NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

The Doak House Museum will host three summer camps this year for children ages six and above.

Each of the week-long camps will be held on the museum’s beautiful five-acre site on the Tusculum College campus on Erwin Highway.

Although each camp has a different theme, all feature hands-on activities and games based on 19^th century life that help children discover that history is fun.

The first camp, “Adventures in History Homeschool Camp,” will be Monday, May 23 through Friday, May 27. It is open to homeschool students ages 6-12.       “Architecture to Zoetrope History Camp” will be Monday, June 13, through Friday, June 17. This camp is open to all children ages 6-12.

Open to children ages 10-18, “Making Art, Making History Camp” will be Monday, June 27, through Friday, July 1.

Each camp will meet daily from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A snack will be provided, but campers need to bring their own sack lunch.

Tuition is $85 per child for each of the camps. A sibling discount is available.

Enrollment is limited, and pre-registration is required. For registration or more information, please contact Dollie Boyd at 423.636.8554 or dboyd@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 on Facebook and Twitter to learn the latest news and upcoming events or visit its Web site at www.tusculum.edu/museums to learn more about the variety of programs offered at the museums.

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The Greeneville Community Band will present their spring concert on Thursday, May 5, at the Annie Hogan Byrd Auditorium. The concert will be free and open to the public and will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will feature members of the Community Band as well as “Be Smart Kids” a brass quintet under the direction of local musician, Avery Blevins.

The Community Band, which practices weekly on the Tusculum College campus, is under the direction and coordination of Mr. Mike May.

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Students plant sunflowers, at left, in the garden at the Doak House Museum during “Lessons from the Lawn” on Friday, April 29. Activities focused on life on a working farm in the 19^th century and included stations where students learned what it was like to churn butter in the 1800’s, learned about keeping food cold in a spring house, made beeswax candles and tried their hand at washing clothes on a washboard. How children in the 19^th century had fun was the focus of other stations, including the music station where Mike Joy, at right above, head women’s soccer coach at Tusculum College, performed and has some students join him on percussion for some songs. The students learned about some of the animals found on the farm including horses, goats and sheep, below. The students also made pinwheels, played with 19^th century games and took a few turns around the maypole. Attending Lessons from the Lawn were students from the Jefferson County and Johnson City school systems.

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Has spring cleaning left you with some no longer needed treasures?

The Museums of Tusculum College may have the solution of what to do with those items - donate them to the Doak House Trail Sale. The museum is seeking donations of household items, decorative items, clothing, furniture and other gently used treasures. Unfortunately, the museum cannot accept any computer equipment.

The Doak House Trail Sale is an annual fundraiser for the Museums of Tusculum College. The sale will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 14, on the lawn of the Doak House Museum on the Erwin Highway.

Proceeds from the sale will go to support the museums’ educational programs. Operated by the Department of Museum Program and Studies, the Doak House Museum hosts thousands of school children from the region for a variety of educational programs related to the 19^th century as well as other community programs. The President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library on campus features educational exhibits about the nation’s 17^th president, the history of Tusculum College and special themed exhibits. Follow the museums on Facebook and Twitter to learn the latest news and upcoming events or visit its website at www.tusculum.edu/museums to learn more about the variety of programs offered at the museums.

Pick up of items is available for the local Greeneville area or donations may be dropped at the Doak House Museum or the President Andrew Johnson Museum on campus. The museum staff has too been saddened at the recent devastation caused by the tornados and storms in Greene County. The staff will also be happy to pick up donations of items needed in the relief effort and take them to the appropriate agencies while picking up items for the sale.

Please contact Leah Walker at the Doak House Museum for more information or to donate items.

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Beverly W. Miller has been named chief technology officer at Tusculum College, officials announced today.

Miller is a 1999 graduate of Tusculum College and is well-known in the region and across the state for her work in positioning the Greeneville City School System as one of the most technologically integrated school systems in the state.

She will begin her new duties at Tusculum College on July 1.

She has been with the Greeneville City School System since 1995, where she implemented the school system’s first technology plan and developed long-term plans for installing, maintaining and utilizing technology in operations as well as in the classroom.

