Jenkins receives honor from Etowah Chamber of Commerce

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laura Jenkins ’98 receives award from Etowah Chamber of Commerce

Laura Jenkins, left, receives the Educator of the Year Award from Mark Nichols during the Etowah Chamber of Commerce annual dinner.

Laura Jenkins ’98, who has taught at Mountain View Elementary School for the past 24 years, has been recognized with the Joe Quirk Educator of the Year, presented by the Etowah Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Starr Regional Medical Center.

“Great teachers are the soul of an enlightened society. We entrust them with the most precious thing we know in life: our children,” said Starr Regional Medical Center CEO Mark Nichols, who presented the award on the hospital’s behalf during the chamber’s annual dinner. “If we look back over our own years in school, I’m sure each of us could name a special teacher, one who inspired us, who helped mold us and, sometimes, changed our life. I’m sure many students who have attended Mountain View Elementary School over the past 24 years would mention the same name, that of the person we are honoring this evening.”

In addition to her classroom duties, primarily in the third and fourth grades, Jenkins shares her knowledge with other educators, serving on the Mountain View School Leadership Team and on several county-wide committees, including the Common Core Pacing Committee, Electronic Devices and Information Systems Committee and McMinn County’s Five-Year Planning Committee.

She shares more with her students than lessons in the classroom. She takes a personal interest in the children as well.

While accepting the award, Jenkins recounted a heartwarming story about one of her former students. “A story I always remember is from years ago, when a young girl asked me for some tape so she could reattach her sole to her shoe. At my planning period, I called Don Webb (owner of Johnson’s Department Store in Etowah). He said to come down to the store and get the girl a pair of shoes. And, of course, he would not accept money for them. Having those new shoes gave that young girl the confidence to hold her head high.”

Her students have demonstrated over the years her effectiveness in the classroom. Test scores for her students are always at the top in the county and the state, it was stated during the award presentation. Jenkins’ students TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program) results have shown most effective gains with her students as students entering third grade in the bottom 25 percent in reading and math have shown significant achievement gains by scoring in the 75th percentile in those subjects by the mid-year.

“I am proud to reach my professional goals, but what I thrive on is giving 100 percent of my time, attention and love to those in my care. Thank you for this great honor,” she said.

’70s

Bill Dunham

Bill Dunham ’73, a financial advisor with the Johnson City Branch of Wells Fargo Advisors, has been named first vice president-investments/Iinvestment officer. Dunham has served with Wells Fargo Advisors for 14 years and has 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is a member of St. Mary’s Church and the Johnson City American Little League. Dunham lives in Piney Flats with his wife, Bonnie.

 

’80s

Diane Turner Montgomery ’86 was guest director of Roanoke College’s winter production of “Blithe Spirit” by Noel Coward.

 

’90s

Sherri Voiles Brown ‘91’93 has joined Realty Executives – East Tennessee Realtors of Greeneville as an agent. She and her husband, Mike, also own Brown’s Custom Fencing and Construction. She also enjoys working on her Katahdin sheep farm.

 

Billie Parsons Schneider ’99 has been named principal at St. Anne Catholic School in Bristol, VA. Schneider, who is a teacher at the school, will replace the current principal, who is retiring, on July 1. Schneider has taught in Catholic schools for 33 years and is in her 28th year at St. Anne’s. She has taught first grade, sixth grade and middle school language arts, mathematics and computer exploratory classes. Schneider has also served as the coordinator of the middle school since 2000 and has served as “acting principal” at times when the school’s administrators had to be absent. Schneider has been active in the St. Anne parish since 1987. She has not always been a Catholic, having converted while in college, and is sensitive to the faiths and beliefs of her non-Catholic students and often asked them to share their faith’s traditions and ideals.

 

’00s

Bobbie Phillips ’01 of Maryville, TN, has joined the Celina Insurance Group as a marketing representative in East Tennessee.

 

Chad Jordan ’02 has been named athletic director of Christian Heritage School in Dalton, GA. Jordan is currently serving as the school’s assistant athletic director and a coach for football and golf. He will fill the position at the end of the school year. Jordan teaches computer applications, health, physical education and speech at the school and is the school’s prefect coordinator. Prior to his tenure at Christian Heritage School two years ago, Jordan was an assistant football coach and head golf coach at Dalton High School.

 

Brent Dyson

Brent Dyson ’04, a native of Damascus, VA, has been promoted to assistant vice president and business development officer for The Bank of Marion. Dyson has been manager of The Bank of Glade Spring, a branch of The Bank of Marion, since 2005. His office will be located in The Bank of Glade Spring. In 2013, Dyson completed The Virginia Bankers Association’s School of Bank Management at The University of Virginia. He is currently enrolled in The Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University, a three-year program focused on commercial banking. In his junior year at Tusculum, Dyson was a student intern with The Bank of Marion, which helped him decide he wanted to pursue a career in community banking. Dyson and his wife, Megan, reside in Glade Spring with their son, Brady and daughter, Emery.

 

 

 

 

 

’40s

Virginia Ann “Jan” Taylor McCartt ’44 of Kingsport, TN, passed away March 3, 2015. Mrs. McCartt was a life-long resident of East Tennessee and a life-long Methodist, serving churches throughout the region with her husband, Rev. J. Spurgeon McCartt. For more than 60 years, she was an active member of the United Methodist Women and served as treasurer, secretary and president of the Holston Conference United Methodist Women. Mrs. McCartt had lived in Kingsport for the last 22 years and was a member of First Broad Street United Methodist Church. She and her husband also lived in Wellsbourne, England, for two years and traveled extensively. As a twirling drum major for the Morristown High School Band, she performed at the 1940 World’s Fair in New York City. Mrs. McCartt was a master quilter and seamstress, as well as a creative baker and cook.

