Dr. Jo Alison Lobertini named assistant vice president of academic affairs at Tusculum College

Dr. Jo Alison Lobertini will join Tusculum College in mid-January as the assistant vice president of Academic Affairs and assistant professor of literature.

Dr. Lobertini comes to Tusculum from Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, where she served as dean of adult and graduate studies and interim chair of the Department of Accounting and Business Administration.

As assistant vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Lobertini will be responsible for the oversight of the operations of the Graduate and Professional Studies program, including delivery of instruction and support services and facilities at all off-site locations. She will work collaboratively with the vice president of enrollment management and marketing to assure GPS programs are fully enrolled and aggressively marketed.

Additionally, she will ensure compliance with the Principles of Accreditation of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and with other accrediting agencies and is responsible for developing and maintaining, while assuring accuracy of all administrative publications and policy documents for the GPS program.

Dr. Jo Alison Lobertini

“We are very pleased that Dr. Lobertini will be joining Tusculum College,” said Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College. “Her experience in working with adult students and their particular educational needs make her a perfect match for this position. We look forward to having her as part of our academic and administrative teams.”

In her career, Dr. Lobertini has served as dean of the College of Adult and Professional Studies at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, and as assistant dean and chair of the School of Continuing Studies and Academic Outreach at East Tennessee State University. She also served as department chair during her time at ETSU.

She has Doctorate of Education, in postsecondary and private sector leadership from East Tennessee State University, a Master of Arts in English from ETSU and a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Tennessee.

Dr. Lobertini has served on the Advisory Board for the Unicoi County/Erwin Head Start and for the County Crisis Center. She has also served as a recruiter, mentor and facilitator for the Tennessee Scholars Program and as a mentor and speaker for the Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Program.

A native of LaFollette, Tennessee, Dr. Lobertini is married to Paul Mareth and has two children, Leland Davidson and Emily Davidson.

 

More than 900 pounds of food collected in Psychology Club food drive

The Tusculum College Psychology Club in conjunction with Tusculum’s Center for Civic Advancement collected 941 pounds of non-perishable food items for local community organizations during a recent food collection drive. The food collected has been donated to the Greeneville-Greene County Community Ministries Food Bank, the Tabernacle Mission Soup Kitchen at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church and Second Harvest Food Bank. Vice President of the Psychology Club Kate Samples organized the food drive, which included collection points on the Tusculum campus, as well as special collections prior to Tusculum football, volleyball and basketball games. At the delivery of items to the Tabernacle Mission Soup Kitchen are from left above, Mary Goldman, a volunteer at the soup kitchen; Samples, and Donald Townsend, president of the Open Door Society at Tusculum, one of the student organizations that helped in the food drive.

Tusculum’s Dr. Nancy B. Moody Elected as Chair Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges Board

Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College has been elected chair of the Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. She is the first female elected to this position.

Dr. Moody has served on the SACSCOC board since 2012 and was appointed to the Executive Council in 2014. Additionally, Dr. Moody holds the distinction of being the first chair of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association Board of Directors, the first female president of Lincoln Memorial University and the first female president of Tusculum College.

Dr. Nancy B. Moody

As chair of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees, Dr. Moody will preside at all meetings of the Executive Council, the SACSCOC Board of Trustees and the College Delegate Assembly.  She will be responsible for the appointment of persons to fill vacancies on the Board of Trustees and make committee appointments. She remains a member of the Board of Trustees as well.

As president of Tusculum College, Dr. Moody has served the students of Tusculum College since 2009 and has embraced the opportunity to encourage faculty, staff, students and volunteers to push Tusculum College forward through creative teaching and learning, responsible stewardship and a renewed commitment to service and civic engagement. Dr. Moody has led Tusculum College into a new era of growth and expansion, in terms of bricks and mortar, academic programs and fiscal responsibility.

During her tenure, she was instrumental in securing a $45 million Community Facilities direct loan for the construction of two new apartment style residence halls, a science and math facility and to refurbish an existing academic building. Dr. Moody led efforts that secured a $3.875 million gift for the naming of the Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Science and Math that will be completed in 2016, as well as numerous grants and gifts to support the Tusculum First capital campaign.

