Smith was recognized in a brief ceremony on Wednesday, October 28. The Office of Student Affairs presents the “Student of the Block” award each block to honor a student who excels academically and is a leader in the campus community. Faculty members and/or staff nominate students for the award.

Nominating Smith were Tommy Arnett, head men’s and women’s tennis coach and Deborah Davis, associate athletic director, senior women’s administrator and NCAA compliance officer.

Smith, a senior pre-medical studies major who has a minor in chemistry, is co-captain of the tennis team.

“Jessi carries a bubbling personality to everyone she comes in contact with on a daily basis,” Coach Arnett said of Smith in his nomination. “Success is written all over this young lady’s future career as she steps into the real world … and I consider myself a better person for the opportunity afforded to me to have Jessi as a friend.”

In her nomination, Davis said of Smith, “Even as she juggles her pre-med studies with her role as the co-captain of the women’s tennis team, Jessi still manages to focus on others. Whether working at Habitat for Humanity or the local food bank, or mentoring children in athletics and academics, Jessi embodies the true character of a civic-minded student.”

In presenting the award, Jacqui Elliott, vice president for enrollment management, said, “Leadership has been defined as a practice ‘not so much in words, but as in attitude and actions.’ This characterization of leadership truly defines Jessica Smith.”

The spirit of leadership Smith shows at Tusculum could also be seen in her days as a student at South Greene High School where she was actively involved in three sports and several student organizations such as the Student Council, National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Smith chose to attend Tusculum due to its close proximity to her family and church family, which she adores. The daughter of Alan and Rebecca Smith and sibling to brother Heath, Smith is extremely proud of her family. She admires her parents for “who they are and the example they have set for my brother and I. They are extremely intelligent and always encouraged me to achieve my ambitions by telling me I was capable of anything. They always made me feel confident and have given me the opportunity to experience great things, like a surf camp… I’m just happy and fortunate they could do these things for my brother and I.”

As a true servant leader, Smith is committed to others through service to the community in which she lives. She is very active in her church, the First Church of God in Greeneville, teaching youth Sunday school programs, leading summer camps, providing support for the nursery program, participating in the Hispanic ministry and assisting in the direction of the Easter and Christmas dramas.

As a Tusculum College student athlete, Smith has always taken pride in her role as co-captain of the women’s tennis team and president of the Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Committee. With all of these responsibilities, she continues to maintain an impressive 3.32 grade point average.

Smith gives her all on the tennis court in her own matches and cheers on her teammates during their matches. While Smith excelled on the basketball court for many years, she chose to continue in tennis during her collegiate career. This choice has afforded her many opportunities such as meeting many students from various countries and the independence to be a championship athlete and focused student.

In her free time, Smith can be found working with the youth program at her church, water skiing and wakeboarding on local lakes or camping.

As she prepares to graduate next May, Smith looks forward to the future. She hopes to continue her education in graduate school to become a physician’s assistant. Smith chose this career path in order to participate in future mission trips to third world countries so that she can provide medical aid to those in true need. To enhance her career experience, Smith chose to spend the last few summers job shadowing various doctors, logging approximately 200 hours of observation.

As she reflects on her many experiences at Tusculum, Smith fondly remembers bonding time with her friends, road trips to sporting events to cheer on her fellow Pioneer athletes and the numerous trips to tennis matches. Her advice to all is to always “be yourself and enjoy who you are - if you are trying to do something which is not reflective of you, you will not be happy in your efforts.”

Babb is a senior this year majoring in elementary education. She is from Greeneville and is the daughter of Curtis and Teresa Babb.

This will be her third year to compete in the Miss Tennessee pageant, having previously won qualifying competitions as Miss Knoxville and Miss Bristol. The Miss Tennessee pageant is a preliminary competition for the Miss America pageant.

According to Babb, the Miss America organization is the largest provider of scholarships for women, and she has received $5,800 in scholarship assistance to date from her participation. She has used all of her scholarship assistance toward her education at Tusculum College.

