The winners of this year’s Curtis and Billie Owens Literary Awards at Tusculum College, pictured above, were among student readers who presented works of creative fiction on Tuesday evening at Tusculum College during an English department public reading event and ceremony in which the Owens Awards were presented.

Curtis Owens was a 1928 graduate of Tusculum College who went on to a teaching career at what is now Pace University in New York. He and his wife established the Owens Award at his alma mater to encourage and reward excellence in writing among Tusculum College students.

Winners this year are, from left, Megan DuBois, Chino, Calif., who won in the poetry category; Will Chilcutt, Cross Plains, Tenn., who won for fiction; and Ashley Douglas, Clinton, Tenn., who won in the essay category. Other readers who presented were Jena Breckenridge, Val Foote, Brittany Holmes and Whittney Ransom. Presenting the Owens Award checks to the three winners was Interim President Dr. Russell Nichols.

The President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library and the Doak House Museum on the Tusculum College campus have each received a Community Enhancement Grant from the State of Tennessee totaling $15,000, recently announced State Rep. David Hawk, R-5th, of Greeneville.”The Museums of Tusculum College have consistently provided excellent curriculum-based programs for school children from throughout East Tennesee as well as preserving and exhibiting the history of our community, our region, and Tusculum College,” said Rep. Hawk.

“The museums provide a critical resource to our teachers and students in addition to being an important part of our tourism development efforts,” Hawk added.

“We deeply appreciate the support of Rep. Hawk in his willingness to support our public programs through these grants and his on-going interest in our various projects,” said George Collins, director of Museum Program and Studies at Tusculum College.

“The grants will be used to develop and introduce new interactive web-pages for the use of teachers and students, as well as make improvements to the exhibits in the President Andrew Johnson Museum and aid in the preservation of important artifacts,” Collins continued.

The grants were approved by legislation passed in the 2007 session of the Tennessee General Assembly. A total of $20 million has been appropriated for over 1,000 projects managed by non-profit organizations in the state.

The Museums of Tusculum College are part of the Department of Museum Program & Studies of Tusculum College. Each year the museums serve over 10,000 school children in curriculum-based hands-on programs and are coordinators of the Regional National History Day Program and Mosheim National History Day. In addition to other programs, the Museums offer one of the few undergraduate Museum Studies degree programs in the country and manage the archives of the oldest college in Tennessee and the Andrew Johnson Collection.

The Christian view of the “end times” that is the most popular eschatological perspective in evangelical, conservative churches is problematic in multiple ways, speaker Oliver “Buzz” Thomas said at Tusculum College on Tuesday (2/26).

Thomas spoke in the final session of this year’s Theologian-in-Residence lecture series, sponsored by the college and the Holston Presbytery. Thomas, a minister, author, and attorney, has spoken to capacity audiences in all of the lecture sessions, which have explored such issues as creation, the teaching of evolution and “intelligent design” in public schools, the nature of the Bible, homosexuality, and the role of women in the church. These subjects are among those addressed in Thomas’ book, “10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can/’t Because He Needs the Job).” In the fourth and concluding session, Thomas focused on issues of the end of the world and death.

The currently popular eschatological view of the end times called “premillennialism” focuses heavily on the “rapture” of Christians out of the world, a period of world tribulation and a literal thousand-year “millennial” reign of Jesus Christ in the world. The weaknesses of this view include failing to place the text in historic context, piecing together of unrelated scriptural passages outside of their proper contexts and reading “highly symbolic books literally,” Thomas said.

Premillennialism is the eschatological viewpoint behind such popular works as Hal Lindsey’s “The Late Great Planet Earth” in the 1970s through the more current “Left Behind” novels by Tim LaHaye. It is the view most often embraced in conservative evangelical circles.

One weakness of the premillennial approach is that, throughout history, adherents of the view have tended to set dates for Christ’s return that have not proven out. “You have to keep moving that timeline,” Thomas said.

Difficult times in world history have tended to make premillennialists believe the end is nearing, Thomas said. “Every time we go through hard times in Christian history, people say we are going through the end times,” he continued.

Another view, postmillennialism, became popular in the late 1800s, Thomas noted. In this interpretation, Christians are believed to usher in the millennium with their good works with Jesus’ returning at the end of the period. However, he added, the coming of World War I shattered confidence in the human ability to bring about worldly peace, and today postmillennialism finds few adherents.