Dr. Moody heralds from Middlesboro, Kentucky, where she attended St. Julian’s Catholic School and graduated from Middlesboro High School. She earned associate and baccalaureate degrees in nursing from Eastern Kentucky University, a Master of Science in nursing from Texas Woman’s University (Houston) and a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Alabama School of Nursing at Birmingham.

She held teaching and administrative appointments at Lincoln Memorial University, East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Dr. Moody was the inaugural Executive Director of the Tennessee Center of Nursing, funded initially through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (which she co-authored), BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and the Tennessee Board of Nursing.

During her career, Dr. Moody has been recognized by all three of her alma maters, Eastern Kentucky University, Texas Woman’s University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, where she received the Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award. Dr. Moody was also the inaugural recipient of the Founders Award, presented in February 2013 by the Tusculum College Board of Trustees who acknowledged her for distinguished service as an executive leader through her vision, hard work and dedication to Tusculum College.

She is married to Tom Moody, a self-employed public accountant. She and Tom are proud parents of two adult children, daughter, Mykel, and son, Adam.

 

Alumni invited to join webinar Wednesday, Dec. 13, about trip to Antartic Circle

Alumni are invited to join Tusculum’s travel partners at Cruise Planners for a webinar on Wednesday, December 13, to share information about an adventurous expedition to Antarctica.

To register for the Antarctica 2018 – Polar Circle Expedition webinar, to be presented at 7:00 PM EST, please visit:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3396688665485404419
Watch the online presentation and learn about an opportunity to sail below the Antarctic Circle – what a bucket list adventure! It’s a journey few ever undertake, and we invite you to travel expedition style with us to Antarctica in February of 2018.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Tusculum has joined Cruise Planners to seek out travel opportunities to offer alumni. Another trip being explored for the future is an excursion in Italy in 2019.

Nearly 300 receive degrees Saturday at Tusculum College

Graduates walk the faculty gauntlet following Commencement services on Saturday at Tusculum College.

Graduating from Tusculum College during winter commencement ceremonies were 287 individuals in two ceremonies held on Saturday, Dec. 10.

On Saturday 92 students earned Bachelor of Science degrees and 105 earned Bachelor of Arts degrees. In addition 63 graduates earned Master of Arts degrees and 27 received Master of Business Administration degrees.

The new graduates were addressed by Tusculum President Nancy B. Moody, who recognized the hard work of the path to graduation, saying “Commencement is an occasion of celebration and completion.” Adding, “Today is a testament to your efforts, to your persistence, and today is your day. Be proud of yourself and your accomplishment.”

She told the group, that while there was no doubt they were thinking about the many people in their lives who had helped them and supported them on this journey, that graduation day was a moment to celebrate the completion of a goal they had worked hard to attain.

“You are not finished today, but you are beginning. You have worked hard to reach this milestone, but its value will depend on what you do from this point forward.”

Calley Lawson

Two student speakers addressed the graduates, including Calley Lawson, a special education major from Gaithersburg, Maryland. Lawson was a member of the Pioneer Women’s Golf Team. She was a member and president of Alpha Chi Honor Society, a mentor for the program TNAchieves and the golf team representative for Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She was twice named an Academic-All American.

Lawson encouraged the graduates to “acknowledge and appreciate the investment Tusculum has made” in each one of them and credited the supportive environment that encouraged personal connections for an “unforgettable experience.” Adding, that the “bond created here at Tusculum will keep us connected for years to come as Pioneers.”

Also speaking was Roben Hartsell, of Seymour, who received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. Hartsell addressed the challenges of adult students who return to

Roben Hartsell

school to seek their degrees, all the while managing work and family responsibilities. She talked about learning to hustle – to become resourceful, savvy and hardworking, while staying in balance and maintaining sanity. “It doesn’t end here,” she said. “You will be fully prepared to recognize the significance of hard work, and I hope you recognize and appreciate everything that encouraged your hustle.”

Dr. Ron May was the featured guest speaker at both ceremonies. Dr. May, vice president of academic affairs at Tusculum College and a 1968 graduate, has had a distinguished career in higher education, retiring in June 2014 as president of Ancilla College in Donaldson, Indiana. In his career he has taught public school, as well as served as a college professor, department head, dean, vice president and twice as a college president, at Ancilla and at Louisburg College in Louisburg, North Carolina. Dr. May also holds faculty rank as professor of education.

