Vocal Group MO5AIC to perform Aug. 16


MO5AIC, who have been described by Tony Bennett as the “best vocal group I’ve heard,” will perform at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16, in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus.

MO5AIC, described by Tony Bennett as “the best vocal group I’ve heard,” will bring their special brand of music to the stage at Tusculum College on Wednesday, Aug. 16.

The five-man vocal group will be performing at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum campus. The performance will be the first in the 2017-18 Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series, coordinated by Tusculum Arts Outreach.

MO5AIC performs a unique blend of R&B, pop, rock, jazz, big band and Top 40 songs with a twist. Offering a different face of a cappella music, the five-man group performs with no instruments, using just their voices and microphones to create a full sound that has audiences frequently puzzled about where the band is. MO5AIC features Josh Huslig, Heath Burgett, Jake Moulton, Corwyn Hodge and Roopak Ahuja. The group was started by Huslig, who was turned on to vocal music when he heard Prince’s “7” in high school and realized that the voice can be just as an interesting as the instruments accompanying it.

As the vocalists came together, their talent first received widespread attention when they submitted a video to CBS News’ The Early Show, which was conducting a nationwide search for
The Great A cappella Group.” The contest was judged by personal heroes of the members of MO5AIC, Boyz II Men, and they won.

In 2008, MO5AIC earned more attention and accolades through MTV’s “Top Pop Group,” talent show. While the contestants were to be pop groups, MO5AIC found themselves as the only a cappella group competing and had to fight to keep their all-vocal sound when asked to use instruments by the show’s executives. MO5AIC won the contest, much to the surprise of those executives.

The group has opened for such acts as Stevie Wonder, Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, Jay Leno and the late Prince and appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” MO5AIC’s talent also landed them a residency headlining the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $5 for students.

The Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series is supported by Tusculum Arts Outreach, Hearts for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the late Dr. Sam Miller in memory of Agnes Ault Miller and generous donors and volunteers.

To reserve tickets or for more information, contact Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620 or email jhollowell@tusculum.edu.

 

 

Deadline for fall dual enrollment courses at Tusculum College is Aug. 10


Registration is now open for fall dual enrollment classes at Tusculum College.

High school students with a 3.0 grade point average or a 21 on the ACT are eligible to take dual enrollment courses. The courses are offered online. Through the dual enrollment program, high school students have the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit. Courses are available in a wide variety of academic areas.

The Tusculum dual enrollment program has been available to high school students since 2013.  It started with just a few students but has grown to more than 100 students taking multiple courses. The program is completely online and fits any schedule and can be done with zero out-of-pocket tuition expenses, as it qualifies for the Tennessee Dual Enrollment Grant program.

All credits earned may be used at Tusculum and will transfer to other Colleges and universities.

Classes will be offered in two blocks, with Block 1 courses running August 14 through October 6. Block 1 course registration deadline is August 10. Block 2 courses will begin on October 9. Registration for Block 2 will close on October 2.

Course available include “Computer as a Tool,” “Composition and Rhetoric I and II,” “World Literature,” U.S. Survey I and II,” “Elementary Statistics,” “Quantitative Applications,” “Essentials of Psychology,” and “Principles of Social Institutions.”

For more information please contact Melissa Ripley at mripley@tusculum.edu or

423.636.7374. More information may also be found at https://web.tusculum.edu/dualenrollment/.

 

Tusculum named College of Distinction


Innovative application of high impact educational practices at Tusculum earned the school recognition among the nation’s Colleges of Distinction.

Tusculum students earned college credit and valuable life experience while participating in study abroad programs, as well as through service learning, learning communities and internships.

“We’re so happy to award Tusculum for developing skills relevant to graduates’ lives,” said Tyson Schritter, executive editor for Colleges of Distinction. “High student engagement in college is one of the keys to a successful undergraduate education. With an increasing emphasis on hands-on learning techniques, Colleges of Distinction applauds Tusculum for practicing methodologies that prepare students for their futures.”

Schools must demonstrate results across the four Distinctions – engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes. High school counselors and educators make nominations, and each school is evaluated on key indicators including student engagement, student empowerment and curricular innovation.

“There are so many considerations when choosing a college home,’ said Dr. Paul Pinckley, vice president of enrollment management and marketing at Tusculum. “Considering value is a critical component. When you choose Tusculum College, it is an investment you make in the rest of your life.”