“Participating in the pageants has helped me so much,” said Babb, who got involved because she was interested in the scholarships and saw it as a way to utilize her talent. A singer and pianist, her talent in the Miss Greene County pageant was a vocal performance of “I Told You So,” by Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis.

Winning Miss Greene County is also special to her, allowing her to represent the community in which she grew up, where she resides and where she works and goes to school.

“The biggest difference is the community support,” said Babb of representing Greene County. “There is a huge difference when the community actually knows the candidate representing them, there is more of a personal connection.” She added that the outpouring of support and encouragement has been incredible already.

And, Babb will be using that as her “secret weapon” for her return to the Miss Tennessee pageant. “You learn something new every time you go. It’s a very reflective process. This year I am just focusing on being the best representative for Greene County that I can be. The judges are essentially looking for the best representative for Tennessee, and the best way to show them that I’m the one for the job is to do the best job I can representing Greene County.”

Babb also has found an outlet for supporting programs she believes through the pageant system. Her chosen platform is MUSIQ - advocating the benefits of music on the mind, hands and heart.

“Music has always been really important to me,” she said. Babb has played the piano and performed vocally for most of her life. As a winner of the various pageants, Babb has spent numerous hours in local and regional schools working with students through music and encouraging support of music education in public schools.

Last year she supported the Music Education National Conference in their efforts to include music education standards in the “No Child Left Behind” federal legislation by collecting more than 500 signatures on a petition that was presented to the Secretary of Education in Washington, D.C.

In addition to her participation in the pageants, Babb is a member of the Tusculum College Student Alumni Association and participates in the Mentors for Kids Program. She is the pianist and director of music ministries for Greenwood United Methodist Church. She is also an advocate for Children’s Miracle Network and to date has raised $1,350 for the cause.

The college’s Office of Student Affairs presented the “Student of the Block” Award to Armstrong during a brief ceremony on Oct. 8. Armstrong was presented a plaque detailing her accomplishments that will be displayed on the “Wall of Honor” in the Niswonger Commons and then rotate to other academic buildings. The award was instituted to honor students for academic excellence and leadership on campus. Faculty and staff members submit nominations for the award.

In his nomination of Armstrong, David Smith said, “On top of all the accolades Danielle has earned as a fantastic employee and student, she is a wonderful person who always has time to greet new students and welcome them to campus.” Smith is assistant director of Student Support Services and TRIO Programs, and Armstrong serves as a mentor for Student Support Services.

In presenting the honor, Dean of Students Dr. David McMahan noted that Armstrong was the epitome of an engaged student at Sullivan Central High School and has continued that tradition of engagement in her college career. She is an English and science subject tutor, a Student Support Services mentor, a contributing writer to the student newspaper and a writer for the “Tusculum Review,” the college’s literary magazine.

Armstrong is serving for the second year as a resident assistant in the college’s Residence Life program, is a resident assistant for the Upward Bound summer camp and is a freshman orientation leader.

McMahan noted that Armstrong is one of those individuals whose leadership is not marked with words, but with attitudes and action. “While Tusculum will lose a valuable member of the student body when Danielle departs in the spring of 2011, the world will gain a dedicated and wonderful member of the creative writing community,” he said. “Her quiet leadership has truly been marked in her actions and return to the campus which she believes has given her so much.”

A strong creative and artistic talent led Armstrong to her current major, creative writing. The junior notes that the decision came after searching for her academic niche. “I changed my major several times . . . pre-physical therapy to art education to journalism and professional writing to creating writing,” she says. “I did not want to become a doctor; I didn’t want to just report the facts, and I enjoy writing and being creative.”

Armstrong chose to follow her passion and aspires to earn advanced degrees in fine arts in order to become a college professor and author in years to come. Encouraging Armstrong’s dreams has been her favorite professor, Dr. Taimi Olsen, who taught “Classical Mythology,” one of her favorite classes.

