The Museums of Tusculum College will recognize its volunteers with a reception Friday, Aug. 23, at the Doak House, above.

The Museums of Tusculum will honor their volunteers at a reception Friday, Aug. 23.

The reception will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Doak House Museum. Refreshments will be served and volunteers will receive a special gift.

Individuals who have interest in volunteering at the Doak House Museum and the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library are encouraged to attend as well. Volunteer opportunities include docent work, administrative support and working with children at the museum’s award-winning school programs. At the reception, potential volunteers can meet the staff, speak with other volunteers and tour the 19^th century home of the Doak family.

After the reception, guests are invited to stay for the museum’s monthly old-time music jam session, “Pickin’ at the Doak’s.”

“Food, fun, gifts, music and fellowship, what more could you ask for on a fun Friday night,” said Doak House Site and Events Manager Leah Walker. “This is one of our favorite nights of the year, we cherish our volunteers and love the chance to say thank you.”     For more information contact the museum at 423-636-8554 or lwalker@tusculum.edu.

Students continue to return to campus this month in preparation for the first day of class for the fall 2013 semester, Monday, Aug. 19.

Resident assistants have already returned to campus as well as students involved in mentoring students in some of the freshmen learning programs.

A number of students will return Friday, Aug. 9. Scheduled to move-in are orientation team leaders, members of the football team, athletic training students, student teachers, members of the band and colorguard and BTG students.

Returning on Monday, Aug. 12, will be members of student leadership groups including the President’s Society, Pioneer Ambassadors, Bonners, Student Government Association, PALS and mass media. Also moving-in that day will members of the men’s and women’s soccer, cross country and volleyball teams.

Freshmen and returning students will move-in on Friday, Aug. 16. That day will also be the final Advanced Registration Day. Orientation activities for freshmen and new students will begin Friday afternoon and continue through Sunday.

Returning students move-in on Saturday, Aug. 17.

The first day of class will be Monday, Aug. 19. Following is the academic calendar for the 2013-14 academic year.

“My roommate and I are just incompatible – I can’t live with them anymore.”  “My homework in biology is so hard.” “I  think I have strep throat.”

Hopefully, these are words that you won’t hear from your student in the coming weeks, but if you do, there are people on campus to help. Tusculum encourages parents to listen to their students’ concerns and guide them in who they should call or consult in resolving an issuing with a roommate, finding academic tutoring or finding assistance when they are ill. Encourage them to try to resolve the issue on their own, an important step in developing independence, offering them suggestions of whom to contact on campus.

Below is a listing of various topics and who should be contacted:

– Academic advising. For questions regarding declaring majors or changing majors, please contact the Director of Academic Advising in Room 121 of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building. The Director of Academic Advising can also answer questions about academic requirements. Advisors are assigned as a student enters Tusculum. Students who are undecided as majors are assigned to general advisors until they decide which major to pursue, when they are assigned an advisor in that discipline.

– Accessibility for students with disabilities. Students who may need accommodations for disabilities, should contact Dean of Students in the Office of Student Affairs on the main level of the Niswonger Commons.

– Arts and Lectures requirement – the Director of Academic Advising. Please see academic advising above.

– Athletics. Any issues with the College’s varsity sports should be address to the Athletic Director in Rankin Hall. Any issues with an intramural sport should be brought to the attention of the Office of Student Affairs in Niswonger Commons.

– Automobile registration. All students should have the cars they are driving on campus registered. Contact the Director of Campus Safety on the main level of the Niswonger Commons about car registration or parking questions.

– Bills and payments issues, including deferred payments. Please contact the Business Office on the first floor of McCormick Hall.

– Campus activities and club and organization information. For campus activities, please call the Student Life Coordinator for Campus Activities, whose office is in the Pioneer Gym. Club and organization questions should be directed to the Associate Dean of Students on the main level of the Niswonger Commons.

– Computer services. For computer issues, students should contact the Computer Help Desk Assistant, located on the top level of the Niswonger Commons.

– Personal counseling. For help with interpersonal issues, please contact the Campus Counselor in the Health and Wellness Center on the lower level of the Niswonger Commons.

– Financial aid. For assistance with financial aid, please contact the Director of Financial Aid in Virginia Hall on the second floor.

– Food services. For questions about dining options or concerns, please contact the Campus Dining Manger in the Niswonger Commons cafeteria.

– Grade appeals. Tusculum has a process, outlined in the College catalog, for making grading appeals. The first person to contact is the instructor for the course.

– Hometown news. If you have questions about getting news about your student in the local newspaper, please call the Office of College Communication at 423.636.7304. The office sends releases about academic honors and other student achievement and activities to hometown newspapers.

– ID cards. If a student loses a card or the magnetic strip on the back stops working, please contact the Student Life Administrative Assistant in the Office of Student Affairs on the main level of the Niswonger Commons.

– International student services. Please contact the Director of Academic Advising.

– Instructor/quality of instruction issues. The Academic Chair over that program should be contacted. Call the campus operator for contact information regarding the appropriate chair.