The view called amillennialism, which interprets the Biblical millennium in non-literal terms, is associated with Catholicism and its strengths include interpreting the book in a historical context and being consistent with statements by Jesus, Peter, and Paul that no one knows when the end of the world will come, Thomas said.

The term “millennium” in the scriptures simply indicates a long stretch of time, not necessarily a literal thousand-year period, amillennialists argue. Thomas himself compared the usage to the modern greeting “I’ve not seen you in a month of Sundays!”, which indicates a long, imprecise period rather than an exactly measured span of time.

Amillennialists view many Biblical references to what premillennialists interpret as future events as actually being symbolic or coded references to events that have already happened. For example, Thomas noted, numerically, the “mark of the Beast” referenced in the scriptures, usually as 666, can easily be tied to names associated with the Roman emperor Nero, a great persecutor of the early church. Strengthening the assertion that the “Beast” was Nero is the fact that an alternative version of the “mark of the Beast” found in some old manuscripts, 616, also ties to the Nero name.

Rather than being a detailed roadmap of future events, Revelation is a “call to faithfulness” on the part of Christians in times of persecution and difficulty, Thomas said.

As an example of “apocalyptic” literature written in a time of persecution, he said, Revelation was written in a manner that would enable Christians of its time to interpret and understand its coded references to leaders and political entities of the time, while enemies of the church would be unable to easily do so.

Thomas also addressed issues of life after death, referencing scriptural teaching and also scientific research into death and dying issues. Members of the audience joined him in relating stories involving the deaths of individuals who have had experiences that appear to provide some insight into events that occur during the death transition.

He noted that early Hebrew theology focused on the life on earth and viewed the afterlife as a shadowy state, similar to the Greek mythological concept of Hades. Hebrew theology changed over time, and in the books of the Old Testament written in later periods, there is more of the dualism that appears in the New Testament, the concept of reward for the good and punishment for the evil, Thomas continued.

In the New Testament, heaven is the destination for the followers of Christ while those who reject God are placed in “the lake of fire.” Thomas noted that the Greek word used in Revelation to refer to the lake of fire as a “second death” for those who reject God means “separated,” as in an eternal separation from God and life.

The word translated as “hell” in the King James translation of the Bible is the Greek word “Gehenna,” which referred to a valley south of Jerusalem that had been the site of pagan sacrifices in Old Testament times and was the garbage dump for the city in the time of Jesus. In his preaching, Jesus would often tell people to repent or they would end up in Gehenna, Thomas said, a powerful image to His audience that they needed to change their ways lest they end up in the garbage dump.

The parable about Lazarus and the rich man is another place in Scriptures where Jesus speaks of the afterlife. Parables were a popular teaching method of the time, Thomas explained, and those of that period had one point they were trying to relate. The parable of Lazarus and the rich man was an ancient Egyptian parable and was also used by Jewish rabbis. However, Jesus changed the ending when telling his version in that Lazarus, the beggar, was the one receiving the reward. Jesus told the parable, Thomas said, not to teach about the afterlife but to teach that material wealth was not an indicator of God’s favor as was the prevalent thought of the period. The concept of hell as a place of eternal punishment has developed over the ages, particularly in the Middle Ages when works of literature such as Dante’s “Inferno” were popular, he said. Remarking that his view of the afterlife could be incorrect, Thomas said the concept of hell as a place of eternal torture, to him, is not consistent with a loving, just God.

However, Thomas said that the bottom line for him is summed up in the word “trust.” When death comes, he said, he has full trust in God to take care of him in divine love.

A presentation by a Tennessee civil rights pioneer, visits to local African-American churches and opportunities to learn from local minority professionals are among the ways that Black History Month is being commemorated during February on the Tusculum College campus.

About 20 different events and activities, both on and off campus, have been scheduled through the efforts of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, a division of Tusculum’s Office of Student Affairs.

Dr. Rita Geier, a pioneer in Tennessee civil rights, will be speaking on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building. The public is invited to the program, in which Dr. Geier will discuss her experiences as a civil rights pioneer in the South as well as her current position as the associate to the UT Knoxville Chancellor to lead intercultural efforts and implement goals of the university’s diversity plan and “Ready for the World” initiative.

