Academic achievements and service recognized during Honors Convocation

Student excellence in academics and service were recognized during Tusculum College’s annual Honors Convocation Thursday, April 30.

The two top honors for students presented by the College are the President’s Award and the Bruce G. Batts Award. David Cooper of Chuckey was presented the President’s Award and Ryan Barker of Laurens, S.C., was presented the Bruce G. Batts Award.

Marcus Holland '05

The students were also addressed by Marcus Holland, a 2005 graduate from Tusculum, who encouraged the students to focus on preparation and planning for their future to make their dreams a reality. The manager at the Walgreens location on Asheville Highway in Greeneville, Holland said he uses skills he learned at Tusculum each day in his position. He has continued to learn and to add to his skill set and encouraged the students to do the same.

The Student Government Association officers for the upcoming 2015-16 academic year were also sworn in during the program. Michael Fernando, an international student from Sri Lanka, will be serving as student body president.

President’s Award

David Cooper receives the President's Award from Tusculum President Nancy B. Moody.

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.

Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of the college, presented the award to Cooper who is majoring in biology and has a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. Cooper was named the 2014 Men’s Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year and is two-time Capital One Academic All-America® Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field Team selection, earning second team honors as a sophomore and a first team honors last year.

The Chuckey-Doak High School graduate is a member of the Tusculum Dean’s List, Tusculum President’s List and the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.  He is the recipient of the Greene County Endowed Scholarship, the Llewelyn M. Fox ’16 Memorial Annual Scholarship and the Ray L. Bowman ’42 Endowed Scholarship.

On the course, Cooper is a three-time All-SAC selection earning first team honors in 2012. In 2011, he named to the SAC All-Freshman Team and is a four-year team captain. He has completed one of the finest running careers in Tusculum history.  He owns 10 of the top-25 running times (8,000 meters) in program history, including two in the top-10. Cooper has been involved in numerous campus and community leadership roles, serving with the Nettie Day of Service, the Greene County YMCA, the Tusculum College Athletic Judicial Board and the Greene County Humane Society.

In addition, the E.H. Sargent Award in Science was presented to Cooper. In choosing the recipient, science faculty members consider overall grade point average, total hours in science and variety of areas covered in the sciences.

Cooper was also recognized as a graduating member of the Tusculum chapter of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. Only the top 10 percent of the junior and senior classes are invited to become a member of the honor society.

Batts Award

Ryan Barker

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, Ryan Barker of Lauren, S.C., has been fully engaged in the Tusculum College experience, enriching his academic and extracurricular success. Barker is a double major in history and English, creative writing concentration. An excellent student, he has earned spots on both the Dean’s List and the Charles Oliver Gray List.

Barker served as the 2013-2014 president of the Tusculum Student Government Association. He has presented three research papers at conferences, while also completing several internships. He has taken the initiative to study abroad with a class on Medieval Europe in 2013.  In addition, Barker has had several articles printed in publications and one of his scripts was utilized for a Tusculum College Band concert.

He is a member the college’s Student Government Association and English Student Organization. He is co-president of the Students of Museums and Students of History organization, and has worked as a student editor on the College’s journal, “The Tusculum Review.” He has faithfully participated in numerous community service projects, including working as a part of the Northeast Tennessee District National History Day, the College’s Old Oak Festival and serving on Tusculum’s Community Standards Board.

The Senior Honor Key Awards in English, creative writing concentration, and history were also presented to Barker. These honors recognize students’ academic achievement, capacities, special abilities and aptitude in the major field. Barker was also recognized as a graduating member of Tusculum’s chapter of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.

Student-Chosen Awards

Ken Brewer accepts the Outstanding Service to Students Award from Dr. Alan Corley, representing the Greene County Partnership.

Presented during the convocation were faculty, staff and community awards whose recipients were selected by student vote. Receiving the Outstanding Service to Students Award, a faculty honor, was Ken Brewer, assistant professor of psychology.