She has also participated in a research project involving the English and Psychology department and was a co-presenter about the project with other students at an Appalachian College Association (ACA) symposium with psychology professors, Dr. Brian Pope and Dr. Tom Harlow.

When asked what advice she can give to fellow college students, Armstrong replied she would encourage them to become involved and engaged with the campus community to find where they belong. “Initially, I was homesick and went home a lot, but the more involved I got, the less time I had to go home,” she said.

In her first semester at college, Armstrong was not involved and did not know many people on campus. However, her best friend from high school, Tiffany Colbaugh, was also a student at Tusculum and knew many people through her work-study position in the Student Affairs Office. “I tagged along with Tiffany and eventually got to know more people. I became very involved in my second semester as a tutor and writer for the paper – I found out where I belonged,” she said.

Her many memories of friends and activities are what Armstrong describes as the backbone of her Tusculum experience, whether it was a student trip to King’s Island, enjoying watching fellow students slide down the many hills on campus on snowy days or watching the band competition each fall. “I would not have been happier anywhere else,” she said. “The campus is small, the classes are small and I enjoy the one-on-one attention I receive. I truly enjoy the small private school environment.”

Two ceremonies will be conducted. The 10:30 a.m. ceremony will include adult students from the Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) program earning bachelor of science degrees in organizational management. The 2 p.m. ceremony will include all Residential College students graduating, adult students earning Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees and all those earning master’s degrees.

Tickets are not required for the commencement ceremonies, and there is no limit on the number of guests per graduate.  The doors of Pioneer Arena will be opened at approximately 1:30 p.m. following rehearsal by the graduates.

Attendees who require special seating are asked to contact the College in advance so space can be allotted for the individual and one person from their party to sit in the special section. To request special seating, please contact Ms. Bobbie Greenway no later than December 18 at 423-636-7300 Ext. 5154.  If reservations are not made, seating may not be available.

Grad Finale events were held in October to allow students who anticipate graduating to order their academic regalia (gown, hood, cap and tassel) and invitations as well as take care of any issues with the Registrar’s and/or Business Office. Students who ordered their  cap and gown at the Grad Finale should receive it by mail from Jostens by mid-November. Students who did not place these orders at a Grad Finale, must order their regalia by contacting Jostens at their Customer Service toll free number 1-800-854-7464. Typical production time for regalia is 2-3 weeks. Please allow 3-10 additional business days for standard shipping or 1-2 additional days for express mail shipping.  Students do not need to order honor cords as they will be provided by the College on the day of graduation.

The cost of the academic regalia including standard shipping and handling is covered in the $75 graduation fee. Students must pay the fee prior to graduation regardless of whether they participate in the ceremony.  Students who do not participate in the ceremony will have their diplomas mailed to their home address.

Students enjoyed such traditional Homecoming activities as a powder puff game and bonfire/pep rally throughout the week leading up to the Homecoming game. The Homecoming court members were featured in the Homecoming parade prior to the game as well as the College’s Dance Team and the Cheerleading Squad.

The student body voted for the Homecoming King and Queen, and the winners were crowned at half-time of the football game by College President Nancy B. Moody and her husband, Tom Moody.

Tallent, a senior from Maryville, Tenn., was honored as Homecoming 2009 King at Tusculum College by his classmates. He is the son of Susan White and Robert Hampton. Tallent is a sport management major and a member of the Tusculum Football team. Ryan is an accomplished athlete with awards including 2008 SAC All-Conference honors, 2008 SAC Academic All District, and 2008 Honorable Mention All-American honors. Ryan’s future plans include continuing his education in graduate school.

Victoria Neal of Atlanta was honored as Homecoming 2009 Queen at Tusculum College by her classmates. She is the daughter of Wayne and Miriam Neal. A senior, Neal is a psychology major with aspirations to become a counselor. Her accomplishments include acceptance as a presenter at the 2009 Southeastern Psychology Association’s annual conference. Neal’s future plans are to continue her education at Kennesaw State University.