Dr. Geier was a 23-year-old faculty member at Tennessee State University in 1968 when she filed a lawsuit after the University of Tennessee announced plans to expand in Nashville. She feared that UT-Nashville would become a four-year, predominantly white school with top-notch facilities while historically black TSU would be neglected. That lawsuit resulted in the 2001 Geier Consent Decree, which provided $77 million in state funds over six years to diversify student populations and faculty of all state higher education institutions.

Black Sunshine Poets will be returning to campus to perform at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Pioneer Perk inside the Niswonger Commons. The group uses their lyrical skills, creativity, and talent to perform original pieces that are both thought provoking and entertaining as they display the originality of African-American literature.

During Sundays in February, Tusculum students are also invited to take a closer “Look at the Black Church.”

On Feb. 10, students were invited to join the members of Jones AME Zion Church in Greeneville to celebrate the rich history and heritage of the African-American Methodist Episcopalian Church.

On Feb. 17, students have the chance to explore another facet of religion in the African-American community with a visit to a Baptist church, Friendship Baptist Church in Greeneville.

On Feb. 20, students are invited to join Tate Chapel United Methodist Church for the rededication of the historic church, which has been serving the African-American community in Greenville for over 180 years.

Two events during the month give Tusculum students a unique opportunity to meet and learn from minority professionals in the region.

“Dessert and Discussion: Women’s Panel” was held on Feb. 5, in which students interacted and networked with professionals from the region, including Dr. Pauletta Johnson, a professor of education at Tusculum; Rhea Scruggs, a business owner and an University of Tennessee graduate student; and Chutney Walton, a doctoral candidate at UT and graduate assistant with the Black Cultural Center.

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, it will be the men’s turn. “Dessert and Discussion: Men’s Panel,” will allow students to learn about the professional world from the perspective of those who are living it.

Tusculum students and the community are also encouraged to visit the special Black History exhibit in the Living Room of the Niswonger Commons. The “mini-museum” features information about African-Americans who have made significant contributions in the history of the nation as well as its cultural, sport, and political life.

The Multicultural Affairs Office also has offered students the opportunity to travel to Atlanta for an African-American History Tour including a visit to Ebenezer Baptist Church, the starting pulpit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; to participate in the third annual Black Issues Conference at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville; and to attend “Black Violins,” a concert at UT by two classically trained violinists creating a link between hip hop and classical music.

On campus, there will be a showing of an independent film about the African-American experience at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20, and the screening of “Nothing But a Man,” which documents the struggles of an African-American couple in the 1960s, will be Wednesday, Feb. 27. Both films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Behan Arena Theater in the Annie Hogan Byrd building.

“Pizza and Politics” will feature a discussion of the state of Black America and politics, at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, in the boardroom of the Library on campus. Students will have the opportunity to test their knowledge of African-American history facts at the Black History Bowl, sponsored by Black United Students, at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Pioneer Perk. The month will end with a celebration at 11:45 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 29, in the Niswonger Living Room of the Commons.

Families receive professional assistance from Tusculum College staff members with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) during College Goal Sunday.

Held Sunday, Feb. 10, in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building, this event provided 56 students from Northeast Tennessee and their families an opportunity to receive practical, hands-on help in filling out the form that is a prerequisite for receiving financial aid at any college and university as well information about financial aid resources and how to apply for them.

College Goal Sunday is a non-profit program that mobilizes financial aid professionals from Tennessee institutions of higher education to help college-bound students and their families to complete the federal form, which can then filed electronically on-line.

College Goal Sunday is supported and administered by a joint partnership between the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and volunteers comprised of members of the Tennessee Association of Financial Aid Administrators, as well as members of Tennessee Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the Tennessee Association of Special Programs-TRIO.

Rebecca Muncy ’05, Associate Director for Alumni and Parent Relations, is the recipient of a New2CASE scholarship presented by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

The New2CASE scholarship award includes a waiver of the registration fee for the CASE District III annual conference to be held in Atlanta, February 17-20.

Muncy will attend the CASE District III annual conference to learn ways Tusculum College can better serve its alumni, donors and other constituents.

More About CASE

According to the CASE website, “CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with their alumni and donors, raise funds for campus projects, produce recruitment materials, market their institutions to prospective students, diversify the profession, and foster public support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession, and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern, while promoting the importance of education worldwide.

Northeast Tennessee students who need information on how to obtain financial aid for college can find that information, along with practical, hands-on help, for free at Tusculum College this Sunday, Feb. 10, whether they plan to attend Tusculum or some other college or university.