 

Betty Louise James Van Blarcom ’47 of Mountainside, NJ, passed away March 26, 2015. Mrs. Van Blarcom was an active member of First Baptist Church and spend many hours doing community volunteer work.

 

George Arthur Westbrook ’49 of Hendersonville, NC, passed away January 15, 2014. Mr. Westbrook is a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviator cadet. While attending Tusculum, he met and married Evelyn Tripp ’49. Mr. Westbrook was  a chemist at American Cyanamid Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River, NY.  He was a past master of the Masonic Lodge and a life member of the Hook and Ladder Fire Department in Pearl River. Mr. Westbrook earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and retired as director of administration of Champion Paper Company. After retirement, he and his wife moved to New Jersey where he served as treasurer and senior warden of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Barnegat Light. The couple then moved to Stuart, FL, before settling in Hendersonville in 1999.  His survivors and Tusculum alumni in addition to his wife are sons Thomas Westbrook ’75 and William Westbrook ’79.

 

’70s

Gregory Manual Kyle ’79 of Morristown, TN, passed away on March 24, 2015, after a long bout of lung disease. Mr.Kyle was well known throughout East Tennessee as a sports photographer for the Citizen Tribune and official photographer at Walters State Community College. His shot of a ballerina in flight, taken at WSCC, won state honors. He received the Tennessee Press Association’s Photographer of the Year Award in 2010 and 2012. Mr. Kyle was a deacon, trustee and treasurer of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Whitesburg, TN. He received the Union of Churches and Ministerial Alliance of Hamblen County and Vicinity Community Service Award in 2012.

 

’80s

Ellis Junior Jackson ’86 of Knoxville, TN, passed away March 30, 2009. Mr. Jackson was a U.S. Army veteran who had served in Vietnam from 1966-68. He had worked at the U.S. Department of Energy’s K-25, X-10 and Y-12 facilities in Oak Ridge, TN. He continued to work as a consultant to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory after his retirement. Mr. Jackson was a longtime member and past president of the American Association of Cost Engineers. A member of West Park Baptist Church in Knoxville, he was an accomplished singer and musician who sang with the Promise Land Quartet. He played and taught guitar, as well as played his favorite instrument, the steel guitar, with several groups. He also enjoyed trout fishing and golf.

 

John Stephenson ’89 of Memphis, TN, passed away December 30, 2006. Mr. Stephenson had been an eighth grade teacher at Kingsbury Junior High School.

 

’90s

Deborah Hyden ’96 of Duluth, GA, passed away July 31, 2012. Ms. Hyden was a well respected attorney in Gwinnett County in the suburbs of Atlanta. Hyden had earned a master’s degree in education from Tusculum and was an elementary school teacher prior to pursuing a career in law. She graduated first in her class from the University of Tennessee College of Law. After passing the bar exam in both Georgia and Tennessee, she became a law professor at John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. She served as a prosecutor for the Office of the Gwinnett County Solicitor General before opening her own criminal defense law practice. A devout Christian, Hyden considered her law practice as a ministry. In both her days of teaching school and practicing law, many children and adults came to know the love of Jesus through her life.

 

’00s

Misti Summer Anderson ’02 of Greeneville, TN, passed away on April 4, 2015, after a courageous battle with Hemangiomapericytoma. Mrs. Anderson had taught at McDonald School for the past seven years, as long as her health permitted, and was also a beloved volleyball and softball coach at the school. She had started her teaching career at West Pines School, where she coached basketball. Mrs. Anderson was a faithful member of Brown Springs Baptist Church, and enjoyed sports, the beach and spending time with family and friends.

 

 

 

 

‘5 x 10’ returns to the stage April 24 – 26

Holly Marshall and Tyler Miller rehearse a scene from “Copper."

The Tusculum College English Department and Acts, Arts, Academia will present the return of the “5×10” showcase during the annual Old Oak Festival at Tusculum College this weekend and April 24-26.

The show consists of five original, 10-minute plays written by Tusculum College students under the direction of Wayne Thomas, interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of English; Frank Mengel, Arts Outreach technical director and instructor of theatre, and Brian Ricker, assistant to the director of Arts Outreach.

The production will run for six performances in the David Behan Arena Theatre in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts building on the Tusculum campus in Greeneville. The production will be staged at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, April 17-18 and 24-25 2 p.m. on Sundays, April 19 and 26.

Aaron Martel portrays one of the toys in "Plush," a play about two toys who find themselves stored away in an attic.

The plays, which were written during Thomas’ Scriptwriting class during the fall 2014 semester, are varied in subject matter and are as distinct and unique from each other as the playwrights themselves. “I think folks will enjoy the work. This marks ten student playwrights that we’ve produced in the last couple of years. What a fantastic opportunity,” said Thomas.

With a wide range of themes including challenges of faith, mental disorders, and the repercussions of a decidedly flawed penal system, the plays range in genre from light comedy to heavy drama. Audiences are cautioned when considering bringing children to the production due to adult themes and strong language. The show is recommended for ages 13 and up, with parental guidance strongly advised.

