Vendor deadline for Old Oak Festival is March 31

The vendor deadline for the Old Oak Festival is March 31. Those who wish to participate are encouraged to get their applications in as soon as possible in order to secure a space, as there are a limited number still available.

According to festival coordinator David Price, there are still a few slots remaining for craft and food vendors; however, the spaces are filling up and the deadline is quickly approaching.

The Old Oak Festival will return to Tusculum College campus April 15-17. Featuring a wide variety of music and food and fun, the Old Oak Festival will span across three days, featuring something for everyone, be it live music, theater, arts and crafts or fabulous festival food.

A new festival feature announced this week was the lineup of 10 workshops designed for high school students, through which five participants will be awarded a $500 scholarship.

Workshops will be offered in morning and afternoon shifts, from 9-11 a.m. and 12:30-2:30 p.m. The morning workshops will consist of an educational wetland tour and nature writing, contemporary poetry, drawing, playwriting, and music theory and songwriting. Acting, brief essay or prose poem, tree identification, photo manipulation and songwriting will be offered in the afternoon.

“With an incredible lineup of music and the wide variety of crafts, as well as the writers section, theater performances and surprise events, we expect this year’s festival to be a stand out,” said Price, who also serves as director of Music and Band programs at Tusculum College.

Throughout the weekend on stage, the festival will present the sounds of the region, with a wide variety of music from bluegrass to jazz to local vocalists and musicians. A new feature this year will be horse and carriage rides, sponsored by Tymley Travel.

As part of the entertainment, there will be three performances during the festival of GLAWPIGT (Great Literature Alive and Well and Playing in Greeneville, Tennessee) Showcase, presented by the group comprised of local students under the direction of Arts Outreach Director Marilyn duBrisk. Show times are Friday  at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Performances will be held in the Behan Arena Theatre in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building.

There is no fee to attend the festival. Art vendor hours will be Friday from noon until 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information, contact Price at 423-636-7303.

Coolers and alcohol are prohibited during the festival.

For updates and more information, visit the website at www.oldoakfestival.org or on facebook.

 

 

 

 

 

New offerings provide increased flexibility for Graduate and Professional Studies programs at Tusculum College

Tusculum College students will see course scheduling changes in the Graduate and Professional Studies program as a result of a recent student study. The changes aim to improve student experience and completion outcomes.

“While remaining focused and flexible, the new schedule will provide more student-centered offerings, as well as improve transferability and reduce length to completion,” said LeAnn Hughes, vice president of enrollment management and marketing at the college. “We are excited to offer one of the region’s most flexible adult programs.”

Major changes in the schedule will include allowing students to take two courses during an eight week block, as well as allowing for additional online course opportunities. The Graduate and Professional Studies program currently only offers the option for taking one class at a time in a five-week course format.

“The new schedule will provide students the flexibility to choose the pace to completion based on the student’s individual needs, offering both a fast and short track options in which students may accelerate their pace by taking additional courses,” said Dr. Ron May, vice president for Academic Affairs. “However, it will be implemented as an option and students may choose to continue with one night a week.”

Dr. May highlighted that students will have more options, including online and hybrid format course offerings.

According to Lindsey Seal, director of Graduate and Professional Studies enrollment, “Students want options, and not everyone wants to be held to a set time to complete their degree. Our goal is to provide the flexibility for students to shorten or lengthen their program of study to best meet their needs, thus creating the most flexible adult degree completion programs in the region.”

The changes were put into place as the result of a research survey conducted among current students and perspective adult learners in the region.

Upon completion of the survey, representatives from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and Tusculum academic and administrative leadership discussed the schedule options and survey results. The presented schedule was chosen for GPS to begin fall semester 2016.

The survey results indicated the top priorities for adult learners in the region were the availability of majors, flexibility of class scheduling and price. Nearly 80 percent of all respondents were willing to consider online courses to shorten their length to program completion.

“It is part of who we are at Tusculum College to keep in touch with our students and provide them with the best options for finishing a degree,” said Hughes. “With the new formatted GPS course schedule, we have taken another step to easing that process and supporting the efforts of our students and future students.”