– Parking citation appeal. Appeals for parking tickets should be made to the Dean of Students in the Office of Student Affairs. The Motor Vehicle Operations Guide provides information about this process and can be found online under the “documents” menu on the Student Affairs Webpage.

– Paychecks. While students pick up paychecks in the Business Office, any issues regarding them need to be directed to the Director of Financial Aid in Virginia Hall.

– Physical illness or injury. Students who are ill or who have an injury may see the campus nurse in the Health and Wellness Center on the lower level of the Niswonger Commons. For an emergency or need for care at night, contact 911, the Office of Campus Safety or Student Affairs personnel.

– Roommate, residence hall issues. The Office of Student Affairs should be contacted for any issues regarding roommates, room assignments, switching rooms, etc.

– Transfer credit. Any questions or issues with transfer credit should be addressed by the Registrar’s Office on the ground level of Virginia Hall.

For issues not listed here, please contact the Dean of Students. A listing of issues and personnel and contact information can be found in the Student Handbook, which is provided online on the Student Affairs page.

Tusculum College’s Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (CEDE) is accepting applications for its “Help Me, Help You” small business program to be offered this fall.

The “Help Me Help You” certificate program (HMHU) is supported by the Greene County Partnership and will be open to 15 participants. The free program, designed to support small businesses, will consist of 10 sessions between Sept. 12 and Dec. 5 at the college’s main campus in Greeneville.

Fall semester spots are limited, and anyone wishing to sign up is encouraged to do so as soon as possible. The deadline is Sept. 6.

Interested business owners will be asked to provide their name, contact information, business name and a brief summary about themselves, their business and their product or service.

Through the 10-week program, sessions will focus on market definition, cost administration, pricing, marketing and sales strategies, body language in business, financing, legal issues, networking, and business presentations.

The program provides a huge opportunity for Tusculum students and local small-business owners to work and grow together both personally and professionally, thanks to community partners who have picked up expenses in order to allow the program to become established.

Each business person will become connected to a network of thousands of small businesses from all over the world, through HMHU’s global network.

HMHU was created by students who wanted to be a part of the change they wished to see in the world. With this, the young people who are a part of the HMHU course wish to aid small business owners in any way they can.

HMHU, operated by Tusculum College’s Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, is committed to helping participants increase profits, create a business plan, expand their network and improve practical and interpersonal skills through a variety of globally tested activities.

The program has the support of the Tusculum College administration, as well as the School of Business, the Center for Civic Advancement and the Office of Institutional Advancement. Because of community support, participants will not be charged a fee.

To commemorate the new year, the Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship will host an opening ceremony on Tusculum’s main campus on Aug. 29  at 7 p.m. to discuss the 2013-2014 goals and meet the individuals that comprise the CEDE.

Registration for this event is required.

Registration and information is available by calling 865-322-0583 or by e-mailing cede@tusculum.edu.

The CEDE, through its seven divisions and additional programs, aims at helping students, business owners, as well as individuals and family members in a number of areas related to entrepreneurship, small business development, and personal finance.

All the CEDE’s events and programs are free of charge to participants. Through the CEDE’s programs, individuals will be able to have access to experts in personal finance and attend events that aim at helping people realize the sources of their financial resources as well as what they are actually spending.  In addition, advice on how to improve this cycle and plan for the future will be provided in a personalized way.

Members of the Help Me Help You program last fall and spring celebrate their accomplishments at the graduation ceremony with their student mentors.

Nick Mitchell

Nick Mitchell has been named assistant director of admission at Tusculum College.

“Nick joined Tusculum College in 2011 and quickly became an integral part of the college community,” said Dr. Tom Stein, vice president for enrollment management at Tusculum. “Nick’s dedication and leadership at the College can be seen in his hours of hard work in meeting with prospective students about their opportunities to continue their education at Tusculum, directing students through the many steps of matriculation into College and working with students to help them succeed in College and develop leadership skills.”

Mitchell is both active on campus and in the community. On campus, he is an adviser to the President’s Society and the Pioneer Ambassador student groups. The President’s Society is a select group of Tusculum’s best students who form a student ambassador team focused on being a positive representation of the student body by demonstrating the embodiment of the civic virtues. They provide campus tours and student-to-student contact with prospective students of the college as well as participate in leadership training. Tusculum College Pioneer Ambassadors are a group of current students with a wide range of majors and hometowns who meet with prospective students when they visit campus.

He represents Tusculum College and works with prospective students in Sevier, Cocke, Washington and Unicoi counties in Tennessee as well as students from Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia and 14 various other states.

An eighth generation Tennessean and native of Greene County, Mitchell is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Greeneville, where he serves as a ruling elder. He earned a bachelor of science degree in political science from East Tennessee State University in 2011. He remains active with his college fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, serving as a chapter advisor and an officer in the alumni association. His interests and hobbies include playing tennis, the political, social, and culinary history of the South, traveling and collecting bowties.