The five plays to be featured are:

–          “Plush” written by Zach Gass, a sophomore from Greeneville, Tennessee, which centers on two plush toys, Milo and Toby, who are cast aside in an attic, and must deal with feelings of abandonment, challenges of faith, and maintaining optimism for an uncertain future.

–          “Copper” written by Hannah Berling a junior from Middletown, Ohio, is a comedy about the advances of a somewhat desperate young man, JT, as he tries to woo a young woman, Kendall, while the two wait in a dentist office waiting room, and the amusing repercussions of being deceitful while trying to attract the opposite sex.

Kristen Wiggins, left, and Macy French practice a scene from "Puddle Jumping," a comedy on the darker side about a child and his eccentric pet goldfish.

–          “Puddle Jumping” written by Sarah Holly and Tyler Jinks, juniors from Johnson City and Rogersville, Tennessee respectively, is a darker comedy focusing on the relationship between a young child, Jackson, and an egocentric pet goldfish, Puddles, who wishes for nothing more than a life away from his owner. However, the two must work in harmony in order to save Puddles from being flushed down the toilet by Jackson’s over-worked and demanding mother, Molly.

–          “Save Me” written by Joshua Fuller a sophomore from Alabaster, Alabama, highlights the struggles faced by individuals with mental disorders. Bill, a young man is trying to apply for a job, but must deal with the constant disruption of his mentally induced hallucinations during an interview.

Margo Olmsted, left, and Mike Lilly bring to life the story of an escaped prisoner and the therapist taken hostage.

–          “Psy-cho-ther-apy in Yazoo County, Mississippi” written by Jennifer Frost a sophomore from Friendsville, Tennessee, is about a convict who escapes prison and takes a therapist hostage in an attempt to work through the many emotional and mental problems brought on by life, crime, and a flawed penal system.

Bringing the student works to life will be a cast consisting of current Tusculum College students, Tusculum College Alumni, and veteran community actors. Also, with production assistance from the familiar Arts Outreach team of Costume Director, Barbara Holt, Arts Outreach Director and Artist-in-Residence, Marilyn duBrisk, and Arts Outreach Coordinator, Jennifer Hollowell.

The idea behind the “5×10” production was originally conceived a few years ago by Thomas when he was chair of the Fine Arts Department, in an effort to “promote interdisciplinary co-curricular engagement amongst various fine arts entities.”

Paige Mengel, left, and Tyler Miller rehearse a scene from "Save Me," a play about a man with a mental disorder and the challenges he faces in a job interview.

With the help of Mengel, the first “5×10” production premiered during the 2013 Old Oak Festival. According to Thomas, producing the showcase during the festival “seemed like a natural fit. [The Festival] is all about Fine Arts, so it seemed like a neat way to showcase our writing and theatre programs all at once.”

Tickets are $6 general admission and can be purchased at the box office which opens one hour prior to show time or reserved by contacting Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620, or by e-mail at jhollowell@tusculum.edu. Tickets may be purchased with cash or check only, no credit or debit cards.

Old Oak Festival outdoor activities for Sunday cancelled

Due to the inclement weather forecast, all the outdoor activities for the Old Oak Festival for Sunday have been cancelled,  including musical performances.

There were be arts and crafts vendors inside the Pioneer Arena only as well as author Claudia Ware and the Tusculum College Art Department, featuring student work.

The show will also go on for the “5 x 10” production at 2 p.m.  in the Behan Arena Theatre in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building, featuring five 10-minute plays written by Tusculum College students.

Tusculum College to launch newest volume of “The Tusculum Review” on April 16

A launch party for the 2015 edition of The Tusculum Review will be held on Thursday, April 16, preceding the Old Oak Festival. The event is free and open to the public and will be held at 4 p.m. in the Shulman Center Atrium on Tusculum’s Greeneville campus.

The Tusculum Review, the college’s literary journal, features fiction and nonfiction, poetry, drama and art. Copies of the most recent edition will be available at the launch party. Along with the launch of the new volume of The Tusculum Review, the event will feature poetry readings by Susan O’Dell Underwood and Justin Phillip Reed.

Susan O'Dell Underwood

Underwood directs the creative writing program at Carson-Newman University. She and her husband, artist David Underwood, recently started Sapling Grove Press, devoted to discovering new writers and visual artists in the Appalachian region.

She has published two chapbooks, “From” and “Love and Other Hungers.” Her poems are included in a variety of journals and in “The Southern Poetry Anthology Volume VI: Tennessee,” and she has new work forthcoming in “Blue Fifth Review,” “One” and “Still.”

J. Phillip Reed

Reed is a South Carolina native and the author of the “YesYes Books” chapbook, “A History of Flamboyance,” which has been finalized for the Vinyl 45 Chapbook Contest and will be released this fall. His poems will appear in future editions of “Boston Review,” “Vinyl Poetry,” “joINT,” “PLUCK!,” “Muzzle” and in other publications.

His work has been anthologized in the “Best Undergraduate Writing,” section of “plain china” and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He received his bachelor’s degree in English at Tusculum College in 2013, where he served as assistant managing editor of “The Tusculum Review.” He lives in Saint Louis, Mo., where he is a Master of Fine Arts candidate in the writing program at Washington University.

The event is part of the Old Oak Festival, featuring fine arts and crafts on the Tusculum College campus, April 17-19. The festival offers something for everyone, including music, art, theater and creative writing, as well as gallery and museum exhibits on the Tusculum College campus.