In his career, Dr. May has been recognized by numerous organizations, including by the Leadership Marshall County program with their Leader of the Year Award in 2011. He served Tusculum College as dean of faculty from 1985 to 1988. He also served for a time as the president of the Tusculum College Alumni Association.

Dr. May earned a Doctorate of Education from Indiana University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from East Tennessee State University and an Associate of Science from Vincennes University. He returned to serve as interim vice president of academic affairs in June 2014.

He told the graduates he intended to give them one last exam before they were done. A vocabulary quiz, focused on five words: commencement, servant, leader, difference and “Sit Lux.”

He discussed commencement in the terms of beginning – a new stage in their lives that began that day. Servant leadership, he explained, go together. “It is my hope that you will all be leaders.” Adding, “Through service to others, lead and change lives, serving first with the conscious choice to aspire to lead.”

He told the graduates that difference is what they should try to make in their lives and their world, and that they should recognize those who have made a difference in their lives.  Finally he addressed “Sit Lux,” the motto of Tusculum College that means “Let there be light.” Since 1794 he said, “Graduates of Tusculum College have brought light into the world. I challenge you to continue to be the light.”

Following his address during the morning commencement ceremony, Dr. May was presented an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. During the presentation, Dr. Moody called him a “true Pioneer, who has had a life committed to education, family, faith and his alma mater.”

Dr. Ron May, vice president of Academic Affairs at Tusculum College and a 1968 graduate, was presented and Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

She added, “Dr. May returned to Tusculum College in 2014 and has led the college’s academic programs for the past two years as vice president for academic affairs. Tusculum College is fortunate to have had the opportunity to continue to benefit from Dr. May’s leadership. His professional background has provided a vast experience in higher education administration and has support the College’s efforts to keep Tusculum first. He will most certainly leave Tusculum a better place for having been here.”

 

Used eyeglasses, reading glasses needed for mission trip to Cambodia

Prescription eyeglasses, reading glasses and financial donations are being collected at Tusculum College to support a mission trip to Cambodia through the Asia’s Hope organization.

Dr. Patricia Hunsader, dean of the School of Education at Tusculum College, will participate in the mission trip later this month and is working through the college’s Center for Civic Advancement to collect items for the trip.

For Dr. Hunsader, this will be her thirteenth trip to serve the region through work projects such as the medical clinic planned for this trip.

“The people in the area served by the medical clinics do not have access to eye care of any kind,” said Dr. Hunsader.  “We are not medical professionals, we work with the trained personnel in Cambodia, but we can provide energy, organization and financial resources.”

As part of that, Dr. Hunsader will collect the glasses and financial resources and take them with her to the clinic.

Anyone wishing to donate may do so at the drop off location in the Charles Oliver Gray North building on the Greeneville campus. Items need to be received by Wednesday, December 14.

“Our team will host a medical clinic and plan to provide prescription eyeglasses to adults from five slums in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,” said Dr. Hunsader. “All of the items collected will be used for this purpose.”

She added that plans are in the works for a second trip in 2017 that will be organized to include students at Tusculum College.

 

LeAnne Anderson named district director for Tennessee Department of Corrections

LeAnne Anderson has been promoted to district director of community supervision with the Tennessee Department of Correction. Additionally, she was selected to be one of six representatives from TDOC to be part of LEAD TN in 2017.

LEAD Tennessee is a statewide, 12-month development initiative for current and emerging leaders from all branches of government. It consists of six one-day summits of intense, high impact learning focused on eight leadership core competencies. The goal of LEAD Tennessee is to increase the state’s leadership bench strength by providing agencies a continuous pipeline of motivated and prepared leaders who share a common language and mindset about great leadership.

LeAnne Anderson

Anderson is a resident of Sneedville and is a 2007 graduate of Tusculum College, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in organizational management. She also holds two associate’s degrees from Walters State Community College and she is a graduate of the Police Academy program there as well.

Professionally, she previously served as probation and parole manager for the State of Tennessee and as a 911 dispatcher.

“When I realized I had to go back to school so I could have more options, I began looking for a school that would work with my schedule,” said Anderson. “Needless to say my options were few and far between. I wanted a good education, but I had to continue working. Tusculum was my school. The hours were perfect for me and the classes were awesome.