“Beverly Miller is exactly the candidate we were looking for to fill our newly created position of chief technology officer at Tusculum College,” said Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of the college. “We were seeking someone with technical knowledge and ability, but also someone with a vision to set the course for the technological future of Tusculum College, her faculty, staff and students.”

In her new position at Tusculum College, Miller will be responsible for the planning and oversight of installation and maintenance of all information systems including support of faculty, staff, students and administration at all sites and campuses of Tusculum College in both academic and non-academic functions. In addition, she will assist with the cultivation of resources to secure needed financial support for technology to support the academic programs and student success to prepare graduates who are equipped to launch into their chosen careers.

“I am extremely excited about my new position as chief technology officer at Tusculum College. I have been so blessed to have served as the chief technology officer for Greeneville City Schools since 1995. That position provided me a wonderful opportunity to assist educators throughout the organization in discovering and utilizing various information technology solutions to ensure student success,” said Miller. “In addition, it would be hard to imagine a more caring and dedicated group of people than those I have been privileged to work alongside during the past 15 years. I wish them much continued success.”

She added, “I believe that instructional technology is an incredible tool in the teaching and learning process. It is also very rewarding to work with administrators to identify and deploy best practices in the informational technology/business side of education. I look forward to working with the students, employees and administrators at Tusculum College to create and utilize a ‘best in class’ information technology program.”

While at the Greeneville City School System, Miller was responsible for 2,000 personal computer systems, all connected to local area networks and was responsible for all professional learning in the area of technology. She designed and implemented network infrastructure to support all facilities within the system and managed a staff of five full-time and nine part-time information technology support professionals.

She was responsible for all telecommunications devices and for the information technology contingency plan and disaster recovery preparation for the school system.

While with the Greeneville City Schools, Miller developed and implemented Project HomeLink, a program that places computer systems into the homes of children who do have the resources to secure a personal home computer system.

She also managed the annual budget for the information technology department and served on the system level Leadership Team and the district Central Team.

Miller has a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Tusculum College and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Walters State Community College.

She will become Chairman of the Tennessee Educational Technology Association on July 1, and is past-president of the East Tennessee Educational Technology Association. She is a graduate of the Leadership Greene County Program and a former instructor at the Greeneville-Greene County Center for Technology and an examiner for the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence.

Miller was the 1999 Greeneville City Schools Champion for Children Award Winner and the David Behan award recipient of Tusculum College’s outstanding Graduate and Professional Studies program student. She has received the Tennessee Educational Technology Association’s Director’s award and was Member of the Year in both 2003 and 2007.

Miller is the daughter of Don and Brenda Warren of Greene County. She is married to George, and has two sons, Christopher and Andrew. She resides in Greeneville.

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A “Take Back the Night” event was held on the Tusculum College campus on Friday, April 29. Take Back the Night focuses on ending sexual violence of all forms and lending support to survivors. Speaking to the students about characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships was Kim Bushore-Maki, above, owner of Shakti in the Mountains, Women’s Center in Johnson City. A counselor, Bushore-Maki also addressed society’s sexual relations norms for each gender and the historic reasons for the differences. She encouraged the students to end unhealthy relationships and to communicate their feelings more fully to the person with whom they are having a romantic relationship. Erica Barenbaum, a Tusculum alumna who is now in veterinary school, shared her experience as a victim of sexual violence and encouraged the students to tell a counselor or other trusted person if they are the victim of sexual violence. The students also shared their own experiences of unhealthy relationships, being a victim or dealing with ignorance of others of these issues. Take Back the Night was sponsored by the Voices Against Violence student organization, Student Support Services and Counseling Services.

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The Tusculum College Chapter of the Alpha Chi National Society is marking its 50^th anniversary this year as an organization on campus.

The Tusculum chapter was the first Alpha Chi chapter to be established in Tennessee, and to commemorate the anniversary, a new plaque with information about the chapter was installed in the Niswonger Commons on campus Thursday, April 29.