In addition to the launch of “The Tusculum Review,” contributing editors Brent House and Charles Dodd White will be reading on Saturday, April 18, alongside this year’s Curtis Owens Prize winners, Cynthia Conte, a senior creative writing major from Chattanooga; Carnes White, a senior creative writing major from Pike Road, Ala., and Jennifer Frost, a sophomore creative writing major from Friendsville. The Saturday readings will take place at noon and 4:15 p.m. on the Old Oak Festival main stage.

House is an editor for “The Gulf Stream: Poems of the Gulf Coast” and a contributing editor for “The Tusculum Review.” He is a native of Necaise, Miss., where he raised cattle and watermelons on his family’s farm. Slash Pine Press published his first collection, “The Saw Year Prophecies,” and his poems have appeared in journals such as “Colorado Review,” “Cream City Review,” “Denver Quarterly,” “The Journal” and “Third Coast.” New poems are forthcoming in “The Kenyon Review” and other publications.

White was born in Atlanta, Ga., and grew up in both the city and the woods. He is the author of the novels “A Shelter of Others” and “Lambs of Men,” as well as the story collection “Sinners of Sanction County.” White is currently working on a new novel called “Hurt River” and serves as assistant professor at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville.

 

By Ryan M. Barker, senior creative writing and history major from Laurens, S.C.

Scholarships prizes to be awarded for arts workshop participation on Friday during Old Oak Festival

High school students have the opportunity to win one of five, $500 college scholarships through participation in one of the fine arts workshops at Tusculum College’s Old Oak Festival on Friday, April 17. The workshops will include digital media, playwriting, drawing, flash fiction, poetry, acting, papermaking, music theory and song writing, music improvisation and music business.

The digital media workshop will be an introductory to intermediate level workshop focused on the professional use of Adobe Photoshop. Projects will include working with high frequency separation for photo retouch and photo repair, achieving high quality looks with low quality pictures, and using Basic Digital Illustration techniques. Sam Crowe, visiting professor of fine arts, will be hosting the workshop and will provide all files. Space is limited to 15 participants only.

The playwriting workshop will be located in the Behan Arena, below the Annie Hogan Byrd Theater, and will be taught by Wayne Thomas, interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of English, and Forrest Richards, who has performed in many prestigious venues around the country. Participants will have the opportunity to work on scripts together with the help of senior college playwrights.

Ashley Gregg, a senior art major at Tusculum, will host the drawing workshop focused on the elements and principles of compositional balance, form and shape. It will be located at the Shulman Center, and participants in this workshop will create still life images using charcoal.

The flash fiction workshops will consist of a brief lecture, and the participants will have the opportunity to complete a full flash fiction piece. This will be taught by Jan Matthews, the author of the fiction chapbook, “Hush,” and will be located in the Hurley Room in the cafeteria with the contemporary poetry workshop, which will be taught by Dr. Clay Matthews, assistant professor of English and author of three poetry collections.

Frank Mengel, Arts Outreach technical director, and Brian Ricker, assistant director of the Arts Outreach program, will teach an acting workshop located in the Behan Arena, beneath the Annie Hogan Byrd Theater.

The papermaking workshop, which will be located in the ceramics studio in Rankin House, will be taught by 2014 graduate Kate Kolodi. Rankin House is the house next to the Whistle Stop and Three Blind Mice.

Jack Furnari will host both the music theory and song writing, and the music improvision and music business workshops. These classes will both be held in the choir room, which is downstairs in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center. Furnari holds two music degrees from UT Knoxville, He is a band director, a full time private teacher and a woodwind instrument repairman.

Morning workshops will be held from 9-11 a.m., and afternoon workshops will run from 12:30-2:30 p.m. The workshops are free and materials and lunch are provided. To sign up or for more information, contact Jan Matthews, assistant professor of English, at jmatthews@tusculum.edu.

 

Food vendors, crafting vendors, workshops and demonstrations to be featured during the Tusculum College Old Oak Festival, April 17-19

The Tusculum College Old Oak Festival is a treat for the senses, with stimulation for the eyes, nose, ears and taste buds, through music, fine arts, theater poetry and a wide variety of edible treats. The festival returns to the Tusculum College campus on April 17-19.

The fine arts and music festival will span three days and will feature something for everyone, including festival food and drink, crafts, music, art, theater, storytelling and poetry, as well as gallery and museum exhibits.

“This festival is fun for the whole family. Stay for a meal or maybe two, while experiencing a wide variety of artists, including painters, craftsmen and sculptors,” said David Price, festival coordinator and director of music at Tusculum College.

Among festival offerings for the palate this year are favorites such as homemade strawberry shortcake, Philly cheese steak and Mennonite doughnuts. Food vendors will include Rural Resource’s sandwich wraps; Mr. Turkey Leg’s signature turkey legs and barbeque; Mac’s Fine Food’s potato swirls with toppings and fruited lemonade; Creamy Cup’s coffee, funnel cakes and ice-cream; TopDog HotDog’s hotdogs and polish sausages; Cold Water Farm’s deep fried Oreos, hamburgers, ham biscuits and other deep fried delights; Auntie Ruth’s pretzels and Mennonite doughnuts, and Carly’s Kettle Korn. Music and food will be available until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Ella Price, the festival food coordinator, said, “There will be a tremendous variety of food, including sweets, hamburgers and fruited lemonade. Enjoy kettle korn or deep fried Oreos while you stroll around the festival and then stay for a meal with your family and ours.”