“I was able to work during the day and do my class at night. I didn’t miss any of my kids activities and finished with my degree really fast.”

According to Lindsey Seal, director of GPS enrollment at Tusculum College, “While the return isn’t always immediate, with dedication the investment in a college education does pay off. LeAnne’s story is proof of that.”

 

Heritage Trust makes donation to Garland Library collections

At the November 21 meeting of the Greene County Heritage Trust, Museums of Tusculum Director Dollie Boyd accepted a copy of “Civil War Soldiers of Greene County, Tennessee: Vol. I,” a Civil War Sesquicentennial project of the Greene County Genealogical Society. The book was donated to the Tusculum College Library by the Heritage Trust. Its inclusion in the college’s library collection will ensure that it is available to genealogists, researchers, and students.

From left to right are Trust President Tim Massey, Museums of Tusculum Director Dollie Boyd and Trust Board Member Stevie Hughes.

Tusculum College Community Chorus to present its Christmas concert on Monday, Dec. 5

Early American and classical Christmas carols will be featured in the annual holiday performance of the Tusculum College Community Chorus on Monday, Dec. 5.

The annual Christmas concert by the Community Chorus will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building, and there is no admission charge for the program. The Chorus is under the direction of Kathy May and the accompanist is Matthew Brickey.

The program will open with three pieces based on Biblical text, including “Sicut Locutus Est” from Bach’s musical setting of Mary’s hymn of praise “Magnificat.” The chorus will also be performing the Spanish chorus “Esto Les Digo,” taken from text in Matthew 18 and “The Shepherds Bid Farewell to the Holy Family” from “The Infancy of Christ” by French composer Hector Berlioz.

Four early American Christmas carols will also be featured in the performance. They include “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “The Shepherd’s Carol” and “A Virgin Unspotted.” “How Splendid Shines the Morning Star” will feature an arrangement by Benjamin May specially written for the Tusculum College Community Chorus, as well as a tenor solo and a semi-chorus.

The concert will conclude with “Christmas Day” featuring multiple soloists and a quartet, as well as an inspirational rendition of “Hallelujah” from Beethoven’s oratorio, “Mount of Olives.”

The Community Chorus was founded in the spring of 1996 with 35 singers as an avenue for people in the community and the college to come together to enjoy a shared love of vocal performance.  Over the years, more than 300 different singers have participated in the group and there are currently 50 vocalists in the chorus. The concert is part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s Acts, Arts, Academia 2016-17 performance and lecture series.

 

Dr. Paul Pinckley named vice president of enrollment management and marketing at Tusculum College

Dr. Paul Pinckley has been named vice president of enrollment management and marketing for Tusculum College effective January 1, 2017. He will also serve as assistant professor of education.

Dr. Pinckley comes to Tusculum with experience in marketing, fundraising, strategic planning and working with students through the enrollment process. Most recently he has served the University of Iowa as director of MBA admissions and financial aid for the Tippie College of Business.

As vice president for enrollment management and marketing, Dr. Pinckley will be responsible for directing activities related to Tusculum’s comprehensive college-wide student enrollment, marketing and communications operation for the residential and Graduate and Professional Studies programs.

Dr. Paul Pinckley

“We are very pleased that Dr. Paul Pinckley will be joining us at Tusculum College,” said Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College. “His experience and success in enrollment management will support continuing success as the college builds upon current strategies to grow our programs.”

In his career, Dr. Pinckley has served as ship manager for The Ship of Life – Partners in Progress, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; as executive director of student recruitment for the Graziadio School of Business & Management at Pepperdine University, and as director of admissions and vice president for enrollment management at Freed-Hardeman University.

“I am enthused about the opportunity to return home to Tennessee, and work with such a well-respected institution as Tusculum College. The mission, vision and goals of Tusculum College are needed in higher education, now, more than ever. I am honored to be a part of this great work,” said Dr. Pinckley.

He has a doctorate in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University, a master’s degree in communication and theater arts from the University of Memphis and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Freed-Hardeman University.

Dr. Pinckley has served on the Board of Directors of the California Education and Training Export Consortium, was selected to serve on Business School Advisory Board for the Graduate Record Exam, was selected to serve on School Advisory Group for the Graduate Management Admission Council and was twice named Teacher of the Year at Faulkner University. He is married to Debbie Pinckley.