 

FLY Dance Company takes the stage at Tusculum College

FLY Dance Company will make its way to Tusculum College this week for what organizers say is an “eye-popping 90 minutes of show-off entertainment,” featuring a unique dance performance combining various styles of dance and music.

FLY is an all-male contemporary dance company from Houston who are known for high-energy performances with clever staging to a variety of music including classical, jazz, pop, hip hop, experimental, drumming, and live sound effects.

The dancers will perform at 2 p.m., on Sunday, March 20, at the Annie Hogan Byrd theatre on the Greeneville campus. The performance is part of Tusculum College’s annual Acts, Arts, Academia Performance and Lecture series.

Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors citizens (60 and over) and $5 for children (12 and under).

FLY Dance Company takes off on the stage with a unique combination of entertainment and art. Attracting highly diverse audiences, FLY appeals to young and old, male and female, sophisticated and unsophisticated, and all ethnicities and cultures encountered to date.

A variety of dance styles and selections make up FLY’s repertory, including a mix of hip-hop, classical and modern dance with colorful costumes and comic delivery. These high-energy selections are fun and exciting.

Musical selections include Edgar Meyer, Leonard Bernstein, Earth Wind & Fire, Hacienda Propellerheads, Debussy, Kodo Drummers, Michael Jackson, Nat King Cole, Aphex Twin, Vivaldi and James Brown.

This event is recommended for all ages and audiences.

For more information or to reserve tickets please call Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620 or email jhollowell@tusculum.edu.

 

FLY Dance Company

 

Lecture about significant, but lesser known Supreme Court cases to be Tuesday, March 15

Uncovering cases from the annals of the highest court in America that may not have the popular recognition of Brown v. Board of Education or Roe v. Wade but have had as significant impact on the nation will be the focus of a presentation Tuesday, March 15, at Tusculum College.

“American Civil Rights and Liberties: Little Known Supreme Court Cases That Have Made a Big Impact” will be presented by Dr. David Scott at 7 p.m. at the Behan Arena Theatre in the lower level (side entrance) of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on campus. The presentation is part of the Cicero Lecture Series and Tusculum Arts Outreach’s Acts, Arts, Academia 2015-16 performance and lecture series.

The lecture was originally scheduled in February but had to be postponed and rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Dr. Scott, visiting instructor of political science at Tusculum, will be primarily discussing four cases that have been significant for the country during his lecture, but will also share information about other important Supreme Court decisions.

A licensed attorney, Dr. Scott earned his doctorate in political science with a focus in American politics from the University of Tennessee. He holds Juris Doctorate and Master of Dispute Resolution degrees from Pepperdine University.

His teaching and research interests include American constitutional law, civil rights and liberties, the influence of interest groups on the Supreme Court via the submission of amicus curiae briefs and political philosophy.

Admission to the lecture is $7 per person.

For more information about the lecture, please contact Tusculum Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620 or jhollowell@tusculum.edu.

 

Exterior framing, roofwork progressing on new science and math center

With the roofing seals going into place this week, construction of the Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Science and Math at Tusculum College continues to progress at a steady rate.

As of the first week of March, exterior framing and sheathing is approximately 90 percent complete, according to David Martin, director of facilities at Tusculum College. “The lecture hall slab on grade is being poured in multiple sequences and will be complete this week,” he said.

“Waterproofing and window installation, as well as mechanical, electrical and fire protection trades are continuing as we work towards the milestones of permanent power and unit startup.”

The Meen Center for Science and Math will be a four-story structure of approximately 100,000 square feet. Interiors include wings for biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and environmental science. There will also be lab space and research areas for both faculty and students.

The ground floor features the environmental science wing with a loading dock, as well as large general classroom spaces and classrooms equipped for distance learning programs. A large lecture hall will be included on the ground floor. Space is also allocated to house the Bachelor of Science degree program in nursing and at least one other graduate level health-related program.

 

Construction continues on the Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Science and Math with roofing seals being put into place.