The top vote recipients in each class were named Homecoming “Princes” and “Princesses.”  Jason Seaton of Greeneville, Tenn., and Deznic Blakeney of Pageland, S.C., were named Princes for the junior class as the two tied as top vote getters. Brooke Haymaker of Dayton, Ohio, was the Princess of the junior class. There was also a tie in the sophomore vote tally as Jabari Bunch of Stone Mountain, Ga., and Sam Broadwater of North Augusta, S.C., were named Princes for the class. Erika Witt of Roanoke, Va., was named Princess for the sophomore class. Prince and Princess for the freshman class were Kevin Burke of Stockbridge, Ga., and Jessica Coleman of Sweetwater, Tenn.

Because of the uniqueness of the “one class at a time” block schedule offered at Tusculum College, students enrolled in “Politics and Religion in Renaissance and Reformation Europe” will spend two weeks in traditional class work and then take their classroom on the road to see firsthand where the Renaissance was born and where key historical moments took place.

Leading the trip are Dr. Joel Van Amberg, assistant professor of history, and Dr. James Reid, professor of political science. “After two weeks of traditional coursework we will travel to Europe to visit some of the major sites, buildings and images associated with the Renaissance and Reformation,” said Van Amberg.

“There are historical realities that are sometimes hard to understand without traveling to the location where those realities took place,” he said. Van Amberg added that in addition to the significant political science, religion and historical topics that they will investigate during the trip, they will also explore the “incredible developments in paintings, sculpture and architecture” that occurred during the Renaissance and Reformation. There is just no substitute for actually seeing these masterpieces.”

On the itinerary for the trip are visits to Rome and Florence, Italy; Wittenberg, Germany, and Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland. The trip is planned for March and will cover nearly two weeks.

While several of the students are history or political science majors, several others enrolled in the class for the experience of learning the topic first hand and on the original sites where the movements were born.

According to Van Amberg, another positive aspect of the trip is that many of Tusculum’s students have never done any traveling abroad. “This experience will help students and reduce the anxiety associated with international travel. Hopefully it will clear the way for them to take advantage of other travel opportunities offered in the future.”

The student Europe trip is part of Tusculum College’s efforts to increase the number of students who have an international experience during their college career. As part of this campus wide goal, the College formed the Center for Global Studies in spring 2008, with a mission to “enhance the capacity of individuals and organizations to address local and global challenges through building relationships with communities, institutions of higher learning and organizations globally.”

Faculty members from several academic disciplines traveled to Belize in the spring to investigate ways to integrate international travel into their curriculum, and five Tusculum College professors spent time this summer in Northeast Italy in similar activities to pave the way for future student trips.

The professors included Dr. Greg Church, associate professor of biology; Dr. Jack Currie, professor of education; Dr. Troy Goodale, assistant professor of political science; Dennis Lingerfelt, assistant professor of computer science, and Craig Wright, assistant professor of business administration.

According to Church, the 11-day, cross-disciplined trip included dramatic landscapes, varied cultures and more than 5,000 years of history, art and architecture. “Italy is an entirely different culture in the north and in the south,” said Church. The north is very Germanic and both German and Italian are common languages, with the exception of Venice, which is a very traditional Italian city.” He added that the trip introduced the faculty group to a small but diverse region of Northeast Italy, including Merano, Bolzano, Arabba and Venice.

“There were abundant opportunities to learn about history from Roman times to the present, as well as the progression of art and architectural styles throughout these historical periods,” he said.

It was important for the group to focus on what they wanted to bring back from their experience to share with others at the College and to utilize in possibly planning future student trips. As a group, they defined the main learning outcomes of this trip as gaining insights into the history, culture, educational systems, healthcare systems, transportation infrastructure, nature, art, and architecture of this fascinating region.

For Lingerfelt, this was his first trip out of the United States and a tremendous learning experience that he said broadened his horizons and makes him a better educator and advisor for students considering international travel.

