Twenty-six Tusculum College students received one of the highest honors bestowed by the school Saturday, Nov. 17, with their induction into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.
To be eligible for membership in Alpha Chi, students must be either juniors or seniors who rank in the top 10 percent of their classes academically. Members are admitted to the honor society from all academic disciplines. The invitation to join the honor society, extended by the college’s faculty, recognizes previous accomplishments and provides opportunity for continued growth and service.
The students were inducted into Tusculum’s chapter of Alpha Chi in a ceremony before family and friends in the Chalmers Conference Center on campus.
Inducted were:
• Robert Arrowood, a junior from Unicoi, Tenn., majoring in psychology. Arrowood is serving as president of the Psi Chi psychology honor society this year. He is a member of the Tusculum College Marching Band, Jazz Band, Concert Band, Pep Band and Brass Ensemble.
• Kate A. Barford of Alpharetta, Ga., a psychology major with a minor in biology. She is a member of the Psi Chi psychology honor society, tutors other students in psychology, is a certified nursing assistant and is currently working on a psychological research project with Dr. Brian Pope, associate professor of psychology.
• Tyler L. Bright of Limestone, Tenn., a junior majoring in mathematics. He is a member of the Tusculum College Marching Band, the Concert Band and Jazz Band. He also serves as a peer tutor in the Tutoring Center.
• Kim Brown of Scarborough, Ontario, a senior majoring in physical education with a minor in education. Brown is a member of the women’s soccer team and the cross country team.
• Ryan Byars of Sevierville, Tenn., a junior majoring in sports management with a minor in business management. Ryan was recognized at last year’s Honors Convocation as being one of three students in his class with a perfect grade point average.
• Sarah M. Clabo of Sevierville, Tenn., a junior majoring in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Along with fellow inductee Ryan Byars, Sarah was recognized at last year’s Honors Convocation as being one of three students in her class with a perfect grade point average.
• Beth Anne Collins of Greeneville, Tenn., a business administration major with a concentration in accounting. Collins is an active student in the business programs. She was one of the accounting students who worked on a project to assist the Greene County Commission and was among the students who traveled to Malta in March to learn about the European Union’s effects on business.
• Joseph Elphingstone of Calhoun, Ga., a junior majoring in biology/pre-medicine with a minor in mathematics. He is a member of the Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Council, Men’s Tennis Team and Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team.
• Thomas Codie Fleming, a junior from Washington, Ga., majoring in business administration with a concentration in general management. He is president of the Tusculum Anime Club, and is a member of the Presidents’ Guild and the Business Club. He serves as a resident assistant. He earned a Platinum Level Work Readiness Certificate through the ACT Workkeys program and operates his own computer repair business on campus.
• Addie Hancock of Rogersville, Tenn., a junior majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. Hancock served as the drum major of the Tusculum College Marching Band this year. She is also a member of the college’s Jazz Band and Pep Band. She is one of the musicians providing the musical accompaniment for Theatre-at-Tusculum’s production of “Seussical,” is a phonathon caller for the college and a member of Beta Sigma Phi sorority.
• William Kemper of Greeneville, Tenn., a senior biology major with a concentration in pre-medicine and a minor in chemistry. He is a member of the Venture Crew student organization. He is a CNA and has worked as support staff for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Kristen Lane of Maryville, Tenn., a junior field guide/naturalist major and studio art minor. She is president of the Pioneer Green Team and a senator for the junior class in the Student Government Association.
• McKayla Myers of Greeneville, Tenn., a junior majoring in elementary education K-6. She is a member of the Pioneer Dance Team.
• Hilary Nowatzki of Kingsport, a junior majoring in fine arts. She serves as a peer tutor in the Tutoring Center.
• Cierra R. Ockstadt, a junior from Portland, Tenn., majoring in business administration. Ockstadt is a member of the President’s Society and is participating in Help Me Help You this year. She is one of the charter members of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority on campus. In addition, she serves as Chief Justice of the Student Judicial Board and is a member of the Bonner Leaders program.
• Daniel O’Conner of Taylor Mill, Ky., a sport science major. He is a member of the Men’s Basketball Team and has been named to the South Atlantic Conference Honor Roll.
• Jordan Ottinger of Newport, Tenn., a junior majoring in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Ottinger is director for the division of personal finance for the college’s new Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship and participates in the Help Me Help You program.
• Alyssa Raterman, a senior majoring in elementary education from Urbana, Ohio. She is a member of the volleyball team and has earned honors for her academic and athletic achievements from the South Atlantic Conference.
• Jennifer Rossiter of Elizabethton, a junior elementary education major. She is a member of Beta Sigma Phi sorority and has completed numerous hours of practicum experience in the classroom. She is a Recreational Sports work study.
• Jamie Rossman of Hixson, Tenn., a junior majoring in mathematics. Rossman is a member of the Tusculum College Marching Band’s Color Guard.
• Sandy D. Salmons, a senior from Greeneville, Tenn., majoring in museum studies. She is a member of the President’s Society, the Venture Crew and the Museological Society of Tusculum College. Salmons is also an intern at Rocky Mount Museum.
• Ashley Sarmiento of Dayton, Ohio, a junior majoring in mathematics and math education. Sarmiento is a member of the volleyball team and was named Academic All-American last year. She is one of the founders of Pioneer Nation Athletic Spirit Club and is president of the Pioneer Student Athletic Advisory Council. She is an organizer of the Tusculum College Make-A-Wish Annual 5K race and serves as peer tutor.
• David Talley, a senior from Bristol, Va., majoring in political science with minors in business and civic engagement. He is serving as director of the Help Me Help You program this year and is active in the Business Club. He was one of the students who spent last summer studying and working in Barcelona, Spain. He is a member of the men’s golf team.
• Sarah Waddell, a senior from Cosby, Tenn., is majoring in digital media. She spent the fall 2011 semester studying at the Imperial College of the University of London as part of the Missouri-London Program of the Centers for Academic Programs Abroad (CAPA).
• Destini S. Wingerter, a junior majoring in English from Bristol, Tenn. She is a member of the Cheerleading Squad.
• Elizabeth Wright, a senior from Powell, Tenn., majoring in mathematics with a concentration in computer science. She has presented at the Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference. She is one of the charter member of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority on campus.
The new Alpha Chi inductees were congratulated on their achievement by Dr. Melinda Dukes, vice president of academic affairs at Tusculum. “You have excelled. You have achieved. You have succeeded, and tonight we honor you for that and encourage you to keep going, keep your standards high and your goals lofty,” Dr. Dukes told the inductees. “We often talk about our ‘best and brightest,’ and I have no doubt that we are right to expect great things from each of you.”
Alex Wiedemann of Rogersville, president of Tusculum’s Alpha Chi chapter, shared history and information about the honor society. 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. Tusculum’s chapter was the first one established in the state.
Participating in the induction ceremony were Chris Armstrong of Grandview, vice president of the chapter; Danielle Doolittle of Evansville, secretary of Alpha Chi; Cory Callahan of Bristol, treasurer of the chapter; Dr. Troy Goodale, faculty sponsor for Tusculum’s Alpha Chi chapter and assistant professor of political science, and Heather Patchett, vice president for institutional advancement.
Above are the Alpha Chi inductees as well as the officers for the Tusculum chapter.