Tusculum College is again welcoming Northeast Tennessee students and prospective students to College Goal Sunday for free, on-site professional assistance in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). FAFSA completion is a prerequisite to receiving financial aid at any college or university. Financial aid professionals will also be present to talk about financial aid resources and how to apply for them.

The event at Tusculum College will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. in the computer lab located in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the campus. That building stands on the corner of Shiloh Road and the Erwin Highway in the town of Tusculum.

College Goal Sunday is a non-profit program that provides free information and assistance to Tennessee families applying for financial assistance for higher education. College Goal Sunday mobilizes financial aid professionals from Tennessee colleges, universities, career colleges, and technology centers to help families of college-bound students complete the FAFSA, the federally required form for students seeking financial aid, including grants, scholarships, and loans, throughout the nation.

Tennessee’s College Goal Sunday Programs will take place on Febuary 10, 2008 at 2 p.m. at locations around the state, including Tusculum College.

Students and families in low-income and minority communities who need help applying for financial aid to attend college should not miss College Goal Sunday. All students and their families are encouraged to attend.

This one-day event will help families of college-bound students take the first step in applying for college by going through a two-hour moderated session that leads to a completed financial aid form for the student, ready to file electronically on-line.

Students and their parents should bring:

• completed 2007 IRS 1040 tax returns
• W-2 statements and other 2007 income and benefits information
• current bank statements
• untaxed income records for the previous year (Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, or veterans benefits records)
• driver’s license (if any)
• alien registration card (if you are not a U.S. citizen).

This information is helpful to complete the FAFSA. Those lacking some of the above items and information may still attend and benefit from College Goal Sunday, however.

Anyone interested in learning more about College Goal Sunday may call 800-342-1663 or email CollegeGoal.SundayInfo@state.tn.us. Web information is available at http://www.collegegoalsundaytn.org.

Students are asked to register using the online Student Registration form accessible at the web site listed above.

Those in the Northeast Tennessee area may also contact Tusculum College Admission Counselor Stephen Thompson at sthompson@tusculum.edu for more information. Students and families who need additional assistance in completing the FAFSA or who are looking for more resources on financial aid may visit www.collegepaystn.com or contact the Financial Aid office at any college, university, career college, or technical school.

Even those who are unsure whether they plan to attend college are encouraged to participate in College Goal Sunday. By filling out the FAFSA no obligation to attend college is created; however, by completing the FAFSA form critical deadlines will not be missed if the student decides to apply to college later in the year.

College Goal Sunday is supported and administered by a joint partnership between the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and volunteers comprised of members of the Tennessee Association of Financial Aid Administrator, as well as members of Tennessee Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the Tennessee Association of Special Programs-TRIO.

Funding for this program comes from Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation that strives to expand access and success in education beyond high school.

From the worn edges of his top hat to the tips of his black shoes, Chris Small is dedicated to bringing Abraham Lincoln to life for the audiences of his living history portrayals of the 16th president.

On the 199th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, Chris Small will bring the life, times, character and values of the 16th president to the stage at Tusculum College. “Mr. Lincoln and Emancipation” will be presented by Small at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum campus. The presentation, part of the Cicero Lecture Series, will be one of many events at the college to commemorate Black History Month in February.

Small will focus on Lincoln’s emerging views on slavery and emancipation in his presentation, part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s Acts, Arts, Academia 2007-08 performance and lecture series.

Passionate about sharing the experience of Abraham Lincoln with audiences, Small has given first-person portrayals of the president since 1997. He is the founder of The Lincoln Project, through which he brings the principles and values of Lincoln to his audiences through living history programs that focus on specific beliefs and periods of the 16th president’s life, encouraging audiences to apply the same timeless character traits found in Lincoln to their lives today.

In addition to the program he is to present at Tusculum, Small presents a variety of historical programs about Lincoln tailored to his audience, whether they are schools and organizations, businesses and corporations, or churches. These programs include an overview of the president’s life, the fascinating story of Lincoln’s barber and what their friendship meant for America, an overview of the Civil War, studies of Lincoln’s leadership and response to his life’s challenges, and presentations about Lincoln’s education, poetry, family, values, faith, and speeches.

Small also performs Herbert Mitgrang’s “Mr. Lincoln,” a full length, one-person play that traces the story of the 16th president from is impoverished boyhood to his fateful assassination. Small first performed the play in 1997 at Andrews University.