Windows have started to be installed as exterior framing is nearing completion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The side of the building opposite Pioneer Field and the entrance on that side below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interpretation of scripture by Dead Sea Scrolls authors examined during lecture

The annual Theologian-in-Residence lecture series at Tusculum College concluded Tuesday with a presentation by featured speaker Dr. Travis Williams about what scriptures were authoritative for the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls and how they viewed prophecy.

The texts that the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls considered authoritative, their interpretation of Biblical texts and their view of prophecy were the focus of the concluding session Tuesday of the 2016 Theologian-in-Residence lecture series at Tusculum College.

Dr. Travis Williams, assistant professor of religion at Tusculum, has presented lectures on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible as part of the annual lecture series sponsored by Tusculum College and partially funded by Ron Smith.

The Essenes, a sectarian Jewish sect that a majority of scholars believe were the authors of the texts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran, were strict in their laws regarding ritual purity as indicated in the scroll texts.

“At Qumran, the importance placed on purity was not about cleanliness,” Dr. Williams said. “What is at issue in the Biblical purity laws  … is to show that the Jewish people shunned death and clung to life.”

For the Jews, purity kept them connected with God and allowed them to harness God’s holiness and power, he explained. On the other hand, becoming ritually impure put them in danger of God leaving them or even death, as God’s punishment for remaining in an impure state.

However, for the Essenes, the importance to stay ritually pure was also related to their view of prophecy and their connection to God. The Essenes believed that as a group, they had an intimate communion with God and that angels from heaven would come down from heaven to participate in their worship services, Dr. Williams said. One of the texts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls contains a series of hymns and liturgies the Essenes believed were used by the angels in heaven.

Since the Essenes believed that the angels were worshipping with them, who worshipped with them were of high importance and no one who was impure could be in the community, he continued.

The strict purity laws also reflected the Essenes’ desire to be able to remain connected to God so they could receive divine revelation on how to interpret scripture.

The classical view of prophecy by the Jews involved a direct reception of a divine message by a prophet who then communicated it orally to people, and some Jewish groups believed that prophetic activity came to an end during the Persian period.

However, Dr. Williams explained, the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed that the Essenes held a different view, not unlike what many of the early Christians also held.  The Essenes believed that prophets received a divine message through an inspired interpretation of prophetic scripture that relates in some way to the contemporary audience of the time.

“The inspired interpreter is not telling you he has a correct understanding,” he said. “The interpreter is giving you the true meaning of the ancient prophecies, what God meant is what is important.”

At Qumran, the Essenes developed a unique form of commentary on the Scriptures, known as Pesharim. These are scriptural commentaries on books of the Bible in which the true meaning of the passage is understood to speak to present day conditions rather the original historical situation.

In this view, he said, the Essenes assumed that the original prophet was used by God to write down the message but did not understand its meaning and that a modern, inspired interpreter was needed to reveal what it was about and the application to be made in the lives of people of the time.

This view of prophecy has provided a unique insight in how scripture was interpreted during the time of Christ, Dr. Williams continued, and how early Christians interpreted scripture, which can be seen in the New Testament in the references to interpretations of prophecies in the Old Testament.

During the session, Dr. Williams also examined what texts seemed to be authoritative for the Essenes. He noted that a large number of books existed in the ancient world, which were not included in the modern Jewish canon.

The Dead Sea Scrolls revealed that during the time of Jesus, there were no hard and fast lines to say what book was in or out of the Jewish canon, Dr. Williams said.

The scriptures that appeared to be authoritative for the Essenes, differed from the books that held authority for the other Jewish sects, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, whose authoritative texts also differed.

Dr. Williams noted that a book form of the Bible became popular in early Christianity as it was easier to reference than scrolls.

Since the Jews did not have their scriptures in a book form there was not a reason to decide which texts to include in their canon.

Looking at the scrolls found at Qumran, it appears that the most important books for the Essenes were some that are in modern Old Testaments, such as Genesis, Psalms, Deuteronomy and Isaiah, but others that are not such as Jubilees, I Enoch, the Temple Scroll and the Pesharim.