Dr. Pinckley added 75 percent of recently surveyed alumni reported obtaining a position in their field of study within nine months of graduation. Additionally, 95 percent of recently surveyed alumni reported that Tusculum prepared them well for their current job or graduate studies.

“From the very beginning students at Tusculum are supported by our robust Career Services Office,” said Dr. Pinckley. “Through the Pioneer Certified program students gain valuable experience related to job hunting, portfolio development, interviewing, networking, internships, meal etiquette, job shadowing, career fairs and professionalism.”

Colleges that have distinguished themselves in each of the four distinctions and that have demonstrated dedication to enriching student outcomes through innovative learning opportunities are then invited to join Colleges of Distinction.

The annual process to select the nation’s Colleges of Distinction also includes a review of each institution’s freshman experience, as well as its general education program, strategic plan, and alumni success and satisfaction measures.

To view Tusculum’s profile or to find more information about the innovative learning experiences it offers, visit CollegesofDistinction.com.

 

First meeting of the Tusculum College Nursing Graduate Advisory Council held


Tusculum College’s School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Human Services will soon graduate its first class from the Master of Science in nursing program. This new graduate program is part of the school’s emphasis on increasing the number of qualified nurse practitioners in area communities and is a significant milestone for the nursing program and Tusculum College.

Dr. Linda Garrett, assistant dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Human Services, has organized a Graduate Advisory Council to act as a liaison between the new nurse practictioner graduate program and the community. The council is comprised of both prominent members of the local medical field and key community members.

“Our nursing programs at Tusculum College are meeting the community’s needs and serving our students well in preparing them for their medical careers,” said Dr. Garrett,  who also serves as chairman of the Graduate Advisory Council. “Our new advisory group will play an important role in providing us with a new and trusted resource for feedback from the community and medical professionals. We thank them for agreeing to serve our students and college in this important way.”

 

Council members include:

  • Dr. Elliott B. Smith Jr., medical doctor
  • Dr. Douglas Cobble, pediatrician
  • Amy Weaver, nurse practitioner at the Greene County Health Department
  • Andrea Daniels, community member and program advocate
  • Dr. Phil Roe, U.S. Congressman, acting as a community member and medical advisor
  • Crystal Jessee, community attorney and advocate for opioid abuse and addiction programs in the greater Greene County area
  • Dr. Elizabeth McCord Duncan, medical director at the Greene County Health Department
  • Jackie Church, family nurse practitioner in Johnson City
  • Dr. Lois Ewen, dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Human Services
  • Dr. Linda Garrett, chairman of the Graduate Advisory Council and assistant dean of the School of Nursing , Health Sciences and Human Services

 

Two student volunteers will also hold positions on the Graduate Advisory Council to act as the voice of the student body, as well as to communicate council information back to the student body at large. The two current student council members are Heather Brown and Erin Stayton.

Council member Jessee said, “The nurse practitioner program is very important to both the school and the greater Greene County area. I am honored to serve as an advisor to the program.”

At the council’s first meeting in July, the group discussed introducing the new program to the community and provided information about the council goals to attendees.

The School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Human Services is expecting to graduate the first class through their first Master of Science in nursing in December, and are looking forward to growing the program and extending the support Tusculum College provides to the local medical community. The Graduate Advisory Council will help ensure that the programs succeed with support and feedback from the region and its citizens.

Members of the Tusculum Nursing Graduate Advisory Committee

 

 

Tusculum College Upward Bound Program receives more than $600,000 per year in grant funding to serve local and regional students


The Tusculum College Upward Bound program was recently notified by Senator Lamar Alexander’s office that the program will receive a renewed grant of $409,521 to serve students in Greene County Schools, Hawkins County, Unicoi County and David Crockett High School in Washington County.

In addition, a grant of $257,500 was also funded to the Tusculum College program to serve 52 students in Cocke and Hawkins counties.

Between the two grants, the programs will be able to serve 144 high school students.

Jeanne Stokes, director of the TRIO Programs, said the funds will be used for continuation of the Upward Bound programs at Tusculum College.

“We were thrilled when we found that the grants had been funded,” said Stokes. “I just met a previous participant and he said that Upward Bound was the best part of his high school career. This summer nine of the12 summer staff were former participants who are currently in college or graduates. They had such a good experience that they want to give back to the program. The program affects the lives of the students in East Tennessee.”