The festival will feature an extensive variety of crafted products, from walking sticks and wooden puzzles to Christmas ornaments, soft sculpture, pencil drawings and llama fiber products. Other crafts include scrollsaw wood art, dolls, baby items, tobacco stick art and signs, polymer jewelry, lotions and soap, quilts, needlework, baskets, stained glass, crochet items, bath and body products, handmade ironworks and dulcimers, gourds, rustic art, herbs, handprints, photography, bows, scarves and purses.

Demonstrations will also be conducted in pottery, blacksmithing and carving by the Evergreen Woodcarvers.

Handcrafted wood items from the Evergreen Woodcarvers are among the items on display during this year’s Old Oak Festival at Tusculum College. The Evergreen Woodcarvers will be demonstrating their craft during the festival.

Musician Sharon Babb will be hosting mountain dulcimer workshops each day of the festival outside of Old College. Babb has been teaching dulcimer for many years, and there is no fee to attend the workshops. The workshop schedule will be Friday, April 17, 2-3:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 18, 10-11:30 a.m. and 2-3:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 19, 2-3:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Pioneer Arena. She will be teaching traditional and modern songs, with some in-between. Babb also builds mountain dulcimers, which she will have available for purchase at the festival.

Anyone with dulcimer in need of strings or minor repair may stop by the blacksmith/dulcimer booth before class. There will be a small fee for repairs and strings. For those wishing to participate who do not have a dulcimer, there will a few available for loan; however, supply is limited. For more information, contact Babb at 865-919-7214.

Several fine arts-related workshops will be hosted at the festival on Friday, April 17, and will be held at various locations on campus. Morning workshops will be held from 9-11 a.m. and afternoon workshops will run from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

High school students will have the opportunity to win one of five, $500 college scholarships through participation in one of the fine arts workshops. The workshops are free and materials and lunch are provided.

Drawing workshops will also be held at the Shulman Center. The poetry and fiction workshop will be in the Hurley Room in the cafeteria. The playwriting and acting workshops will be held in the Behan Arena, below the Annie Hogan Byrd Theater. The papermaking workshop will be held in the Rankin House Ceramics Studio (house across from the Tusculum Arch and next to the Whistle Stop). Music classes will be held in the choir room, which is downstairs from Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center. To sign up or for more information, contact Jan Matthews, assistant professor of English, at jmatthews@tusculum.edu.

Dr. Clay Matthews, assistant professor of English and author of three poetry collections, will teach a contemporary poetry workshop, and there will be a music theory and songwriting workshop. The session will be taught by Jack Furnari, who holds two music degrees from the University of Tennessee. He is a band director, a full time private teacher and a woodwind instrument repairman. Ashley Gregg, a senior art major at Tusculum, will teach a drawing workshop.

Wayne Thomas, interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of English, and Forrest Richards will teach a playwriting workshop. Thomas’ plays have been produced in various community, collegiate and professional settings. Richards has performed in many prestigious venues around the country.

Afternoon workshops will include a flash fiction workshop will be taught by Jan Matthews, the author of a fiction chapbook, “Hush.” Furnari will host a music improvisation and the music business workshop. Kate Kolodi, who graduated from Tusculum in 2014, will teach a papermaking workshop. Frank Mengel, Arts Outreach technical director, and Brian Ricker, assistant director of the Arts Outreach program and a 2010 graduate of Tusculum College, will teach an acting workshop.

Sam Crowe, visiting assistant professor of fine arts, will teach a digital media workshop. This will be an introductory to intermediate level workshop focused on professional use of Adobe Photoshop. Projects will include high frequency separation for both photo retouch and photo repair, how to work with low quality images to achieve a high quality look and Basic Digital Illustration techniques. Crowe will provide all files. Space is limited to 15 participants only.

In addition to these workshops, the Doak House Museum will sponsor a batik workshop during the three days of the festival. Participants will learn how to make stunning designs on natural fiber cloth using the wax-resist dyeing method. Reservations and advance deposits are required. The workshop will be held in the heart of the festival on the main campus. Contact Leah Walker, site and events manager, at 423-636-8554 or lwalker@tusculum.edu for reservations and more information.

“With three stages and special performances at the Doak House Museum, the musical acts this year will provide a wide variety to suit all musical tastes, with some top rate performances on all three days,” said Price.

The Fiddlin’ Carson Peters Band and the Old Time Travelers, a duo from Chattanooga, will perform on the Doak House lawn on the Saturday of the festival, and will be featured during the festival on the main stage.

Other scheduled performers include Richard and Eva, Stem Winder, Charles Tunstall, Thursday Night Boys, Steve Brown, Mike Joy – a 2003 graduate of Tusculum College, Shiloh Road, the Tusculum College Alumni All-Star band, My New Favorites, the Threetles, the Tusculum College Jazz Band, the Tusculum College Concert Band, the Tusculum College Handbell Choir, Jim and Curtis Moneyhun, John Vandiver, the Step Cousins, Fuse Worship, Josh Miller and Joyce Carroll.

The Acoustic Jam Session will be in the Shulman Center on Saturday at 7 p.m. where students, faculty, staff and community members can come together and bring their acoustic instruments for an informal jam session.

In addition to artist vendors and music performances throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, there will be three performances during the festival of “5X10,” presented by Tusculum students under the direction of Thomas, Mengel and Ricker. Performances will be held in the Behan Arena Theatre in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. To reserve tickets, contact Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620.