On the second tier where such books as Joshua, Proverbs, Ezra, Psalm 151, I and II Samuel, Tobit, Sirach and Testament 12, and the third tier were such books as Esther and I-II Maccabees.

The Essenes appeared to have ascribed authority to a book depending on what extent it aligned to the group’s beliefs and practices, Dr. Williams said. For example, the book of Jubilees, which set out a solar calendar for the Jews, which the Essenes used, was important to them. The majority of Jews followed a lunar calendar.

Fluidity of Jewish texts examined in third session of Theologian-in-Residence series

Dr. Travis Williams explains the phenomenon of “Rewritten Scripture” during the third session of the Theologian-in-Residence lecture series.

The fluidity of the Jewish texts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the phenomenon of “Rewritten Bible” were explored during the third session of the Theologian-in-Residence lecture series on Tuesday at Tusculum College.

Dr. Travis Williams, assistant professor of religion at Tusculum, is presenting lectures on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible as part of the annual lecture series sponsored by Tusculum College and partially funded by Ron Smith.

Dr. Williams began his lecture by posing the question about why some might doubt that the text found in modern English Bibles is what the authors originally wrote. He noted some of the reasons could include the temporal difference between the ancient authors and modern readers, the lack of original manuscripts due to natural deterioration or destruction and the transmission process through numerous handwritten copies.

As a follow-up, Dr. Williams asked whether modern Bibles reflect what the authors originally wrote or if the text has been changed during transmission. The answer to that question is influenced by the definition of what “originally” means, he continued.

Most scholars agree that the Old Testament was in its earliest form an oral tradition that was later collected in written form. He added that it appears that the text as we know it may have circulated in different forms and those variations in accounts were combined in an effort to preserve all the source material the writers had.

“If the Old Testament is made up of a compilation of sources … then it is very difficult to talk about the original,” he said. “Instead of asking ‘do we have the original,’ I am going to ask a different question – does our English translation reflect the earliest compilations?”

The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided instrumental in the effort to answer that question, Dr. Williams said. The Old Testament in most popular modern translations of the Bible is based on texts from the Masoretic Text tradition, which dates from 1000 C.E., although scholars believe the Torah (the books of the law) were written in 550 B.C. The Masoretic texts do have some issues as there are a few errors and some places were words are missing.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls provided scholars with the earliest copies of the Old Testament that have been found and have indicated some interesting things about the transmission of the scriptures. “Around the time of Jesus and before Jesus, the text was very fluid and the Jews seemed to be okay with it,” he said. “The Dead Sea Scrolls have told us that the texts were not standardized. I would argue that there was more than one edition of every book of the Bible.”

An example of the fluidity discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls is the two editions of the David and Goliath story found within different scrolls of Genesis that were found. One version matches what is found in modern translations, he explained, and the other is considerably shorter and has some differences such as the height of Goliath and how he died (with David beheading the giant with his sword after striking him with the rock).

“What we have found with the Dead Sea Scrolls is that for the ancient Jews, it was the book itself that was sacred, not a particular form of the book or certain readings in that book,” Dr. Williams said. “On a practical level, the ancient Jews were perfectly okay with diversity in the texts.”

The Dead Sea Scrolls have also helped scholars understand the time frame of the standardization of the text by the ancient Jews, he continued.  It appears that at some point around 1 C.E., that the text became standardized in comparison with scrolls dating from the second century that have now been found in other sites such as Masada and Nahal Hever.

In addition to the variation in the Biblical texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls have also provided insights into the phenomenon of “Rewritten Scriptures” among the ancient Jews. In “Rewritten Scriptures,” a text closely reproduces a recognizable and already authoritative base text, but modifies the text by means of addition, omission, paraphrase, rearrangement or other type of change.