In presenting the award on behalf of the Greene County Partnership, Dr. Alan Corley said that Brewer has earned the respect and praise of his students for his teaching style and his availability and willingness to help students.

The Staff Award was presented to Daniel Green, senior student life coordinator. Student Government Association President Ash Dorrbecker presented the award and noted that while he has only been at Tusculum a short time, Green has made a significant positive impact on the lives of students.

SGA President Ash Dorrbecker presents the Staff Award to Daniel Green, senior student life coordinator.

The Community Award, which is presented to an individual, organization or business which has made a significant contribution to the Tusculum campus community, recognized Lynette Price, a co-owner of the Creamy Cup for her continued support of the college and its students. Price and her husband, Eric, a 2008 alumnus of the college, were among the participants in Help Me Help You program and have continued to be supportive of the program. They have also participated as vendors in the Old Oak Festival since its return to campus in 2012.

Lynette Price, co-owner of Creamy Cup, accepts the Community Award from Ash Dorrbecker, representing the student body which selected the recipient of the award.

Academic Honors

Alpha Chi Academic Excellence Award recipient Treslyn Reese

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:

Accounting – Lief Ratliff of Fall Branch;

Athletic Training – James Owen Hensley of Nashville;

Art Education – Kassandra Voelker of Greeneville;

Art and Design, Studio Concentration – Ashley Gregg of Parrottsville;

Biology  – Katherine Hutchinson of Calhoun, Ga.;

Michael Fernando accepts the Honors Olympian Award from Dr. Michelle Freeman, his faculty mentor in the program.

Criminal Justice – Bridget Conte of Chattanooga;

Digital Media – Corrine Absher of Kingsport;

Economics – Ash Dorrbecker of Montgomery, Ala.;

English, journalism and professional writing concentration – Alec Cunningham of Knoxville;

Environmental Science – Alison Buck of Guysville, Ohio;

Bailey Lawson accepts the Undergraduate Research Excellence in Psychology from Dr. Brian Pope, professor of psychology.

Field Guide Naturalist – Kayla Gillispie of Newport;

History Education – Chris Weems of Dickson;

Information Technology – Josh Tyler of Duluth, Ga.;

Interdisciplinary Studies K-6 – Paige Burnworth of Greeneville;

Interdisciplinary Studies 4-8 – Marissa Williams of Canton, Mich.;

Management – Coleman Glick of Columbus, Ind.;

Museum Studies – Erika Allison of Alpharetta, Ga.;

Whitney Idell accepts the Dr. Shirley Beck Award for the outstanding graduate level education student from Dr. Quincy Rose, assistant professor of education.

Nursing – Tracy Morris of Greeneville;

Political Science –John Landers of Lithonia, Ga.;

Psychology – Chelsea Masters of Jonesborough;

Sport Management – Adam Kulbat of Sydney, Australia, and

Sports Science – Alisha Pugh of Bedfordshire, England.

Recognized as Honor Students for having the highest grade point average of their class were:

seniors – Nicholas Wasylyk of Ontario, Canada; Staci Knipp of Greeneville; David Cooper of Chuckey;  Ash Dorrbecker of Montgomery, Ala.; Lukas Winkelman of Boblingen, Germany; Leif Ratliff of Fall Branch; Carrie Bradley of Bulls Gap; Ryan McCord of Maryville; Madilyn Elliott of Hampton; Sarah Holly of Johnson City, and Calley Lawson of Gaithersburg, Md.