The college’s Allison Gallery will be open throughout the weekend, featuring a faculty and family spotlight exhibition by Dr. Deborah Bryan, associate professor of art at Tusculum.

Thursday, April 16, writers Susan O’Dell Underwood and Justin Phillip Reed, a 2013 graduate of Tusculum College, will present poetry on stage to launch the eleventh volume of “The Tusculum Review.” Readings will start at 4 p.m. in the Shulman Atrium.

On Saturday, “The Tusculum Review” contributing editors Brent House and Charles Dodd White will be reading poetry and fiction with Curtis Owens Undergraduate Literary Award winners, selected by Julija Šukys. Charles Dodd White will be reading with student Cynthia Conte at 12 p.m. and Brent House will be reading with students Jennie Frost and Carnes White at 4:15 p.m. These readings will take place on the main stage.

In addition to these literary presentations, several other writers will be presenting works throughout the festival weekend. Authors include Carolyn Gregg, Emory Rhea Raxter, Joe Tennis, Keith Bartlett, Lisa Hall, Matilda Green, Shirley Butler, Claudia Ware, James Campbell, Tom Yancey, Rick Toomey, Bill Nance and George Ryan.

Both the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library and the Doak House Museum will be open to visitors during the festival and will have special activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday.

For the length of the festival only, the museum will open its collections storage to display never before exhibited Appalachian chairs and other furnishings, titled “Sittin’ Pretty: Selections from the Doak House Furniture Collection.” Admission is free and donations are appreciated.

The President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library will sponsor a 19th Century Toys and Games booth in the children’s area. Come and play with traditional folk toys and make-and-take your very own toy as a souvenir. In addition to the museum’s activities, the education department at Tusculum College will be hosting children’s activities, which will be led by Kathryn Crumm, assistant professor of education.

The festival will feature children’s activities on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Tusculum students will be participating in a Marble Pursuit Board Game Tournament hosted by the Tusculum College Band Program. The first round begins Friday April 17, at 6:45 p.m. in the Pioneer Perk in the Niswonger Commons. Spectators are welcome.

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.

The festival is being coordinated by a committee of college and community representatives who are working to promote arts and music in the East Tennessee region.

According to Price, corporate and VIP sponsors are still being sought. On opening night of the Old Oak Festival a dinner for corporate sponsors and VIP supports will be featured. Along with the opening dinner, sponsors will receive an Old Oak lanyard, Old Oak t-shirt, recognition on the Old Oak website and program, announcements on Friday night and premium seating on Friday night during festival entertainment. To learn how to become a corporate sponsor or VIP supporter, email Blake Cantrell at bcantrell@tusculum.edu or call 423-636-7303.

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

USDA Official Visits Tusculum College

Lisa Afua Serwah Mensah, Rural Development Undersecretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, visited Tusculum College on April 15, to tour the campus and visit the site of the proposed new science and math building.

Mensah toured the Greeneville campus and visited the site of the proposed Dr. Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Science and Math. Mensah met with student representatives, the building’s architect and several Tusculum officials, including Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of the college, and members of the administration.

“USDA partners with communities across the country to create greater economic opportunity for rural Americans in a variety of ways,” said Mensah. “These projects are examples of our StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiative that aims to increase investments in rural communities through intensive outreach and strong partnerships with community leaders, businesses, foundations and other groups that are working to combat poverty. Investing in local and regional food systems is one of four pillars of USDA’s work to help revitalize the rural economy and create jobs.”

A $4.7 Million USDA Community Facilities loan will help Tusculum College complete the new science and mathematics building.

“The Tusculum College community is very pleased with our partnership with Rural Development and what this partnership means to our faculty and most importantly to our students. The Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Science and Math will provide every student who attends the Greeneville campus an opportunity to study in a state-of-the-art facility that will only be excelled by the excellence of the faculty. It will be particularly good for students in math, the sciences and health-related programs to participate in faculty research, attend classes, lectures and other functions. This is a project long overdue,” she said.

Mensah leads three USDA agencies charged with improving the economic well-being of rural America: the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Utilities Service and the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. These agencies provide agencies and non-profits with loans and grants for critical infrastructure, such as utilities and housing, they would otherwise not be able to access.

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 larger general classroom spaces and classrooms equipped for distance learning programs. A large lecture hall will also 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 is expected to begin late spring.

USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

The Rural Business Enterprise Grant and Rural Business Opportunity Grant programs have recently been combined into the Rural Business Development Grant program. RBDGs may fund a broad array of activities to assist with business development such as targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas, help funding distance learning networks and employment related adult education programs.

USDA Rural Development is moving investments to rural America with housing, business and infrastructure loans and grants to create jobs and strengthen rural economies with an emphasis to assist areas of persistent poverty. Since 2009, the agency has assisted more than 1.5 million Tennessee families and businesses in 230 communities in all 95 counties of Tennessee, investing more than $5.4 billion through affordable loans, loan guarantees and grants.

For more information on USDA Rural Development programs available in Northeast Tennessee contact the Greeneville Area Office at 423.638.4771 x 4, or 800-342-3149 x 1492. Information can be found online at www.rurdev.usda.gov/TN.

 

Rural Development Secretary of the USDA Lisa Mensah, front right, visited with officials and students at Tusculum College on Wednesday. Mensah was visiting to get an update on the proposed Ronald H. and Verna June Meen Center for Science and Math, for which Rural Development provide low-interest loans.