“The Dead Sea Scrolls have shown us that many Jews were not hesitant to change text when they passed it on to the next generation,” Dr. Williams said. Some of the reasons for revising the scripture is to improve the base text by removing inconsistencies/contradictions or by omitting questionable or objectionable elements in the story, harmonizing the texts, clarifying issues, to justify contemporary beliefs or practices that are not explicit in the scriptural text or to authorize other existing traditions which were popular but not part of the original base text. For example, what is known as the “Temple Scroll” is a basic rewriting of the Mosaic law, he added.

The changes in the texts are across a spectrum, from variations between issues to including explanatory additions to major changes and additions that are meant to meet a unique purpose, such as what calendar should be followed in the celebration of festivals, Dr. Williams said.

The concluding Theologian session will be held on Tuesday, March 8, when Dr. Williams will discuss the view of continuing revelation that was held by the authors of the scrolls and its impacts for understanding the nature of authoritative scripture. The session will also include an examination of what books held authoritative position at Qumran and the reasons for their prominence.

The lecture session will begin at 10 a.m. in the Chalmers Conference Center in the Niswonger Commons. The session will conclude around 1:30 p.m., and lunch in the college’s cafeteria is included. Although there is no admission fee to attend the lectures, reservations are required. For more information or to make a reservation for the series, please call 423-636-7304 or email eestes@tusculum.edu.

Tusculum receives $1,500 for nursing scholarship

Tusculum College has received a $1,500 gift from Morning Pointe Foundation for the establishment an annual nursing scholarship.

Named “Morning Pointe Foundation Annual Nursing Scholarship,” the scholarship will support students who demonstrate academic achievement and actively volunteer in the community. Scholars will also have opportunities for continued professional development and internships that further the Morning Pointe Foundation’s mission to advance the care of senior citizens.

“We are very excited for the newly formed partnership with the Morning Pointe Foundation and Independent Healthcare,” said Dr. Lois Ewen, dean of the school of nursing, health sciences and human services at Tusculum College.

“We are excited not only for the scholarship support to nursing students, but also for the student exposure to career serviced internships and civic advancement opportunities. Through these avenues Tusculum College students will be actively involved in advancing the care of and strengthening the delivery of senior services for generations to come.”

Independent Healthcare Properties and Morning Pointe Foundation toured the nursing facilities at Tusculum College in December and presented Tusculum with the scholarship funding.

To be eligible for the newly established scholarship, recipients must be able and deserving nursing students entering their fall semester at Tusculum College, who should be formally accepted into the nursing program, demonstrate successful completion and passing grades in their first semester of nursing, have a significant financial need and be a permanent resident of Greene, Washington or Cocke counties.

“This gift represents the opportunity for nursing students to earn a bachelor’s degree debt-free,” said Michelle Arbogast, associate director of foundations and donor relations. “It will also emphasize Tusculum College’s mission to support students in civic engagement.”

The nursing program at Tusculum College began in Fall 2012 and graduated its first class on May 9, 2015. All 14 graduates have accepted RN positions at local hospitals. There are currently 73 students enrolled.

From left are Kathy Hensley, Tonda Laws, Amanda Hurley, Delora Bibb, Lori Hoeger, Franklin Farrow, Dr. Lois Ewen, Dr. Linda Garrett, Dr. Ronda Gentry, Michelle Arbogast and Robin Lay.

 

 

Tusculum College announces nurse practitioner program

Tusculum College will offer the Master of Science in nursing degree with a concentration in family nurse practitioner in August, pending approval by SACSCOC. The college was given approval by the Tennessee Board of Nursing on Thursday to move forward in implementing the new degree program.

The family nurse practitioner program is a graduate level Master of Science degree program designed to address the need for more primary healthcare providers in the community. It will be led by Dr. Linda Garrett, assistant dean of nursing, health sciences and human services and chair of graduate nursing.

“In East Tennessee, there is a gap between the number of people who need healthcare and the number of healthcare providers,” said Dr. Lois Ewen, dean of nursing, health sciences and human services. “The nurse practitioner program will help fill that gap in our community,” she added.

