GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University is recognizing the performance of a local high school student in a high-caliber mathematics competition on campus by awarding her a scholarship.
Representatives of Tusculum University, Greeneville High School join Eady Wright for the scholarship presentation. Left to right are Dr. Wei Hu, assistant professor of mathematics; Eady; Dr. Heather Henson-Ramsey, dean of the College of Science, Technology and Mathematics; and DeAnna Martin, Greeneville High School’s principal.
Representatives of the university’s College of Science, Technology and Mathematics recently awarded a $2,000 academic scholarship to Eady Wright, a junior at Greeneville High School. Eady will be eligible for the funds if she enrolls at Tusculum after the completion of her high school studies, but she is not required to seek a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
CSTM selected Eady for the scholarship based on her finishing first in the precalculus section of the Tennessee Mathematics Teachers Association competition held Tuesday, April 2, at Tusculum. Dr. Wei Hu, an assistant professor of mathematics at the university, said precalculus is a good measure for high school students’ performance in mathematics.
“We are thrilled to honor Eady for the knowledge she demonstrated during the competition and look forward to her future academic achievements,” Dr. Hu said. “This prestigious competition brings together many bright young students, and Eady clearly showcased her intelligence during this competition. We are pleased to present her with this scholarship.”
The TMTA competition is a tradition at Tusculum and brought 74 students from three local high schools to campus this year. In addition to precalculus, the subjects in which students competed were Algebra I, Algebra II, calculus, geometry and statistics.
For the long term, CSTM is collaborating with the university’s Office of Institutional Advancement and the family of a former mathematics professor, Ronald Conley, to create an endowed scholarship that will be presented to one of the top finishers in the TMTA competition. The Ronald Conley Memorial Scholarship Fund would enable Tusculum to present an annual scholarship to a Greene County student, preferably a junior or senior.
Conley was involved in the competition every year, and the scholarship would honor his connection to the event and his service to the university, said Dr. Heather Henson-Ramsey, CSTM’s dean. Conley, who passed away in 2023, was a faculty member for 30 years, a former chair of the Mathematics Department and a local farmer.
“Tusculum is excited to hold the TMTA competition every year and welcomes the opportunity to honor high achievers with a scholarship,” Dr. Henson-Ramsey said. “We were fortunate to have extra scholarship funds available this year to honor Eady, and we strongly desire to keep this recognition in place in perpetuity. With additional community support, that will be possible and demonstrate everyone’s commitment to help the next generation of students become career-ready professionals.”
To learn more about Tusculum’s mathematics program, please visit https://site.tusculum.edu/mathematics-2/. Additional information about the endowed scholarship is available at https://giving.tusculum.edu/the-ronald-conley-memorial-scholarship-fund. People can access further details about the university at www.tusculum.edu.