The plaque was presented by Jason Seaton, president of the chapter, to Tusculum President Dr. Nancy B. Moody during the college’s annual Honors Convocation. Following the ceremony, members of Alpha Chi gathered in the Niswonger Commons for a brief ceremony to hang the plaque.

Alpha Chi membership is open to juniors and seniors in any academic discipline who rank in the top 10 percent of their classes academically. The invitation to join the honor society, extended by the college’s faculty, recognizes previous accomplishments and provides opportunity for continued growth and service.

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.

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The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Career Coach made one of its first stops in East Tennessee at Tusculum College on Tuesday, April 26. Students, such as these members of an auditing class, were able to attend workshops on preparing resumes and interviewing skills in a computer-lab classroom, which is equipped with high speed Internet connection. Students were able to participate in mock interviews and informational booklets were available to the students about job searches and preparing for interviews.

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Student excellence in academics and service were recognized during Tusculum College’s annual Honors Convocation Thursday, April 28.

The two top honors for students presented by the College are the President’s Award and the Bruce G. Batts Award. Simon Holzapfel, a native of Nuremberg, Germany, was presented the President’s Award and Amber Sharp, of Tazewell, Tenn., was presented the Bruce G. Batts Award.

Presidents Award

The President’s Award is presented to the graduating senior who has contributed the most to the College and who has been the most outstanding achiever in the combined areas of academic work, athletics, campus leadership and personality. The selection is made on the basis of the student’s total four-year record at Tusculum.

In presenting the award, Tusculum President Nancy B. Moody said that Holzapfel “has excelled in what he has endeavored, whether it is in the classroom, in athletic competition or involvement in campus life.”

Holzapfel has maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout his time at Tusculum, earning him places on the college’s academic honors lists as well as various academic awards. His excellence in the classroom as a sport management major has also earned him the South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year for Men’s Cross Country for the past two years, and he was named to the ESPN Academic All-American Team two years.

Holzapfel’s success athletically equals his success in the classroom. He is a two-time South Atlantic Conference Runner of the Year. He won 16 individual titles during his career, including six in a row last fall.  Holzapfel closed his career with a streak of 21 consecutive top-10 finishes, a run that spanned three seasons. He also holds the records for the top 11 8,000-meter running times in school history and 14 of the best 20 in school history.

Bringing attention to Tusculum statewide, Holzapfel was honored last November with the James E. Ward Outstanding Major award from the Tennessee Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, the first Tusculum student to receive the statewide award. Earlier this year, he was one of three college students selected nationwide to serve as delegates to the Alliance Assembly, the governing body of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).

Active in life on campus, Holzapfel has been involved in the Student Government Association, President’s Society, Track and Field Club, Pioneer Green Team, Alpha Chi Honor Society and the Pioneer Student-Athlete Advisory Council. He has served as a peer tutor and a resident assistant.

During the Honors Convocation ceremony, Holzapfel also received the TAHPERD (Tennessee Association Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) Outstanding Major Award and the NASPE (National Association for Sport and Physical Education) Award.

Batts Award

Presented in memory of a beloved educator at Tusculum who helped define the college’s civic arts curricular focus, the Bruce G. Batts Award is presented to a student who clearly demonstrates the qualities that reflect the civic arts ideals.

This year’s recipient, senior Amber Sharp, has excelled academically in one of the most rigorous majors at Tusculum, athletic training. Sharp has balanced her many academic responsibilities with co-curricular activities, which include the Student Alumni Association, the Bonner Leader program, the President’s Society, the Athletic Training Student Society, Iota Tau Alpha, the National Athletic Training Association, the Southeastern Athletic Training Association and serving as a mentor for the Murdock Circle, a student living and learning community.

Sharp is serving as a co-president of the Bonner Leaders this year. As a Bonner Leader, she has coordinated successful fashion shows to benefit Greene County Habitat for Humanity. She was awarded a grant through the Bonner Foundation two years ago to create videos about Bonner activities on the Tusculum campus and in the community to promote the program.

Sharp also received the Bonner Leaders Program Award during the ceremony for her commitment and efforts with the organization.

Student-Chosen Awards

Also presented were faculty, staff and community awards whose recipients were selected by student vote. Receiving the Outstanding Service to Students Award, a faculty honor, was Dr. Brian Davis, assistant professor of mathematics.