Students learn international law while visiting Malta

Taking advantage of a relationship with a Tusculum alumnus and the former U.S. Ambassador to Malta, two students from Tusculum College studied international law while visiting the country this past March.

From March 7 to March 14, two Tusculum students, Bailey Lawson, a senior psychology student from Max Meadows, Va., and Erica Worrell, a senior elementary education major from Bridgton, N.J. embarked on a trip to Malta with Dr. Troy Goodale, associate professor of political science. This is the fourth consecutive year that Tusculum faculty and students have taken this trip over spring break.

Some of the places the trio visited while at Malta include the University of Malta, Valleta campus; Birgu, a fortification originally built for the Knights Hospitaller; the Malta Financial Services Headquarters; the Citadel on Gozo, the fishing village of Marssaxlokk and the United States Embassy.

The trip’s purpose was to give the students an insight into international law, economics and history of Malta, said Dr. Goodale.

Worrell explained that the trip was a part of a political science course on international law. She said that they had to keep a journal while in Malta and attended a lecture at the University of Malta.

“The lecture on piracy and armed robbery at sea was really interesting,” said Worrell. “The sea is really important to Malta. They have two natural harbors that are imperative to the country, so it is a topic that is important to the people.”

A highlight of the trip for Worrell was visiting Ggantija. She added, “It is the oldest freestanding structure in the world even older than Stonehenge and the pyramids which is kind of mind blowing.”

Lawson explained, “We visited a few landmarks including the Blue Grotto and the Azure Window. The Azure Window is where a scene from “Game of Thrones” was filmed.”

She also added, “This trip was an amazing opportunity, and I would suggest it to anyone that was interested, even if they don’t have a political science background.”

“The responses by the students were very positive to what we saw, learned about and experienced pertaining to Malta’s history, culture, society and food,” said Dr. Goodale

Dr. Goodale added that the group had the opportunity to have dinner with the former Ambassador to the United States from Malta, Mark Miceli and his wife Josette. Miceli had previously visited the Tusculum College campus in Greeneville, where a reception was held in his honor.

Miceli came to know of Tusculum through his relationship with Dr. and Mrs. D. Bruce Shine of Kingsport. Dr. Shine is a 1960 graduate of the College and a 15-year member of its Board of Trustees. He also served 11 years as board chair.

Shine, who received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the institution in 1984, and his wife, Betsy, have developed close ties with the country of Malta through Shine’s years teaching at the International Maritime Law Institute. Shine serves as Honorary Consul of Malta for Tennessee and North Carolina.

 

 

Tusculum College Professor Troy Goodale, left, led a student trip to the country of Malta as part of a political science course on international law this past March. At right are students, Bailey Lawson and Erica Worrell. Here they are visiting the Citadel on Gozo.

By Ryan Barker, senior history and creative writing major from Laurens, S.C.

 

 

Extended Hours for Student-focused Administrative Offices

In an effort to better serve students in our Residential and our Graduate and Professional Studies programs, many of our student-focused administrative offices have extended their operational hours. Please see below for operation hours:

 

•    The Business Office is open until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and open until 5 p.m. on Friday.
•    Financial Aid is open until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 5 on Friday.
•    The Information Systems Help Desk is open until 5 p.m. After 5 p.m. students, faculty and staff may call 423-470-2942 for support. Staff can remotely address issues with computer labs or classroom technology, and Moodle. Issues may also be sent to tchelp@tusculum.edu.
•    GPS Academic Advising is open until 6 p.m. and later by appointment.
•    GPS Admissions is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Friday.
•    The Registrar’s Office is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Friday.
•    Residential Academic Advising is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Friday.
•    Residential Admissions is open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday. The main phone line of 423-636-7312 will be staffed Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. After 6 p.m., Monday-Wednesday phone calls may be routed to 423-636-7495 and on Thursdays to 423-636-7374.
•    Student Affairs and the College Switchboard is open and staffed until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and open until 5 p.m. on Friday
•    Student Support Services on the main campus is open Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.
•    Student Support Services – Arches office on the off-site locations is open Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays.
•    The Tutoring Center is open until 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Fridays. Tutoring services are available on weekends by appointment. Online tutoring options are also available through the Tutoring Center’s online interface, Tutortrac.

Dorrbecker and Fernando recognized as ‘Students of the Block’ for spring semester

Michael Fernando and Ashleigh Dorrbecker, front left and right, have been honored as “Student of the Block” award recipients at Tusculum College. On hand to congratulate the two students were Dr. Michelle Freeman, professor of business administration; Daniel Green, senior student life coordinator in the Office of Student Affairs, and Dr. Antonio Bos, professor of economics, back row from left.

Two student leaders in the classroom and on campus, Ashleigh Dorrbecker and Michael Fernando, have been recognized as “Student of the Block” award recipients at Tusculum College.

Michael Fernando, a native of Sri Lanka, was recognized as “Student of the Block” for Block Six. Ashleigh Dorrbecker of Montgomery, Ala., was honored as “Student of the Block” for Block Seven. Both were presented their awards prior to the Wednesday, April 8, Pioneer baseball game against Lee University.

The “Student of the Block Award” is presented by the Tusculum Office of Student Affairs and was established to recognize individuals who excel in their academic endeavors, campus involvement and/or athletic performance. The award is selected from nominations made by faculty and staff members. Plaques telling about the honorees are displayed in the Niswonger Commons and other campus buildings.