Megan Starnes accepts the Outstanding Education Student Award from Dr. Rose.

juniors –  Samuel Davis of Harriman; Jaime Arnold of Fall Branch; Joseph McCarter of Sevierville; Treslyn Reese of Auburn, Ala.; Amber Duke of Oak Ridge; Cheyenne Arnold of Morristown, and Miranda Tobler of Oak Ridge.

sophomores –Chelsey Reed of Morristown; Jonathan Spicher of Lindlar, Germany; Sheila Blair of Jonesborough; Caleb Cutshall of Fall Branch; Karli Fisher of Sparta; Daniel Lowery of Greeneville, and Bryana Ezell of Sevierville.

freshman – Sayre Hopper of Bessemer City, N.C.; Carlie Thornber of Oshawa, Ontario; Amanda Werder of New Market, Ala.; Jennifer Dalton of Tazewell; Bradford Hinkle of Mosheim; Franziska Funke of Bochum, Germany; Leslie Beach of Russellville and Larry Tyree of Chuckey.

Nicole Seals was the Northeast region recipient of the Jean Hixon Memorial Award from Anne Hall.

Senior members of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society were also recognized. Upperclassmen ranked in the top 10 percent academically of their classmates are invited to join the honor society. Those recognized included Derrian DeBusk of Knoxville; Joseph Elphingstone of Calhoun, Ga.; Ashley Gregg of Parrottsville; Megan Hasse of Nashville; James Owen Hensley of Nashville; Katherine Hutchinson of Calhoun, Ga.;  John Landers of Lithonia, Ga.; Leif Ratliff of Fall Branch; Marissa Williams of Canton, Mich., and Lukas Winkelmann of Boblingen, Germany.

Kelly Davis receives the Jean Hixon Memorial Award for the Southeast region from Hall.

The Alpha Chi Academic Excellence Award, which honors the highest academically ranked member of the junior class, was presented to Treslyn Reese of Auburn, Ala.

Michael Fernando, an international student from Sri Lanka, was presented the Honors Olympian Award, which is presented to the student who best exemplifies the ideals of the Tusculum College Honors Program through academic success, civic engagement and service to the community. The award recognizes the student in the Honors Program who has been most active on campus and in the community.

Tandon Dorn accepts the Doug Ratledge Environmental Science Scholarship from Dr. Richard Thompson, assistant professor of chemistry.

Eleven students inducted in the Tusculum College chapter of the Psi Chi psychology honor society during the past year were recognized. The fall 2014 inductees included Ashley Barger of Knoxville, Carrie Bradley of Bulls Gap, Tammy Johnson of Strawberry Plains and Stephanie Cox and Jamie DePriest of Morristown. The spring 2015 inductees include Rena Arwood of Pigeon Forge, Chelsea Masters of Jonesborough, and Lisa Feezell, Trisha Gossett, Heather Hayes and Christina Paxton of Greeneville.

Ash Dorrbecker, recipient of the Walter R. Johnson Award

The Undergraduate Research Excellence in Psychology award was presented to Bailey Lawson of Max Meadows, Va. This award recognizes a student who has completed a research project and presented it in a public forum.

Members of the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society were also recognized. In order to become a member of this newest honor society on campus, students must have taken at least 15 hours of history courses, have an overall 3.0 GPA and a 3.1 GPA in history. The inaugural members of the honor society are Erika Allison of Alpharetta, Ga.; Ryan Barker of Laurens, S.C.; Emily Bernin of Seymour; Emily Cross of Russellville; Billi McKenzie of Allegan, Mich.; Matthew Moyer of Gray; Robert Owens of Afton; Melanie Sigman of Covington, Ga., and Chris Weems of Dickson.

Terri Hooper accepts the Nursing Student of the Year award for the senior class from Dr. Lois Ewen, dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Human Services

Students who were chosen for the 2015 Curtis and Billie Owens Literary Prizes were honored. Students submit original, creative works in the annual writing competition. Jennifer Frost of Friendsville received honors in both the poetry and scriptwriting categories. Cynthia Conte of Chattanooga was the honoree in the nonfiction category and William Carnes White of Pike Road, Ala., was recognized in the fiction category.

The Dr. Shirley Beck Award for an outstanding Master of Arts in Education major was presented to Whitney Idell of Greeneville, who is a teacher at Doak Elementary School.