“Nurse practitioners provide primary care across the lifespan to people of all ages with simple to complex illnesses. We provide care for patients that have comorbidities. We have the same privileges that family physicians have, such as prescribing medications,” said Dr. Garrett.

Applications for enrollment in the program will be available in late spring.  The first class is tentatively set to graduate in fall 2017.

“One of the things that is very special about this program, especially in this part of the country, is that we plan to develop an RN to MSN program, which will allow nurses with associate degrees to obtain their master’s degree in six semesters,” said Dr. Garrett.

With this bridge component, Dr. Ewen hopes to serve more nurses in the area and serve the community with quality advanced practice nurses. The nurse practitioner program will be housed in the Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Math and Science, where the students will have access to state-of-the-art equipment specialized for their degree.

“The Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Math and Science will provide students with a lab separate from the lab for the undergraduate program,” said Dr. Garrett. “The undergraduate lab is styled like a hospital, the nurse practitioner labs will be designed much like a typical medical office with high technological recording capabilities.”

Dr. Garrett hopes to work with the theater program at Tusculum and have people trained as “standardized patients.” These standardized patients would act as real patients through scenarios developed by the nursing faculty in order to assist nurse practitioner students in patient interaction and diagnosis.

“We are excited to have Dr. Garrett on our team,” said Dr. Ewen. “She has served as a leader, an educator and a nurse, and brings a tremendous amount of experience in developing successful nursing programs to Tusculum College.”

Dr. Garrett said, “My vision is to provide the community with primary care providers–this is an area of need—to provide the folks in this community access to good quality care and to get the nurse practitioner program going and graduating students.”

Individuals with interest in attending the family nurse practitioner program should contact the nursing department at nursing@tusculum.edu or 423-636-7430 for more information.  Tusculum College is now accepting applications for admission into the College.

 

By Stephanie Turner, senior journalism and professional writing major from Shelbyville, Tenn.

 

New academic programming under discussion at Tusculum

The Tusculum College Board of Trustees approved the addition of a minor in business for non-business majors and heard a report on programs under consideration for inclusion in the Tusculum College catalog of degree programs at their winter meeting on the Greeneville campus, Feb 19-20.

The board met for two days, which included a breakfast on Saturday morning hosted by the Tusculum College President’s Society. The breakfast included time for the members of the Board of Trustees to get to know some of the school’s current students.

The Board approved the new minor in business for non-business majors and heard reports on the potential addition of several new degree programs, including a nurse practitioner master’s degree program, a bachelor degree program in health care administration and a bachelor’s degree program in computer science.

“As an institution it is important that we continue to be responsive to the students we serve as well as the communities around us,” said Dr. Kenneth A. Bowman, chair of the Board and 1970 alumnus of the college. “Changing, and particularly adding degree programs, allows us serve the needs of students today and into the future.”

In other action, the Board heard reports on the Tusculum First Capital Campaign and the Technology Improvement Plan.

To date, $19.8 million has been raised toward the $25 million capital campaign goal. According to Heather Patchett, vice president of institutional advancement, it is anticipated that the campaign will be at the $23 million mark by the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

According to Campaign Chairman Scott M. Niswonger, as a member of the Tusculum College Board of Trustees, Tusculum First is designed to address the college’s areas of greatest need including a new center for science and math, growth of academic programs, endowed scholarships, student life improvements, technology, an environmental resources and facilities center and support to the Tusculum Fund.

In support of the Technology Improvement Plan, the Tusculum College website has been updated to make the site more user friendly and efficient to navigate, with the new homepage launched in October. Additional changes will be coming to maximize marketing and advertising opportunities for Enrollment Management and Marketing. In addition Tusculum College now supports two degree programs that are fully online and the dual enrollment program has grown to more than 70 area high school students during the 2015-16 academic year. Since its beginning, the distance education program enrollment in online courses has grown from 129 in 2010 to more than 700 in 2016.

As part of their meeting, the Board received an update on the college’s strategic planning process. As part of this process, at their October board meeting, the trustees set aside time for a strategic planning session, led by consultant, Dr. Kris Cohen, vice president for strategy at CREDO. Dr. Cohen has worked in higher education since 1989.

