GREENEVILLE – As Tusculum University embarks on the new academic year, the president is highlighting how the theme the higher education has adopted – “We are one” – is evident in the study body.
These students prepare to enter convocation after receiving applause from faculty members.
Dr. Scott Hummel addresses students, faculty and staff during the Opening Convocation.
Dr. Scott Hummel shared that message Wednesday, Aug. 26, during Tusculum’s Opening Convocation, an annual ceremony to mark the start of classes. The university adopts a theme based on scripture every academic year, and the one for 2026-2027 reinforces interconnectivity outlined in Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
“This particular passage is important as an annual theme for us because it emphasizes our unity,” Dr. Hummel said. “It emphasizes our oneness. It certainly recognizes all of the ways we are different, but within that, it recognizes that we have so much more in common. We are Pioneers.”
Dr. Hummel touted one of the many strengths of studying at Tusculum. That is the presence of students from different countries and the way that connection to people from so many places enriches personal lives. This year, Tusculum has 155 international students, about 15 more than at the start of the academic year in 2025.
“What an incredible privilege it is to be in a place where you can be exposed to a world full of varied cultures, languages and religions,” Dr. Hummel said. “When I look into the audience, I see different races and nationalities and people who might have different political philosophies or belong to different political parties. And yet, we are all Pioneers.”
Dr. Hummel also tied the theme into civic engagement, a core element of the university’s mission. He noted that society in so many ways seeks to divide people, and he urged students not to fall into that approach. He talked about the way algorithms are designed to feed into one’s confirmation bias and convey that someone with a different viewpoint is wrong.
Students complete the walk through faculty members who applauded them.
He said Tusculum takes a different approach through civic engagement. He shared that engagement does not mean rescinding one’s beliefs or philosophies but rather listening respectfully to someone who has another perspective and understanding that person’s frame of reference. He urged students, faculty and staff to speak with others who come from a different belief system.
“Quite frankly, this world and this country need more people to graduate who are civically engaged and know what it means to value our varied backgrounds and viewpoints, our unity and our shared purpose and shared mission,” Dr. Hummel said. “We are one, and you will accomplish more, not just as an individual student and not as a solo player but as part of an entire university. Together, we are smarter, together we are better, together we will succeed. We are one. We are Pioneers.”
Tusculum will come together on many fronts this year. One of the earliest examples will be Nettie Fowler McCormick Service Day in September, during which students, faculty and staff spread out into the community to perform service work. Throughout the year, students will have an opportunity to support each other in faith development by attending weekly chapel services or participating in other ministries. The Tusculum family will be able to cheer the university’s athletic teams. At the end of the year, students will present their research projects to their peers, faculty and staff at the Academic Symposium on campus.
Tusculum marked convocation in style with faculty members dressed in regalia and applauding students as they walked into the ceremony. Convocation highlighted the high energy flowing through the campus as Tusculum, the oldest higher education institution in Tennessee, prepares to celebrate its 232nd anniversary Thursday, Sept. 3.
Classes began Monday, Aug. 17.
The value of a Tusculum education
Dr. David Cook speaks during convocation.
Dr. David Cook, provost and vice president of academic affairs, discussed the value of a Tusculum education and referenced Tusculum’s caring Christian environment.
“Faculty and staff want to know your name and invest the time and energy to get to know you,” he told students. “Your professors will notice if you are not doing well academically, and they will be willing to go the extra mile to provide the support you need. Your advisor will meet with you every semester to make sure you are on track to graduate. What has set Tusculum apart for 232 years is that you the students, your struggles, your successes, and your futures, matter to us. We have been praying for you as you arrived last week and we will continue to pray for you throughout your time at Tusculum.”
While convocation is focused primarily on looking forward, Dr. Cook took time to celebrate many achievements in the past year, including multiple demonstrations of faculty expertise and several accomplishments on the playing field, such as two national championships by the Tusculum’s women’s track and field team.
A student leader’s perspective
John Ross shares a message for the students.
John Ross, president of the Student Government Association, urged students to give it their all by joining an organization that interests them and trying something new. He encouraged students to build community. – saying hello to someone they do not know, attending a game for a Tusculum team other than their own and checking on someone who might be having a bad day.
He said patience, understanding, kindness and a willingness to listen will be valuable attributes for students to display. The many decisions students make each day will enable others around them to feel seen, valued and respected.
Students should also make their mark, Ross said. They should take the lead on an initiative and find a way to create, change and improve things while standing up for their beliefs. He recommended that they try to leave something better than they found it.
“All of us will leave Tusculum someday,” Ross said. “When that day comes, I don’t want you just to say, ‘I graduated from Tusculum.’ Let’s also be able to say, ‘I was part of the school.’ This is your time. Get involved. Build community. Support one another. Your four years will go by way faster than you think. Make it count.”
Important words for the faculty
Joel Shelton gives a charge to the faculty.
Joel Shelton, an assistant professor of mathematics and the faculty chair, gave a charge to the faculty. One of the points in his message was that faculty usually see what is happening on the surface of students – their grades, their demeanor in class and the questions they ask.
“What we rarely see is everything underneath – the job they worked the night before class, the family they are helping to support, the version of themselves they have not fully grown into yet,” he said. “The surface is, of course, real and worth observing, but it is not the whole story.”
Shelton reminded his colleagues that faculty members need to know what is happening with a student before he or she is ready to share it.
“Use your intuition,” he said. “No exam catches that, and no advising checklist catches that either. That part remains with us, the faculty. We also have to encourage students in the right moment – not the week after, not after exams have been graded, but in the moments when our students need it. You never know what a simple word of encouragement can do for a student. be the professor they remember.”
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.