The Outstanding Education Student Award was presented to Megan Starnes of Morristown.

Adrienne Kaye is presented the Nursing Student of the Year award for the junior class from Dr. Ewen.

Nicole Seals of Morristown and Kelly Davis of Knoxville were presented the Jean Hixon Memorial Award, named in honor of a long-time member of the Graduate and Professional Studies staff. Hixon’s sister Anne Hall and her husband, James Hall, presented the award. The award recipients are chosen by Tusculum faculty as students who have demonstrated academic achievement with a GPA of 3.50 or better and dedicated community service.

The Barnett, Conley and Davis Award in Natural Sciences and Mathematics was presented to Joseph Elphingstone of Calhoun, Ga. The award recognizes a graduating senior outstanding in the combined fields of natural sciences and mathematics. The award is based on overall GPA, science and math GPA, depth of interest in science and math and academic service to the college such as tutoring and/or research.

Karalea Hord accepts the Theatre Award from Marilyn duBrisk, artist-in-residence and director of Tusculum Arts Outreach.

Tandon Dorn of Filley, Neb., was the recipient of the Doug Ratledge Environmental Science Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student majoring in environmental science or the field guide naturalist program.

Ash Dorrbecker of Montgomery, Ala., was presented the Walter R. Johnson Award, which recognizes the graduating senior determined most outstanding in business and economics.

Terri Hooper of Midway was presented the Nursing Student of the Year award for the senior class and Adrienne Kaye of Egg Harbor City, N.J., was presented the honor for the junior class. The award recognizes a student who demonstrates high moral values, communicates and acts with integrity, provides safe and effective nursing care, promotes and practices life-long learning, demonstrates a commitment and passion for the practice of nursing, demonstrates high professional standards of conduct and has demonstrated academic excellence.

Ashley Brooks receives the David Behan Award for her contributions to the theatre program from duBrisk.

The Theatre Award was given to Karalea Hord of Culleoka for her participation and dedication to the theater program at Tusculum College.

Ashley Brooks of Greeneville was the recipient of the David Behan Award for her contributions to the theater program.

The Tennessee Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Outstanding Major Award is selected by the physical education faculty and was awarded to Nick Forsberg of Staples, Minn.

Nick Forsberg receives the Tennessee Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Award from Suzanne Byrd, assistant professor of physical education.

The Pinnacle Award for highest scores on annual comprehensive examinations taken by athletic training education majors was presented to Grace Arthur of Maryville.

Service Awards

The Service-Learning Award was presented to Josh Suttles of Seymour. In presenting the award, Ronda Gentry, director of the Center for Civic Advancement, Global and Mission Studies, recalled that Suttles came to her with an idea for a service-learning internship at the Davy Crockett State Park, which he has instituted and also involved other students in the project.

Amy Brooks, right, assistant professor of athletic training, presents the Pinnacle Award to Grace Arthur.

The Bonner Leaders Program Award was presented to Kelsey Freeman of Johnson City. The award is presented to a student within the Bonner Leaders Program, who has exhibited exemplary long-term dedication to the six keys of the program – community building, civic engagement, diversity, international perspective, social justice and spiritual exploration.

Denise Coffey of Reagan was recognized with the Newman Civic Fellows Award, a honor given by National Campus Compact. Student recipients are nominated by their campuses. Award recipients must demonstrate a deep commitment to service to both their school and local community, having given at least 300 hours of community service, and also show a commitment to social change. Coffey has donated about 500 hours of her time in the past year volunteering at ASafeHarborHome, a local agency that serves victims of domestic violence.

Josh Suttles, recipient of the Service-Learning Award

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelsey Freeman accepts the Bonner Leaders Program Award from Ronda Gentry, director of the Center for Civic Advancement, Global and Mission Studies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denise Coffey, left, receives the Newman Civic Fellows Award, an honor bestowed by the National Campus Compact organization, from Gentry.