In presenting the award, Chuck Whitfield, chairman of the board of the Greene County Partnership, said that Davis “has made a mark in a short time at Tusculum College, gaining the respect and affection from students in the Tusculum College math program. Dr. Davis is able to bring this conceptual field of study to life for the students.”

The Staff Award was presented to Bonnie Weston, student life coordinator for multicultural affairs. In presenting the award, Student Government Association (SGA) President Erika Witt commended Weston’s dedication to assisting students and expressed personal appreciation for the assistance Weston had given her in her SGA duties.

The Community Award for exemplary service to students was presented to Cecil Mills, Jr., assistant district general for the Third Judicial District and pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Greeneville. SGA Senator Vinton Copeland, who presented the award, described Mills as a mentor and said he found a local spiritual home at Friendship Baptist Church. Copeland also noted Mills’ professional accomplishments, his varied community involvement, his numerous honors and his ministerial service. Mills was unable to attend the ceremony and the award was accepted by his daughter, Heather Gomez.

Academic Honors

Senior Honor Key Awards were presented to students who have earned a 3.25 grade point average or higher in their major, shown achievement and aptitude in the major, and possess strong character.  The following are the award recipients and their degree programs:

Art and Design - Tylan Adams of Greeneville, Tenn.;

Accounting - Luke Fullen of Greeneville, Tenn.;

Athletic Training - Jessica Figler of Merritt Island, Fla.;

Biology  - Cindy Barrett of Surgoinsville, Tenn.;

Business Administration - Kiarra Ervin of Chattanooga, Tenn.;

Business Education , 7-12 - Marci Moore of Parrottsville, Tenn.;

Environmental Science - Jessica Shipley of Greeneville, Tenn.;

History - Jillean Roberts of Greeneville, Tenn.;

Human Growth and Learning, Early Childhood PreK-3 - Karnika Ervin of Chattanooga, Tenn.;

Human Growth and Learning, Elementary Education K-6 - Amber Willis of Fall Branch, Tenn.;

Mathematics - Logan Goodin of Maryville, Tenn.;

Mathematics Education, 7-12 - Josh Ellis of Rockledge, Fla.;

Physical Education - Robert Troutman of Mt. Washington, Ky.;

Physical Education K-12 - Tyler Collins of Flowery Branch, Ga.;

Psychology - Dustin Collins of Bluff City, Tenn.;

Sport Management - Cory Pratt of Morristown, Tenn., and

Sports Science - Cody Stites of Festus, Mo.

Recognized as Honor Students for having the highest grade point average of their class (all have a 4.0 grade point average) were:

seniors - Simon Holzapfel and Derek Murrell of Bulls Gap;

junior -  Jennifer L. Grant;

sophomores - Addie M. Hancock of Mooresburg, Tenn.; Ashley N. Sarmiento of Dayton, Ohio; Elizabeth A. Wright of Powell, Tenn., and Luis Zamora of Santiago, Chile, and

freshmen - Anjelica R. Bailey, Antonio J. Bujana, Ryan J. Byars, John Z. Conlon, Emma L. Fain and Billy W. Leach.

Senior members of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society were also recognized. Upperclassmen who are ranked in the top 10 academically of their classmates are invited to join the honor society. Recognized were:

Emily Broyles of Chuckey, Tenn.;

Kiarra Ervin of Chattanooga, Tenn.;

Brandon Gann of Newport, Tenn.;

Devona Hamm of Adamsville, Tenn.;

Simon Holzapfel of Nuremberg, Germany;

Elizabeth McDonnell of Memphis, Tenn.;

Marci Moore of Parrottsville, Tenn.;

David Roncskevitz of Franklin, Tenn.;

Jason Seaton of Midway, Tenn., and

Amber Willis of Fall Branch, Tenn.

The Alpha Chi Academic Excellence Award, which honors the highest academically ranked member of the junior class, was presented to Derek Murrell of Bulls Gap, Tenn.