Upward Bound is an intensive college preparatory program. Its mission, to aid low-income students and students who are first-generation college attendees, has helped many to succeed in high school while also preparing for college.

For more than 40 years, the Upward Bound program has operated on the Tusculum College campus, providing young people from regional families with an early introduction to college life and opportunities for travel, special activities and study in literature, composition, mathematics and science in the environment of a college campus.

Participants are first-generation college students, low-income individuals, individuals who are at high risk for academic failure or those who have a need for academic support in order to pursue successfully a program of education beyond high school.

The program includes academic tutoring, advice and assistance in secondary and postsecondary course selection, preparation for college entrance exams and completing the college admission applications, information on federal student financial aid and assistance completing financial aid applications.

In addition, the program provides guidance on and assistance in secondary school reentry, alternative education programs for secondary school dropouts that lead to the receipt of a regular secondary school diploma, entry into GED programs or entry into postsecondary education.

Other components include education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students or the students’ parents, including financial planning for postsecondary education and instruction in mathematics through pre-calculus, laboratory science, foreign language, composition and literature.

 

Make plans to attend Homecoming 2017 festivities October 19-22


Make plants to attend Homecoming 2017 festivities in October.

Tusculum will be celebrating the College “Pioneering the Future,” through such events as the dedication of the new Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Science and Math as well as the class get-togethers, tailgate, annual awards presentations, parade, alumni games and of course, the football game and its half-time festivities.
Registering is as simple as clicking this link and filling out the online form. The registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 9.  Questions?  Contact the Alumni Office at 423-636-7303 or alumni@tusculum.edu. 

Below is the schedule of the daily activities during Homecoming 2017:

Thursday, October 19

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Registration, lobby of Annie Hogan Byrd

 

11:30 a.m. – Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center Center for Science and Mathematics Building Dedication

 

12 p.m. – Meen Center Dedication Luncheon. The Board of Trustees invite you to join us as we celebrate the Meen Center.

 

Tours of the Meen Center to follow luncheon

 

6  p.m. – 1960’s Alumni Party, hosted by Ann ‘Butch’ Van Buskirk ’61 at her home.  For address and directions, please contact the Alumni Office at 423-636-7303.

Friday, October 20

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Registration, lobby of Annie Hogan Byrd

Tours of the Meen Center throughout the day.

 

11:30 a.m.  – Lunch with students, terrace of the Thomas J. Garland Library

 

1 p.m. – Campus Tours, tours will depart from Garland Library Lobby

Golf Tournament – Link Hills Golf Course.  Registration begins at 12 p.m.

 

2 p.m. – Ice Cream. Social and Tusculum College Alumni Travel Preview

 

6 p.m. – Dinner at Link Hills Country Club

 

7 p.m. – Volleyball vs Lenoir-Rhyne, Pioneer Arena

Bonfire and Pep Rally, Welty Craig/Haynes Lawn/Quad Area

Saturday, October  21

8 a.m. – 10 a.m. – Registration, Living Room of Niswonger Commons

8 a.m. – Memorial Service, Garland Library Lobby

 

8:30 a.m. – Alumni Breakfast, Chalmers Conference Center

 

9:00 a.m. –Sports Hall of Fame Induction,  Chalmers

9:30 a.m. Alumni Softball Game

 

10 a.m. – Alumni Awards and Alumni Meeting, Chalmers

Alumni Band – Join the current Tusculum College Marching Band for rehearsal and event performances

 

 

10:30 a.m. – Alumni Tennis Match,  Roger M. Nichols Tennis Complex

 

11 a.m. –   5th Annual Civil War Scrimmage (Lacrosse Alumni Game), Indoor Practice Facility

 

11:30 a.m. – Student Support Services Luncheon, the Patton House

 

Noon – Homecoming Parade, route between the Charles Oliver Gray Complex and Pioneer Park.

 

12:30 p.m. – Volleyball vs Catawba,  Pioneer Arena

Tailgate, enjoy a Tusculum College Pioneer Tailgate Party.

 

2:30 p.m. – Tusculum Pioneer Football vs. Catawba. Cheer on the Pioneers as they take on Catawba at Pioneer Field.

 

6 p.m. – Alumni and Friends Social Hour, General Morgan Inn

“Orange and Black” women’s basketball Inter-squad scrimmage, Pioneer Arena

 

7 p.m. – Alumni and Friends Dinner, General Morgan Inn. A cash bar will be available throughout the evening.