Planning sessions have also been held with faculty and staff, as well as with students.

“The community wide participation in this process is extremely valuable,” said Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College. “The established initiatives that result from this process will set the direction for Tusculum College long into the future.”

Additionally, the Board received an update from Dr. Claude O. Pressnell, Jr., president of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association on the future of higher education and the implications for independent higher education institutions in the state.

The Board heard a facilities report, which included an update on the construction of the Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Science and Math. The new Center for Science and Math is expected to be completed in time for spring semester next year.  An announcement was made that a gift had been received to the college that would allow for a pavilion to be constructed as part of the Paul E. Hayden Educational Wetland project. The gift, combined with a grant received from the Nolichucky Watershed Alliance, will provide for construction materials for the pavilion.

In other action of the board, May graduation candidates were approved, pending satisfactory completion of course of study work, approval by the faculty and certification by the registrar. Also approved were faculty promotions which included: Dr. Eva Cowell and Dr. Clay Matthews, promoted to associate professor; and Dr. Joel Van Amberg, promoted to full professor.

The next meeting of the Tusculum College Board of Trustees will be May 2016.

 

Morse named to Tusculum College Board of Trustees

The Tusculum College Board of Trustees approved Dr. Jane Lovvorn Morse as its newest board member in a meeting on Saturday, Feb. 20.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Morse and anticipate her experience and expertise, as well as her affinity for Tusculum will benefit the entire Tusculum community through her service,” said Dr. Kenneth A. Bowman, chair of the Board of Trustees and 1970 graduate of the college.

Dr. Morse graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in natural science/biology from Tusculum College in 1977. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in physical therapy from the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences, which she earned in 1979 with honors, and a doctorate degree in physical therapy from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, awarded in 2006 with a perfect grade point average.

Dr. Jane Morse

She joins the Board of Trustees after serving Tusculum College in multiple positions. She has served as president, vice-president and secretary of the Tusculum College Alumni Executive Board during her membership since 1987, with a small break in service from 1995 to 1997. During those two years, she was a member of the Tusculum College Bicentennial Planning Board.

Dr. Morse is also a committee member for the South College Physical Therapy Assistant Advisory Board, a position she has held since 2006, and served as a member/treasurer for the Scholarship and Loan Committee of the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association from 2011-2013. She served as committee members for four other professional organizations throughout her career, including the Hamilton County Continuing Education Committee from 1983-1985.

She edited a chapter in the book “Pathology for the Physical Therapist Assistant” by Catherine Goodman, Kendra S. Fuller, and Robbie O’Shea, which was published in 2010; in addition, she is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (member since 1978) and the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association (member since 1984).

Currently, Dr. Morse is an adjunct faculty member at South College in Asheville, a position she has held for nearly 10 years. She has been a physical therapist for 36 years, with the last 27 in Asheville. She volunteers at the Manna Food Bank and serves Groce United Methodist Church as a children’s Sunday school teacher in her spare time.

 

Tusculum College to participate in National African American Read-In

As a part of Black History Month, Tusculum College will participate in the National African American Read-In. The event will be held on Monday, Feb. 29, in the living room of Niswonger Commons on the Greeneville campus.

Heather Patterson, chair for the Department of English, associate professor of English and coordinator of the event, said, “We’ve had students read works of more well-known African-Americans (like poems by Langston Hughes and speeches by Malcolm X), but we’ve also been fortunate enough to have students read works by writers and orators that may be unfamiliar to the audience, their own works and works by their friends and relatives.”

The on-campus participation of the Read-In is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni and anyone from the community. The event is designed to bring everyone together in a public setting to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. There is no charge to participate and reading selections may be the choice of the participant.

In 1990, the first African American Read-In was sponsored by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English. In 1991, the National Council of Teachers of English joined in the sponsorship.

The Read-In has been endorsed by the International Reading Association. More than a million readers of all ethnic groups from 50 states, the District of Columbia, the West Indies, and African countries have participated.