Students who were chosen for the Curtis and Billie Owens Literary Prizes were honored. Students submit original, creative works in the annual writing competition, which were judged this year by award-winning poet John Hoppenthaler. The winners were: poetry - Ben Sneyd of Unicoi, Tenn.; fiction - David Roncskevitz of Franklin, Tenn.; creative non-fiction - Elizabeth McDonnell of Memphis, Tenn., and scriptwriting - Brittany Connolly of Greeneville, Tenn.,

The Dr. Shirley Beck Award for an outstanding Master of Arts in Education major was presented to CWO2 Clydie H. Shumate USN (Ret.) of Johnson City, Tenn. Shumate is a teacher at Cherokee High School in Hawkins County.

The Outstanding Education Student Award was presented to Melissa Church, a student in the bachelor’s degree program in Human Growth and Learning in the Graduate and Professional Studies program.

A new award was presented in memory of Jean Hixon, a long-time member of the Graduate and Professional Studies staff. The award was presented to Gary Glover for the Northeast Tennessee region and Bernice McClure for the Southeast Tennessee region. Hixon’s sister Anne Hall and her husband, James Hall, presented the award.

The E.H. Sargent Award in Science was presented to Derek Murrell of Bulls Gap, Tenn. In choosing the recipient, science faculty members consider overall grade point average, total hours in science and variety of areas covered in the sciences.

The Warren Lynn Drain Award was presented to Adriana Vizcarrondo,a native of Anaco, Venezuela.  A graduating senior determined most outstanding in Business and Economics is presented the award and GPA and achievement are the criteria for the choice of recipient.

The Theatre Award was given to Emily Paige Hudson of Hixson, Tenn., for her participation and dedication to the theater program at Tusculum College. Hudson has appeared onstage in Theatre-at-Tusculum productions as well as working backstage building sets.

The Pinnacle Award for highest scores on annual comprehensive examinations taken by athletic training education majors was presented to Chelsea Morris of Taylorsville, N.C.; and Jason Seaton of Midway, Tenn.

Service Awards

The Service-Learning Award was presented to Mara Rutherford of Morristown, Tenn. Rutherford was part of a service-learning course last fall that worked at Rural Resources. Robin Fife, assistant professor of social science, said that Rutherford was always willing to do whatever needed to be done and was instrumental in a project that resulted in the creation of a mobile handwashing unit for Rural Resources.

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Graduation represents an exciting time of new horizons for Tusculum College’s students, but also introduces them to new challenges and uncertainties as seniors leave the familiar campus and launch careers.

With this in mind, the Tusculum College Psychology Club, along with the psychology program’s senior students, invited alumni back to visit the campus, share their experiences and offer advice to the group.

Recent alumni, Jessica Smith ‘10, who works in discharge planning with Woodridge Psychiatric Hospital and Danielle Tanner ‘10, who is pursuing a nursing degree, returned to address workplace challenges and how Tusculum prepared them to meet these challenges.

Smith said that in her role as a discharge planner she used abnormal psychology on a regular basis, grinned, and added that it turned out “I learned a lot more than I thought I did.”  Tanner agreed. The courses and faculty prepared them well for their work in direct care to clients.

Tanner and Smith were also fans of the block system. Smith noted that in her work day she has many different tasks to accomplish, groups to schedule, clients who need appointments, phone calls to make - all of which need her prompt attention.  The block system taught her the skill of time management.

Agreeing, Tanner added, “Tusculum taught me to work with deadlines. Life comes at you fast. And Tusculum comes at you fast. It really does. The block schedule is amazing…  you learn to prioritize.”

When asked for advice, both Smith and Tanner underscored the importance of internships and credit these experiences with helping them to land work in this challenging economy.  Jessica urged the students to do an internship.

She said, “It gets you out there. It is the reason I have my job. Get out there and make connections.”

Tanner added that the students needed to look beyond graduation and begin to think as junior and seniors about what they wanted to do after graduation.

According to Dr. Bill Garris, assistant professor of psychology and sponsor of the Psychology Club, Tusculum’s Psychology Club is grateful to Smith and Tanner for sharing their recent work experiences thereby rendering the future a little less challenging, by making it a little more certain.

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