Alumni Baseball Game, Pioneer Park

 

7:30 p.m. – “Orange and Black” inter-squad men’s basketball scrimmage, Pioneer Arena

 

8 p.m. – Alumni and Friends Music and Fellowship, General Morgan Inn.  DJ Donnie Bunch will provide music.

Sunday, October 22

Attend the church of your choice.  First Presbyterian Church of Greeneville (110 N. Main Street) is the mother church of the College.  Early service at 8:30 a.m., Sunday School at 9:30 a.m., the traditional service at 10:45 a.m. Learn more at www.firstpresgreeneville.org.

 

Veteran Services seeking input of alumni who served in the military


Tusculum Veteran Services is in search of a few good men and women who served our country and are Tusculum alumni.

The newly created office values the input of Tusculum’s current and former student veterans as it works to organize events for current student veterans and alumni veterans, as well as build a distribution list to alert Tusuclum veteran students and alumni of programs and events of interest.  In addition to promoting the enrollment of veterans into Tusculum degree programs, the Office is responsible for coordinating the veteran services support program at all the College’s campuses and sites. The office, created earlier this year, is also working to enhance and maintain outreach relations between Tusculum and military institutions, veteran associations and the surrounding Northeast Tennessee community.

To ensure you receive notices of activities, programs, and events, please contact Dale Laney,  director of veteran services at Tusculum, at dlaney@tusculum.edu, to be added to distribution lists.

In addition, any alumni veterans who would like to be involved in veteran support programs as they are developed, the office would appreciate your input and the sharing of your knowledge and experience as a veteran and Tusculum alumnus.

Tusculum alumna presented national DAR award


Carolyn Gregg '88

Carolyn Gregg ’88 of Greeneville, TN, was awarded the History Award Medal from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in May for her lifetime of activities to promote the preservation of American History on the local, regional and national level. The national award is given to a nominee whose study or promotion of some aspect of American history on the local, regional or national level has significantly advanced the understanding of the nation’s past. Five or fewer are awarded annually. Gregg, who also served her Alma Mater for several years as an education professor, is treasurer of the Nolachuckey Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

 

She began her history projects by adding Greene County history to her third-grade curriculum at Tusculum View Elementary School and creating workbooks for children to learn about local heroes such as David Crockett, William Dickson, Samuel Doak and Andrew Johnson. Gregg wrote and directed musical plays for the students to perform each spring from 1988-2001. She also taught a summer Greene County history class that included field trips daily for several weeks to local and regional historic sites. Gregg and her students mapped seven cemeteries during the classes, and she added five more cemetery maps before submitting them all to the USGenWeb Tombstone Project.

 

After retiring from Tusculum View Elementary School, Gregg began researching for “The History of Nolachuckey Chapter NSDAR,” the first of 17 books that she has compiled. Some are oral histories, such as “Stories From the South of Greene County,” compiled with Nolachuckey Elementary School and Tusculum College students, “Reflections From the Past in Chuckey, Afton, Tusculum and Eastern Greene County,” compiled with Chuckey-Doak Middle School and Tusculum College students, “Remembering Greene County Mills,” compiled for Greene County Heritage Trust, and “Tales of the Rails,” compiled for the George L. Carter Railroad Museum at East Tennessee State University. For other books, Gregg researched community and church histories, such as “Saint James Lutheran Church Celebrates 200 Years — 1811-2011,” “The History of Asbury United Methodist Church,” “The History of Blue Springs Lutheran Church,” “Blue Springs Church, Community, and Colleges,” and six volumes of Harden, North Carolina, Community Research from 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. Two books focused on Gregg’s family history: “The Ancestors and Descendants of Willie Albert Patterson and Minnie Corriher Patterson” and “The Photo Story of the Gregg Family of Miles and Mandy Tweed Gregg.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

’40s

Dr. Sara Lippard Hoyt ’45 of Asheville, NC, was presented a Distinguished Medical Alumna Award during the Alumni Reception and Awards Banquet at the Spring Medical Alumni Weekend for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Medicine. A retired pediatrician, Dr. Hoyt was a member of the first four-year graduating class of the medical school in 1954 and one of the only two women in the class. Following her career as a physician and raising three daughters, Dr. Hoyt continued working as an advocate for others in various ways, including serving on the Rome (GA) City Board of Education, the Board of Hospitality House that serves abused women and children and the Rome Arts Council among others. Dr. Hoyt and her husband, the Rev. William Hoyt, have remained busy after they retired and moved to Asheville in 2001. She maintains her medical volunteer license and continues to further her medical education, attending lectures twice monthly at MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center).