“Before I couldn’t really advise students on these types of opportunities - I didn’t have that experience. Now I have some experience and knowledge to pass along, and I feel much more adept at discussing (these opportunities) with students,” he said.

In addition, Lingerfelt brought back real-world experiences to share with his computer science classes.

“Language is a barrier not only in spoken word, but with keyboards,” said Lingerfelt, “There is some loss in functionality when a “c” in Italian is not equal to a “c” in English. He has already incorporated this into his classroom discussions on standardization.

Currie focused his time on learning what he could about the educational system in Italy, as well as learning about the culture of the various areas the group visited.

“Learning languages is an important part of the overall curriculum in the area,” said Currie. Adding that language arts and reading are taught in Italian; math and science classes are taught in German and still other classes are taught in Ladin. In third grade, all students begin learning English.

“This was an exceptional experience, and I learned a lot about the culture, schools and their way of life,” said Currie. And, he said, he is already incorporating some of that information into his courses at the College.

Church led the trip and has traveled internationally several times before, many times with students, and understands the value of the international experience.

“Our Board of Trustees recognized a deficiency in our international programs - students weren’t getting the international exposure here, and the Board has placed importance on developing these programs,” he said.

The students hosted a campus mini health fair in October and set up displays in Niswonger Commons focusing on how to prevent flu on campus, emotional wellness and stress relief strategies, safe sex practices and drug and alcohol abuse.

“The projects were part of the service learning component of this course,” said Keaton, assistant professor of commons and history. “Instead of going into the Greeneville community, they wanted to do something for fellow students at Tusculum in their campus community.”

Students conducted research and prepared displays and were ready to attract student attention to the issues that they felt most affected the college-age student.

Free hand sanitizer was distributed at the flu station and at the emotional wellness booth students were able to make their own stress balls in a hands-on activity.

“Several students worked with the college nurse and counselor and with the Greene County Health Department to learn about their topics,” said Keaton. “They educated themselves and then worked to make their displays appealing to other students so they could share the information.”

She added that two groups also conducted independent research for the project, conducting surveys on the sexual habits of students and on drug and alcohol use.

Parent Weekend began Friday, October 16, with “Take your student to dinner” night. Several restaurants in the area offered Parent Weekend families discounts on meals, free beverages, etc. Restaurants that were involved included Applebee’s, Fatz, Zaxby’s, Stan’s, Chocolate Cafe and Gondolier’s, all located within a few miles of campus.

On Saturday, October 17, activities began with a breakfast and a panel discussion featuring academic and resident life representatives as well as a student leader in the Pioneer Perk, the campus’ coffeehouse. Each of the staff members gave a brief overview of their area and services to students. The parents at the breakfast also had the opportunity to visit with College President Dr. Nancy B. Moody.

Amber Sharp, a junior majoring in athletic training, spoke during the breakfast of her involvement in a number of organizations on campus, including the President’s Society, the Bonner Leaders and a mentor for a freshman Living and Learning Community. Staff involved included Brandon Conner, director of freshman services and student success; Melinda Dukes, associate vice president of academic affairs and professor of psychology; Davide McMahan, dean of students and Billie Ann Pace, academic resources counselor.

Troy Goodale, assistant professor of political science, provided parents information about how they can help their students begin to think about internships, practicums, post-graduate study and obtaining a position in their field.

All pre-registered parents received a 20% discount card to the Tusculum College Bookstore for Saturday.

Parents then attended a tailgate, catered by local restaurant Chocolote Cafe,  at Pioneer Park prior to the football game.

Boazin Katina, a senior education major, taught at the Faith Nazarene School in San Ignacio this summer, which serves grades one through six. As part of his service project, he was provided $250 to give to the school in some way. Although the school’s principal suggested using the money for a sign, Katina wanted to use it in some way to help the students and decided to create a scholarship fund instead.

“I wanted to do something that would help the kids,” he related during a presentation about his project, explaining that many students’ families had to pay tuition for their children to attend the school. While there are some government-operated schools in Belize, most are church-sponsored, private schools.

