The Tusculum College Board of Trustees approved a Resolution of Unity at their meeting held Saturday, Feb. 18, on the college’s Greeneville campus. This was the 688th meeting of the Board of Trustees.
The resolution, signed by Board of Trustees Chair Kenneth A. Bowman, Secretary Mark Williams and President Nancy Moody, addressed “recent national actions taken to promote national safety and security which have resulted in concern for members of the Tusculum College community due to the impact on individuals and the uncertainty at hand.”
Dr. Bowman, a 1970 graduate of Tusculum, stated that the college’s practice of diversity and inclusion have enriched the college’s ability to achieve the mission to provide “a liberal arts education in a Judeo-Christian and civic arts environment, with pathways for career preparation, personal development and civic engagement;” and “the attainment of each of the elements of our mission is enhanced by the contributions of each member of our Tusculum community, our students, staff, faculty, alumni, board members, donors and others within the broader community. He added that each member of the Tusculum community enriches the ‘Tusculum Experience,’ and the loss of any member of our community is seen as a thread pulled from the college’s rich tapestry.”
The resolution encouraged every member of the Tusculum Community to look to the civic arts tradition in daily interactions and that each individual take personal responsibility for preserving this inclusive environment where respectful exchange and the exploration of ideas not only contribute to knowledge, but also to social, physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth and development.
Dr. Jason Pierce, vice president of academic affairs, reported to the Board’s Academic Affairs Committee that there are more than a dozen approved search committees, many for positions tied to new programs approved by the Board at the October meeting.
New programs beginning this fall include the Master of Accountancy, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Graduates of the Master of Accountancy program have multiple career options including, but not limited to, forensic accounting, public accounting, auditing and compliance accounting, government accounting, and tax and payroll accounting. According to Dr. Michael Dillon, dean of the School of Business and associate professor of business, earning a graduate degree in accounting is a common practice for those seeking attainment of a Certified Public Accounting license.
“The Tusculum College Master of Accountancy program was developed to provide students with a deeper and broader accounting education that prepares them for advanced career opportunities and preparation for the new set of CPA exams effective spring 2017,” said Dr. Dillon. “The Master of Accountancy program will be led by faculty that are highly qualified academically, but who also bring their extensive real world experience to the classroom.”
Also beginning this fall will be the Master of Arts degree in education: talent development and the Bachelor of Arts degree in talent development. The master’s program will be offered through the Graduate and Professional Studies program, while the bachelor’s degree program will be offered in both traditional and adult student programs.
According to Dr. Tricia Hunsader, dean of the school of education, career opportunities for persons holding this degree include corporate trainers, project managers, strategic planners, team developers, process analysts and performance improvement consultants, all of which are needed by a wide variety of organizations.
“The curriculum addresses the major segments of the talent development field by focusing on concepts, models, skills and methods. Courses are designed so that theoretical foundations are complemented with practice and application that enable students to build skills and competence,” said Dr. Hunsader.
The master’s degree program will be exclusively offered in a fully-online format. The master’s level talent development program is designed to lead students to develop training materials and programs based upon curricular and instructional design best practices, assess organizational needs for enhancing performance, apply adult learning theory and the Instructional System Design model into practice for organizational learning needs, as well as evaluate learning and impact of learning and develop team behaviors and leadership.
The bachelor’s degree program will be offered in two formats, one a fully online program and the other a hybrid program composed of a combination of online coursework and in class instruction.
Other new programs include a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and new majors in chemistry, environmental studies, environmental science and information technology.
Board members also heard a report on current and anticipated enrollment numbers. In the enrollment report, it stated that new students for spring 2017 included 42 in the residential program and 134 in the Graduate and Professional Studies program.
For the residential program, admissions representatives are currently reviewing 1,799 applications which add been received as of Feb. 8, in anticipation of an incoming fall class of approximately 425 new students.
“Tusculum College’s residential program continues to grow for a number of reasons,” said Dr. Nancy B. Moody president of Tusculum College. “Our unique Civic Arts focus takes the liberal arts a step further in a nationally recognized approach to educating individuals of integrity and ideals. Additionally a wide range of majors – from museum studies to nursing – are combined with service learning and travel opportunities to create a completely unique environment.”
Two faculty promotions were approved including Dr. Peter Noll, who was promoted to the rank of associate professor of public history and museum studies, and Dr. Travis Williams, who was promoted to the rank of associate professor of religion.
The Board also approved May 2017 graduates pending satisfactory completion of programs of student and certification by the Registrar.
The next meeting of the Tusculum College Board of Trustees will be May 2017.