’60s

Andy Still ’61 of Bluff City, TN, has been named a 2017 inductee into the J.I. Burton High School Hall of Fame. Still was a star basketball player at the Norton, VA, school, graduating in 1957. Still credits Joe Stallard, a 1956 graduate of Tusculum and a 2016 inductee into the J.I. Burton Hall of Fame, with inspiring him to become a basketball player. Still continued playing basketball at Tusculum, where he majored in math and physics. After graduating, Still spent three years teaching physics and chemistry at J.J. Kelly High School and served as head basketball coach at Clinch Valley College during 1963 and 1964. Still then went to work for Raytheon, where he worked for 28 years until retirement and his responsibilities included upgrading missile software.

 

Fred Johnson ’65 has been fully retired for the last four years after serving as president of a real estate and development company in the Washington, D.C., area. He and his wife, Donna, are living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, a few miles south of Asheville. They are enjoying traveling, playing golf and enjoying mountain life. Fred would love to her from his old friends from Tusculum at fredanddonna1@gmail.com.

 

’90s

Dr. J. T. Vogt ’90 recently accepted a position as Project Leader for the U.S. Forest Service Insects, Diseases and Invasive Plants in Southern Forests research unit with personnel in Asheville, NC, Athens, GA, and Pineville, LA. He will be relocating to the Athens area with his wife Karen, son James, and daughter Samantha ’17 (who graduated from Tusculum with honors earlier this year and has been accepted into physical therapy school at Belmont). He is very happy to be returning to a more research-oriented position in entomology. Classmates can reach J.T. at bug_doctor@hotmail.com

 

Denise Carr ’96 began working in June as Senior WIOA Career Specialist at East Tennessee State University. She previously served in a similar position at Walters State Community College.

 

Janice Jones ’98 of Bristol, TN, has been appointed to the Tennessee Financial Literacy Commission. She is the President and CEO of United Southeast Federal Credit Union. Jones has 47 years of experience in credit unions, rising through the ranks to her current position of President and CEO. Active in the community, Jones is a member of the Bristol Morning Rotary Club, serves as chairman of the board of the Bristol TN/VA Chamber of Commerce, served on the Credit Union National Associations Federal Credit Union Subcommittee for four years, and most recently served as a board member with Volunteer Corporate Credit Union.

 

‘00s

Nick Neura ’08 has been named offensive line coach for the football team at Gadsden City (AL) High School. He was previously serving as offensive line coach for the Hueytown High School. He also served as a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama-Birmingham from 2010-12.

Robin Street ’08 will be serving as assistant principal of Grandview School in the Washington County (TN) School System when school starts in the fall. Street began her 11-year teaching career at Gray School and subsequently moved to Jonesborough Middle School where she taught math, social studies and science.

Jarrell NeSmith ’09 has accepted a position at the Immediate Care in Gaffney, SC, for half urgent care and sports medicine after his current fellowship in sports medicine ends in June 2018. Jarrell writes, “I feel blessed beyond belief! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me and supported me along the way!”

 

Rachel Macola Price ’10 will be serving as the new principal of Grandview School in the Washington County (TN) School System when school opens in the fall. She previously served two years as assistant principal of Jonesborough Middle School. Prior to that positin, Price was a first and fourth grade teacher at Jonesborough Elementary School. 

 

’10s

Nikki Taylor ’11 and Logan Goodin ’11 have married and had their first child, a son, Jackson Dean Goodin, on December 30, 2016.  He was 8 lbs. and 4 oz. at birth. The couple is currently living in Maryville, TN, where Nikki is staying home with Jackson and Logan is an honors algebra teacher at Maryville Junior High and is coach of the school’s first baseball program.

 

Sara Howard ’14 has graduated with a master’s degree in public health epidemiology from East Tennessee State University and has begun her career as an epidemiologist at Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

 

Joni Blake Parker ’15 began serving earlier this month as the new general manager of the Greene County Partnership. Parker duties include fundraising, which she became familiar serving as the director of alumni relations at Tusculum College.