The mission of The Lincoln Project is to encourage interest in and study of Abraham Lincoln and his time; make Lincoln more accessible to the general public through living historiography, print, film, and other media; further the academic and professional study of Lincoln presentation; and promote the high moral standards and values for which the 16th president is renowned.

Small has written and performed a number of original scripts about Lincoln and academic papers/presentations incorporating Lincoln presentation, such as “Performance Development: Living Historiography from Scratch,” delivered at the 2005 conference of the Central States Communication Association.

Small has a master’s degree in communication with a specialty in interpretation and performance studies. He is trained in and has directed Bibliodrama, playback theatre and the drama methodologies of Augusto Boal. He is a member of the National Communication Association, the Abraham Lincoln Association, a life member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters and may be found on the National Registry of Living Historians.

In addition to his Lincoln endeavors, Small is the co-founder of Small Associates, LLC, and is an educator who has served as an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University, Concordia University, and Washtenaw Community College, along with volunteer service to several K-12 schools.

With a degree in religion and experience as a Christian pastor in the Michigan Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Small also presents religious programs and seminars including first-person Bible portrayals and interactive Bibliodrama.

Admission to the program is $6. For more information, contact Tusculum College Acts Outreach at (423) 798-1620 or visit its Web site at http://arts.tusculum.edu.

The Acts, Arts, Academia series is presented by Tusculum College Arts Outreach and supported by Dr. Sam Miller in memory of Mary Agnes Ault Miller, Society of Cicero, Hearts for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Arts Outreach.

The Presbyterian Outlook has established the “Presbyterian Outlook Church-College Partnership Award” in the amount of $1,000. The award will be given to the college senior who has written what will be judged to be the best essay on the subject, “How my church-related education has equipped me for significant service.”

This year’s winning essay will be published in the Oct. 27 higher education issue of The Outlook. If any other student essay is published, the student will receive an honorable mention award of $200 each.

Details:

The Presbyterian Outlook Church-College Partnership Award

• First place award: $1,000
• To be given to a graduating senior who presents the best written essay on the subject: “How my education at a PC(USA) church-related college has equipped me for significant service and leadership.”
• The winning essay will be published in The Presbyterian Outlook.
• Honorable mention awards of $200 will be awarded to all others whose essays are chosen for publication too.
• Eligibility: All seniors presently attending a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related college who will graduate in calendar 2008.
• Requirements: Submit via e-mail an essay of not more than 1,000 words along with a resume to jhaberer@pres-outlook.org
• Deadline: February 29, 2008

Learn more about The Presbyterian Outlook at www.pres-outlook.org.

a post to the parent’s newsletter

A pilot event for a Tusculum College program entitled “Explorations in Thought” was held Jan. 11-12 at the Roan Mountain Bed and Breakfast at Roan Mountain, Tenn.

A group of faculty, staff and alumni, along with a member of the college’s Board of Trustees, joined to explore and discuss the theme “Heroism: the Persistence of the Human Spirit.” This was done through a common reading of Timothy Egan’s “The Worst Hard Time,” a book chronicling the struggles of Depression-era Americans who faced the “Dust Bowl,” the worst environmental disaster in American history.

They also watched films with a similar focus on heroism: “Hotel Rwanda” and a film concerning Dr. Jeri Nielsen’s struggle to treat her own breast cancer while she was stationed at the South Pole.

Participants also engaged in activities to foster further discussion of how to develop and honor heroes in the classroom and community as part of Tusculum College’s focus on the Civic Arts.

“This was a successful event, helping to develop campus community,” said one participating faculty member. “I enjoyed getting to know my colleagues and members of our broader campus community better. I have never considered addressing the issue of heroism before in class, but I am now considering ways to incorporate it into my course this block.”

The concept for “Explorations in Thought” was suggested by Interim President Dr. Russell Nichols.

The life and good work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was celebrated during a remembrance ceremony held in the living room area of the Niswonger Commons on January 24th. The ceremony was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and was part of a week-long series of special events planned around Dr. King’s birthday.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen Weisz opened the ceremony with a prayer and a song. Beth Chamberlain provided an inspired version of the song “Lift Ever’y Voice and Sing” with piano accompaniment by Jim Winfree. Students in the Religious Life Program also read a Litany of the occasion of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday.

Dr. Weisz closed the remembrance ceremony with a short prayer, and then invited the attendees to remain for refreshments and fellowship after the ceremony.

See more photos of the remembrance ceremony.