wife established the Owens Award at his alma mater to encourage and reward excellence in writing among Tusculum College students.

The announcement of the winners was made during a reading by award-winning poet John Hoppenthaler, who served as the judge for the final round of competition. The reading was part of the annual Humanities Series, sponsored by the Tusculum College English Department.

Hoppenthaler, an assistant professor of creative writing at East Carolina University, read poetry from his two books of poetry, “Lives of Water” and “Anticipate the Coming Reservoir.” He also read some newer works.

His poetry appears in a number of publications, and he is an editor of poetry anthologies. Hoppenthaler has received numerous awards and honors, including an Individual Artist Grant from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, grants from the New York Foundation on the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts and residency fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

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Tusculum College student Elizabeth Wright will be among the presenters this Friday (March 25) at the Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference.

Wright, a sophomore from Powell, Tenn., majoring in mathematics with a concentration in computer science, will make a presentation about “Secure Programming in Python” during the conference, hosted this year by Maryville College.

Python is a commonly used program language and in her presentation, Wright focuses on ways to make programs written in the language more secure. She is exploring the use of pre-conditions and post-conditions on each function to make the determination if it is functioning properly. She also will be investigating the use of loop invariants, which are logical properties relating to the data that should be true at each repetition of the statements within the program as it loops.

The Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference is designed to encourage undergraduates in colleges in the Appalachian region to conduct research projects by providing a high-quality, low pressure forum for presentations. More than 80 undergraduate students from eight colleges in East Tennessee and Kentucky are expected to attend the 2011 conference. Approximately 60 separate presentations are planned.

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Have a couple dead cellphones in a drawer somewhere? Getting rid of them could aid victims of domestic abuse. Students in Dr. Angela Keaton’s “Theory and Practice of Citizenship” class at Tusculum College are collecting old wireless phones and accessories to support HopeLine, Verizon Wireless’ program that works to prevent domestic violence and raise awareness about the issue.

Keaton is an assistant professor of history and director of the Honors Program at Tusculum College.

The class project group will be collecting cellphones at Niswonger Commons on Tusculum’s Greeneville campus outside the Cafeteria on Tuesday, April 5, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Any no longer used wireless phones and accessories from any service provider will be accepted.

HopeLine has made more than $7.9 million in grants to domestic violence agencies and organizations throughout the country. In addition they have distributed more than 90,000 phones with the equivalent of more than 300 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims of domestic violence.

Students coordinating the project are Jordan Baron, a mathematics major with a computer science concentration from Nashville; Matt Darnell, undeclared from Stafford, Va.; Keema Fann, a business major from Greeneville; Rebecca Foxworth, a museum studies major from Bonifay, Fla., and Cierra Ockstadt, a freshman business major from Portland, Tenn.

For more information, contact the college at 423-636-7304.

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The Graduate and Professional Studies Program at Tusculum College have three master’s level programs beginning in May and June on the Greeneville campus. 

• Master of Arts in Organizational Management - April 20th.
• Master of Arts in Education, Human Resource Development - April 28th
• Master of Arts in Teaching - May 19^th

Apply on-line today at www.tusculum.edu/adult or contact your local Enrollment Representative, Kim Squibb via email at ksquibb@tusculum.edu or by calling 552-4993.

All Graduate and Professional Studies programs at Tusculum College feature courses delivered in an accelerated format, one night per week for approximately six weeks, focusing on one course at a time, provided at convenient times for working adults.

 The Master of Arts in Organizational Management program provides students with the management expertise necessary to excel in business and nonprofit organizations. The program is 22-months which includes a capstone project specific to the student’s career or workplace interest.

The Master of Arts in Education, Human Resource Development concentration program prepares professionals with the practical wisdom needed to be effective in helping organizations, groups and individuals work more effectively. The curriculum addresses the major segments of Human Resource Development by focusing on concepts, models, skills and methods.

The Master of Arts in Teaching prepares students for initial teaching certification.  Tusculum College offers certification in Elementary (k-6), 7-12 in the following areas Biology, Business, English, Government, Health and Wellness, History, Mathematics, Physical Education, Psychology, and Visual Arts based on the underlying baccalaureate degree. For additional endorsement areas, please see our website, www.tusculum.edu/adult.

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Guitarist Doyle Dykes will be the featured performer at a fundraising concert for the Greene County Food Bank, set for Saturday, April 2, at Annie Hogan Byrd Auditorium on the Tusculum College campus.

Also appearing will be the Glade Holler Boys from the Bowmantown Music Barn.

All proceeds from the concert will directly benefit the Greene County Food Bank.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets to the concert are $20 per person. The concert features open seating.

Tickets are available at Gosnell Music Store, Corley’s Pharmacy and all Heritage Bank locations. They may also be ordered by calling Dick Merrill at 713-446-8290.

 Although influenced by a wide variety of musical styles and musicians from the country of Chet Atkins to the rock and roll of Duane Eddy and the Beatles, Dykes has developed a distinct, recognizable sound that amazes audiences with skill while capturing hearts with sincerity and soul.

Doyle’s appreciation for various styles of music is reflected in his albums as they include signature compositions like “Jazz in the Box” and “Martha’s Kitchen” and hymns like the powerful “How Great Thou Art.” “Gitarre 2000″ was released by Windham Hill Records, and Dykes’ music has appeared on several of the label’s compilation albums like “Here, There, and Everywhere” (a tribute to the Beatles).

Internationally, Doyle attracts record audiences in many continents around the world. Whether to a guitar player or music enthusiast, Dykes’ music will make a lasting impression on anyone given the opportunity to listen.

For more information, contact Merrill, who is organizing the event, at 713-446-8290.

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