 

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Richard A. Williams Jr. ’15 graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, San Antonio, TX. Williams earned distinction as an honor graduate. He is the grandson of Shirley Goodwin and nephew of Robin Rawls of Columbia.

 

Creighton Wilke ’16 has signed with the Lincoln (NE) Saltdogs. The infielder participated in spring training with the professional team in the American Association of Independent Baseball. At Tusculum, he was a power hitter. In his senior season for the Pioneers, the first baseman hit .333 with eight home runs and 11 doubles. He knocked in 43 runs in 53 games.

Jennie Frost ’17 has been selected to write for “The MFA Years.” Frost will attend the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at Ole Miss in the fall.

 

 

 

 

Claude Fulton Simpson Jr. ’70 of Roanoke, VA, passed away July 5, 2017.  His survivors include sister and Tusculum alumna, Ellen Simpson Deane ’78.

 

Trustees

Tom Ferguson

Tom Ferguson, who served as a member of the Tusculum College Board of Trustees from 1997 through 2014, passed away July 15, 2017, after a brief illness. Mr. Ferguson was former president and chief executive officer of the Greene County Partnership. He was instrumental in the formation of the Greene County Partnership after moving to Greeneville from Miami, FL, in 1992.

 

Hired to oversee economic development efforts for the community at a time of skyrocketing unemployment, he quickly formed a team of community leaders that created the unique concept of combining local non-profit organizations under one umbrella organization. Under the guidance of the team and Mr. Ferguson, the Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Board, the Tourism Department and Keep Greene Beautiful were combined to form the Partnership, with the Partners In Education entity, now called Education and Workforce Development, being added a few years later.

 

During his tenure at the helm of the Partnership, the community saw phenomenal economic growth with the location of 17 new industries and numerous industrial expansions that brought thousands of new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investments, as well as the location of many new restaurants and businesses. Mr. Ferguson played a key leadership role in developing Mount Pleasant Industrial Park and Hardin Industrial Complex, and was involved in the location of such industries as Wal-Mart Distribution, DTR Tennessee, now called SRK Tennessee, Old Castle Building Envelope, Worthington Industries and John Deere Power Products, all of which remain among Greene County’s largest employers. He worked with property owners to assist in bringing the General Morgan Inn and Conference Center into existence, and also helped lay the groundwork for developing the Fairgrounds Plaza and Crockett Crossing.

 

Among his many accomplishments was the initiation of a local community goals conference in 1993, which provided a forum in which all interested local residents could participate. This effort introduced numerous forward-thinking ideas to the local scene, including a semi-pro baseball team and a city administrator position in local government, both of which have become realities.

 

Mr. Ferguson led the Partnership for more than eight years before departing in 2001 to form his own business, Ferguson Development Network. He later served for 22 months as interim president for the Regional Alliance for Economic Development, Tri-Cities TN/VA, an organization responsible for marketing a 10-county region including Greene County, before returning to the Partnership in 2010 where he remained as the president/CEO until 2016.

 

He was affiliated with numerous local and state economic development organizations, having served on many of their boards through the years. Mr. Ferguson was a member of Greeneville Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Memorial gifts may be made to Tusculum College, P.O. Box 5040, Greeneville, TN 37743.

 

 

2017-18 Pioneer Club Campaign to raise community awareness and support of Tusculum Athletics


With a $100,000 goal, Tusculum College kicked off the 2017-18 Pioneer Club campaign with a breakfast held at the Greeneville campus on Thursday, July 20.

“We appreciate all you do,” Tusculum Athletic Director Doug Jones told the campaign leaders and volunteers at the breakfast. “What you do and the support you provide helps us to be better able to make a positive difference in the the lives of our student-athletes.”

This year’s Pioneer Club campaign will be led by five team captains, Angelo Botta, Doug DeBusk, Justin Jeffers, Curtis Morrison and Dr. Craig Shepherd, and Jones. These captains will lead groups of volunteers who be working in the community to raise awareness and support for Tusculum athletics over the coming year.

Team captains for the 2017-18 Pioneer Club campaign are preparing for the annual effort to provide resources for the Tusculum College athletic programs. From left are Tusculum Director of Athletics Doug Jones, team captains Angelo Botta, Dr. Craig Shepherd and Doug DeBusk. Not pictured are team captains Justin Jeffers and Curtis Morrison.

