GREENEVILLE – A local high school student is one of the first to enroll in a major new initiative Tusculum University has launched to help start and grow businesses.
Tine Bowman, left, and Matt Sweeny stand in front of the Thomas J. Garland Library at Tusculum University.
Tine Bowman, a senior at Providence Academy in Johnson City, will begin his collegiate studies at Tusculum in the fall. He will be one of the Freedom Scholars at the Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, better known as the Freedom Center. Freedom Scholars will have the opportunity to be mentored by entrepreneurs and become part of close-knit cohorts of ambitious students ready to make their mark in business.
Bowman’s start-up is designed to transform the sports footwear industry. He has been a consumer of sports footwear throughout his life, playing basketball, football, baseball as well as golfing and wrestling. He will be a member of the Tusculum baseball team as a student.
“I’m excited to help Tine transform the $100 billion sports footwear market,” said Matt Sweeny, the Freedom Center’s director. “We welcome Tine and others already accepted as Freedom Scholars, and we invite determined students and founders interested in starting their own business and learning about freedom through the Great Books of the Western World to apply for this program.”
One of the most distinctive features of the Freedom Center will be the opportunity for the Freedom Scholars to pitch their ideas to potential investors. Tusculum has eyed spring 2026 to hold the first Pitch Day to give investors the opportunity to back the most exciting start-ups in the Appalachian region.
Pitch Day, which will be an annual event, will also be open to community members who are taking courses at the Freedom Center to give them additional knowledge they need to start or grow a business. The other groups that will be eligible to participate in Pitch Day are high school students and students at universities who are part of the Appalachian College Association.
Bowman will pursue degrees in business and finance and seek a minor in free enterprise and entrepreneurship while founding his own start-up.
Beginning this fall, Tusculum will offer a free enterprise and entrepreneurship concentration in its business administration bachelor’s degree. Students who pursue one of many other bachelor’s degrees at Tusculum can still seek a minor in free enterprise and entrepreneurship.
The courses and co-curricular activities embedded in both paths lay the historical and economic foundations of free enterprise and provide practical preparation for starting a business and presenting it at Pitch Day. The courses include new venture creation, business plan development, an entrepreneurship practicum and entrepreneurial operations for small businesses.
New students selected as Freedom Scholars can earn as much as $8,000 in scholarships during their time at Tusculum in addition to other financial aid they receive toward their studies.
Tusculum is the first higher education institution in Tennessee, and Bowman found the university’s history as well as proximity to home to be appealing as well.
“Mr. Sweeny has a lot of experience as an entrepreneur, so he will be a very good mentor for me as a Freedom Scholar,” Bowman said. “The opportunity came along, and it sounded really nice. And God told me to do it.”
Already, Tusculum has secured $200,000 for the Freedom Center to cover student scholarships and all of the costs associated with the program. Dr. Scott Niswonger, Dr. Larry Brotherton, Dr. David Baker and Kelly Vogt, all of whom serve on Tusculum’s Board of Trustees, have donated significant funds toward the Freedom Center. The university has received additional generous donations from others.
“We are pleased with all of the activity and interest the Freedom Center has generated, and we are excited to welcome the inaugural class of Freedom Scholars,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “The Freedom Center will provide an outstanding forum for active and experiential learning as students and community members become equipped to grow their businesses. We are thrilled to have Tine and other students on board and look forward not only to their success but also the economic growth it will spur in our region.”
Applications for the Freedom Center’s program are now open to new students, existing students and members of the community wishing to start or grow a business. They can express interest by email to freedom@tusculum.edu. Investors who would like to learn more about Pitch Day and how they can support the Freedom Center can also email freedom@tusculum.edu
Students who want to enroll at Tusculum can apply at https://site.tusculum.edu/apply-visit/apply/. More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.