Michael Fernando

A junior majoring in accounting, international business and economics, Fernando has made an impact on the Tusculum campus. He is an active member of the Student Government Association, its Budgets and Organization Committee, the Study Abroad and Global Awareness organization, Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature and Business Club.

Fernando provides mentoring and guidance to his fellow students as a resident assistant in one of the resident halls on campus that predominantly houses freshman students. He is also a student peer tutor.

He is a member of the Honors Program and Leadership Tusculum. He has also been involved in Theatre-at-Tusculum, including a memorable role as “The Ghost of Christmas Past” in the 2013 production of “The Christmas Carol.”
An excellent student, he has been named to the President’s and Dean’s List during his time at Tusculum. He is a recipient of the Marjorie Nelle B. Cardwell Scholarship and the Charles Oliver Gray Scholarship.

His excellence as a freshman in an accounting course typically taken by upperclassmen led to an internship position at Plus Mark. Fernando is now serving an internship at the accounting firm of Blackburn Childers and Steagall.

Ashleigh Dorrbecker

Majoring in business administration with concentrations in international business and economics, Dorrbecker is also pursuing a minor in visual arts.

An excellent student, she has a 3.98 grade point average, but her college experience has not been filled with all lectures and homework assignments. She has taken advantage of the opportunities on Tusculum’s campus to develop her leadership skills and make an impact on the college community.

Dorrbecker is serving as president of the student body, but has also served as a senator and vice president of the Student Government Association. She has been chair of the SGA’s Food Committee, which has worked with the campus food service to bring more options to students. She has also served as chair of the Budget and Organization Committee.

A member of the Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, she has gained valuable experience in putting her business knowledge and skills in practice to assist local small businesses and entrepreneurs.

She is the former president of the Anime Club and has served as an orientation leader. She was also recognized as a junior for having the highest grade point average of her class.

Tusculum student named Newman Civic Fellow

Denise Coffey, a student at Tusculum College, has been named a Newman Civic Fellow for 2015. Coffey has provided almost 500 community service hours to ASafeHarborHome, a local agency that serves victims of domestic violence and supplies them with safe homes.

The Newman Civic Fellows Award honors inspiring college student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. Coffey is one of 201 people to be named a 2015 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact.

Denise Coffey

At Tusculum College, Coffey is also the community outreach coordinator leader in the Bonner Leader program, a member of the Art Club and a house manager for the Office of Student Affairs.

“Denise embodies the qualities of a Bonner Leader. She is dedicated not just to service, but to addressing the root causes of social injustices in our world. It is an honor to work alongside a student like Denise,” said Ronda Gentry, director of the Center for Civic Advancement at Tusculum College.

Coffey, a sophomore graphic arts major from Reagan, has been an intern at ASHH since her freshman year. Coffey’s goal is to stop domestic and dating violence before it begins. Her work at ASHH has grown into something more than just giving her time; she has become a vital member of the ASHH team.

ASHH is a place of advocacy for the victims of domestic violence and seeks to educate residents of Northeast Tennessee. Coffey has designed and implemented several programs to prevent and identify domestic and dating violence through her volunteer service.

According to Daniel and Lilly Velez, who are the directors of ASHH, “Denise is a great asset in supervising others while she teaches them to become part of the team. She is dedicated and creative. Denise’s ability to interact with peers and with other groups helps her integrate and obtain a real perspective of any issue at hand.”

“Being involved in my community has been important to me as long as I can remember. When given the chance to work with ASafeHarborHome, I gladly took the opportunity,” said Coffey.

“These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can, and does, play in building a better world,” said Campus Compact Board Chairman Richard Guarasci, who is also president of Wagner College in New York.

According to Guarasci, it is through service, research and advocacy that Newman Civic Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change.

Newman Civic Fellow Awards are made in memory of Dr. Frank Newman, a founder of Campus Compact. At the core of Dr. Newman’s leadership was a belief in the power of individuals to make a difference and in the power of connection with others.

Campus Compact is a national coalition of nearly 1,100 college and university presidents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. For more information about the organization and the award, visit http://www.compact.org.

Tusculum College now offering online management degree

Tusculum College will soon be offering an online bachelor’s degree in business management, according to Tusculum President Nancy B. Moody.

The college, which will begin offering the program in the fall,  was notified of its approval to offer the program by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in late March. The accrediting agency approved for Tusculum to offer 50 percent or more of the credits for the Bachelor of Science in Management degree program in an online format.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states.

According to Dr. Moody, this will be the college’s first fully-online degree program, although Tusculum has a successful history of the delivery of online coursework.

“The current trends in education and the need to provide accessible programs to adult and non-traditional students have led the college to decide that the time had come to develop a program that could be offered fully online,” said Dr. Moody. That program was developed by faculty and submitted to SACSCOC for approval.

The BSM degree program will be identical to the degree that is offered in Tusculum’s traditional program; only the delivery system will change. Course hour requirements and credits for graduation will be identical in both the online and classroom-based programs.

“Tusculum is making strong investments to offer fully online degree programs. Over the last three years, the college has spent $2.2 million dollars on technology, including software programs and data management systems, as well as the hardware to support college-wide wireless access,” said Dr. Moody.

For more information on any of Tusculum’s academic offerings or degree programs, contact the Tusculum College Admission Office at 1-800-729-0256.

 

 

By Corrine Absher, senior digital media major from Kingsport