While at the school, Katina said he asked students about their aspirations and replies ranged from lawyer to homemaker to even American football player. “They have dreams,” he said. “The way for them to realize their dreams is to have an education.”

He explained that once students in Belize reach the sixth grade they take an exam to determine if they can go what is referred to in that country as “college,” but is comparable to an American high school. The government provides scholarships for students who make a high enough score to continue their education but don’t have the resources to do so.

Katina is seeking additional support for the scholarship fund and has set up an account here to accept donations. It takes $200 in American currency to sponsor a child in school for a year in Belize, he said.

In addition to an avenue for Tusculum College students and those in the community to get involved in the project, the scholarship also provides a way for service to the school to continue and not be confined to just a summer service project, he said. Perhaps in the future, the scholarship can grow to give students assistance throughout their educational careers, Katina continued, and perhaps bring them to Tusculum to attend college.

Katina’s trip to Belize was coordinated with the ProBelize organization, which includes education as part of its mission to help improve the lives of those in the country. The education component was one reason he chose the organization, which provided the $250 to Katina for use during his service project. He chose Belize as a destination partly because of the fact that it is a Third World country and he is from a Third World country in Africa. “Being from a Third World country, I felt I would be familiar with the challenges the school would be facing.”

He did face some adjustments in traveling to Belize because he has lived in the United States for the past several years. Katina became a naturalized U.S. citizen earlier this year.

The climate was warmer than even what he had known in Africa, he said. In the schools, there was no air conditioning. “There was one fan directed on the teacher, which didn’t seem fair,” he said.

Students and teachers face many challenges, Katina said. Classes of around 30 students are crowded into small classrooms with one teacher, he continued, and there are no special education teachers. He recalled that there was one student in a wheelchair who had to be carried up to the classroom on the second floor because the building was not handicapped accessible.

Teachers and students also had no textbooks. “If a person teaches algebra, he must do it from the top of his head,” he said.

Grading exams takes much work for the teachers, since they don’t have standardized tests and answer sheets that can be scanned, he said. Katina helped teach during the last two weeks in the academic year.

The people in Belize were friendly and helpful to him, he said. He lived with a host family during his stay.  The trip afforded him the opportunity to see a different side of the country than what is shown in tourism brochures. He recalled that another student volunteer left after two days at the school because she was frustrated that it was not the Belize she had seen in brochures and on television.

Another of Katina’s goals as a follow-up to the trip is to establish a pen-pal program between members of the Greeneville-Greene County Boys and Girls Club and students at the Saint Nazarene School. The program would be a good way for the students in both countries to learn about each other and their cultural differences, he explained.. Katina had a pen pal from England when he was a student and enjoyed their exchanges and what he learned of a different culture.

Although the students in Belize were very westernized, Katina said, there are some differences in how they view races and cultures from how it is viewed in the United States. Leaving the school was sad, he said. “Students would tell me to ‘remember me’ or ‘don’t forget about me,’” he recalled.

Katina’s service project was funded by an annual award provided by the college’s Warren W. Hobbie Center and Center for Civic Advancement. Those who would like to give towards the scholarship are asked to make a check out to “Tusculum College” with “Belize Scholarship” in the memo line and send it to the Center for Civic Advancement, P. O. Box 5041, Greeneville, TN 37743.

Proposals are being accepted through Oct. 30 for the $1,500 award for an in-depth, independent civic service project.  Any Tusculum College student who meets the service-learning pre-requisites and enrolls in SVLN 450 is eligible for the award. The project must be done within one year of the receipt of the funds.

The written proposals must include a description of the project, explanation of the community need to be addressed, details of how the community need was identified, a time line and budget, a plan for reflection, identification of community and faculty mentors and description of the goals of the project and the intended outcome, outlining how it will benefit both the student and community. Proposals must be sent electronically to Dr. Angela Keaton at akeaton@tusculum.edu. Any questions about the process and award can be sent to Dr. Keaton as well.