The Pioneer Club is the fundraising organization of Tusculum Athletics and provides financial support to 20 athletic programs. The Pioneer Club began in 1991, and year after year, has been built on a solid foundation of support from alumni and friends of Tusculum College.

Athletics at Tusculum College are a big part of campus life; there will be almost 600 student-athletes on campus in the fall, about half of the traditional student body. Jones outlined some of the projects that will be supported through the Pioneer Club campaign, including the resurfacing of Pioneer Field with synthetic turf. The field is used for both fall and spring sports, including football, men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse.

In addition, projects that the Pioneer Club effort will support include a resurfacing of the tennis courts, updates to the softball facilities, weight room enhancements and a continuing upgrade in equipment for live streaming of games.

The purchase of equipment to enhance live streaming of Tusculum Pioneer athletic events online was one of the major projects that was supported through Pioneer Club efforts in the last year. Online streaming has provided Pioneer fans and parents of student-athletes a way to watch events when they cannot attend in person, and Tusculum is now receiving inquiries about its live streaming by fellow schools in the South Atlantic Conference.

 

 

Tusculum College announces Master of Arts in Education program with a concentration in special education


Tusculum College has announced a new Master of Arts in education program with a concentration in special education: interventionist K-8/comprehensive K-12, beginning August 2017.

This program is particularly important due to recent changes made by the Tennessee Department of Education, according to Dr. Tricia Hunsader, dean of the School of Education and professor of education. “Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, special educator emergency permits and waivers will no longer be accepted. This means that all special educators (new and current) must hold a full, valid license with a special education endorsement. The department will not approve any permits or waivers for the 2017-18 school year.”

Tusculum is approved by the state to recommend licensed educators for a provisional endorsement in special education if they are enrolled in Tusculum’s special education program. The Special Education coursework is offered as a concentration in the master’s degree in education program or as a 19-credit course sequence for teachers who are not seeking a master’s degree.

According to a letter received from Commissioner of Education Candice McQueen, Tusculum College has been asked to collaborate with the state in order to provide a way for teachers to earn the special education endorsement and meet the new requirements.

“This program allows educators to do just that,” said Dr. Hunsader.

Candidates for the graduate-level advanced-degree program who are seeking interventionist K-8 and comprehensive K-12 endorsement must have completed an initial licensure program at an approved institution and currently hold licensure in either the elementary or middle school grade range.

According to Dr. Hunsader, all courses in this program are K-12 and prepare candidates to instruct students across the developmental spectrum. Candidates will tailor their course assignments to the grade range for which they are seeking interventionist endorsement.

She added that the addition of this program is especially timely given the state’s recent change to the special educator credential requirement. Teachers who complete this program and pass the national Praxis exam will meet all state requirements for full licensure in special education.

In addition to this new graduate program, Tusculum has also announced that the special education: interventionist K-8/comprehensive K-12 coursework will be offered to non-degree seeking students as a concentration of six courses and a practicum experience. Completion of the non-degree coursework will also satisfy the state’s new requirements.

For more information or to enroll in the program contact Katie Tassell at 888-488-7285 or visit https://web.tusculum.edu/admission/prof_application.php.

 

College Fair at Tusculum College to feature regional colleges and universities


Tusculum College will offer high school students and their parents the opportunity to explore higher education options during the Greeneville-Greene County College Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

The annual event will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Pioneer Arena in the Niswonger Commons on the Greeneville campus, and there is no admission charge.

Participating in the event will be a wide variety of colleges and universities as well as vocational schools. Each institution has a display providing information about its academic programs. Most also have representatives on hand to answer specific questions about programs or the school.

In previous years, approximately 40 colleges, universities, technical schools and the military had displays at the College Fair, and the participants included schools from Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and across the State of Tennessee. A similar number and range of exhibitors are expected for this year’s event.

The College Fair, coordinated by the Tusculum College Office of Admission, has grown in size in recent years, and the department is appreciative of the opportunity to bring this service to area students and their families.

Students planning to attend the event are requested to visit www.gotocollegefairs.com to preregister. Preregistration will provide the opportunity to scan in contact information that can be used during the event to avoid having to fill out multiple forms. More information may be found on the website.

The event is represented on the official Tennessee Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers calendar.

For more information about the College Fair, please contact the Office of Admission at 423-636-7312 or e-mail mripley@tusculum.edu.